Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

His anointed. According to some, the prophet; others think that Cyrus is meant; either explanation is admissible; comp. The Lord hath anointed me (61:1), and Anoint Hazael to be king (1 K. 19:15). לרד To subdue. It is infinitive of רדד ; comp. הרדד who subdueth (Ps. 144:2); as to its form comp. לְעַד to prey (Zeph. 3:8)

I. The support of God or the heavenly prince of Persia is to be understood; comp. Dan. 10:20. והדורים The crooked places. It is the opposite of ישר straight. Some derive it from הדר glory; it means mountains, and is as to its form either adjective or participle passive. דלתות The doors that are in the gates of the city.

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness. Cyrus will take the spoil of the countries. That thou mayest know. For before that he did not fear the Lord.

For Jacob my servant’s sake, etc. All this success is not granted to thee for thine own sake, but for Israel, that thou shouldst send back the captives of Israel and rebuild Jerusalem. I have named thee. Comp. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine (43:1)

I am the Lord, I alone know what will happen in future; as the victory of Cyrus shows. I shall gird thee. I shall strengthen thee, although thou hast not worshipped Me.

That they may know, etc. I have besides given thee strength, in order that My name shall be known everywhere, that I am alone the Lord, and that there is none beside Me.

I form the light, etc. Things which are opposite to each other are mentioned in this verse. ובורא חשך And causeth darkness. ברא has here the same meaning as גזר to decree; for darkness is nothing by itself, it is but the absence of light. The same is to be said war, illness. But I. E. explains that these evils are but a certain relation of existing beings to each other; and finds the verb to decree or to command to be more applicable to them than the verb to create. concerning ובורא רע And causeth evil. By evil war is meant as the opposite of peace, or the sickness under which man labours, as being at war with his constitution. These antitheses are used to indicate that in the same way God will strengthen Cyrus and weaken the king of Babylon.

Drop down. This is a command to the angels that they shall drop righteousness, and cause salvation and truth to succeed. אני יי בראתיו I, the Lord, have created for him, have created righteousness for Cyrus; he will establish righteousness in the world.

הוי Hi! Interjectio vocandi. The prophet calls unto him, that does not believe in the words of God, who foretells these future events. רב את יוצר That striveth with his maker. יוצר has here the same meaning as in Ps. 2:9; namely potter. The potsherd. The man who is like a potsherd of earthenware. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? This cannot be ; but he who fashions the clay does what he wishes. ופעלך אין ידים לו Or thy work, etc. Or shall the clay say to him who fashions it, What thou doest is not done by thy hands. I think that this phrase contains the same idea as the preceding, namely : Thy work is made without hands; thou hast no power to do it as thou likest.

He that saith to his father, etc. Or can the son before his birth say to his father, What wilt thou beget, or to the woman, that is, to his mother, what wilt thou bring forth? תחילין Thou will bring forth. Comp. כי חלה נם ילדה ציון Zion travailed, she brought forth (66:8)

And his maker. I am he who made Israel. שְׁאׇלוּגׅי Ask me. It is imperative like שְׁמׇלוּגׅי hear me (Gen. 23:8), the kamez being substituted for zeré because of the guttural letter (א) . ,mubhWill ye command me. It is a question.—As the potter knows what to do with the clay, so I know what to do with Israel, who is my son. The other nations, the Non-Israelites are addressed in these words.

I have made the earth, etc. How will you command me concerning my children, when the whole universe belongs to me? I have created earth and man upon it; my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded, and consequently they were created. I commanded is poetically said for I spoke as in the verse He commanded and they were created (Ps. 148:5)

I have raised him, namely Cyrus. And I will make straight all his ways, and all this only because He shall build, etc.

The labour of Egypt, etc. This verse shows that Cyrus was also to conquer Egypt, and to carry the inhabitants thereof away into captivity; the way, as is well known, led through. Palestine, which is situated in the midst between Elam and Egypt. Men of measure. Men of great measure; for all men have a certain measure; comp. show thyself a man=show thyself a brave man (1 Kgs. 2:2). Surely God is in thee. These are the words which they will confess and declare; this was in fact the case after the return of Israel from the Babylonian captivity.

Verily thou art a God, etc. Then they will confess to God and say, It is true that thou art God who hid himself from the people in which He delighted, and now thou art the God of the Israelites, who helps them. Some say that אל נסתר = אל מסתתר invisible God, and explain the verse thus: God, though invisible, revealed himself for the sake of Israel. This explanation, however, is not supported by the rules of Hebrew grammar, מסתתר being Hithpael, and signifying who hid himself.

They shall go with confusion, etc. They that make the idols, and come with honour to those that send for them, shall go, etc. צירים Messengers. Comp. ציר an ambassador (Jer. 49:14). הלכו They shall go. They shall return to their land.

Israel is saved by the Lord. Therefore they will not be ashamed, as those men have been put to shame, that made vain things which cannot help in times of trouble. עד Innumerable.

He hath established it, as the habitation for men and beasts. תהו In vain.

I have not spoken, etc. I have not made the earth in vain, how then should I say to the Israelites Seek ye me in vain. Many refer this verse to the revelation on Sinai; but I refer it to those future events, of which the Lord informed the prophet, and which the prophet announced to Israel and all other nations ; this may be gathered from the words מגיד מישרים I declare things that are right.

הקבצו ובאו התנגשו Assemble yourselves and come, draw near. These are imperatives. Ye, that are escaped, etc. The Babylonians are addressed.—I called thus long ago, but they have, no knowledge that set up, etc.

Tell ye the truth. And bring near your wise men. יועצו Let them take counsel. It is Niphal of יעץ

And be ye saved. This is the same as and you will be saved; it is in your own power.

By myself, who am eternal. I have sworn. I have made a decree, which will not be undone. דבר צדקה = צדקה a righteous word. Comp. צדקה she hath been righteous (Gen. 38:27). That unto me, etc. These things here foretold I shall do, till unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear to belong to me. לי unto me must be repeated before תשבע shall swear ; it is an ellipsis, such as is frequently met with. Comp. And shall swear by His name (Deut. 6:13)

לי Unto me. The pronoun of the first person refers to the prophet. He declares, that he does not know these future events by the aid of his reason, but by the Lord alone, who informed him of these things of righteousness and strength. It is more correct to explain the verse thus : Surely in the Lord, alone is righteousness and strength, the words לי אמר are a relative sentence signifying who spoke unto me. עדיו To Him. Comp. Am. 4:6

In the Lord. In faithfully believing in the Lord.