Rashi on the Former Prophets

In the third year. Of Hoshei'a's rebellion.

And he called it Nechushton. A derogatory expression, as though to say, “Why is this necessary? It is nothing but a copper serpent.”

He succeeded. He succeeded.

Removed. The doors, which were gold [plated].
And the thresholds. [Targum] Yonoson rendered the סקופיא, [i.e.,] the thresholds.

Tarton [and] Rav Soris. We learned in Seder Olam that the three of them did not come together, rather but Ravshokei [came] alone, as it is written in the Book of Yeshayohu, and Tarton and Rav Soris came on a second mission, when he received word concerning Tirhokoh king of Cush, ”and he heard and sent emissaries to Chizkiyohu … ”
Near the channel. Fosed, in O.F., [i.e.,] a moat made for schools of fish.
The washer's field. A field in which the launderers spread out garments, And so did [Targum] Yonoson render, ”a field where the launderers spread out.”

The recorder. [Who determines] which judgment came first before the king, that it be adjudicated first.

You have said but words of the lips, etc. Until now you have said, ”I will (not) pay tribute to the king of Ashur.” It was but words of the lips, as long as he did not leave his place to march upon you, you did not require counsel and might. But now, that he has left [his place] and marched [upon you], you require counsel and might for this war. Now, tell [me] upon whom you have depended?

It will go into his palm. When a person supports himself on a support of a splintered reed, which has broken in his hand, the splintered edges come and puncture his palm.

Is He not the one Whose high places and altars Chizkiyohu has removed, etc. It can be deduced from here that Ravshokei was an apostate Jew, for he admitted that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, is God, but his desire is to worship idols.

Provide a security. Glorify yourself over him; enter a wager on the condition that if you are able to supply riders for two thousand horses.
Wager. Gajer, in O.F.

How can you turn away one captain of my master's servants. For the smallest of them is captain over two thousand men, and you cannot obtain two thousand men. We deduce from here concerning the heads of the armies, who totaled one hundred and eighty-five thousand and fell with Sancheiriv, that the smallest of them was captain over two thousand men who were with him.

Is it with other than Adonoy. Did I come without permission? Yeshayohu already prophesied in the days of Achaz your father, ”Adonoy shall bring upon you and upon your people, etc., the king of Ashur.”
And to destroy it. This he added of his own accord.

For we understand it. We are residents of the palace, and understand Aramaic and other languages. But do not speak Hebrew to us, which all the people understand, and we do not want them to hear.

To eat their own excrement. In the hunger [caused] by the siege.
Their dung. Dung that is excreted through the orifice of the anus. Our Rabbis explained to euphemize and read, “צואתם” [instead of חריהם].
Their own urine. Loose excrement, the glands of the rectum, which is held by three glands. Alternatively, an expression of excrement which comes about through the chewing of the teeth [=שניהם].

”Make peace with me.” A greeting, as in, “And Yaakov greeted [=ויברך] Paroh.”

To a land like you land. This is my custom to move the nations from province to province. He should have said, “to a land better than yours,” because he came to persuade them, but he knew that they would recognize that his statement was false.
A land of grain and wine. This is Africa.

He exiled them and twisted them. The King of Ashur, destroyed them and exiled them.
Did they save Shomron. And the inhabitants of Shomron worshiped the gods of the Aromeans, who were their neighbors.

With torn garments. Because they heard blasphemies of the Name [of God].