Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

The fall of Babylon is recorded after the ruin of Assyria, because it was Babylon that conquered Assyria.

נשפה High. According to some related to נֶשֶׁף (5:11) dimness; more correctly it may be compared with שְׁמׇיׅם heights (41:18), נ in that case being the characteristic of the Niphal; in both cases it means high; or the word must be considered as hap. leg. For them. For those that come to attack Babylon. That they may go into the gates of the nobles. They shall come and march at once into the country; they will undoubtedly conquer it.

I. God is speaking. למקדשי Those that are appointed by me for the purpose. That rejoice in my highness. That are glad to show my might, or, whom I caused to rejoice in the power I gave them.

קול המון A resounding voice. It is the nature of mountains to echo the sound of words uttered by any person, and this echo is alluded to by the expression קול המון. The root of המון is המה resound; comp. הומה being in an uproar (1 Kings 1:41). The prophet explains also what this noise among the kingdoms of the heathen people signifies; Cyrus, the king of Persia, and Darius, the king of Media, became allies in a war against Babylon; this is distinctly stated in Daniel. מפקד He is appointing officers, or, he is causing to number; comp. פקודים number. The word מפקד governs two accusatives.

They come from a far country. They come from the country of Elam. From the end of heaven. As if they came from the extremity of heaven; that is, they come from a great distance. The Lord cometh. The decrees of the Lord are coming, they will soon be fulfilled. And the weapons of His indignation. Persia and Media.

משדי From the Almighty. This destruction shall come from the Almighty, and who shall be able to prevent it? According to others: From a destroying hero (שודד = שדי), but the former explanation is the right one.

All hands, viz., of the Babylonians.

פני להבים A face of flames. A face burnt by the intensity of the pains. According to others: The face of the Lehabim; Lehabim being the name of a nation similar to the Ethiopians.

אכזרי Cruel. The י is paragogic, as in ) not radical but formative; (b) not essential but superfluous. פנימי inner (1 Kings 6:27). The land, viz., of the Chaldæans.

וכסיליהם According to some, כְּסִיל is the name of the star which is nearest to the south pole, at the sight of which the camels die. My opinion is that כסיל is the Heart of the Scorpion constellation; it is, however, possible that כסילים in this verse—comp. כְּסׇלִים flanks (Lev. 3:4)—signifies the stars near the poles. R. Jonah remarks that there is only one star named כסיל, and that here, in the plural כסילים, other stars are included; comp. בתי השן the houses of ivory (Am. 3:15). יׇהֵלּוּ They will let shine. Its form is like that of וַיׇחֵלּוּ and they began (Judg. 20:31). Its root is הלל, and it is a transitive verb; comp. בהלו גרו when he lights his candle (Job 29:3). יַגִּיהַ Shall cause to shine. Likewise a transitive verb, as proved by יַגִּיהַ חׇשְׁכִּי He will enlighten my darkness (Ps. 18:29)

The world. Cyrus conquered many countries, as he says; All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heavens, hath given me (Ezr. 1:2)

אוקיר I will make precious. A transitive verb; it is Hiphil of יקר to be precious; comp. הוקר רגלך Withdraw (lit.: make rare) thy foot (Prov. 25:17). A man. The male population, which will perish in war.

Therefore I will shake it, etc. A figurative expression for the fugitive will nowhere find rest.

And it will be. And the army of the Chaldæans will be מ֭דׇּח chased, by the pursuers. מֻדׇּח is participle Hophal, like מוקטר burnt (Mal. 1:11 ) מֻגׇּשׁ offered (ibid.) מֻצׇּב set up (Gen. 28:12)

He will be pierced. He will find no mercy. נספה That is joined. Participle Niphal.

תשגלנה They will be ravished. It is read תשכבנה by euphemism.

The Medes, who are the most cruel people. They shall not regard silver, as being of any value; they shall only desire to slaughter.

תרטשנה They shall dash to pieces.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. And Babylon that HAS BEEN the glory of kingdoms; comp. הבית הזה יהיה עליון this house which will HAVE BEEN high (1 Kings 9:8).

לא תשב It shall not be inhabited. יהל Shall pitch his tent. יאהל = יהל Comp. מאזין = מזין listening (Prov. 17:4). ערבי The Arabian. The word has here the same meaning as ערב Jer. 25:22 and Is. 21:3. Even the Arabian, who is accustomed to move from place to place, will not pitch his tent there.

ציים Beasts that dwell in the desert (צִיׇה) אוחים hap. leg. Beasts at whose sight everyone is terrified. בנות יענה Owls. A well known kind of birds. שעירים Beasts like Shedim; wild goats. אוחים might also be taken as a kind of birds.

איים Vultures. Plural of אַיׇה Vulture (Lev. 11:14). וענה And will sing or And will dwell; comp. מעון habitation (Ps. 26:8). באלמנותיו According to some the same as בארמנותיו in his palaces; comp. Ez. 19:7; but as the letters—with the exception of אׄ הׄ וֹ יׄ—do not interchange;, Moznaim, sub voce המתהפכים. it is better to explain the expression thus : And every one of the vultures will sing with his widows. ותנים And dragons. Comp. Job 30:29