Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

THIS Chapter is either the explanation of the latter part of Chapter II., beginning the cedars, the mountains, etc. (2:13, ff.) or the continuation of the subject, commencing Cease, ye from man, etc. (2:22); I adopt this latter view. משען ומשענה. The stay and the staff. Poetically said for every kind of staff. The explanation of the figure follows immediately, The whole stay of bread and water.

The mighty man. He who has the strength required for a successful war. The man of war. He who has the experience. The judge, who is asked to show the right way according to the law. The prophet, who serves the same purpose; and also the astrologer, who foretells future events through the science of astrology. The ancient, who has profited by the changes and trials of life.

חכם חרשים The cunning artificer. נבון לחש The charmer. Even he that understands to charm the serpents, will be taken away. According to some, the eloquent orator; comp. מתלחשים whispering (2 Sam. 12:19).

תעלולים Babes. The ת is not a radical letter; root עול to be young. Comp. עולל child (Jer. 6:11). העלולים is here an adjective, they that are young, החכם the wise האיש החכם=, The wise man; העלולים, Young תעלולים אנשים=, Young men. More correctly this word may be explained as an abstract noun, which is used instead of the concrete ; childishness=children. but in chap. 66:4, it is a noun, childishness, delusions.

וְנִנַּשׂ And shall be oppressed. Niphal; like נִצָּב (3:13), he is standing up. According to some, and shall oppress; the נ being radical, and נִנַּשׁ piel. ירהבו They will have power or dominion ; comp. רהב power (51:9)

The house of his father. His family. לכה To thee. It is the same as לך though having an additional שמלה לכה .ה thy clothing be to thee. We do not ask thee to give us clothing. This ruin. Jerusalem (comp. 5:8.).—This is just the style in which people speak while labouring under strong excitement.

יִשא He will swear (comp. לא תשא את שם יי thou shalt not swear by the name of the Lord, Exod. 20:7). חובש Ruler. It is the same verb as in הובש מכה ‘ dressing a wound ;’ comp. עֶצֶר power (Judg. 18:7). There is no clothing. Even for myself.

כי לשונם ומעלליהם אל ה׳ For their tongue and their doings with regard to the Lord. למרות To provoke. ל has Pathah, because of the omission of ה, the characteristic of the Hiphil; להמרות = למרות comp. להנחותם = לנחותם to lead them (Ex. 13:21). The eyes of His glory. Publicly.

הכרת. According to some, the cutting off, derived from כרת to cut off, but more correctly, the knowing of; comp. הכירהו they knew him (Gen. 42:8); the Dagesh in כ indicates the omission of the radical נ which appears in ינכר He is known (Prov. 26:24). He who is able to judge of the constitution of the whole body from the face will find in it the declaration and confession of the truth; no further evidence is wanted. And they tell their sin like Sodom. They do not even conceal their sins; for he who does conceal them feels at least ashamed of what he has done.

אמרו According to some, Praise ye (comp. Dent. 26:17); I prefer Say ye, from אמר to say—in the heart or with the mouth. Shall they eat. They, that is, all the righteous (for these words have to be supplied); as if to say, Do not think that only one righteous man shall enjoy the fruit of his actions. This verse is closely connected with the preceding.

רע. Bad. According to some it is in apposition to אוי woe. Woe, evil, etc. I take it rather as an attribute to רשע woe to the hardened sinner.

נגשיו מעולל Every one of his rulers is playful. The מ in מעולל is not essential; מעולל is an adjective, and not a participle. מישריך = מאשריך They that lead thee. א in מאשריך is instead of י, for the letters א ה ו י interchange; comp. 1:17.—They that ought to guide you mislead you. בלעו They have destroyed. (Literally, they have swallowed up.) They have destroyed the way to such an extent that it is no more to be recognised.

The Lord standeth up. Therefore the Lord standeth up. לריב To plead. It is not the noun, ריב the strife, with the preposition ל, but infinitive Hiphil; the same is to be said concerning. לדין To judge.—This verse refers to the punishments to be decreed by Him. עמים People. A great many; comp Deut. 32:19

Ye have eaten up, etc. How can you be the judges of my people, when you yourselves, etc. בערתם You have eaten up. Comp. Exod. 22:4. The vineyard. That is, Israel.

מלכם What mean you ? Dagesh in ל compensates for the omitted מה לכם = מלכם .ה is compounded, of two words, like (מה זה =)מזה What is that (Exod. 4:3). Ye grind. Metaphorically said, for you put to shame and contempt.

ומשקרות And wantonly looking about. In Rabbinical literature a woman of this class is called סקרנית (Bereshith Rabba, 100:19). וטפוף According to some, Speaking; comp. והטף And prophesy (Ez. 21:2); but the grammatical principles of the Hebrew language will not admit of this explanation ; according to others, Mincing—comp. אטיף, the Chaldæan translation of הציף He made overflow (Deut. 11:8)—‘ moving slowly, like one that swims upon the surface of the water.’ Others, again, derive it from טף Little ones (Est. 3:16), and I incline to this opinion ; walking slowly like a child. תעכסנה They put spurs. They wear spurs on their feet, like riding-men; according to some, they make a tinkling with their spurs.

ושפח And he will smite with a scab. It has the same root as מספחת scab (Lev. 13:6), although written with שׂ; comp. בסורי = בשׂורי when I turn away (Hos. 9:12). פתהן Some supply א, so that פאתהן = פתהן the locks of their head ; but I compare it rather with הפותות the hinges (1 Kings 7:50), that is, the back of the doors, and find in this verse the description of the plagues of the whole body, from the head to the foot.

עכסים Ornaments for the foot. שביסים Hapax legomenon; according to some, an ornament for the legs. שהרנים A moonlike ornament of the girdle, derived from the Chaldæan סהרא moon; סהר (Song 7:2) is generally explained in the same way.

נטיפות Hap. leg. According to some, an ornament for the hair. שרות An ornament for the ears; according to others, bracelets; comp. שרין the Chaldean translation of אצעדה bracelets (Num. 31:50). רעלות Hap. leg. An ornament for the cheeks.

פארים comp. תפארת ornament; for the hands. צעדות An ornament for the arms; comp. אצעדה bracelet (which Saul wore on his arm, 2 Sam. 1:10). א of אצעדה is pleonastic, as the א in אזרוע (Jer. 32:21). קשרים A well-known ornament for the neck. בתי הנפש An ornament for the breast; the breast is called נפש soul, because it is the seat of the soul, it contains the heart. לחשים Amulets. Inscriptions on gold and silver, for a charm.

טבעות Rings, for the fingers. נזמי האף Nose jewels; I have already described them (Gen. 24:22)

מחלצות Changeable suits of garments, worn over the dress; comp. חלצתו his armour (2 Sam. 2:21), which is worn over the garments. מעטפות Mantles. A dress wherein the woman wraps herself. According to some, מחלצות shifts; מעטפות trowsers. מטפחות Vails (comp. Ruth 3:15). הריטים According to some, a dress in the form of a Taleth (this word has a similar meaning in Arabic ), or figures (comp. 8:1), as I shall explain further on (ibid.)

נליונים Cloth (cp. 8:1). סדינים Fine linen (cp. Pr. 31:24). צניפות An ornament for the head; רדידים. In Arabic, this word signifies a dress in form of a taleth. All these things here enumerated are, in general, articles of clothing, and vary with the fashion of the country.

בושם Sweet smell. It keeps the body fresh and healthy. מק Rottenness is nearly the opposite of the preceding. Root מקק, to rot; verb, ע״ע; comp. תמקנה They shall consume away (Zac. 14:2). נקפה A noun; נ is radical; we may fairly compare with it ונקף And he shall cut down (10:34); its mean-is a kind of cutting. מעשה מקשה Well set hair; comp. עשה שפמו ולא Nor trimmed his beard (1 Sam. 19:25). פתיגיל A fine embroidered garment, which is worn over all the dresses. כי תחת יופי According to Saadiah: for the contrary (תחת) is more fit for them; others take כויה = כי burning (Exod. 21:24); comp. ברויה = ברי (root רוה) with plenty (Job. 37:11); but this is contrary to the rules of the grammar, since ו in כויה is radical. I think the passage must be taken in this sense: For instead of beauty, the above-mentioned consumption, destruction and baldness shall come.

The women shall become widows in consequence of the death of their husbands in war. וגבורתך And the men of thy strength. Supply מתי the men of; comp. והנבואה עודד הנביא And the prophecy, the prophecy of the prophet Oded (2 Chr. 15:8)

ואנו And they shall lament; comp. באני In my sorrow (Deuter. 26:14); root און to lament, it is a weak verb (ע״ו); the accent is on the ultima. as in וסרו And shall depart (Exod. 8:1). פתחיה Her gates. Those of Zion, which is mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. ונקתה And she shall be desolate. Comp. נקיון שנים cleanness of teeth (Am. 4:6). She will sit. The pronoun refers to Zion.