I was¹ sought, etc. This is the reply of God to the prayer of the Israelites; He says: Your fathers have provoked me, but ‘ I was sought,’ that is, I offered myself to be found whenever they were in trouble, to them that asked me not, that I should be accessible to them.

footnotes: ¹ A. V., I am sought.

I said, ‘ Behold me, behold me,’ repeatedly through the prophets.²

footnotes: ² I. E. adds through the prophets, because the Lord revealed Himself directly to the whole nation only once, namely, on Mount Sinai.

That was not called by my name in those days, but by the name of Baal.

I have spread out my hands, etc. According to R. Moses Hakkohen, the preceding verse refers to all nations, as if God said, Even to nations that are not called by my name, I was accessible, but as regards my people I have spread my hands to receive them.

הדרך לא טוב In a way that is not good. Supply דרך way before לא טוב not good;³ comp. טוב ורע עץ הדעת דעת═עץ הדעת טוב ורע the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9)

footnotes: ³ לא טוב is the genitive governed by דרך, which must be supplied; because הדרך cannot govern the genitive on account of the definite article. Comp. I. E. on 30:20.

To my face. Like a servant that provokes his master while in his presence.

In gardens of idolatry.

That sit among the graves, to inquire of the dead, and to listen to the spirits.

ובנצורים *And in ruins.*⁴. Comp. נצורה waste (1:8).

footnotes: ⁴ A. V., In the monuments. Besieged.

Which eat, etc. All this is done in order to provoke me.

וטרק And broth. Its meaning is well known; comp. Judg. 6:20. The Ketib⁵ is ופרק; the two words, however, are the same in meaning.

footnotes: ⁵ See ix. Note 2.

Which say. They, the unclean, say to the others, that have never eaten swine’s meat, etc.

גשה אליך═קרב אליך Stand by thyself. Lit. Go nearer to thyself.

קדשתיך I am holier than thou. It is an intransitive verb; as to the suffix,⁶ קרשתיך I am holier than thou. comp. יצאוני have gone out of me (Jer. x 20); similarly קדשתיך has the same meaning as קדשתי ממך I am holy, more than thou.

footnotes: ⁶ The suffix of the verb is generally the same as the corresponding pronoun in the accusative, and should therefore be joined only to transitive verbs; but exceptionally it is a substitute for a pronoun and a preposition, and can in that case be joined to a neuter verb, as e.g.,

אלה עשן באפי These put⁷ smoke in my nose.

footnotes: ⁷ A. V., These are.

Behold it is written before me. This evil which they have done, is, as it were, written before me; I have not forgotten it.

Your iniquities, etc. You have added sins to the sins of your forefathers. I measured their former work into their bosom. Your fathers went into exile for their idolatry.

Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine, etc. Although they have sinned, it will, nevertheless, be in those days as when the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith to the other do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it. I shall do the same for the sake of my servants, the righteous men of Israel, during their exile; namely, I shall not utterly destroy them.

And I will bring forth out of Jacob, of those that had gone into exile, of the righteous among them: who deserve to be called mine elect.

עמק עכור The valley of Achor. This valley is near Jerusalem; comp. And the valley of Achor for a door of hope (Hos. 2:15). Others render it, Valley of trouble,⁸ comparing it with עכר that troublest (1 Kings 18:17). The latter is a forced explanation.

footnotes: ⁸ That is, the valley, in which the Israelites have brought trouble upon themselves through their bad actions. I. E., justly rejects this explanation, because the words עמק עכור are probably like השרון in the first part of the verse, a proper name, without any reference to trouble or sin.

For my people that sought me. For He will remember those that seek another besides Him.

הַשְׁכֵחִים That forget, (lit., that are forgetful). It is an adjective,⁹ similar in form to יְרֵאִים afraid (1 Sam. 23:3).

footnotes: ⁹ I. E. explains שְׁכֵהִים to be an adjective, although it governs an accusative, since the participle is שֹׁכְחִים; or he means by שם תאר the participle, and שְׁכֵחִים would in that case be another form of the participle, that could be compared with יראים, the only form of the participle Kal of ירא, to fear.

לגד For the host of the heavens.¹⁰ R. Moses Hakkohen says, that גד means the planet Jupiter which forebodes only good things;¹¹ that in Arabic the word has the same meaning;¹² but that בגל (Gen. 30:11) is different from it.¹³

footnotes: ¹⁰ A. V., That troop. ¹¹ According to the belief of Eastern people; In Arabic, Jupiter is called السعد الاكبر the greatest fortune. ¹² جَدٌ Felicitas. ¹³ I. E. renders בגד a troop comes, and refers it to the troop of five children, which Leah then had.

למני For Meni.¹⁴ According to some מני (lit., number) is the name of the Zodiac, because each of its constellations has a certain number of stars. R. Moses Hakkohen says that מני is the name of one star.¹⁵ the moon.

footnotes: ¹⁴ A. V., That number. ¹⁵ R. Moses Hakkohen mentions no name of that star. Gesenius is of opinion that מני is Venus; others compare it with μήvη

ממסך Drink offering. Comp., מסכה she hath mingled (Prov. 9:2)

ומניתי And I will number. The repetition of the same root is considered as an elegance in Hebrew. Comp. גד גדוד עודנו Gad, a troop shall overcome him (Gen. 49:19); דן ידין Dan shall judge (ibid. 16). Thus the verb ומניתי is used because of מני at the end of the preceding verse; it means I shall number; comp. מונה that telleth (Jer. 33:13)

My servants, that return to Zion.

But ye others, that do not serve the Lord, will remain in their miseries.

תְּיֵילִילוּ Ye shall howl. The regular form of the word would be ¹⁶תַּיְלִילוּ; comp., יַיְשִׁירוּ they look straight (Prov. 4:25). It is similar in form to יְיֵדָע he knoweth; (Ps. 138:6), and יְיֵטִיב he doth good (Job 24:21)

footnotes: ¹⁶ Or תֵּילִילוּ after the form הֵילִילוּ (23:1); the root is ילל.

And ye shall leave your name for a curse. Comp.¹⁷ The Lord make thee a curse and an oath (Num. 5:21); The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab (Jer. 29:22). The Lord God shall slay thee. Thus they will say to each other.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁷ The Hebrew text has the words ואלה כמו; and a curse, comp. ואלה is either the explanation of לשבועה and must be altered into לאלה, or it is the remnant of a quotation, and must in that case be preceded by כמו. ¹⁸ This explanation is given on account of the change of the number; the suffix in שמכם is plural, while that of והמיתך is singular. In Targum Jonathan it is rendered, וימיתכון and shall kill you.

Another name. That is, a better name.

המתברך He who blesseth himself. This word is not like ונברכו and shall be blessed (Gen. 18:18); there is a difference between the two words.¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁹ ונברכו is the passive (Niphal), they shall be blessed; that is, they shall receive the blessing from the Almighty; מתברך is reflective (Hithpael): he who blesses himself; that is, he who believes himself blessed or wishes himself to be blessed, as I. E. himself explains below.

באלהי אמן In the God whom all the world will acknowledge to be the true God, and that there is none besides Him.²⁰ אמן is an adjective ¹ of the same root as אמונה truth (25:1); יתברך ונו׳ Shall bless himself, etc. He shall thankfully acknowledge that this²¹ is true, or wish and pray that it may become true.

footnotes: ²⁰ A. V., In the God of truth. ¹ I. E. seems to overlook that the adjective אמן demands the absolute state before it, not the construct. If, however, אמן is referred by him to the, people, to the faithful, and not to God, the construct state would be explained hereby, but the use of the singular אמן instead of the plural, would still require some explanation. ²¹ That God is recognised by all people as the Lord of the universe.

Because the former troubles, etc., are hid from mine eyes. The troubles which have befallen the righteous, the servants of the Lord, have been intensified by the circumstance that the wicked used to mock at the pious and their piety, when the latter were afflicted with calamities¹

footnotes: ¹ I. E. perhaps explains here the expression from mine eyes to mean from the eyes of my pious people who perceive all the insults and mocking of the wicked.

בי הנני בורא שמים חדשים וגו׳ For behold, I create new heavens, etc. Some explain this verse thus: Behold, it will be as if I created, etc.²² The grammarian, R. Jehudah, says, that by the new heavens the creatures in heaven and earth are meant.²³ The right explanation, however, is, that by heavens the atmosphere over the earth is meant, and the meaning of the whole sentence is: God will create a new good atmosphere, that people will be healthy and enjoy a long life; He will likewise increase the productive power of the earth, that it will be as though it were new. Those that refer the passage to the future life of man, are wrong; for it cannot thus agree with the context of the chapter, since in the future life there is neither eating nor drinking, as our sages have taught us,¹ and this idea concerning the future life is the only true one.

footnotes: ²² The heavens are considered as not subject to a material change; it was therefore found necessary to explain the seeming contradiction of this opinion, contained in the prediction of the creation of new heavens. Some explain that there will not be a real, but only an apparent creation of new heavens. ²³ According to this opinion, the totality of the heavens is unchangeable, and that will not be renewed, but the individual creatures in them do not share the same privilege; the new creation refers to them. ¹ Comp. Talmud Babli, Berachoth p. 17.

The former. The former troubles, as some quite correctly explain; others supply heaven and earth; but there is no sense in their explanation, as may be proved from the next verse.²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ The opposite of the former things, which shall not be remembered, is described in the next verse by גילה, rejoicing, and משוש,joy. The former things are therefore the former troubles and sufferings.

עדי עד Long years.²⁵ For at last man dies ¹ (comp. vers. 20). הנני בורא את ירושלים Behold, I make²⁶ Jerusalem. From this passage it can be proved that the word ברא does not mean to create (to produce from non-existence into existence) but to form, to renew.

footnotes: ²⁵ A. V., For ever. ¹ And therefore he cannot rejoice for ever, and עדי עד in this verse signifies only a long space of time. ²⁶ A. V., I create.

The voice of weeping for one that is slain, or dies too early, as explained in the next verse.

There shall be no more, etc. This verse shows, that those who will return to Zion will enjoy a long life. The old man will complete his days, that is, the days which the natural constitution of man permits him to live; he will live as long as the former generations from Adam to Noah lived; the same is the case with עולל═עול ימים infant of days.²⁷ ימות וגו׳ כי הנער בן טאה שנה.²⁸ For the young man²⁹ shall die one hundred years old, etc. The sinner who dies a hundred years old, will be cursed; for if he lived less than that, his infancy will plead for him, his mental faculties not yet being fully developed; but being a hundred years old he is a young man, and being then a sinner, he is cursed.³⁰ We learn from this verse that the world will at last be again as it was at the beginning.³¹

footnotes: ²⁷ The infant will likewise complete his days; the time of infancy will be prolonged in the same proportion. ²⁸ The Hebrew text has the words והמת מת, which do not seem to harmonise with the context; from the words which follow, והוא בן מאה שנה, it may be inferred that the word נער, or the whole phrase כי הנער בן מאה שנה, is to be explained, and that the words והמת מת have to be replaced by הנער, or by the whole phrase נער .כי הנער בן מאה שנה is the period of life next to עול ימים. ²⁹ A. V., The child. ³⁰ According to Jewish law the age of responsibility of man for his actions begins with the completion of the thirteenth year. Comp. בן שלש עשרה למצות (Aboth. 5:24). ³¹ That the life of man will equal in length that of the first generations from Adam to Noah, that is, the length of about a thousand years.

And they shall build houses, etc. That is, they will be in safety, for there will be no enemy, as explained in the next verse; or, they will build houses, and dwell therein for a long time, while those that die in war are not so happy.

As the days of the tree that lives for a long time, as the Carob³² and similar trees.

footnotes: ³² Comp. Targ. Jonath.: כיומי אילן חייא, as the days of the tree of life; this refers, perhaps, likewise, to the carob tree, which is called the tree of life, on account of its longevity, its evergreen leaves, or its abundance of nutritious food.

And mine elect shall outlive the work of their hands. Many works of man retain still their new appearance, while man has already become old, as e.g. a building, a book. The pronoun their refers to mine elect, the subject of the sentence.

Nor bring forth for trouble, etc. Their children will not die, for God has blessed the parents, and has blessed the children to remain with them.

טרם I think that it means yet, and with the preposition ב before.³³ The meaning of the passage is: I shall readily give them all that they shall ask of me.

footnotes: ³³ Comp. I. E. on Ex. 9:30, where he refutes the opinion of Rashi, that לא ═ טרם not, and on Ex. 10:7, where he explains הטרם תדע, dost thou yet wish to know.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. This is a figurative expression for peace will be established. Many imagine this to be done in such a way, that God will deprive the wolf of its natural voracity, as indicated by the words, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock.

And dust shall be the serpent’s meat, as is its nature; and it will eat nothing else. The meaning of this passage is: it will do no harm.

In all my holy mountain. All these prophecies refer only to Palestine, for it is distinctly said, in all my holy mountain.