Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

ביום ההוא In those days. The Lord shall visit. As mentioned in the preceding verse. Leviathan. The Theli ; (תלי) it has the epithet בריח stretching, because it stretches from one end to the other. [I think it is a sea monster]. Even Leviathan, that crooked serpent. This is likewise an animal that lives in the sea; it is like a serpent, for there are also serpent-like animals in the sea. עקלתון Crooked. It is an adjective. And the dragon that is in the sea. That is, The great dragon in the sea. (Ez. 29:3). Some are of opinion that the Leviathan, the stretching serpent, and the Leviathan, the crooked serpent, are both land animals, and are used figuratively for the kings of the land; while the dragon that is in the sea, is used for the king of Egypt (Comp. Ez. 29:3), or as others believe, for the king of Tyre. R. Moses Hakkohen thinks, that this verse refers to the élite of soldiers, princes, and nobles.

חמר Wine Comp. חָמֶר wine (Deut. 32:14). A vineyard of wine. A vineyard that yields a large quantity of wine. ענו Sing. Comp. ענות Singing (Ex. 32:18). Unto her. Unto Zion. The imperative sing is addressed to the singers. The prophet has said already, that Judah is the pleasant plant of the Lord (5:7)

I, the Lord, do keep it, that is to say, the Divine glory remains in Zion. I will water it every moment. The prophecy will not cease. פן יפקד. R. Jonah, the Grammarian, says, that לא = פן, and פן יפקד עליה ;אפקד = יפקד means accordingly, I will not punish her (though I shall punish all other nations). Comp. פן תפלס Do not ponder. R. Isaak ben Saul compares יפקד with נפקד there lacketh (Num. 31:49), and joins this with the preceding phrase in this way, I will water it every moment, lest its leaves drop. עליה Its leaves. Each of its leaves. Comp. 1:30. R. Moses Hakkohen explains it thus, I shall guard it day and night, lest the enemy hurt it. I think that this explanation is the right one.

Fury is not in me, etc. Some say that this verse is the continuation of the words of the Lord. Fury is not in me, that is, great fury is not in me. Who would set, etc. Anthropomorphism. Supply ב before שמיר brier, comp. בששח=ששח in six, (Ex. 20:11). The meaning of the sentence is, Who would set me against the brier and thorn of the vineyard, that is, against the wicked people; and in the day of my war against the vineyard, אפשעה בה I would go through it;—comp. כפשע but a step (1 Sam. 20:3)— אציתנה I would burn it;—comp. הציתו they have burnt (2 Sam. 14:35)

Or let him take hold, etc. Or let the Israelites take hold of my strength, then I shall not have war with them—comp. the Lord hath been like an enemy (Lam. 2:5)— nor with other nations, for the sake of Israel; this double peace is indicated by the repetition of the words he will make peace unto me. R. Moses Hakkohen explains these two verses in the following way: Fury is not in me, what I am going to say, I shall not say with fury. מי יתנני וגו׳ Who would give me—comp. נתתני thou hast given me (Judges 1:15)—the briers and thorns of the vineyard! I would go through them, etc.; that is, if they do not remove the wicked men of Israel, I will slay them all; or let him take hold of my strength, etc., then Jacob shall take root.— I think that God is not represented as speaking in these two verses, as is the case in many passages of this book—we need only refer to the preceding chapter, verses 18 and 19—but the men of Judah, after having heard God’s promise, I the Lord will keep it, lest he visit it, are introduced, saying, We do not declare with fury, that if the enemy should come to turn the vineyard into a place of briers and thorns, we should kill ourselves. Comp. And Ezekiel shall be, instead of And I shall be (Ez. 25:24), And Samuel, instead of And myself (1 Sam. 12:11); As he hath done, instead of As I have done (Lev. 8:34); במלחמה in war, is to be joined with מי יתנני who would turn me in this way: If one should come to turn me by war into a place of briers and thorns, etc. או יחזק Or if He would strengthen my stronghold, etc., to give me the strengthening promise that He will be in peace with me, and so should the enemy be, then Jacob would take root, etc. I am compelled to explain in this way by the phrase, He will make peace unto me, because it is God alone that maketh peace.

.בהבאים = הבאים In future. According to some: the children. generations. הדורות הבאים = הבאים ישרש He shall cause to take root. Comp. ישרשיח ותשרש and didst cause it to take deep root (Psa. 80:10). תנובה. Fruit.

Hath he smitten him, etc. This prophecy refers to the fall of Samaria, to which alone the expression אשרים groves can be applied. Those that smote him. The Assyrians. Of them that are slain by him. Of the Canaanites that were slain when the Israelites conquered their country. God did not smite the Israelites in the same way as he smote the Canaanites.

בסאסאה. In measure. According to most commentators בסאסאה is a reduplication of סאה measure, like ירקרק green (Lev. 13:49); מטלטלך Will carry thee away (22:17). Thou wilt debate with it, with Samaria; comp. the defenced city (ver. 10). בשלחה According to some: with its sword. The meaning of the sentence accordingly is: Samaria destroyed itself with its own instruments of war. Comp. השלח the sword (Joel 2:8). More correctly, however, it may be compared with שלחיך thy plants (Song 4:13), especially because of the words: on the day of the east wind. Samaria was punished with her own measure, she had quarrelled even with the people of her own villages,—which may be considered as her plants (שלחה)—therefore. הגה the Lord removed her; comp. הוגה he was removed (2 Sam. 20:13); ה replaces the radical י; as in ידה=הדה he stretched forth (11:8). קדים East wind.

By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, etc. That is, no evil shall befall him—for the iniquity of Jacob (עון יעקב) is the source of all his evils—and the decree shall be rescinded, if they abolish idolatry. הסר To take away. Infinitive. The altar of Baal. גיר Chalk. מנפצות Beaten in sunder. Comp. תנפצם Thou shalt break them (Ps. 2:9). לא יקמו Shall not stand. Shall not remain.

The defenced city. Samaria. בדד Shall be desolate. סעפיה The branches thereof. Comp. על שתי הסעפים upon the two branches (1 Kings 18:21). The open towns are meant.

קצירה The bough thereof. Comp. בקצירי In my branch (Job. 29:19). They shall be broken off. The pronoun they refers to פארות the smaller branches, while קציר signifies the large branch. מאירות Some explain: Collect; comp. אריתי I have gathered (Song 5:1). Even the women that have no strength will break and gather them. Others: Set on fire. The branches will be used as fuel. This is the right explanation. Comp. תאירו ye kindle fire (Mal. 1:10)

ביום ההוא In those days. יחבט Shall beat off. Comp. תחבט thou wilt beat (Deut. 24:10); חובט beating (Judg. 6:11); therefore the expression תלקטו you will be gathered together is also used. One by one. Only a few will be left out of many.

And it shall come to pass in that day, etc. Then all the children of Ephraim that are in exile will hasten to return to Jerusalem, seeing that their own kingdom has ceased to exist.