rebellious (סוֹרְרִים) who turn away from the way of God.

and to appoint a ruler (וְלִנְסֹךְ מַסֵּכָה) to appoint a ruler to rule over them, with neither My spirit nor My will in the matter, and what is this appointing? This is Pharaoh.

Those who go to descend to Egypt This alludes to Hoshea, son of Elah, who sent emissaries to So, king of Egypt (II Kings 17:4).

to descend to Egypt The land of Israel is higher than all the other lands. Alternatively, this is a degradation for them.

and to take shelter (lit.) to cover themselves, abrier in O. F. (This is the equivalent of sabriter in Modern French, to take shelter.)

For his princes were in Zoan The princes of the king of Israel in their errand to the king of Egypt.

Hanes That is Tahpanhes.

They all disgraced themselves They all disgraced themselves to acquire a master for nothing, and the people of the land will not avail them.

because of a people (Lit., on a people.) Because of a people that will not avail them.

for disgrace For insult, distraber in O.F., to insult.

The burden of the beasts of the southland The burdens on their beasts on the way to the southland (Jonathan), for Egypt is in the south of Eretz Israel, and this is the insult and the derision that they would insult them: See these people, whose burdens of money are laden on their beasts to transport bribes to Egypt for nothing, and they imperil themselves in the deserts, in a land of trouble and anguish, etc.

viper It is a species of deadly snakes, and there are only two of them in the world, a male and a female, which reproduce after seventy years, (i.e. its gestation period is seventy years) (Bechoroth 8a). The flying serpent, too, is a species of snake, not that it has wings with which to fly, but it jumps and springs long distances and throws a flame from its mouth.

their wealth (חֵילֵיהֶם) their money.

the humps (דַּבֶּשֶׁת) hidroba in O.F. A camel has this in the place the burden is laden, and since it always becomes sore, and they smear honey there to heal it, it is called דַּבֶּשֶׁת, (from דְּבַשׁ, honey,) as we say in Baba Mezia 38b: Honey that lost its sweetness is fit for the sores of the camels.

this to Egypt.

They are haughty (רַהַב) of proud spirit.

idlers (שָׁבֶת) A people who are idle and are proud for no reason. Alternatively, שָׁבֶת means that their pride and haughtiness is fit to be curtailed.

engrave it (חֻקָּהּ) engrave it, this prophecy.

a rebellious people are they Israel.

smooth talk Flattery.

prophesy (חֲזוּ, lit., envision) prophesy.

turn away (Turn) us (away).

from the path We want the false prophecy.

this matter the true prophecy.

and a perverse one a disgraceful one and a mocker.

as a breach of a fallen wall.

revealed in a fortified wall Revealed to enter thereby the walls of your fortification. נִבְעֶה is an expression of revealing, as in Obadiah (1:6): “His hidden things were revealed (נִבְעוּ).” Dunash, however, interprets נִבְעֶה as a protrusion, since the wall develops blisters (אֲבַעְבּוּעוֹת) because of the rains and the deterioration of the weak mortar.

a potter’s jug An earthenware jug.

shall not be found in the crushing of its fragments a shard large enough to scoop fire from a hearth, to pick up fire from a hearth. All scooping up of fire is referred to with an expression of חֲתִיָּה.

or to scoop water Or to draw. Comp. (Haggai 2:16): “To draw off (לַחְשׂף) fifty measures.” Also (below 47:2): “Draw off (חֶשְׂפִּי) the path.” Draw water from your path, Epuyse in O.F.

from a cistern (מִגֶּבֶא) A pit full of water.

For so said the Holy One, blessed be He, to you long ago, “You need not seek for yourselves the strength of Egypt and waste your money, for with tranquility and restfulness you shall have salvation, without any toil, if you listen to Me.”

with tranquility (בְּשׁוּבָה) an expression of restfulness and tranquility, Comp. (Num. 10:36): “Rest (שׁוּבָה), O Lord, with the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.”

with quietude that comes to you from Me, and with trust, shall be your might.

on horses will we flee (נָנוּס) We will ally ourselves with the king of Egypt, and we will bring from there swift steeds in order to flee.

One thousand [of you], because of the shout of one of the enemies, or all of you because of the shout of five, shall flee.

you remain (lit., if you remain,) like ‘that you remain.’

like a mast (כַּתֹּרֶן) a lofty pole, inserted in the ground, like a sort of mast of a ship, that they call ‘mast’ in O.F.

and like a flagpole (וְכַנֵּס) That, too, is a lofty pole, which they place on a hilltop, and when the scout sees troops coming, he places a banner on it, and the wind moves it. This is the signal that they flee or assemble.

Therefore Because you would not obey.

the Lord shall wait to be gracious to you He (acc. to Parshandatha) does not skip for you over the evil decree, which was decreed upon you, in order to hasten and to bring the good, but He will wait until its end comes.

and therefore, He shall withdraw to have mercy upon you (יָרוּם) He shall draw Himself far away to have mercy upon you.

for the Lord is a God of justice and He first metes out justice upon those who rebel against Him.

fortunate are all who wait for him for the consolations that He promised, for nothing shall fail.

For days will yet come that he who remains to be dwelling in Zion and in Jerusalem, will be righteous. ([Manuscripts read:] For days will yet come and a righteous nation will dwell in Zion and in Jerusalem.) ([Other manuscripts read:] For the nation that He shall leave to be dwelling in Zion and in Jerusalem, shall be righteous people.)

you shall not weep You shall not need to offer supplication to the Holy One, blessed be He, with weeping, for, at the sound of your cry, He shall respond to you.

scant bread and water of oppression You shall not run after pleasures as you do now, as it is said (Amos 6:6): “Who drink from basins of wine.” (Above 22:13) “And behold joy and happiness.”

shall no longer be concealed (לֹא יִכָּנֵף) shall not be covered from you with the skirt of His garments, i.e., He shall not hide His countenance from you.

your Teacher The Holy One, blessed be He, who teaches you for your profit.

And your ears shall hear from behind you Not as you do now, that you despise My words and say, “You shall not prophesy for us true things” (verse 10), but your ears shall be bent also behind you to hear from Me, perhaps a prophet will come and instruct you the way to go, whether right or left.

the adornment the beauty.

like a menstruant They shall be repugnant in your eyes like a menstruant.

And He shall give I.e., the Holy One, blessed be He, shall give the rain for your seed.

fat (וְשָׁמֵן) an expression of fat. Therefore, its accent is below (on the last syllable) and it is voweled with a kamatz (tzeireh).

a fattened lamb until the lambs will become fat and wide.

lamb (כַּר) a lamb. Alternatively, a wide plain. Comp. (Gen. 12:10) “the plain (כִּכַּר) of the Jordan,” (below 32:15) “Carmel,” meaning a wide plain, full of grain.

And the oxen. (אֲלָפִים) oxen.

enriched provender (בְּלִיל חָמִיץ) comp. (Job 6:5) “On his provender (בְּלִילוֹ).” Stubble and straw, strengthened and enriched with the grain within them, they shall eat.

which was winnowed The grain is winnowed twice, once with a shovel and once with a fan, in order to clean the grain. Therefore, the straw will be mixed with grain that was winnowed with a fan near the stubble.

shovel (רַחַת) paile (pelle) in O.F.

(fan, [מִזְרֶה] van in O.F.) And the Midrash Aggadah states that בְּלִיל is an expression of mixing, that the food will be mixed into the straw. (I.e., the grain will be so plentiful that it will be mixed into the straw eaten by the cattle and donkeys.)

rivulets of water (יִבְלֵי מָיִם), rivers of water. Comp. (Jer. 17:8) “And upon the river (יוּבַל) he sends forth his roots.”

on the day of the great slaying when there will be a great slaughter (in the land of Assyria), and Jonathan renders: On the day of the great slaying, when the great ones will fall.

sevenfold (שִׁבְעָתַיִּם.) This means seven sevens as the light of the seven days, i.e., forty nine sevens, equaling three hundred forty-three.

the Name of the Lord His might, which will be for Him as a name, viz., what He will do to Sennacherib.

comes from long ago (מִמֶּרְחָק, lit. from afar.) To realize what He promised long ago.

the burden (מַשָּׂאָה) The ‘heh’ is superfluous, and it is only like מַשָּׂא. Therefore, the ‘heh’ is silent, not punctuated by a mappiq.

is like a flooding stream which divides the one who crosses it, up to his neck, for he has no strength to stand against the current of the water.

to wave (לַהֲנָפָה) to wave, vaner in O.F.

with a vain waving Not to avail them, but they think it will avail.

and a bit (רֶסֶן) a bit, freynk in O.F., (a rein or curb).

This song shall be to you On the night of Passover shall this joy come to you.

as the night of the sanctification of the festival Just as you recited a song over the Paschal sacrifices in Egypt [It appears from this verse as though he wishes to teach us about Sennacherib, but he teaches us about Pharaoh, that they recited Hallel on the night of the eating of the Paschal sacrifices. In Midrash Tehillim (1:20)].

like one who goes with a flute And you shall rejoice with the downfall of Sennacherib like the joy of those who bring the First Fruits, before whom the flute would play, to come upon the mountain of God, as we learned in Tractate Bikkurim (3:4).

and the laying down of His arm This is not an expression of resting but an expression of placing, posement in O.F. Comp. (Exod. 10:14) “And placed it (וַיָּנַח) throughout the entire boundary of Egypt.” The placing of His might He will show in a flame by which the armies of Sennacherib were burnt.

bursting (נֶפֶץ) an expression of more intense breaking, (shattering).

from the Lord’s voice Assyria shall be broken he opened up their ears, and they heard the song from the mouth of the Chayoth, and they died. In the Aggadah of Chapter Chelek.

with a rod he would smite Assyria, who was wont to smite you with his rod.

And it shall be, every place where the established staff shall pass All the crossings of the strength of the foundations of his armies; all the places they passed and destroyed, and on the day of their downfall the Lord shall grant peace upon them through the news of their downfall, and they shall be joyful with drums and harps. And this is the interpretation of the verse in inverted order: And it shall be with drums and harps, every passing of the established staff upon which the Lord shall grant peace, and with wars of vain waving, lifting and lowering, did the Holy One, blessed be He, fight against them. And, according to Midrash Aggadah, the waving of the harvest of the Omer stood up for Israel in that war, for it was the night of the sixteenth of Nissan.

For...is set up from yesterday The second day of the Creation of the world a day that has a yesterday but not a day before yesterday.

Tophteh Gehinnom, for whoever is enticed (מִתְפַּתֶּה) by his temptation falls into there.

has been prepared for the king For the necessity of Sennacherib and his army.

its pile (מְדֻרָתָהּ) an expression of a heated fire. An arrangement of wood on the fire is called מְדוּרָה.

the breath of the Lord the blowing of His breath.

burning (בֹּעֲרָה) equivalent to בּוֹעֶרֶת.