= Isaiah 29 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[Isaiah_28|Previous]] | [[Isaiah_30|Next]] ] == Isaiah 29 1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. 9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 10 For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. 13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: 21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. 22 Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. 23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. == Notes == Cross Reference == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 Woe, Ariel Jonathan renders: Altar of the Lord. Ezekiel, too, called it that, as it is said (43: 16): “And the altar (וְהָאֲרִיאֵל) twelve [cubits] in length,” [because of the heavenly fire that lay like a lion atop the altar, as we learned in Tractate Yoma (21b)]. Our Sages, however, explained it in reference to the heichal (the Temple proper), which was narrow from the rear and wide in the front. the city wherein David encamped The altar that was built in the city wherein David encamped [from Jonathan]. add year to year And always your sins are continuously increasing until your sacrifices are cut off (יִנְקֹפוּ), an expression similar to (supra 17:6): “like the cutting (כְּנֹקֶּף) of an olive tree.” ==== Verse 2 and it shall be to Me like Ariel It shall be surrounded by those slain by the sword, like the altar, which is surrounded by animal sacrifices. ==== Verse 3 in a circle like a row of surrounding troops. ([Other editions read:] In a row of surrounding troops.) ([Some manuscripts read:] An expression of the encampment of surrounding troops.) a camp of siege (מֻצַּב, lit. stationed,) an expression of a camp of siege stationed against the towns. siege works (מְצֻרוֹת) an expression of מָצוֹר, a siege. ==== Verse 4 from the earth shall you speak It shall appear as though the speech that comes out of your mouth comes from below the ground. shall your speech chirp to supplicate to Me, and because of your supplication, My mercies shall be aroused. צִפְצוּף is an expression of a whispering (var. weak) voice like the voice of small birds. ==== Verse 5 And the multitude of your foreigners shall be like fine dust The army of Sennacherib, which will be consumed by fire and will become dust. and it shall be this thing. a sudden happening (לְפֶתַע פִּתְאֹם) a sudden happening. ==== Verse 6 From the Lord of Hosts shall he be visited And after you become humble and your speech chirps, Ariel shall be visited by Me to save them, with thunder and with earthquake, etc. ==== Verse 7 And shall be like a dream that one imagines that he saw, yet he did not see, so will this multitude of all the nations contemplate to conquer, but they will not succeed. those stationed around her who set up against her a garrison and raiders called cenbel in O.F., as it is stated regarding Saul (I Sam. 14: 15): “The garrison and the raiders trembled.” ==== Verse 8 yearns (שׁוֹקֵקָה) desires. Comp. (Gen. 3:16) “And to your husband shall be your yearning (תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ) .” So shall be, etc. They shall not achieve their desire which they planned to do. ==== Verse 9 stop Be patient to reflect [to think] about your deeds. and wonder And wonder about your corruption. they became blind (הִשְׁתַּעַשְׁעוּ) an expression related to (supra 6:10) “And his eyes are becoming sealed (הָשַׁע),” they were blind, not being able to see [lit., from seeing]. They were intoxicated yourselves (sic) but not from wine. Why? ([Parshandatha claims that this reading is erroneous. The correct reading, according to all manuscripts is:] their wise men, but not from wine.) ==== Verse 10 For the Lord has poured upon you, etc. (נָסַךְ) an expression of mixing wine. Comp. (Prov. 9: 2) “She mixed (מָסְכָה) her wine.” It may also be an expression of princedom (נְסִיכוּת). He caused a spirit of deep sleep to overcome you, (lit., to rule over you). Concerning the transgressors of Israel he was prophesying, for they were stargazers and were experts in adjuring the heavenly princes, each one with the proper name for adjuring him. Therefore, they say, “Who will encamp upon us (Jer. 21:13)? If the enemy comes upon us, we can make for it a wall of fire around, ([Most manuscripts read:] If the enemy comes upon the city, we can make for it a wall of fire around,) or surround it with the Great Sea.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “I will change the heavenly princes; the one appointed over fire, is appointed over water. When he adjures the prince of fire to bring him fire, he will reply, “This is not mine,” And, likewise, the prince of water. And even the name by which you adjure him, he does not recognize. This is the closing of the eyes and the covering of the heads of the stargazers. ==== Verse 11 the vision of everything All that you used to see in the constellations shall be concealed from you like the words of a letter sealed with wax, which, if they give to read one able to read a letter, he will say, “I cannot, for I see not what is inside, for it is sealed.” ==== Verse 12 And if the book is given And when they take it from him and open its seal and give it to one who does not understand the language of the letter, and they say to him, “now read this,” he will say, “I cannot read.” Similarly, when you adjure the prince of fire, he will say, “I cannot, for the matter is sealed from me,” and when you adjure his colleague, he will say, “I do not recognize this name, by which you adjure me, for this is not my name.” This is what Jeremiah said (Jer. 21:4): “Behold I will turn around my implements of war that are in your hands.” This refers to the Explicit Name. In Midrash Tehillim (36:8). ==== Verse 13 Because this people has come near Jonathan renders: Because this people has aggrandized itself. I.e., they have come near to raise themselves up to the heavens. They show themselves as though honoring Me with mouth and lip, but their heart they have drawn far away from Me. and their fear of Me has become not wholehearted, but by the command of the people who teach them, they show themselves as humbled before Him in order to entice Him with your mouth. ==== Verse 14 Therefore, I will continue I am He Who will continue to perform additional obscurity upon obscurity, concealment upon concealment, sealing upon sealing. And what is this obscurity upon obscurity? And the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost. The taking away of the sages of Israel is twice as hard as the destruction of the Temple and all the curses in Deuteronomy, for all of them are only one obscurity, as it is said (Deut. 28:59): “And the Lord shall make your plagues obscure (וְהִפְלָא),” whereas here are two obscurities. ==== Verse 15 to hide counsel (לַסְתִּיר) equivalent to לְהַסְתִּיר. ==== Verse 16 Shall your perversion be regarded like the potter’s clay (Heb. הָפְכְּכֶם) Your perversions. Do you know this, that it is like the potter’s clay? Just as the clay cannot say of its maker, “He did not make me,” so you cannot say that I do not understand your deeds. Shall...like the potter’s clay, etc. This is an expression of a question, but there are questions to be answered in the affirmative. of him who made it (לְעֹשֵׂהוּ, lit. to him who made it.) Like עַל עֹשֵׂהוּ. Comp. (Ex. 14:3) “And Pharaoh shall say of the children of Israel (וְלִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל).” (Jud. 9:54) “Lest they say of me (לִי), ‘A woman killed him.’” and the impulse say concerning the One Who formed it, “He does not understand”? Did he say concerning the One Who formed it, “He does not understand what is in my impulse”? Did He not build the hidden recesses, the inner chambers, and the thoughts? ==== Verse 17 Indeed, in a short time In a few days, it is easy in My eyes, if you return to Me the Lebanon shall be turned The Lebanon, which is a forest of trees, shall be turned into a ‘karmel,’ a settlement of fields and vineyards. and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest Jonathan renders: It shall be populated by large cities. And the Aggadah in Gen. Rabbah (24:1) explains it as forests of people, a settlement of cities and people, crowded and full, like this forest, which is full of trees. ==== Verse 18 And on that day...shall hear, etc. And the curse stated above (v. 10 14): “For the Lord has poured upon you, etc....And the vision of everything has been to you, etc....And the wisdom of his wise men shall be lost,” shall be repealed. ==== Verse 19 And those who suffered The suffering ones, who bore the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His decrees. ==== Verse 20 those eager to commit violence Those who hurry and give thought how they will commit violence. ==== Verse 21 Those who cause man to sin by a word They are the false prophets. and him who reproves in the gate they trap (יְקשׁוּן. Jonathan renders:) And for the one who reproves them, they seek for him a stumblingblock. (יְקשׁוּן is) an expression related to מוֹקֵשׁ, a trap. and they mislead the righteous through fraud And they pervert with fraud the cause of the just [from Jonathan]. ==== Verse 22 Who redeemed Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees. Now Jacob shall not be ashamed of his father. and now his face shall not pale because of his father’s father, for no imperfection has been found in his bed, and his bed is perfect. ==== Verse 23 For, when he sees his children who will be the work of My hands, i.e., righteous men, in his midst, for when he sees in his midst that his children, the work of My hands, shall hallow My name, e. g., Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (see Dan. 3), therefore, his face shall not pale. ==== Verse 24 and grumblers shall learn instruction (וְרוֹגְנִים) an expression similar to (Deut. 1:27) “And you grumbled (וַתְּרָגְנוּ) in your tents.” Those who were complaining and grumbling about the words of the prophets shall learn instruction.