= Isaiah 41
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== Isaiah 41
1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.
27 The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
28 For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
== Notes
== Cross Reference
== Commentary
== Rashi
==== Verse 1
Be silent to Me in order to hear My words.
islands Heathens ([mss. Kli Paz:] nations).
shall renew [their] strength They shall adorn themselves and strengthen themselves with all their might perhaps they will succeed in their judgment by force.
they shall approach here, and then, when they approach, they shall speak.
to judgment let us draw near to reprove them to their faces.
==== Verse 2
Who aroused from the East one whom righteousness accompanied? Who aroused Abraham to bring him from Aram which is in the East and the righteousness that he would perform that was opposite his feet wherever he went.
He placed nations before him He, Who aroused him to leave his place to cause him to move, He placed before him four kings and their hosts.
He gave him dominion Heb. יַרְדְּ, like יַרָדֶּה.
He made his sword like dust [Jonathan paraphrases:] He cast slain ones before his sword like dust. He suffered his sword to take its toll of casualties as [numerous as] grains of dust, and his bow He suffered to take its toll of casualties who would fall like wind blown stubble.
==== Verse 3
He pursued them and passed on safely He traversed all his fords safely; he did not stumble when he pursued them.
a path upon which he had not come with his feet A road upon which he had not come previously with his feet. [The future tense of] יָבוֹא means that he was not accustomed to come.
==== Verse 4
Who worked and did for him all this? He Who called the generations from the beginning, to Adam, He did this also for Abraham.
I, the Lord, am first to perform wonders and to aid.
and with the last ones I am He Also with you, the last sons, I will be, and I will aid you.
==== Verse 5
The islands shall see [lit. saw.] The heathens shall see the mighty deeds that I will perform, and they shall fear.
they have approached and come One to another they will gather to war when they see the redemption.
==== Verse 6
Each one...his fellow etc. He shall say, “Strengthen yourself” for war, perhaps their gods will protect them [lit. stand up for them].
==== Verse 7
And the craftsman strengthened [i.e.,] the one who molds the idol.
the smith who plates it with gold.
the one who smoothes with the hammer The final stage, when he taps lightly to flatten out the work.
the one who wields the sledge hammer He is the one who commences on it when it is a block, and beats it with all his might.
he says of the cement, “It is good,” Heb. דֶּבֶק. He alludes to those who seek suitable ground upon which to adhere iron plates.
דֶּבֶק is soudure in French, weld.
and he strengthened it The idol.
with nails that it should not move All of them will strengthen each other.
==== Verse 8
But you, Israel My servant and I am obliged to help you. The end of this sentence is (infra 10): “Do not fear.” This appears to me to be the sequence of the section according to its simple meaning. But the Midrash Aggadah in Gen. Rabbah 44:7 expounds the entire section as alluding to Malchizedek and Abraham.
[5] Islands saw the war and feared. Shem [Malchizedek] feared Abraham, lest he say to him, You begot these wicked men in the world. And Abraham feared Shem, since he slew his sons, the people of Elam, who was descended from Shem.
islands Just as the islands of the sea are distinguished and recognized in the sea, so were Abraham and Shem distinguished in the world.
[6] Each one aided his fellow This one [Shem] aided this one [Abraham] with blessings, “Blessed be Abram” (Gen. 14:19), and this one [Abraham] aided this one [Shem] with gifts, “And he gave him tithe from everything” (ibid. verse 20).
[7] And the craftsman strengthened This is Shem, who was a blacksmith, to make nails and bars for the ark.
the smith This is Abraham, who purified (צוֹרֵף) the people, to bring them near to God [lit. to Heaven].
the sledge hammer This is Abraham, who smote (הָלַם) all these kings at one time.
He says of the cement Heb. דֶּבֶק. The nations said, It is good to cleave to this one’s God [rather than to Nimrod’s idols].
And he strengthened him Shem strengthened Abraham to cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He, and not to move.
[8] And you, Israel My servant Abraham, who was not descended from righteous men—I did all this for him, and you, Israel My servant, who belong to Me by dint of two forefathers.
the seed of Abraham, who loved Me who did not recognize Me because of the admonition and the teaching of his fathers, but out of love.
==== Verse 9
whom I grasped Heb. הֶחֱזַקְתִּיךָ. I took you for My share. Comp. (Ex. 4:4) “And he stretched out his hand and grasped (וַיְּחֲזֵק) it.”
from the ends of the earth from the other nations.
and from its nobles from the greatest of them.
I called you by name for My share, “My firstborn son, Israel” (ibid. v. 22).
and I did not despise you like Esau, as it is said (Malachi 1:3), “And Esau I hated.”
==== Verse 10
be not discouraged Heb. אַל תִּשְׁתָּע. Let your heart not melt like wax (שַׁעֲוָה). This is the rule: Every word whose first radical is ‘shin,’ when it is used in the reflexive present, past, or future, the ‘tav’ separates it and enters between the first two radicals. Comp. (infra 49:16) “And He was astounded (וַיַּשְׁתּוֹמֵם)”; (Micah 6:16) “For the statutes of Omri shall be observed (וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר)”; (I Sam. 1: 14) “will you be drunk (תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִין)?”; (Job 30:16) “My soul is poured out (תִּשְׁתַּפֵּךְ).”
==== Verse 14
O worm of Jacob Heb. תּוֹלַעַת. The family of Jacob, which is weak like a worm, which has no strength except in its mouth. תּוֹלַעַת is vermener in O.F., [vermisseau in Modern French, a worm].
the number of Israel Heb. מְתֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, the number of Israel.
==== Verse 15
a...grooved threshing sledge It is a heavy wooden implement made with many grooves, similar to the ironsmiths’ tool known as ‘lime’ in French, a file, and they drag it over the straw of the ears of grain and it cuts them until they become fine straw.
new When it is new, before the points of its grooves are smoothed off, it cuts very much, but when it becomes old, the points of the grooves are smoothed off.
with sharp points Heb. פִּיפִיוֹת. Those are the points of the grooves.
you shall thresh the mountains kings and princes.
==== Verse 16
You shall winnow them You shall scatter them, as with a pitchfork, to the wind.
and a wind shall carry them off by themselves to Gehinnom.
==== Verse 17
seek water The prophet prophesied concerning the end of days (Amos 8:11), “Not a famine for bread nor a thirst for water, but to hear the words of the Lord...They shall wander to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.” And when His wrath subsides, He shall prepare for them bread and water and cause His Shechinah and His spirit to rest in the mouth of their prophets.
is parched Heb. נָשָׁתָּה. An expression similar to (supra 19:5) “And water from the sea shall dry up (וְנִשְּׁתּוּ).” An expression similar to (Lam. 3:45) “The destruction (הַשֵּׁאת) and the breach.” And all of them are an expression of destruction and dryness. Therefore, a ‘dagesh’ appears in the ‘tav,’ since it comes instead of two, for there is no שֵׁאת without a ‘tav,’ and he should have said for the feminine וְנָשָׁתְתָה, since for the masculine singular he says נשתה and for the plural ונשתו.
==== Verse 18
rivers an understanding heart for Torah and prophecy.
a desert A place where there was no Torah wisdom.
==== Verse 19
I will give in the desert cedars, acacia trees all kinds of civilization. Even in them will I give all kinds of wisdom, goodness, and peace.
firs and cypresses Names of trees that do not produce fruit, used for building.
==== Verse 21
Present your plea All the heathens ([mss. K’li Paz:] nations), come and contend and debate with My children.
your strong points Heb. עַצֻּמוֹתֵיכֶם, Your sturdy and strong arguments. This is an expression of a dispute in Mishnaic Hebrew: “Two who were engaged in a legal dispute (מִתְעַצְּמִין),” in Tractate Sanhedrin (31b).
==== Verse 22
Let them present Let those who deny the Torah ([mss., K’li Paz:] the nations) present their prophets and their soothsayers.
and tell us what will happen in the future.
the first things that were before the Creation of the world, and concerning what was created and what they are. (Other editions: The incidents that have already begun, what will be their end.)
or the coming events in the future, let us hear, and we will see if there is any substance to them, that their words will come true.
==== Verse 23
Tell the signs coming later Heb. הָאוֹתִיוֹתלְאָחוֹר, the wonders coming at the end.
let us talk Heb. וְנִשְׁתָּעָה. Let us tell your words. (Gen. 24:66) “And he told (וַיְּסַפֵּר),” the Targum renders וְאִשְׁתָּעֵי.
==== Verse 24
Behold you are of naught and how will your words be fulfilled.
and your deed is one of shouting Heb. מֵאָפַע. You shout and raise your voice only to mislead the people with lies.
the abominable one Heb. תּוֹעֵבָה [lit. an abomination.] The abominable ones select you, and not the Holy One, blessed be He, or His servants or His ministers.
==== Verse 25
I have aroused from the north and he came I tell the future events. Behold I arouse Cyrus from the north to build the ruins of Jerusalem, and he came upon Babylon to destroy it.
from the rising of the sun he shall call in My name (Ezra 1:2) “All the kingdoms of the earth has the Lord God of the heavens given me.” And it appears that Persia is northeast of Eretz Israel. Another explanation is: I aroused Nebuchadnezzar from the north to destroy My city, and he came, and I aroused Cyrus from the east, that he call in My name to build My city, for the kingdom of Persia is east of Eretz Israel, as it is stated (Dan. 8:4): “I saw the ram butting etc.” [This verse in Daniel proves it. “I saw the ram butting to the west and to the north and to the south.” We deduce that he came from the east.] Jonathan paraphrases: I brought speedily a king, strong as the north wind, and he will come as the sun comes out with its might from the east; I will strengthen him with My name.
and he shall come [upon] princes And he shall come upon the king of Babylon and upon his princes as he would come to trample upon mire, and as a potter tramples clay for earthenware vessels, so will he trample the princes.
==== Verse 26
Who of the prophets of Baal told, like me, a thing destined to come, and who told it from before, that when it comes we will say that he is just, that his prophecy is just?
Not one told But there is none among you who will foretell the future and that it will come true.
not one hears your statements Who will testify when the future comes, that so and so the prophet of the Baal prophesied this from before.
==== Verse 27
The first to Zion, behold, behold them The first king who will give heart to Zion, behold he is the one I mentio ned, and even though the redemption will not be completed through him, he will be the one to initiate it. (Ezra 1:3) “Whoever of you from all His people...”
behold them The elders of Israel will be ready, according to his statement, to go up from the exile and to begin.
and for Jerusalem I will give a herald in those days, [viz.] Haggai and Zechariah, who will encourage them to build it in the days of Darius III of Persia.
==== Verse 28
And I look and there is no man [lit. and I will see, in the future tense.] I always look at the prophets of Baal, and there is no man who tells of a future event.
and of these of all these destined to come, and none of them is a counselor who stood in God’s counsel and will know them.
and I ask them that they reply with a word That they should reply with a word if I should ask them.
==== Verse 29
Behold them all,...naught You should know that, as for the prophets of those who deny the Torah ([mss.:] pagan prophets;) ([other mss.:] prophets of Baal), all their deeds are naught and of no substance.
their molten images Heb. נִסְכֵּיהֶם. Comp. (supra 40:19) “The graven image the craftsman melted (נָסַךְ).” Jonathan renders this section differently: [27] The first one to Zion etc. The words of consolation that the prophets prophesied concerning Zion, from before, behold they have come. And according to the Targum, the entire section speaks of the King Messiah and of the last redemption, but I see that the prophecy that Isaiah prophesied concerning Cyrus is all in the same language as this section. Comp. (infra 45:13) “I aroused him with righteousness”; (Infra 46:11) “Calling from the east a bird of prey”; (infra 45:11) “The signs ask Me;” (infra 46:10) “Who tells from the beginning the end.” All of this resembles the topic of this section.