Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

מוסר Taken away. Comp. הסיר He took away (18:5). דמשק מוסר מעיר Damascus is taken away from being a city. Join מוסר with the feminine noun דמשק, although it has a masculine form. More correctly, however, דמשק may be taken as equal to עם דמשק the people of Damascus, especially since in the phrase which follows, the feminine והיתה and she will be, is used. מעי Heap. Comp. לעיים to heaps (Ps. 79:1); the מ is not radical.

The cities, etc. This was caused by the king of Assyria.

The fortress also shall cease, etc. When Sennacherib came, Damascus had been already conquered and also Samaria with its fortresses. And the remnant of Syria, Damascus was the capital of Syria. They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, of which it is said, The glory of Jacob shall be made thin (ver. 4). Others explain, And the remnant of Syria will be reduced to so disgraceful a condition, that the condition of the Israelites will be considered glorious, in comparison with the fate of Damascus.

The glory of Israel shall be made thin. The numbers of Israel shall be greatly reduced by slaughter and captivity.

And it shall be, the first time., that of King Phul. כאסף קציר As when the harvestman gathereth the corn. הקוצר the harvestman, must be supplied before קציר. And it shall be, the second time. The king of Assyria came twice against the land of Israel. In the valley of Rephaim. A place where the harvest was bad, thin and meagre.

כנוקף As the shaking of. Comp. ונקף and he will cut down (10:34); ינקופו let them kill (29:1). אמיר The top of the olive-tree. Comp. האמירך He hath exalted thee (Deut. 26:18); the word אמיר has the same meaning in Arabic. Four or five. Supply berries. בסעיפיה פוריה In the branches of the fruitful olive-tree.

ישעה האדם על עשהו Shall a man look to his maker. Man will renounce his own powers, because of the Lord, and this is the true confidence in God (comp. 2 Sam. 22:42). And his eyes shall see, etc. They shall no more see the worship of idols, for they will only visit places sanctified to the worship of the Lord.

והחמנים Nor the images of the sun. The נ is not radical; comp. רחמניות merciful (Lam. 4:10). חמנים are images made like chariots in honour of the sun (חַמָּה) as stated in the history of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:3)

His strong cities. The strong cities of Israel. החרש The tree. Comp. Ezek. 31:3. והאמיר And the uppermost branch. They abandoned everything, the root and the branches, in their flight, when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. They left. By the pronoun they the Canaanites are meant. And she shall be desolate. The prophet speaks here of Samaria, for she was the capital of the kingdom of Israel.

Because thou hast forgotten, etc. The prophet turns now to the people of Samaria, and rebukes them. נעמנים The same as in Arabic; a plant that grows quickly. זר means likewise growing quickly. וזמורת שורק זר = וזמורת זר And a branch of a thriving vine-tree.

תשגשגי Thou shalt make to grow. Root שנא to be large; comp. שניא great. Thou shalt make it to grow quickly. And in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish. The same. As a general rule for the understanding of the prophetical books, I say, that from the one part of the verse we can infer what the words of the other part signify. נד There will depart. קציר The branch. Comp. בקצירי in my branch (Job 29:19) נחלה Sore. Supply מכה plague, to which the word is an attribute (מכה נחלה = נחלה), a sore plague; comp. בריאה ומאכלו and their meat plenteous (Hab. 1:16) = בריאה ומאכלו אכילה. This explanation is supported by the words which follow: וכאב אנוש and of desperate sorrow; with אנוש con-connect ויאנש and it was very sick (2 Sam. 12:15). Thou hast a great many children, but when the day of affliction shall come they will all perish.

Woe to the multitude of many people, that is, to the king of Assyria and his army, coming against Zion. ישאון That make a rushing. It is of the same root (שאה) as שאון noise. The נ in שאון is not radical; the form of the noun is like that of זדון pride (Prov. 11:2)

But He shall rebuke him. God will rebuke the king of Assyria. From far off. That is, far from his own land. And shall be chased. The part of the army that will be left will be pursued.

At eveningtide, that is, when the inhabitants of Jerusalem are afraid of him. בלהה Trouble. Comp. בלהות terror (Ez. 26:21); בהלה = בלהה like כבש = כשב lamb. And he is not. When the angel will have come forth and destroyed the greater part of the camp. This is the portion of them that spoil us. These are the words of the prophet in his rejoicing.