In the year that King Uzziah died. Our sages said that died is here used for became a leper;¹ and Talmud Babli Nedarim, 64: There are four persons who, though living, may be counted as dead: the poor, the blind, the leper, the childless. for when Uzziah entered the temple to offer the incense,² the earthquake³ took place. This may be true; but מות can also be taken literally; in that case the death of Uzziah must be placed in the same year in which Isaiah became prophet; no objection can be raised from In the days⁴ of Uzziah (1:1), since even months might have passed between Isaiah’s initiation as prophet and the death of Uzziah. This chapter contains the first prophecy of Isaiah.

footnotes: ¹ Comp. Rashi, ad locum, ² On that occasion, Uzziah was struck with leprosy (2 Kgs. 15:5, and 2 Chr. 26:20, 2 Chr. 26:21). ³ At which, as some believe, Isaiah hinted by the words, And the posts of the door moved. See Rashi on ver. 4. The earthquake, which took place during the reign of King Uzziah, is mentioned Amos 1:1, and Zac. 14:5. Compare also Seder Olam, Amos prophesied before, Isaiah during the earthquake. ⁴ In the days (1:1) appears to mean in the midst of the reign of, since ימים sometimes signifies years. Ibn Ezra anticipates this objection and refutes it by referring to the literal meaning of ימים days, which may of course be applied to a part of a year. Thus the words in the days of Uzziah admit the supposition, that Isaiah commenced his prophetical career in the last year of the reign of Uzziah.

High and lifted up. Attributes to throne (כסא), not, as many thought, to the Lord. The throne⁵. עולם העליון the highest world, described as spiritual, indivisible, and unchangeable; b. עולם התיכון the middle world, or היכל the divine temple, described as being of a mixed nature, containing bodiless forms, and also bodies, but of a pure and unchangeable substance; c. עולם השפלות the lowest world, the earth and the fulness thereof, consisting of bodies of all description. The forms and bodies of the middle world are contained in ten spheres : sun, moon, and five planets in seven spheres, the large body of stars in the eighth, the Zodiac in the ninth, the tenth is the throne.—The angels inhabit the middle world. See I. E. on Ps. 8:4, and on Dan. 10:21. is above the Hajoth⁶ as I shall explain on Ezekiel.⁷

footnotes: ⁵ The throne כסא הכבוד is, according to I. E., the sphere or force (גלגל) that encompasses and moves all the remaining spheres. The whole Universe is divided into three parts; a ⁶ חיות lit. living beings, signify a certain class of angels, frequently mentioned by Ezekiel (1:5, 13, etc.). ⁷ The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel, promised by underlinehim/underline repeatedly, is not known.

And his train. The train of the throne; kings usually have their thrones covered with drapery.

Seraphim. The prophet calls them Seraphim—i.e., burning ones—because they seared his mouth.

Stood by Him.⁸ Comp. 1 Kings 22:19. Anthropomorphism drawn from the custom of great kings.

footnotes: ⁸ A. V., Above it stood.

What the wings mean I shall explain on the visions of Ezekiel.⁷

footnotes: ⁷ The commentary of Ibn Ezra on Ezekiel, promised by him repeatedly, is not known.

He covered his face. Comp. And Moses hid his face (Exod. 3:6). He covered his feet, out of reverence.

He did fly, to carry the message of the Lord.

And one cried unto another. The number of the seraphim is not mentioned; some believe they were two, but I am of opinion that there were many.

Holy, holy, holy. Repeated thrice, to express the continuity of the declaration. Comp. Jer. 7:4, Jer. 22:29.

Holy. An adjective. Holiness is an essential attribute of the Lord; it is therefore the same in every place. God showed Isaiah this vision, that he might purify himself from the uncleanness of the lips; for the Lord is holy, and so also should be His servants and messengers.

Hosts. Angels that are above.

The whole earth, etc. Although He is holy above, still His glory filleth the earth below. He who explains מלא כל הארץ that which filleth the whole earth, that is, its inhabitants, and compares it with וּמְלאׇׁהּ and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24), is mistaken.⁹ Comp. ה׳ את כל הארץ וימלא כבוד And the whole earth will be full of the glory of the Lord. (Num. 14:21)

footnotes: ⁹ Ibn Ezra does not show why this explanation is wrong; nor does he give any opinion of his own as to what form מְלאׁ is; the quotation, Num. 14:21, only shows that a phrase like the glory of the Lord filleth the whole earth, is correct; but he fails to prove the identity of this quotation with הארץ כבודו מלא כל. In his commentary on Num. 22:18, however, he explains בֵּיתוֹ מָלֵא כסף ═ מְלאׁ ביתו כסף and quotes מלא כל הארץ as a parallel.

And the posts of the threshold moved. It was as if the threshold would move away from its place.

אמות Posts. About the meaning of the word there is no question; in this sense, it is, according to some,¹⁰ hapax legomenon.

footnotes: ¹⁰ I. E. probably derives אמות in this verse from אַמׇּה cubit, arm, comparing the two doorposts with two arms.

ההמון הקורא מקול ═ מקול הקורא At the voice of the multitude that cried.

The verse begins with the past וינועו, and continues with the future ימלא, because the Hebrew language has no special form for the imperfect tense; past and future are therefore used for it promiscuously.¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ Comp. I. E. on 1:21 and Chap. i., Note 43.

נדמיתי I am undone. I am cut off from the company of the holy ones; comp. ודמיתי And I will destroy (Hos. 4:5). Some compare it with דׂמִּי Be silent (Ps. 62:6). This view also may be correct.

A man of unclean lips. The prophet was a man of unclean lips, I think, because he grew up with the Israelities, that were unclean in deeds and words, and he learnt their way of speaking; comp. And he warned me not to go the way of this people (8:11); therefore he says, And in the midst of a people of unclean lips I am dwelling.

For mine eyes have seen the king, who is holy, and whom I was afraid to anctify because of the uncleanness of my lips. Although he says, Mine eyes have seen, etc., it is but in a prophetical vision that he saw Him.

ויעׇף Then flew. As written here, with a short kamez under ע, it is derived from עוף to fly; but ויעַף (Jud. 4:21), where the ע has a pathah, is derived from עיף to be weary.

רצפה A live coal. Comp. רצפים coals (1 Kings 19:6).

With tongs. As men use to do.

From off the altar. Where the fire is holy, where there is no strange fire.

זה This, namely, הׇאֵשׁ the fire; אֵשׁ is used also as a masculine noun.¹²

footnotes: ¹² I. E. does not refer זה to רצפה, because the former is masculine, the latter feminine; he supplies therefore הָאֵשׁ the fire, which, though generally used as a feminine noun, is sometimes constructed with the masculine form of an adjective; comp. אש להט flaming fire (Ps. 104:4).

Thy sin. The sinning by words; for he spoke frivolously, like his fellow-men.

For us. He speaks now to the seraphim; therefore he says, for us (plural).¹³

footnotes: ¹³ For us is, according to Ibn Ezra, equal to for myself and you, the Seraphim; by this interpretation he avoids referring the plural for us to God.

Here am I, send me. Since my lips are pure, I am fit to be the messenger, but I was not before. From these words I infer that this chapter contains Isaiah’s first prophecy.¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ He declares that he was before unfit for bearing the message of the Most Holy.

Hear ye, indeed, etc. Some assert that God does not accept the repentance of the sinner, when his earthly punishment is already decreed, to cancel the sentence. R. Moses Hakkohen is of opinion that this passage describes the benefit the people will derive from listening to the good advice of the prophet; that they will be delivered from their afflictions.¹⁵ This is, however, contradicted by Lest they return and be healed. The first explanation is the right one.

footnotes: ¹⁵ R. Moses Hakkohen explains the verse thus: Listen to the words of the prophet, and you will not suffer any of the threatened evils; but this opinion is rejected by Ibn Ezra on account of the following verse, which is the continuation of this, and leaves no doubt about its meaning; according to his opinion the prophet says, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; it is of no use, because it is too late.

השמן Make fat. According to some it is infinitive, like הקטר To burn incense (1 Sam. 3:16); and הׇשַׁע likewise, like הׇרַע To do evil (Lev. 5:4); but this cannot be so, because of the conjunction פן lest.¹⁶ They are all rather imperative forms. We know that the prophet cannot make the heart fat; he shall only declare their heart to be so; there are many instances like it.

footnotes: ¹⁶ Since the part beginning with lest is the secondary sentence, the preceding must be the principal one; and השמן ,השע, the verbs of the principal sentence, cannot be Infinitives.

הׇשַׁע Shut. Comp. תשעינה Will be shut (32:3). In Chaldee, this word שעה has the same meaning.¹⁷ The imperative Hiphil ought to be הֶשֶׁע like הֶרֶף, but the guttural letter ע causes the alteration; the form הָשַׁע can also be derived from a verb (שעע) ע״ע

footnotes: ¹⁷ Comp. Lev. 14:42, 43, and the Chaldæan translation.

How long. The prophet wants to know how long this misfortune shall last, that the people shall not understand nor repent. The answer is, Till the land be desolate.

And have removed. He will take them far away, and bring them into a distant country.

העזובה The forsaken land.¹⁸ Adjective or participle passive Kal.

footnotes: ¹⁸ A. V., Forsaking. I. E. supplies הארץ the land.

ועוד בה וגו׳ And yet in it shall be, etc. According to some: Ten more kings will rule over Judah before the exile, and then ושבה והיתה לבער it¹ shall again be removed¹⁹: comp. ובערת And thou shalt put away (Deuter. 21:21); others compare לבער with תבערו You shall kindle (Exod. 35:3)—and the number of kings from that time, Uzziah included, was really ten. Some explain, the tenth part will be left in the land. Grammatically, עשיריה is an adjective, the tenth; but different from עשירית the tenth part; comp. שלישיה (19:24) the third. It is, therefore, clear that עשיריה refers to the number of kings.²⁰

footnotes: ¹ The kingdom. ¹⁹ A. V., Shall return and shall be eaten. ²⁰ עשיריה being an adjective, and the feminine noun מלכות being supplied, the phrase ועוד בה עשיריה וגו״ is explained by I. E., But yet in it shall be a tenth reign, and then it shall again, etc.

אשר בשלכת Which were in Shalecheth.²¹ Two trees were in the gate Shalecheth, which were exceedingly strong.¹ Those that take לשכת ═ שלכת are wrong, as well as those that derive it from השליך he cast; for whoever is able to say such things has no knowledge of grammar.²²

footnotes: ²¹ A. V., When they cast their leaves. ¹ The gate Shalecheth is mentioned 1 Chr. 26:16; but for the two trees no other authority is known than the oak and terebinth of this verse. ²² שלכת is a form derived from the Piel; but השליך is Hiphil; this is however, no valid objection, since the Piel has often the meaning of the Hiphil.

מצבת בם Substance is in them. They will still remain and stand firmly for ever; the comparison of the people with a tree is by no means uncommon; comp. for as the days of a tree, etc. (65:22).

Holy seed will be the substance thereof. Holy seed will they be that will remain after that. Those that would come back from the Babylonian exile are here hinted at.