Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

Unto me, that is unto the prophet. From far. That live far away; or things that will happen in remote future. Hath called me from the birth, I shall explain this in the commentary on Jer. 1:2.

And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, to speak elegantly; or, as was the case in his prophecies against Babylon, to speak sharply; and the meaning of the whole phrase is accordingly : Although God has made my mouth like a sharp sword against the Babylonians, neither the Babylonians nor the wicked men in Israel, could do any harm to me, because God hath hid me in the shadow of His hand, which is to the prophet as the sheath to the sword; comp. in His quiver hath he hid me. ברור Polished, when seen.

And said. And God said. ישראל Israel. That is, Thou art an Israelite of whom I am proud; or Thou art Israel, thou art estimated in mine eyes like all Israelites together. I prefer this latter explanation.

Then I said. Then I, the prophet, said. I said to myself, I have laboured in vain. I have troubled myself in vain to rebuke Israel; they do not hearken. My judgment is with God. He will reward me for my trouble. ופעלתי And my wages. Comp. שביר פעלת the wages of one that is hired (Lev. 19:13)

That formed me, etc. God formed me, that I should rebuke Israel, till they returned to Him. לא Unto him. The original reading is לו unto him, as the Masorah recommends; comp. Ps. 100:5; there are some more instances of the same kind. According to the Gaon, the meaning of לא יאסף is: Will not die; he generally explains both the Keri and the Ketib; but what I said, is nevertheless right, and לא of the text is the same as לו, as the Grammarian R. Jehudah explained.

It is a slight thing, in mine eyes, that thou shouldst be a servant to bring Israel back to their land by thy word. ונצורי And the ruins of. Comp. נצורה desolate (1:8).— Not alone wilt thou bring Israel back, but I will give thee for a light of nations. להיות ישועתי. That my salvation may be, that is, that my salvation maybe published before it comes, unto the end of the earth

Thus saith the Lord, etc. The prophet continues to speak of himself: Thus says the Lord unto me, who am despised of the wicked men. לבזה To him who is despised. בזה is an adjective. מתעב It is either a causative verb, meaning: causing to abhor, that is, saying things, for which the nations abhor him; or a transitive verb: abhorring, that is, abhorring all idolaters. To a servant of rulers, that is of the nobles of Israel, as they consider themselves, or of the Babylonians. The latter rendering is preferable. Kings shall see and arise. I have already alluded to the inference that may be drawn from those words (40:1). Most of the commentators explain this sentence thus: Kings, like Cyrus, will rise and worship, when they hear the words of the prophet. Because of the Lord. For He remains faithful to His word.— The suffix ך in ויבחרך and He chose thee, shows that this explanation is right.

בעת רצון עניתיך In an acceptable time I have heard thee. This expression is likewise a proof of the correctness of my opinion. Many, in opposition to the context, refer the pronoun thee to Cyrus. R. Moses thinks that the preposition ב in בעת רצון has the same meaning as in במרחב יה (Ps. 118:5), namely: with. It is not at all unlikely that his opinion is right.

That thou mayest say, etc. This shows that the prophet announced this to the Jews before they returned from the Babylonian exile. And their pastures in all high places. And they shall find their pastures, etc.

They will not, etc. When they return to Zion. שרב Heat. Comp. 35:7. Nor the sun smite them. Comp. The sun shall not smite thee by day (Ps. 121:6)

And I will make all my mountains a way, etc. The mountains will be lowered, and the paths which are low will be exalted. As to the use of the masculine plural ירומון, together with the feminine מסלות, comp. תמצאו ye (daughters of Jerusalem) find (Song 5:8). The origin of the seeming irregularity is to be found in the indifference of the Hebrews as to the use of the plural masculine for the feminine, so long as the idea of plurality is clearly expressed. Others explain the verse thus: Those that will return, will be so numerous, that they will have to walk high on the mountains. According to their opinion ירמון means: they—that will return—will be high, as if the prophet said: they will walk high on my paths (ועל מסלתי)

From far, from the east. From the north, from Babylon. From the west. From Assyria. Comp. Ezr. 6:22. מארץ סינים From the land of Sinim. A land near Egypt. The name סינים is perhaps connected with סנה bush.

Sing, etc. This is a figurative expression; or the purity of the air is to be considered as the singing of the heavens, the productiveness of the fields and gardens as the singing of the earth, and the singing of the mountains can be explained in a similar way.

But Zion said before the redemption, that the Lord forgot her. Zion. The congregation of Israel.

Can a woman, etc. This is mentioned, because God has given to woman a natural disposition to have pity on her children. עולל=עול Sucking child. Comp. Jer. 6:11; Is. 65:20. That she should not have compassion, etc. Repetition of the same idea. גם אלח תשכחנה Yea, they may forget. There are cruel women, that forget their children or themselves; or there are women that forget these, yet will I not forget thee. Her sucking child is mentioned, because the mother has usually more compassion for the little one that has no strength.

I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. According to the Gaon, the clouds are meant by the palms of my hand; but I say it is an anthropomorphism, meaning: I shall see thee continually; the second part of the verse, the parallelism of which divides it into two similar halves, confirms the correctness of this explanation.

Thy children, etc. Thy children have come, and all thy destroyers shall go away from thee.

All of them. All of thy children. R. Moses Hakkohen explains the expression thus: Thy children as well as thy destroyers, that is, the wicked, gathered themselves, etc. According to this explanation the future יֵצֵאוּ is used instead of the past יׇצׇאוּ. But it is not necessary to assume this irregularity here. As I live. The decree shall not be annulled; as truly as I am living, it will be acted upon. כקשורי כלה = ככלה As the ornament of the bride round her neck.

תחת חרבותיך = חרבותיך Instead of Thy waste places. Comp. פשעי for my transgressions (Mic. 6:7); פרים instead of calves (Hos. 14:31.) The verse can also be explained thus: They were thy waste places before, but now, Thou shalt be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, by reason of the multitude of inhabitants, all of whom are thy children; because they that swallowed them up, will be far away.

גשה לי Give place unto me. Lit. Go thither for my sake. Comp. גש הלאה stand back (Gen. 19:9)

נלמודה Desolate. Remaining lonely; comp. גלמוד solitary (Job 3:7). It is an adjective, of a quadriliteral root. וסורה And removing to and fro. It is an adjective, and not a participle passive; for סור to depart is a neuter verb. איפה where. It is a compound of two words אי and פה

Behold, I will lift up My hand, etc. As a man lifts up his hand, that he may be seen. This phrase as well as that which follows: And set up my standard, are the same as I shall make known this my salvation. And they shall bring thy sons. By they the Non-Israelites are to be understood. בחוצן In their lap. Comp. חצני my lap (Neh. 5:13)

אומניך Thy nursing fathers. Comp. ויהי אמן and he brought up (Est. 2:7). It is a figurative expression for the great honour which will be shown to Israel.

Shall the prey, etc. These words are put into the mouth of Israel by the prophet. How is it possible, the people ask, that Israel should be delivered from the power of the heathen nations ? המלקח The prey, which he has taken, that is, the captives. ואם שבי צדיק ימלט Or shall the righteous captive be delivered, because of his righteousness, after having been taken by the mighty.

The captive of the mighty. The captive which the mighty man has taken, will be taken away from him. עריץ The terrible. It is an adjective with transitive meaning: causing terror; comp. אימים (Gen. 14:5). Moreover, I will contend with him that contendeth with thee. I shall make war against those that attack thee. יריבך that contendeth with thee. Some derive it from ירב; others by metathesis from ריב; according to the Jerusalemite the relative אשר who must be supplied before יריבך, which he explains to be the third person singular masculine future of ריב; he overlooked, however, the parallel instance of יריבי that strive with me (Ps. 35:1). In short it is an irregular form.

מוניך That oppress thee. Comp. ולא תגו ye shall not oppress (Lev. 25:17). Others say that it means: thy numberers, comparing it with מונה that telleth (Jer. 33:13), because Israel is compared to a flock of sheep. מדמם = דמם With their own blood. An ellipsis is as frequently found in poetry.