The prophet, in this chapter, again rebukes the wicked people.

The heaven is my throne. We know that the glory of the Lord filleth heaven and earth; but by the words the heaven is my throne the prophet indicates, that the destinies of the whole world come from above, as it were by decrees, which the king, sitting on his throne, sends forth.¹

footnotes: ¹ As to the meaning of גזרהִ decree comp. I. E. on 16:13, and Note 26.

The earth is my footstool. The earth is in my power, is mine. Since all is mine, Where is a house, etc.,

and where is a place, etc. Repetition of the same idea.

For all, etc. This is a second reason, why all is in the power of God, why all is His; namely, that throne and that footstool are made by me.

ויהיו כל אלה And all those things have been, all those things, which my hand has made.

But to this man will I look, etc. Although heaven is my throne, yet will I look to the poor and to him that is of a contrite spirit. I will look, I will direct my eye, my attention to him; it is the opposite of I will hide my face from you (1:15)

He that killeth an ox, etc. I look to him that trembleth at my word, not to those that sacrifice burnt offerings, and at the same time act badly; for he that killeth an ox, מכה איש is as guilty as if he slew a man; it is considered as murder on his part, because the offering is not brought properly; or is guilty as if he struck a man, not killing, but hurting and wounding him;²

footnotes: ² Comp. והכה איש את רעהו וגו׳, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not. Ex. 21:18.

He that sacrificeth a lamb before me, is guilty, ערף כלב as if he killed a dog;

עֹרֵף֭ with the accent on the last syllable is participle Kal of ערף to cut off the neck; comp. וערפו and they shall strike off the neck (Deut. 21:4); when it has the accent on the last syllable but one (עׁ֭רֶף neck) it is a noun³;

footnotes: ³ Some editions of the Hebrew text have the words מלעיל הנו שם וכאשר הוא שם הוא; but either הוא שם or הנו שם is superfluous.

he that offereth an oblation is guilty דם חזיר as if he offered the swine’s blood;

מזכיר לבונה he that burneth incense—comp. ⁴אזכרה incense (Lev. 2:2)—isguilty, מברך און as if he blessed iniquity.⁵

footnotes: ⁴ In his commentary on Leviticus 2:2, I. E. explains אזכרה memorial, that part of the offering which is to serve as a memorial of it before the Lord; he mentions, however, that many explain it, the part which was burnt upon the altar, and this opinion he seems to have adopted ultimately. Comp. I. E. on Hosea, 14:8. ⁵ A. V., As if he blessed an idol.

גם המה Even they, namely, your forefathers; the word אבותיכם is to be supplied.⁶ chosen, etc.

footnotes: ⁶ אבותיהם of the Hebrew text is to be altered into אבותיכם, as may be inferred from the words which follow. It is difficult to find any reason why this word should be supplied, since המה, they refers to the sinners mentioned before in the same verse. Better and more natural is the explanation of Rashi, to connect this part of the verse with the following: ,גם אני וגו׳ ,גם המה וגו׳ Yea they have

I also will choose, etc. בתעלוליהם *Their charges.*⁷⁷ Comp. עלילות charges (Deut. 22:17), their charges are the charges brought against them. It may also be rendered their delusions; comp. ויתעללו and they abused (Judg. 19:25); התעולל he mocked (1 Sam. 6:6).⁸

footnotes: ⁷ A. V., Their delusions. Occasions. ⁷ A. V., Their delusions. Occasions. ⁸ A. V., He had wrought wonderfully.

מגורתם Their fears. Comp. ויגר and was afraid (Num. 22:3)

מנדיכם That cast you out. Comp. ינדוהו they chase him (Job 18:18). Some render it⁹ those in whose eyes you are considered as doomed.

footnotes: ⁹ Comp. the second explanation of Rashi, and the Rabbinical expression, חרם ═ נדוי, doom, excommunication.

Your brethren is added, because this circumstance, that they are brethren, gives greater force to the offence.

יכבד יי R. Moses Hakkohen says, that it means, the Lord is heavy; that is, it is difficult to them to remember Him and to keep His commandments; as a proof of the correctness of this explanation he adds, that only the Niphal of כבד is found in the meaning of to be honoured, as e.g. נכבדת Thou art glorified (26:15); but he did not think of יִבְבְּדוּ they are honoured, which is the opposite of יצערו they are little (Job 14:21). According to this explanation the sense of the verse is clear.¹⁰ After יכבד יי the Lord is heavy the word yet must be supplied¹ once, yet, or are the corruption of ותחסר מלת עוד, as adopted for the translation., as if the prophet said, yet a time will come, when we shall see your¹¹ rejoicing, while they, that cast you out, will be confounded. But I think that¹² these are the words of your brethren that cast you out, and that the whole verse must be explained thus: Your brethren say, For my name’s sake let the Lord be honoured [יכבד being derived from כבוד honour (11:10)], we wish it that the Lord be honoured, then we shall see your rejoicing and be ashamed; this is the meaning of the words והם יבשו and they shall be ashamed.¹³ They say it ironically and mean to indicate, that God will not be able to show His glory. In this way there is a connection between this verse and the next. Those that take these words, not as uttered by your brethren etc., but spoken by God, understand the plural in נראה as pluralis majestatis, like the plural in נעשה let us make (Gen. 1:26), or² refer it to both, to God and the prophet together.

footnotes: ¹⁰ Comp. Kimchi ad locum: The wicked say to those that are anxious to fulfil the word of the Lord, ‘Certainly, the Lord is too hard for us with His commandments,’ but, says the prophet to the good, He will appear in the midst of your rejoicings, and they will be ashamed. This is probably also the explanation of R. Moses Hakkohen, partly quoted by I. E. ¹ The Hebrew text has the words ותחסר מלת זמן, which either mean, and an adverb of time is wanting, as, e. g., ¹¹ The good, that tremble at His word, are addressed by the prophet. ¹² These words are added in the translation; the corresponding Hebrew phrase, ולפי דעתי is missing. That he approves of the explanation that follows is clear from the words, In this way there is a connection between this verse and the next. ¹³ According to this explanation this would be one of the very rare instances of the oratio indirecta in Hebrew; the oratio directa would be ואנחנו נבוש, and we shall be ashamed. ² ואחיכם of the Hebrew text gives no sense, and must be corrected into ואחרים, and others.

From the city. From Zion.

From the temple of the Lord, that is, from the temple in Jerusalem, or from the heavens, which are called the holy temple. A voice. The report of their punishment by God, that will spread everywhere.

To his enemies. To those that cast you out, etc.

תחיל She travailed. Comp. חיל trembling (Ps. 45:7). Before she travailed she brought forth. This is a figurative expression, indicating, that the Israelites will return to Zion, without any difficulty, like a woman, that bears children without troubles.

והמליטה זכר She was delivered of a man child. Comp. תְּמַלֵּט she will lay eggs (34:15), though of a different conjugation.¹⁴—The Israelites will suddenly come together, without much exertion, from all quarters; it will be as though Zion had conceived and born her children in one day, and that is wonderful.¹⁵

footnotes: ¹⁴ המליט is Hiphil, תמלט Piel of מלט. ¹⁵ That is unusual, unheard of before; the questions of the prophet are therefore to be answered in the negative.

האני אשביר Shall I bring to birth. Comp. משבר בנים "birth of children" (Hos. 13:13). Shall I bring to birth etc. I have the power to do all this,¹⁶ to bring the woman, as it were, near the birth, and should I not be able to bring force? or should I could cause the whole world to bring forth a children, shut the womb of Zion?

footnotes: ¹⁶ The Hebrew text has באלה which seems to be nothing but the כאלה "such things," of preceding verse, and refers to the wonderful events (restoration of Zion) described by the prophet; the reading באלה "with those," can, however, to be defended, and explained to refer to the enemies mentioned ver. 6. The punishment of the enemies would thus be described as the first step towards the restoration of Zion, and the prophet asks, Should be, that has the power to preform the first pat, not be able to do the rest?

all ye that mourn for her in exile.

With the breast of her consolations. Comp. Thou shalt suck the breast of kings (60:16). A fulness of joy is meant by this expression; for consolations are here the opposite of mournings.¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ תנחמים, in its literal meaning, consolations, suggests the idea of the co-existence of their cause; for when the evil is removed, consolation is no longer required. I. E. therefore remarks that the word תנחמים in this verse is the opposite of mourning, mentioned in the preceding verse, and signifies happiness.

תמצו That you may milk out. Comp. מיץ the churning (Prov. 30:33), though of a different root.¹

footnotes: ¹ The root of תמצו is מצץ, that of מיץ is מוץ.

מזיז R. Jonathan b. Uziel¹⁸ translates it מחמד from the best; R. Moses Hakkohen compares it with וזיז שדי the wild beasts of the field (Ps. 1. 11); but this explanation is forced. I explain the word to be hap. leg.¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁸ The author of the Chaldæan translation of the books of the Prophets; the translation is called after his name, Targum Jonathan. ¹⁹ I. E. calls an expression hap. leg., even if it occurs again in Scripture, if not found in the same or a cognate meaning.

I shall extend to Zion peace like a river, etc. ²⁰חיל means property; comp. החיל הזה this wealth (Deut. 8:17).

footnotes: ²⁰ I. E. read חיל גוים instead of כבוד הגוים of our editions of the Bible; both mean the same. Comp. Hebr. Bib. cum varietate lect., ed. Doederlein.

Ye shall be borne on her sides, when returning from exile.

תשעשעו Ye will play. Comp. ושעשע and shall play (11:8). The ע has a short Kamez because of the pause.²¹

footnotes: ²¹ The regular form would be ע ,תְּשָׁעְשְׁעוּ being a guttural, it should receive the compound Sheva (ֳ) instead of the simple; but for the Sheva of the next letter it changes the compound Sheva into the short Kamez; the pause changes the Sheva of the ש into a vowel (ָ), and restores, therefore, the compound Sheva under ע. It would be more correct to say that the compound Sheva owes its origin to the guttural character of the letter, and that the Kamez under ש is the proper sign of the pause. The absence of any remark concerning the difference between וְשִׁעֲשַׁע and תְּשָׁעֳשָׁעוּ (the one being Piel, the other Pual), is rather suspicious, and leads to the suggestion that I. E. identified תְּשָׁעֳשָׁעוּ with תְּשַׁעֲשָׁעוּ, and explains, but wrongly, the change of ֲ into ֳ, as caused by the pause.

As one whom his mother comforteth. Every woman has compassion upon her child.²²

footnotes: ²² And therefore the figure is here used of the comfort given by the mother to the crying child, when punished by the father.

Your heart The soul is meant, which has its principal seat in the heart.²³

footnotes: ²³ Comp. I. E. on Gen. 1:1, where more instances of similar kinds of metonymy are given.

And your bones. The principal constituents of the human frame.²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ The Hebrew text has the words כי הם המוסדות (lit., for they are the fundamental parts), which, on account of the plural form, cannot be meant as an explanation of לבבכם, but as that of עצמותיכם; the words רמז לגוף; the body is meant, must perhaps be supplied together with ועצמותיכם, for the phrase כי הם המוסרות contains the reason for some preceding explanation.

וזעם And He will be indignant.²⁵ It is a verb; it has the accent on the last syllable,²⁶ and a Kamez in the first, while the noun זעם has the accent on the last syllable but one, and in both syllables a Pathah (זַעַם)

footnotes: ²⁵ A. V., And His indignation. ²⁶ The Hebrew text has ולעולם, which is contrasted with מלעיל, the accent is on the last syllable but one; there is no sense in ולעולם; it must be altered into מלרע, the accent is on the last syllable.

With fire, to kindle the anger. This figure signifies those divine decrees that come suddenly.

And with his chariots like a whirlwind. A figurative expression.

להשיב בחמה אפו To render His anger with fury. שוב אף or שוב חרון construed with מ has a good sense, with ב a bad one.²⁷

footnotes: ²⁷ Here it is constructed with neither, but בהם against them can easily be supplied from the context. The Hebrew text has the words דבק עם מ״ם תשובת חרון או; the word או, or, is either superfluous or must be followed by אף, anger, or a similar expression.

נשפט He will plead. It is a figurative expression; meaning he will go with them to judgment;²⁸ or it is used here in an active sense like נשבע he swore (62:8).²⁹

footnotes: ²⁸ The Niphal has sometimes the meaning of reciprocity, as נלחם, to fight. ²⁹ נשפט would in that case be the same as שפט, he will judge.

That sanctify themselves, for idolatry.

המתטהרים═המטהרים. That purify themselves. The ת of the Hithpael is compensated for by the Dagesh in ט.

In the gardens. In the grovea.³⁰

footnotes: ³⁰ That are prepared for idolatry; גנות is explained by אשרות, to indicate that gardens of trees are meant here, not kitchen gardens, as remarked by Rashi.

אחת One. The feminine form agrees with ³¹³¹אשרה grove, while the masculine form אחד of the Ketib refers to עץ tree; for every grove consists of trees.

footnotes: ³¹ אשרה is feminine according to its form, but masculine according to its meaning, since every אשרה is a tree, in Hebrew, עץ, and this noun is masculine; in the phrase כל אשר העץ of the Hebrew text, the ה of אשרה has been wrongly separated from it and joined with עץ. ³¹ אשרה is feminine according to its form, but masculine according to its meaning, since every אשרה is a tree, in Hebrew, עץ, and this noun is masculine; in the phrase כל אשר העץ of the Hebrew text, the ה of אשרה has been wrongly separated from it and joined with עץ.

In the midst. They surround the tree from all sides; or it is in the midst of the garden.

Eating swine’s meat. They sanctify themselves, but their bodies are full of uncleanliness.

ואנכי מעשיהם ומחשבתיהם And I am their works and their thoughts.³² It has the same meaning as the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed (Ps. 2:2),

footnotes: ³² A. V., For I know their works and their thoughts.

באה *The time hath come.*³³ Supply עת time. The meaning of the whole verse is, When they intend to rebel against me, then the time is come to assemble all nations round Jerusalem, etc.

footnotes: ³³ A. V., It shall come.

And see my glory. I shall punish them till they will declare my glory to all people. This passage refers to the war of Gog and Magog.³⁴

footnotes: ³⁴ Comp. c. 24:14, note 18.

אות A sign of reproach, as e.g., the loss of one eye;³⁵ it will be some new thing, the like of which has never appeared before.

footnotes: ³⁵ The Hebrew text has בחסרון עי״ן, with omission of ע, instead of כחסרון עין. Comp. 1 Sam. 11:2.

Those that escape. The greater part will die, as is stated distinctly. Comp. Ez. 38:21, 22; 39:11 sqq.; and Zec. 14:12, 13

To the Lord. To the glory of the Lord, whom they will fear.

ברכב *In chariots of iron.*³⁶

footnotes: ³⁶ No reason is given why רכב should signify here chariots of iron and not chariots; perhaps he explains צבים wooden waggons, and therefore רכב iron chariots.

בצבים *In waggons.*³⁷ Comp. עגלת צב covered waggons (Num. 7:3).

footnotes: ³⁷ A. V., In litters.

ובכרכרות And upon dromedaries.³⁸ Comp. כר dromedary (16:1). A noble species of camel. כרכרות is a reduplication of כר.

footnotes: ³⁸ A. V., And upon swift beasts.

As the children of Israel, etc. As the Israelites used to bring the oblation in a clean vessel, that it should not be defiled.

Also of them whom they will bring,³⁹ I shall take some to be priests and Levites before me.

footnotes: ³⁹ That is, of the Israelites, whom the heathen people will bring to Jerusalem, who, therefore, will include in their number Levites and priests.

The new heavens. I have already explained this expression (65:17).

עמדים Shall remain, shall not be destroyed, as their predecessors have been. Before me. Before God, who is the first, cause of all existing things.⁴⁰

footnotes: ⁴⁰ All things are kept in existence by the will of God, they are therefore said to stand before the Lord, as if to receive from Him the power of existence.

And your name shall remain, so that it will not be blotted out; or,⁴¹ it has the same meaning as your seed, and is a mere repetition of the same idea. Comp. To Jacob and to Israel (Num. 23:23)

footnotes: ⁴¹ The words שלא ימחה after שמכם are superfluous. According to the second explanation שם has here the meaning substance; comp. I. E. on Ruth 3:16.

מדי חדש Whenever new moon will be.⁴² מדי has nearly the same meaning as בכל עת whenever (Est. 5:13). Comp. מדי עברו whenever he passed (2 Kings 4:8).

footnotes: ⁴² A. V., From one new moon to another. Your daily tasks.

חדש בחדשו a new moon on the day appointed for it. Comp. דבר יום ביומו the task of every day on the day appointed for it (Ex. 5:13). From this verse the ancients derived that the wicked had to suffer the future punishment for twelve months;¹ they explain the word מדי to signify one year.⁴³ The meaning of מדי שבת בשבתו I have explained in my commentary on the chapter concerning the seven weeks.² 25:1-13. The words מדי שבת בשבתו are explained in neither of the two passages. I. E. is perhaps of opinion that the expression שבת, used here by the prophet, includes also the festivals, and he refers therefore to his remark on Lev. 23:11, in which he proves that the word שבת in the phrase ממחרת השבת refers to the first day of Passover.

footnotes: ¹ See Midrash Yalkut ad locum. ⁴³ This seems to be I. E.’s interpretation of the passage quoted from the Midrash; but this explanation of מרי is not found there. ² Lev. 23:9-22, or ib.

And look round Jerusalem, where Topheth is; from this verse all the learned⁴⁴ gather that there will be a day of judgment in Jerusalem. Neither shall their fire be quenched. Many discover here an allusion to the fact, that the soul, when it leaves the body, remains within the sphere of fire, if it does not deserve to join the angels of the Lord. The ancients said, that this would take place after the resurrection of the dead, and supported this opinion by a reference to Daniel (12:12), who asserts, that all the wicked, when called to life again, will be to an everlasting abhorring. All this is quite true.⁴⁵

footnotes: ⁴⁴ See Rashi, Kimchi, and Midrash Yalkut ad locum. ⁴⁵ By this remark I. E. indicates that he does not think that the prophet intended to express these opinions in this verse, but that he has nothing to say against them. Comp. I. E. on 51:6.

דראון Abhorring. According to some, it is composed of two words, די דאון much abhorring; as to דאון, comp. מוראה filthy (Zeph. 3:1); but this explanation is not admissible because of לדראון (Dan. 12:2).⁴⁶

footnotes: ⁴⁶ I. E. fails to prove why it should be more difficult to explain דראון in Daniel as equivalent to די ראון, than the same word used here by Isaiah. In his commentary on Daniel he only states that the word is not a compound, but the statement is not supported by any argument. The remark is perhaps based on the change of the Zere in דֵּרָאוֹן into Hirek in the construct state ,דִּרְאוֹן, since דֵּי═דֵ is the form of the construct state, and is not affected any further by the construct state of the succeeding word.

END OF THE BOOK OF ISAIAH THE PROPHET.