“Woe to the rebellious and defiled one”—Before explaining this prophecy, we must first introduce a foundational idea. As has already been explained, from the time the first exile began through Sennacherib, from that point onward the prophets began to prophesy about redemption. From then on, redemption was possible if Israel proved worthy, as explained in Isaiah chapter 11, chapter 48, and elsewhere. The first opportunity for this came in the days of Hezekiah: had they merited it, the universal ingathering would have taken place then. As our Sages said, the Holy One sought to make Hezekiah the Messiah and Sennacherib Gog and Magog, but some sin prevented it. In the days of Manasseh, the officers of the king of Assyria came from Babylon and bound Manasseh, and the king of Assyria again began to oppress Israel, as explained in the prophecy of Nahum. In the days of Josiah, Jeremiah believed that the time of redemption had arrived and went to restore the Ten Tribes, as our Sages taught. Likewise, when Nineveh was destroyed at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign, they no longer feared the Assyrian kingdom. Throughout this entire period, the time was ripe for redemption—if they had been worthy. But because they persisted in sin and returned to the iniquities of their ancestors, the appointed time was postponed, the king of Babylon prevailed over them, and they were exiled. Then too, during the days of the Second Temple, there was another fitting time for redemption, had they repented, as the Sages said: if they had all ascended like a wall, they would have been redeemed with an everlasting redemption. But this also did not occur, for factions arose among them and wickedness gained strength, and the Temple was destroyed a second time. Since then, the matter has remained pending until the destined time at the end of days. There is, however, an important distinction: had redemption occurred in the days of Hezekiah, Josiah, or the Second Temple, it would not have been universal—that is, it would have been for Israel alone. But the redemption hoped for at the end of days will be universal for the whole world, for then all nations will recognize the kingship and unity of God and will all return to call upon the name of Hashem together, as explained at length in Isaiah chapter 48 and as will be further clarified in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah. Upon this foundation, our prophet bases his words in this chapter. After announcing the destruction of Nineveh and the downfall of the nations that harmed Israel, and prophesying that the remnant of Israel would inherit the lands of the Philistines, Ammon, and Moab, he now explains that at that time the opportunity for redemption had existed, and had they merited it, they would have been redeemed. Therefore he says: “Woe to the rebellious and redeemed city”—Jerusalem was once awesome, for in the days of Hezekiah and Josiah the nations feared her because Hashem was with her. She had also been redeemed, having been delivered from the hand of the king of Assyria, and they had been worthy of a complete redemption. “The oppressing city”—this refers to Jerusalem, which had been under the dominion of Assyria and Babylon, whose banner bore the image of a dove (yonah), and thus the city is described in relation to that kingdom. The time had come for her redemption—but sin prevented it.

“She did not listen to the voice”—She did not listen to the voice of the teachers and prophets calling her to return to the Torah through the prompting of reason. “Nor did she accept correction”—she also did not return to Hashem through fear of punishment and suffering. “She did not trust in Hashem”—she did not turn back to Him on account of His being Hashem, the Creator of the world, for this is what the Divine Name signifies, and this appeals to rational reflection. Corresponding to “nor did she accept correction,” he says: “She did not draw near to her God”—that she should have drawn near to Him as her God, who watches over her with individual Providence. From this perspective, she ought to have feared punishment and hoped for reward by virtue of the closeness of her relationship with Him. Yet even through fear of reward and punishment she did not allow herself to be corrected.

“Her officials”—He explains the four kinds of leaders she had. “Her princes within her” are “like roaring lions”, openly seizing prey in public. “Her judges”, however, who accepted bribes secretly, are compared to “wolves of the evening”, which prey stealthily in the darkness, where no one sees. “They leave nothing for the morning”—meaning, by morning no trace remains that they had devoured anything, for even the bones have been consumed.

“Her prophets”—they are reckless and empty people, “treacherous men”—that is, men associated with women who betray their husbands and commit adultery with them. “And her priests”—upon whom rests the responsibility to guard the Temple and its holy things.

“They have profaned what is holy”—Although it was their duty to safeguard the sanctity of the Temple and its holy things, they profaned the sacred. Furthermore, despite the fact that instruction in Torah rested upon them, “they have done violence to the Torah”—distorting and corrupting it.

“Hashem is righteous in her midst”—All of them are evil, sinful, and workers of iniquity; only one righteous Being is found in the city—namely, Hashem, Who dwells in her midst. “He does no wrong”—and although they pervert justice, “He brings His justice to light every morning”, which “never fails” and never ceases, for He continually shines forth and always brings justice to light. Therefore, they ought to have been ashamed before the righteous Hashem dwelling among them, who hates injustice and sees their deeds. Yet nevertheless, “the unjust knows no shame”—for he does not know Hashem, and therefore feels no shame before Him; for reverence before Him is expressed through shame and awe before His glory, which fills the world.

“I have cut off nations”—After He saw that they were not ashamed before the greatness of Hashem dwelling in their midst, He employed another means: He destroyed nations and brought devastation upon their cities. This occurred in three stages. First, “their corners were made desolate”—the corners and edges refer to the outer regions and borders of a land, meaning the outskirts and boundary areas of the country. Then, “I laid waste their streets”—the streets refer to areas farther inward than the borders, including the roads and villages within the land, until “none passed through”, because the enemy had spread throughout the country. Finally, “their cities were destroyed”—the cities themselves were ruined, until they became “without a man, without an inhabitant.”

“I said”—By this, I thought that as a result “you would fear Me” with awe and reverence, seeing My power; or at least “you would accept correction”, fearing punishment lest I destroy your land as well. The clauses correspond to one another: “I said: Surely you will fear Me, and her habitation will not be cut off”—that through reverential fear, the dwelling place and the Temple, where My Presence rests among you, would not be destroyed. “You would accept correction according to all that I appointed against her”—that you would fear the punishments and warnings that I had decreed against Jerusalem. “But”—none of this helped, for they had already “risen early and corrupted all their deeds”; their actions had long been corrupted even before I did all this, and it was no longer possible for them to improve their conduct, since they had already become so corrupted that they could no longer be repaired.

“Therefore”—After describing the wickedness of the people and explaining that all efforts to bring them to repentance, so that this might become the time of redemption, had failed, therefore it was impossible for that period to become the time of redemption. For I can no longer wait for you—that is, hope and delay in expectation that you will improve your deeds and thereby be saved. Rather, you must wait for Me—meaning, you must await the time appointed at the end of days, when I Myself will awaken to bring the future redemption, once the final predetermined end arrives, entirely independent of your deeds. Thus He says: “For the day that I rise up”—for then I will arise on My own initiative to redeem you. And this redemption will be “forever”—that is, an everlasting redemption after which there will be no further exile. By contrast, redemption dependent upon merit and deeds would not last forever, for if they were to return to evil ways, the redemption could again be annulled. But for this redemption, you must wait—that is, endure a long delay, because the fixed end is very distant. He now explains how this redemption will be everlasting: “For My decision”—meaning, this redemption will not be particular to Israel alone, but rather My judgment and governance in this redemption will be “to gather nations”, so that all peoples assemble for the war of Gog and Magog. Through their gathering, I will pour out upon them My indignation and all My burning anger for what they did to Israel. Beyond punishing them in vengeance, I will also be zealous for the honor of My Name, and “in the fire of My jealousy the whole earth shall be consumed”, as it says: “He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak”.

“For then”—Through the war of Gog and Magog, all will come to recognize the power of Hashem and His wonders, and they will abandon their idols and accept upon themselves the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, as explained in Isaiah 66:18–20, Ezekiel 39:21, and Zechariah 14. “Then I will transform the peoples to a pure language”—until now they called upon the name of Hashem with language, but not with a pure language, for they mixed false beliefs and foreign vanities into matters of divinity. Then they will call upon Him with a pure language, affirming the unity of the Creator. “That all of them may call upon the name of Hashem”—and whereas until now they did not serve Him “with one shoulder”, because they were divided into different sects and worshiped in differing ways, then “they shall serve Him with one accord” according to the form of worship commanded in His Torah.

“From beyond”—And not only the nations dwelling in the central inhabited world, but even the peoples living “beyond the rivers of Cush”; even the nations called “My supplicants, the daughter of My dispersed ones”—that is, peoples steeped in idolatry and all manner of abominations—even they “shall bring My offering.” Isaiah already explained what this offering will be: “And they shall bring all your brethren as an offering to Hashem” (Isaiah 66:20). These nations will bring those exiled there from the dispersion of Sennacherib as an offering to Hashem.

“On that day you shall not be ashamed of all your deeds”—meaning, they will no longer return to sin as before, such that they would again be ashamed of their evil actions. For in earlier times, the cause of their sins was that they learned from the surrounding nations among whom they lived. But then, when all nations will call upon the name of Hashem and serve Him, it will no longer be possible for Israel to sin in that way, as it says: “The shame of your youth you shall forget… for your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called” (Isaiah 54:5–6), as explained there. Likewise, in former times they needed to make alliances with the nations in order to seek military aid—horses, chariots, and armies—and through this they learned from their practices. But “then I will remove from your midst those who rejoice in your pride”—that is, “you shall no longer be haughty” through military strength, horses and chariots, silver and gold. Rather—

“And I will leave in your midst a poor and humble people”—they will be humble in spirit and character, and poor in the sense that they will not possess great wealth or military power. Rather, “they shall take refuge in the name of Hashem”—for He Himself will protect them from every harm. And through this—

“The remnant of Israel shall not do wrong”—not in deed; “nor speak falsehood”—not even in speech; “nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths”—for “tongue” here denotes reflective, reasoned speech, through which people formulate misleading arguments and deceptive ideas in matters of inquiry and faith. Rather, they will be complete in action, in speech, and in the thoughts of understanding.

“For they shall graze”—like sheep led by a shepherd beside restful waters; “and they shall lie down” at night, “with none to make them afraid.” Therefore, they will no longer need alliances with the nations, nor will they learn from their beliefs and practices.

(Verses 14–15) “Sing”—“Daughter of Zion” refers to the seat of the Sanhedrin, the judges, and the officials, while “Jerusalem” refers to the royal city, from which governance proceeded, and “Israel” refers to the nation as a whole. Until now, Zion had contained corrupt judges, who contributed to the destruction of the city through the perversion of justice, oppression, and violence. In Jerusalem, evil proceeded from wicked kings, while the people generally groaned and suffered under the oppression of hostile nations. The two verses correspond to one another: “Sing, O daughter of Zion, for Hashem has removed your judgments”—meaning, the corrupt judges and their distorted rulings have been removed, as it says: “And I will restore your judges as at first”… and “Zion shall be redeemed through justice.” Thus Zion will be repaired. “Shout, O Israel, for He has turned away your enemy”—there will no longer be an oppressor or tormentor of Israel. “Rejoice and exult, O daughter of Jerusalem, for Hashem, the King of Israel, is in your midst”—no harm will come to you through kingship or governance, because Hashem Himself will be King of Israel and will dwell in her midst, governing the nation through miraculous Providence. Consequently, “you shall fear evil no more.”

“On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not”—In Jerusalem was the dwelling place of the people and their civic community, while in Zion was the seat of the Sanhedrin, the Temple, and matters of spiritual and inner life. The people of Jerusalem had feared their enemies, but then it will be said to them: “Do not fear.” As for Zion, “let not your hands grow weak”—for Zion had become discouraged in pursuing spiritual perfection, thinking that Hashem had abandoned her because of her sins. Therefore, it will then be said to Zion: “Let not your hands grow weak.” He now explains:

“Hashem”—The clauses correspond to one another. “Then it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, for Hashem your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save”—meaning: do not fear that Hashem, your Savior, is absent from your midst, for He is “in your midst.” Do not fear any lack of power to save, for He is “mighty.” And do not fear any lack of willingness to save, for He “will surely save.” “Zion, let not your hands grow weak, for He will rejoice over you with gladness”—do not think that Hashem will abandon you; on the contrary, “He will rejoice over you.” The term “rejoicing” (mesos) refers to outward signs expressing joy, whereas “gladness” (simḥah) refers to inner joy of the heart. Thus, the visible expressions of joy shown toward you—like the joy of a bridegroom over a bride—will arise from genuine inward happiness, not like one who outwardly celebrates the return of a divorced wife while inwardly lacking joy. Rather, He will truly rejoice in you. He adds further: afterward, He will continually renew His love for you, to the point that “He will be silent in His love”—meaning, He will contemplate deep thoughts of how to bestow ever greater spiritual good upon you at all times. “He will exult over you with song”—for the term “exult” (gil) denotes inward joy over something newly discovered, like finding a treasure or receiving good news. Thus, beyond the constant joy He will have in you, He will continually renew signs and wonders for you, and you will continuously ascend in spiritual perfection, until He will constantly rejoice anew over the fresh miracles and new attainments of perfection.

“Those grieved from the appointed festival”—also those who are filled with sorrow because their feet slipped away from the faith. These are those who did not withstand the trials during times of religious persecution and departed from the religion of Israel, though their hearts remained full of grief over it. “I will gather them” back to the people, as it says: “And from them also will I take for priests and for Levites” (Isaiah 66:21), as explained there. For “they were from you”—they were originally among the children of Israel, but had been coerced regarding their faith. “Burden”—the sense is: “I have gathered the burden of reproach upon her”; until now they bore disgrace because they were from Israel, for even after becoming assimilated among the nations, they were still reproached for their origins. Now, I have removed the shame they had borne.

“Behold, I will deal with all who afflicted you”—those who tormented you with suffering in order to force you away from the faith, I will act against them in vengeance. “And I will save the lame”—these are those whose feet faltered in faith, who became spiritually lame. “And the outcast”—those of Israel who remained steadfast in their faith, but were expelled from the land and scattered to the four corners of the earth—“I will gather.” “And I will make them for praise and for renown in every land of their shame”—their faith, which had once been a source of shame and reproach for them, will become a source of praise and a good name.

“At that time”—Regarding the “lame”, meaning those who had been coerced and remained in their places while departing from the faith, “I will bring them” back to their religion and inheritance. Concerning the “outcast”, those expelled from the land, he says: “at the time when I gather you.” And regarding what was said: “I will make them for praise in the land of their shame”—that their faith will become praiseworthy—he explains: “for I will make you a name”; then you yourselves will become “a name and a praise”, gaining renown through your valor in the war of Gog and Magog, and through that renown becoming an object of praise. And this will occur afterward, “when I restore your captivity”—as it says: “As in the days of your coming out from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.”