The prophet continues to reprove those who are in exile, and concludes with the words, As for me, this is my covenant, etc. (ver. 21). Thus all these chapters are well connected together in one whole.¹

footnotes: ¹ The leading idea in all these chapters from c. xl., according to I. E., is to prove that the Israelites are wrong in disbelieving the prophet, and manifesting want of confidence in the Divine promise of a perfect and lasting salvatior. I. E. points out, therefore, how this chapter begins with, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, etc., and concludes with the declaration that the truth of the words which God commanded the prophet to proclaim, will be established for ever.

Behold the Lord’s hand, etc. Know that the Lord is not unable to help you.

לבין And (lit., between). It is a compound of ל and בין, each of which alone would suffice.

Have hid His face. This is a figurative expression, taken from man covering his face and closing his ears when he is unwilling to see or to hear.

נגאלו Are defiled. The grammatical form of the word is a compound of the Niphal and Pual.²

footnotes: ² The נ of נגאלו is the characteristic of the Niphal; the Holem in the first syllable that of the Pual; the Niphal being נִגְאֲלוּ, the Pual גּאֲׁלוּ.

With blood. With murder.

Your fingers with iniquity, that is, with dishonesty.

Your lips, etc. Your deeds and words are equally bad.

None calleth for justice. Nobody reproves you.

נשפט Judged.³ It is participle Niphal.⁴

footnotes: ³ A. V., Pleadeth. ⁴ Comp. I. E. on 13:15 and Note 18.

They trust in vanity, etc. They promise each other what they never fulfil.

They conceive mischief in their minds.

And bring forth iniquity in words.

They hatch, etc. They are compared with the cockatrice’s eggs, when they open themselves.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ A. V., They hatch cockatrice’s eggs. I. E. supplies the relative כאשר when. The Hebrew text has the words: המשילם שהם כביצי צפעוני. Lit., he compared them, (saying) that they are like the eggs of the cockatrice. This passage seems to be corrupt, because, in the first place, if I. E. intended only to say that the prophet compared them with the eggs of the cockatrice, he would have said המשילם לביצי צפעוני, or אמר שהם כביצי צפעוני; secondly, the whole remark would, in that case, be superfluous; thirdly, from the preceding remark of I. E., in which thoughts and words are pointed at as meant by the prophet, it may be inferred, that the commentator will show in this remark that the prophet speaks of the deeds of the people. It is, therefore, probable that the words in question are a corruption of the original מעשיהם לביצי צפעוני המשיל, he compares their deeds with the eggs, etc.

וקורי עכביש The web⁶ of the work of a spider.

footnotes: ⁶ The Hebrew text has ידוע well-known; but יריעה, a web, a curtain, is meant. The same expression is used by Kimchi in explaining the word קורי.

Of their eggs. Of the eggs of the cockatrice.

וְהַזּוּרֶה And that which is crushed. It is an irregular form; the Segol under ר is substituted for Kamez, as in ולנה and it shall remain (Zec. 5:4.) זורה is participle passive; comp. מולים circumcised (Jos. 5:5); סוגה set about (Songs 7:2). As to its meaning comp. ויזר and he pressed⁷ (Jud. 6:38). If one presses the egg, the cockatrice breaks through and comes out. אפעה Viper. Comp. 30:6

footnotes: ⁷ A.V., And thrust together.

Their webs shall not become garments. Their deeds are compared with the spider’s web, that is to say, they are not durable.

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, of wasting and destruction in their paths, that is, in the paths which they go. The second half of the verse contains the same idea as the first half.

Their paths that were well known before (as straight), are now crooked. Whosoever goeth therein, that is, he who walks in their ways, and learns from them.

Therefore is judgment far from us, etc. The prophet now represents Israel while in exile, as speaking.

For brightness, etc. Repetition of the same idea.

נגששה We grope. It is hap. leg. Some connect it with גוש a clod (Job 7:5).⁸

footnotes: ⁸ Or rather the reverse, connect גוש with גשש. The fundamental meaning seems to be to touch, to feel; from this is derived גוש clod, that is, some substantial thing that is felt. Comp. Ges. Lex., sub voce גוש.

At noon day as in the night, that is, as if it were in the evening. It is a figurative expression.

באשמנים. Some say that it means in graves;¹ but it is equally admissible to explain it, at noon,⁹ or, amongst the living.² or, considering the א to be prosthetic, among the fat ones, that is, the heathen people.¹⁰

footnotes: ¹ Comp. Targ. Jonathan: מתיא אתאחד באפנא כמה דאחידין קבריא באפי The door closes before us, as the graves close to the dead.—R. Joseph Kimchi explains likewise באשמנים in graves; he derives the word from the root שמם═אשם to be desolate, with a paragogic נ. ⁹ The opposite is said by some commentators, namely, that באשמנים means the same as במחשכים in darkness; this explanation is probably based on a comparison of this phrase with the verse He hath set me in dark places (במחשכים), as they that be dead of old (Lam. 3:6). צהרים in the Hebrew text is perhaps a corruption of חשכים. ² באשמנים being considered to be the opposite of כמתים as dead men, as in the preceding phrase בצהרים at noonday is the opposite of כנשף in the night. ¹⁰ The Israelites, while in exile, and deprived of liberty and independence, among successful and prospering people, compare themselves to dead persons among the living.

We roar, etc. We cry, but nobody comes to our assistance, nobody comes to do us justice.

For our transgressions, etc. The repenting Israelites are now represented by the prophet as speaking.

ענתה בנו Hath testified against us. Comp. לא תענה ברעך, thou shalt not testify against thy neighbour (Ex. 20:13).

For our iniquities are with us. Our iniquities are yet with us.¹

footnotes: ¹ They have not yet been removed by repentance on the one side, and pardon on the other.

פׇּשֹׁעַ וְכַחֵשׁ In transgressing and lying. These are infinitives; the meaning of פשע is to renounce obedience.

נסג Departing. It is infinitive Niphal, similar in form to ונשלח and being sent (Est. 3:13).¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ The forms of the infinitive Niphal are נִפְעול and נׇסוג ;הִפׇּעְל and נשלוח are formed after נִפְעוֹל.

סרה Revolt. Comp. סורר rebellious (Deut. 21:18).

הורו Conceiving it,¹ that is, forming it; comp. הורי my progenitors (Gen. 49:26); ותהר and she conceived (1 Chr. 4:17).¹² Its form is the same as that of the succeeding והגו and uttering it; the possessive pronoun (וֹ) refers to שקר falsehood. Some say that הֹרוֹ and הֹגוֹ are irregular forms of the infinitive; the regular infinitive would be הׇגֹה ,הׇרֹה, comp. בׇּנֹה to build (1 Kings 8:13.)

footnotes: ¹ A.V., Conceiving, Uttering. ¹² The instances quoted are intended to prove that the verb הרה to conceive, which is mostly used as a neuter verb, expressing a certain state and condition, is sometimes used as a transitive verb, and governs in that case the accusative.

מלב From the heart. They bring forth words of falsehood out of their hearts.

והסג And is turned away. It is Hophal

And justice standeth afar off. It is figurative expression for "they evince no justice". אמת Truth. It is a feminine noun; the third radical (נ) is dropped and expressed implicitly by Dagesh in אמתך "thy truth" (38:18).

נכחה Equity. Things which one says straightforwardly to his neighbour; comp. נכוחים right (Sam II 15:3).

משתולל According to some it means "mad;" comp. שולל "mad"¹³ (Mic. 1:8); אשתללו "they are mad" (Ps. 76::6); perhaps all these words are serived from שלל "to deprive of property;"¹⁴ משתולל is the participle Hitpael of שלל.

footnotes: ¹³ A. V., "stripped." ¹⁴ The meaning of משתולל accordingly is "maketh himself a prey (A. V.).

וישתומם And wondered. Comp. שממה desolation (1:7).¹⁵ Rabbi Menahem connects it with ¹⁶שתום (Num. 24:3); but he is wrong; it is improper to form וישבורר from שבר, with reduplication of the third radical.

footnotes: ¹⁵ שמם to be desolate, so that no word is heard; so he that wonders cannot utter a word in the first moment. ¹⁶ וישתומם is, according to the opinion of R. Menahem, formed from שתם with reduplication of the third radical. I. E. properly rejects this explanation, because the ת is not a radical, but a formative letter, the characteristic of the Hithpael, being placed after the first radical, in accordance with the rule concerning the verbs, whose first radical is a sibilant. R. Menahem is a famous grammarian of the 11th century.

ותשע לו זרעו Therefore His arm helped him.¹⁷ This is an anthropomorphism, for, in fact, God helps, but does not require the assistance of others. The meaning of the phrase is, His glory helped Him to show His power.¹

footnotes: ¹⁷ A. V., Brought salvation. ¹ The words of the Hebrew text are זרעו .והטעם על כבודו להראות גבורתו His arm, seems hero to be explained by His glory; and ותשע לו helped Him, to be complemented by to show His power. I. E. intends to remove the anthropomorphism by this explanation, but in reality he replaced it only by another one. The most striking expression in the anthropomorphism, the verb helped, as correctly pointed out by I. E., is not replaced by another verb. It is, however, possible that the whole phrase גבורתו והטעם, על כבודו להראות is the explanation of the expression זרעו his arm: his glory, in displaying his power, is meant.

מפגיע Intercessor. Comp. יפגיע made intercession (53:12)

And He put on, etc. This is a figure taken from a warrior putting on his armour.

תלבשת Clothing. Both the letters ת are formative, as in תפארת glory (3:18).

ויעט כמעיל קנאה And was clad with zeal as a cloke, that is, as if he were clad with a cloke.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ I. E. seems to point out by this remark, that קנאה is not a genitive governed by מעיל, and that the whole phrase does not mean and was clad as it were with a cloke of zeal (similar to בגדי נקם garments of vengeance), but that both מעיל and קנאה are in the accusative case governed by the verb ויעט.

כעל גמלות Like a man who is zealous for repaying.¹⁹ Fury to his adversaries, etc. He will repay fury to his adversaries, etc.

footnotes: ¹⁹ It is not clear from the words of I. E. whether this remark refers also to כעל ישלם, and explains it to mean like a man (who is zealous) for revenge, or is limited to כעל גמלות; in that case the whole phrase is to be translated, Like a man (who is zealous) for repaying, so he (is clad with zeal) for revenge. A. V., According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay.

To the islands, etc. By his adversaries and enemies mentioned before, those on the continent are meant; the prophet continues, therefore, to the islands, etc.

ויראו Some explain it, And they will fear; one י being omitted (וייראו═ויראו); others, paying strict regard to its orthography, render it, and they shall see.

The name of the Lord. His deeds, as proved by the parallelism of the verse; His glory in the second part corresponds to the name of the Lord, in the first part.²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ If יראו means they will see, the expression the name of the Lord must refer to the works of the Lord, since the name cannot be seen. His glory is identical with his glorious works, or the glory displayed in his works.

צר Distress.²¹ Comp. צר ומצק trouble and anguish (Ps. 119:143). It is a noun.²² In such a degree רוח יי נוססה בו the spirit of the Lord will wonderfully act therein.²³ נוססה is derived from נס miracle. This verse is in perfect harmony with the prophecy, And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was, etc. (Dan. 12:1). At that time Israel alone will be saved; therefore this verse is followed by the words, And the Redeemer shall come to Zion.

footnotes: ²¹ A. V., The enemy. ²² It can hardly be anything else. I. E. means, perhaps, to say that צר is an abstract noun (שם) signifying distress, and not a common noun (שם התואר) signifying enemy. (Comp. c. iii., Note 5). ²³ A. V., The spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Standard.

גואל Redeemer, that is, Messiah.

Unto them that turn from transgression. Comp. Every one that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1)

As for me, this is my covenant. I shall make a covenant with them, namely, that my spirit which is upon thee, etc. Upon thee. Israel is addressed. My spirit. My prophecy; comp. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, etc. (Joel 3:1).

And my words which I have put in thy mouth. Repetition of the same idea. God has revealed Himself to His people through prophets, whose divine words shall never depart from the hearts of the Israelites.