I shall be removed from being a city [The Hebrew denotes] an expression of removing.

removed from a city from being a city.

a depth Heb. מְעִי, an expression of lowness and depth, like the depth of the seas (כִּמְעוֹת).

The cities of Aroer are abandoned Jonathan renders this as an expression of destruction. Comp. (Jer. 51:58) “shall be destroyed (עַרְעֵר תִּתְעַרְעַר), and he explained it in reference to the cities of Aram, i. e., Jonathan renders it: Their cities are abandoned, they are destroyed. The Midrash Aggadah (introduction to Lam. Rabbah 10 [with variations], Yalkut Machin) asks in amazement, since Aroer was [part] of Eretz Israel, as it is said (Num. 32:34): “and Aroer.” He is dealing with Damascus and he announces matters concerning Aroer? But, since in Damascus there were streets as numerous as the days of the solar year, and in each one was a pagan deity, which they would worship one day in the year, and the Israelites made them all into one group and worshipped all of them every day, he, therefore, mentioned the downfall of Aroer juxtaposed to Damascus. I explain it, however, according to the simple meaning of the verse, as follows: Since Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah joined together, and the prophet prophesying about the downfall of Damascus, and saying, “Behold, Damascus shall be removed from [being] a city,” and the cities of Aroer which belonged to Pekah were already abandoned, for the Reubenites and the Gadites had already been exiled, and they were always given to the flocks of sheep, and the sheep of Moab would lie there undisturbed, he continues to say that the kingdom of Pekah shall continue to be gradually terminated, and that Samaria, too, shall be captured in the days of Hoshea, and then (v. 3) And a fortress shall cease from Ephraim and a kingdom from Damascusfor Rezin shall be killed.

like the glory of the ten tribes, shall these also be [var. Aram, too, shall be]. These shall be exiled to Halah and Habor, and these shall be exiled to Kir, as it is stated (II Kings 16:9): “And exiled its inhabitants to Kir, and he slew Rezin.”

And the fatness of his flesh shall become emaciated Jonathan [renders]: And the wealth of his glory shall be exiled.

And it shall be like gathering the harvest of the standing grain Just as at the time of the harvest, the reaper gathers the bundle of the standing grain in his one hand and with his other arm he reaps the ears, so will Sennacherib uproot and exile everyone, and even the gleanings that fall at the time of harvest he will gather and carry it off. That is to say that even those who flee will not escape his hand, and they will gather them [var. and he will gather them] [like one who gathers ears].

in the valley of Rephaim That is the valley that is before Jerusalem. In the Book of Joshua (15:8, 18:16) you will find that the valley of Rephaim adjoins Jerusalem.

And...shall be left in it Hezekiah and his company, who are inside Jerusalem. They are few people like the gleanings of a vineyard and like the cutter of an olive tree, who leaves over two or three berries.

like the cutter of an olive tree Heb. כְּנֹקֶף, like the one who cuts olives to pick them from the tree. Comp. (infra 10:34) “And the thickets of the forest shall be cut off (וְנִקַּף).” Our Rabbis expounded: “And...shall be left in it,” as referring to Sennacherib’s army; i.e., there shall be left in the multitude of Sennacherib a few people like the cutter of an olive tree, as it is stated in the Aggadah of ‘Chelek’ (95b).

at the end of the uppermost bough at the end of the bough.

on its branches Heb. בִּסְעִפֶיהָ. Comp. infra (27:10) “And he shall finish its branches (סְעִיפֶיהָ).” Also (supra 10:33), “Lops off the branches (מְסָעֵף).”

shall turn Heb. יִשְׁעֶה, shall turn to his Maker. Comp. (Gen. 4:4) “And the Lord turned (וַיִּשַׁע) to Abel.”

man the righteous men remaining among them.

he shall not regard [lit. he shall not see.] They shall not be important in his eyes.

the cities of his strength [The antecedent is] Israel.

like the abandonment of the forest and the many branched trees Forsaken like this forest, desolate without people.

forest Heb. הַחֹרֶשׁ. This is a forest, as [Onkelos] translates בְחוּרְשַָׁא בַיַעַר, in the forest (Deut. 19:8).

and the many branched trees This, too, is a forest, a place of trees. Like the abandoned cities of the Amorites, which they left in desolation in the days of Joshua like the forest and the many branched trees and fled because of the children of Israel, and the land of Israel was desolate.

because I planted you Because, when I planted you in the beginning, I planted a pleasant planting, twelve sons of Jacob, and when your saplings raised branches, they gave forth improper seed, like strange branches which are not of the species of the vine but resemble the vine.

you sow it You give your seed into that sapling. [It is also possible to say that “and with the branch of a stranger you sow it,” means that you intermarry with the nations and they mingled with you.]

On the day of your planting you mingled Heb. תְּשַׂגְשֵׂנִי, an expression of mingling. Your branches became mingled with sorts of grasses and mixtures that spoil the branches of the vine. That is to say that in the place where I planted you for Me as a vineyard, there you corrupted your deeds. That is what Ezekiel said to them (20:5): “On the day I chose Israel, and I lifted My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and I became known to them in the land of Egypt.” And it says further (verse 8): “And they rebelled against Me and they refused to obey...” Here, too, תְּשַׂגְשֵׂנִי, you became mingled with the abominations of Egypt.

and in the morning you cause your seed to blossom And on the morrow, when I took you out of there, and I brought you into the land, there, too, your evil seed you caused to blossom.

a heap of harvest on a day of sickness a heap of bad harvest that lies by day and by night, that harvest is stricken ill, it has reached a day of distress. [Rashi in printed editions.] [Since it is difficult to make sense of this comment of Rashi, Parshandatha prefers the reading of most mss.:] a heap of harvest on a day of sickness a heap of bad harvest, as “on a day of sickness” proves, that harvest reached a day of distress.

a heap Heb. נֵד. This is an expression of a tall heap. Comp. (Exodus 15:8) “Running water stood erect like a heap (נֵד).” Also (Ps. 33:3), “He gathers like a heap (כַּנֵּד).” [The words:] נֵד and נוֹד are not the same [i.e., נֵד is a heap or a stack, and נוֹד is a flask.]

and mortal pain that you were paid your reward.

mortal Heb. אָנוּשׁ, distressed by severe illness. Comp. (II Sam. 12: 15) “And he became mortally ill (וַיֵּאָנַשׁ),” also (Micah 1:9), “For her wounds are mortal (אֲנוּשָׁה) .” Alternatively and in the morning you cause your seed to blossom Before the heat comes, you have blossomed, and it is customary for the vineyard to blossom when the heat comes, and the one that blossoms in the morning does not thrive. This is in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma (Sh’lach 12).

Woe to a multitude of many peoples This is a principle followed throughout all generations; the scourge by which Israel is punished, shall eventually suffer. Therefore, the prophets who prophesy Israel’s retribution through the nations, juxtapose after it the retribution of the nation by which Israel was punished.

a multitude of many peoples The armies of Sennacherib.

they rush an expression of rushing and roaring.

and He shall rebuke them [lit.] him i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He, [shall rebuke] that rushing [or throng].

like the chaff of the mountains He likens the wicked to the most inferior of all species and the most inferior of that species. The chaff of the mountains is drier than that of the valleys.

and like the thistle blossoms Heb. וּכְגַלְגַל. That is from the blossom of the thistles called kardouns in O.F. [chardons in modern French] similar to those with which they pull woolen garments, and they are not hard. When the end of the summer arrives, they burst open by themselves and the wind scatters them. Now that bursting is made like a round wheel (גַלְגַּל) [var. like a wagon wheel], like a sort of eye in the center with five spokes around it.

and behold there is fright Demons come upon the enemy and frighten him.

before morning he is no more The enemy is not in the world.

this is the portion of our plunderers The portion of Sennacherib and the portion of Gog and Magog, when they come to plunder us.