Introduction
Chapter 7 of Yeshayahu deals with the encounter between the prophet Yeshayahu and Ahaz, king of Yehudah, at the time when Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remalyahu king of Yisrael are marching against Yerushalayim. In this part of the chapter, we reach the heart of the matter: the Holy One, blessed be He, offers Ahaz the opportunity to ask for a sign; Ahaz refuses under the pretext of feigned "fear of Heaven"; and the prophet exposes his true colors. From here onward unfolds the prophecy of calamity through the king of Ashur - the very king in whom Ahaz chose to place his trust instead of trusting in Hashem.
Ask for a Sign - Deepen the Request or Go High Above
וַיּוֹסֶף יְהֹוָה דַּבֵּר אֶל־אָחָז לֵאמֹר׃ שְׁאַל־לְךָ אוֹת מֵעִם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַעְמֵק שְׁאָלָה אוֹ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמָעְלָה׃ - And Hashem spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from Hashem your God; ask it deep down, or high above.
"And Hashem spoke again to Ahaz" - this does not mean that the Holy One, blessed be He, rested His prophetic spirit directly upon this corrupt, wicked man, Heaven forbid. Rather, He spoke with Yeshayahu, giving him an additional message to convey to Ahaz. And thus He tells him: I see that you do not believe, so ask for a sign from Hashem your God; request a sign and token. Now, ostensibly, is one permitted to test Hashem? It is forbidden! But when Hashem Himself tells you, "Test Me" - on the contrary, that is what the Holy One, blessed be He, desires.
What is the meaning of "ask it deep down, or high above"? The Malbim explains: Ask for a sign in the depths or high up in the heavens. "Deep down" refers to an earthly sign from this physical world; "high above" refers to a sign from the heavens, such as the sun turning backward, as was done for Chizkiyahu, the son of Ahaz.
And why are both options necessary? The Malbim explains: A person who requests a sign does so in one of two ways. Either a sign for myself, so that I may believe, or I already believe and am asking for a sign so that others will believe as well. Therefore, he told him: If you are asking for a sign for yourself alone, you do not need something grandiose; a small, earthly sign will suffice for you - dew on the fleece and not on the ground, or vice versa, or even some small sign in the coins in your purse. This is even preferable, as "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter," and Hashem prefers to minimize overt miracles. But if you are asking for a sign for the public, so that everyone will know and be reassured, and will not fear the coming of Rezin and Pekah son of Remalyahu - then "high above," I permit you to ask even for a sign in the heavens, so that everyone will see that the Creator of the world makes a promise and stands behind His word.
The Malbim emphasizes an important principle: an ot (sign) means an indication, as in "And Hashem set a sign for Kayin," and does not necessarily have to be something supernatural. In contrast, a mofet (wonder) is a supernatural event that does not follow the orderly conduct of nature.
"I Will Not Ask, and I Will Not Test" - Righteousness or Heresy?
וַיֹּאמֶר אָחָז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַל וְלֹא־אֲנַסֶּה אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃ - And Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor will I test Hashem.
On the surface, how pious and noble! Ahaz appears like a completely righteous man: after all, it is said, "You shall not test Hashem your God," and I will not come to ask signs and wonders from the Holy One, blessed be He. However, there is a small problem here: immediately afterward, he does the exact opposite - he disregards the prophet's words and acts against them. If so, how can these words of faith and conviction be reconciled with his actions?
The Malbim explains: Had Ahaz's declaration truly stemmed from righteousness, as it appears from the literal text, the order should have been reversed. Had his intention been that he does not ask because he believes in Hashem even without a sign or wonder, he should have said first "I will not test" - since it is forbidden to test Hashem, how could I ask of Him? That is to say: I will not test for my own sake, because I am already certain and have no doubts; nor will I ask for the sake of others, for whatever Hashem says is trusted by all. But notice: he reversed the order and said, "I will not ask, and I will not test."
From this we learn that his intention was: I will not ask for the sake of others, nor will I test for my own sake. Why? Because I want neither signs nor wonders, for if there are signs and wonders, they will compel me to believe in Hashem. And if I ask for the sake of others - what will happen? The Name of Heaven will be sanctified through me; people will see that the Creator of the world stopped the sun and that they have nothing to fear. And I should be the catalyst for a Kiddush Hashem? Thank you very much, but I am not interested. Nor will I do so for my own sake, because all the signs and wonders will not lead me to faith - I have the Baal, I have my idolatry, and no sign or wonder will succeed in convincing me.
This is why he deliberately inverted the order: according to the proper order, he should have mentioned himself first, since the sign was intended primarily to strengthen you and only then the people. Yet he began with "I will not ask," because his intention was to say: first and foremost, I certainly have no desire to strengthen the people, which is the greater matter, and I do not even wish to strengthen myself, for I too have no faith in the word of Hashem.
And indeed, we see this later on, as explicitly stated in II Kings, chapter 16: he did not listen to the prophet's words, but instead sent a bribe to the king of Assyria. Ultimately, this led to increasing the guilt of the king of Assyria, who returned again and again because he saw that this was an inexhaustible source of silver and gold. And if you see that he did not listen, it is a sign that this declaration, too, was not a declaration of faith.
"Hear now, house of David" - The Prophet's Rebuke
וַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא בֵּית דָּוִד הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת־אֱלֹהָי׃ - And he said, "Hear now, house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that you will weary my God as well?"
Why does it say, "Hear now, house of David," rather than "Hear now, Achaz"? The Radak explains: to censure him, he did not call him by name. We have already explained several times that when one wishes to address someone disparagingly, one calls him "the son of so-and-so." Thus Shaul consistently referred to David as "the son of Yishai" - "you have chosen the son of Yishai." The implication is: this man is a person without a name, with no identity of his own; while his father may have been great, he himself is unworthy of even being addressed by name. So too with Achimelech, whom Shaul addressed as "son of Achituv" - is it true what you did, going and helping David, giving him the sword and the showbread? Here, as well: "Hear now, house of David" - you are worthy only by virtue of King David's name, and the merit of being saved is not your own, but David's.
"Is it a small thing for you to weary men" - what is le'ot (weariness)? Fatigue, a lack of power. It is not enough for you that you attribute powerlessness to men - meaning the prophets who come and speak in the name of Hashem, thinking that we have no power and do not receive messages from Hashem - "that you will weary my God as well," you cast an allegation of helplessness upon the Creator of the world as well, as if He were incapable of performing a sign and a wonder. Incidentally, this provides further proof that Achaz's statement, "I will not ask, and I will not test," did not stem from righteousness, for immediately afterward the prophet rebukes him for attributing weariness and powerlessness to Hashem.
"Behold, the young woman shall conceive" - What Is the Sign?
לָכֵן יִתֵּן אֲדֹנָי הוּא לָכֶם אוֹת הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ עִמָּנוּ אֵל׃ - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanu-El.
You do not want to ask for a sign - therefore Hashem of His own accord will give you a sign. The Malbim notes: many have sought to find where the miraculous sign is here, but they were mistaken. As we have already explained, an ot (sign) does not necessarily mean an alteration of the laws of nature; rather, an ot is an indication, a token - "And Hashem set a sign for Kayin," where He performed neither a miracle nor a wonder, but set a sign. Here too, "Hashem Himself will give you a sign" means that Hashem will provide an indication.
And what is the purpose of this sign? The Malbim teaches a major principle: whenever a favorable decree is pronounced upon the Jewish people, it is always fulfilled, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, has never retracted a favorable decree concerning Israel, with only a single exception. By contrast, a decree of calamity is not guaranteed to materialize, for the people may repent, Hashem may turn back from His burning wrath, and He may annul the decree. Therefore, when one wishes to test a prophet, one does not ask him to prophesy about impending calamities, for if he predicts something bad and it is not fulfilled, that is no proof that he is a false prophet; rather, he is told: tell us what good will happen a week from now, and if he speaks the truth - the matter will come to pass.
The Malbim adds: this entire principle, that a prophecy of impending evil is not necessarily fulfilled, applies only provided that no sign or token was enacted for it here on earth. But when a sign or physical token is performed on earth, it will inevitably be fulfilled. This is a foundational approach of the Malbim that we have studied several times and encounter again and again: when you see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, commands a prophet to take a scroll and write such-and-such upon it, place it in a vessel and cast it into the sea, or take arrows and shoot them toward Aram and then strike the arrows against the ground, along with other physical actions - you might ask yourself: is the spoken word not enough? Why is all this enactment necessary, this transition from potential into actual deed? After all, the word of the Creator of the world should suffice! The Malbim answers: no. Through speech alone, the decree is not bound to be fulfilled; but if the Holy One, Blessed be He, commands the prophet to take arrows and shoot toward Aram and perform a complete physical procedure - know that the matter will be fulfilled with absolute certainty. For they have transitioned the matter from an abstract spiritual realm into tangible physical reality, and once brought down into the physical realm it will come to pass - these are not mere words, but concrete actions.
Therefore the prophet says: Hashem will give you a sign - the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the matter down from an abstract reality into actuality. "Behold, the maiden is pregnant and bears a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." It has not yet been explained what will happen in practice, but it is clear that the sign comes to symbolize that this is not merely a spiritual concept about which one might say "maybe yes, maybe no," but rather that the event will truly take place. Therefore, according to the Malbim, all those commentators who sought a miracle, a wonder, or something supernatural here did not speak correctly, for the sign here is not a supernatural occurrence, but rather a tangible marker bringing the matter down from mere utterance into actual, concrete reality.
And who is this maiden (almah)? According to the Malbim, as Rashi also explains, this refers to the prophet's wife, and this is also evident in the next chapter. The Radak explains that the maiden is the wife of Achaz, and according to his approach, the wonder lies in the prophet knowing she was pregnant even before she knew it herself - and so it was, for she was indeed pregnant. But according to the Malbim, we are not looking for miracles here, but rather a marker bringing the matter down to earthly reality: the sign is that the prophet's wife is already pregnant, will give birth to a son, and this son will be called "Immanuel." "Harah" (pregnant) - meaning she is already pregnant right now, and she will bear a son.
"Almah" - Not Necessarily a Virgin
The Malbim notes, and the Radak and other commentators elaborate on this as well, that the word almah does not necessarily mean a virgin. Na'arah often denotes a maiden, but an almah can be either a virgin or a married woman, as it is said, "The way of a man with an almah" (Mishlei 30:19). Why is it important to emphasize this? Because the Christians seized upon this verse, viewing it as a prophecy about the birth of that man: "Behold, the almah is pregnant" - referring to that defiled woman, "and shall bear a son and call his name Immanuel" - as if G-d were with him. Their claim is that almah means a virgin. Therefore, all our commentators explain that almah is not an exclusive term for a virgin, but can also refer to a non-virgin, as in the phrase "the way of a man with an almah." Thus, the ladder they climbed is completely rickety, and nothing can be proven from this verse. Moreover, even according to their claim, how could the prophet speak here about an event supposed to occur centuries later and present it as a sign and wonder to Achaz? This makes no sense at all and is completely out of place in this context.
Butter and Honey - The Nature of the Child
חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב׃ - Butter and honey shall he eat, by the time he knows to reject the evil and choose the good.
When he reaches the age when he knows to reject evil and choose good, he will eat butter and honey. This youth is a portrayal of the nation as a whole: just as "Immanuel" symbolizes us - that G-d will be with us - so too the eating of butter and honey symbolizes that the Holy One, blessed be He, will be with us, and we will have the finest foods to eat, symbolized by butter and honey. That is to say, even though you now see the land of Yehudah desolate, know that Hashem will leave a remnant for it.
כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר מָאֹס בָּרָע וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ׃ - For before the boy knows to reject the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread shall be forsaken.
The maiden is already pregnant now, and so this refers to a child who will be born in the coming months. And even before the boy knows to reject the evil and choose the good - that is, before he reaches the age of discernment - know that the land that you dread, which is the land of Rezin king of Aram and Pekach son of Remalyahu, which you dread and abhor, will be forsaken by its inhabitants. Why? Because these two wicked kings, on account of their wickedness, will be driven off their land by the Holy One, blessed be He, and He will lay waste to their country. And this will ensure that a remnant and an offshoot remain for Yehudah, and they will not succeed in cutting it off from being a nation.
"The King of Assyria" - The One You Trusted Will Bring You Down
יָבִיא יְהֹוָה עָלֶיךָ וְעַל־עַמְּךָ וְעַל־בֵּית אָבִיךָ יָמִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־בָאוּ לְמִיּוֹם סוּר־אֶפְרַיִם מֵעַל יְהוּדָה אֵת מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃ - Hashem shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father's house, days such as have not come since the day Ephraim departed from Yehudah - the king of Assyria.
"Hashem shall bring upon you" - Rashi explains: upon your son Chizkiyahu who will reign after you. And why did it not say "upon your son"? Because Chizkiyahu was righteous, and Scripture did not wish to mention that Chizkiyahu the righteous had a wicked father like Achaz. "Since the day Ephraim departed from Yehudah" - from the time the Davidic monarchy was divided and Ephraim broke away. And as explained previously, the ten tribes were called "Ephraim" because their first king was Yarov'am ben Nevat from the tribe of Ephraim, and the entirety of the ten tribes was named after him.
The Malbim explains the depth of this matter: Hashem told you, "Take heed and be quiet," yet you did not trust in Hashem. Instead, you went and called upon the king of Assyria to save you from Retzin the king of Aram and Pekach ben Remalyahu, hiring him with silver. Therefore, know: "Hashem will bring upon you, upon your people, and upon your father's house days that have not come" - whom will He bring? The king of Assyria! The very same king of Assyria on whom you rely, whom you are going to hire to save you from Aram - contrary to Hashem's command, Who told you to be cautious and remain calm, Who told you that you have nothing to fear because He is your shield. Yet you still went and relied on flesh and blood, despising the sign that the Holy One, blessed be He, offered you. He said to you, "Ask for a sign, deep down or high above, and I will prove it to you," but you said, "I do not want proofs; I have someone to help me - the king of Assyria." If so, Hashem will bring the king of Assyria upon you to lay waste to your land; the very one upon whom you rely will be the one who brings your downfall.
The Fly and the Bee
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִשְׁרֹק יְהֹוָה לַזְּבוּב אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה יְאֹרֵי מִצְרָיִם וְלַדְּבוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר׃ - "And it shall come to pass on that day, that Hashem will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria."
"Will whistle" - whistling is always a summons to gather people; one whistles to them, and they assemble and come. The fly is a metaphor for armies as numerous as flies that will come from the land of Egypt with Sennacherib. And what are the "rivers of Egypt"? Rashi explains that all of Egypt was arranged into numerous canals: the Nile would rise and overflow, and the water would enter these canals. These canals were reservoirs and channels that people dug themselves - a very intricate and sophisticated irrigation system that utilized high and low elevations to convey water to the fields. "And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria" - these are regiments of mighty warriors who sting like bees.
The Malbim explains that this refers to the king of Assyria on his return from Egypt, when he set out to conquer the land of Judah, which occurred at a later period. And why are these compared to a fly and those to a bee? Because the Egyptians are compared to a fly, as the fly is weaker than the bee. The bee is stronger, capable of inflicting a sting, and more robust in both body and size compared to the frail fly. Therefore, Hashem will whistle for the fly at the far end of the rivers of Egypt, and also for the more powerful bee in the land of Assyria - namely Sennacherib, king of Assyria.
וּבָאוּ וְנָחוּ כֻלָּם בְּנַחֲלֵי הַבַּתּוֹת וּבִנְקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּעֲצוּצִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּהֲלֹלִים׃ - "And they will come and rest, all of them, in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes, and in all the pastures."
These flies and bees will come and settle "in the desolate valleys" (nachalei habatot) - a nachal is a valley, and batot denotes desolation and ruin, a wasteland, as in "I will make it a desolation" (asitehu batah). We have explained previously that a son is called a ben because he builds (boneh) his father's house, carrying on the family line which is named after him; in contrast, a daughter is called a bat because of the concept of dismantling or breaking away (from batah, desolation) - not that she actively destroys, Heaven forbid, but because her offspring take the family name of her husband's father's house, so that those descendants are not called by your name, which is like the cessation of that household.
"And in the clefts of the rocks" - in the crevices of the crags. "And in all the thornbushes and in all the pastures" - among the brambles and thorn-hedges, places where flies typically dwell, in the words of the Malbim; this is an allegory for how they will spread throughout the entire land. The Metzudot explains that na'atzutzim and nahalolim refer to thorny brambles and worthless, lowly barren trees.
"With a Hired Razor" - The Head, the Feet, and the Beard
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יְגַלַּח אֲדֹנָי בְּתַעַר הַשְּׂכִירָה בְּעֶבְרֵי נָהָר בְּמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת־הָרֹאשׁ וְשַׂעַר הָרַגְלָיִם וְגַם אֶת־הַזָּקָן תִּסְפֶּה׃ - "On that day, the Lord will shave with a razor hired from beyond the River - with the king of Assyria - the head and the hair of the feet, and it will also consume the beard."
To whom does this verse refer? One explanation, which is Rashi's interpretation based on the words of Chazal, is that when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his armies come and settle in the desolate valleys, the Holy One, blessed be He, will shave the king of Assyria with the hired razor - his head, the hair of his feet, and also his beard. There is a lengthy Gemara describing the mockery Hashem made of the king of Assyria, how his hair was shaved off and his beard singed; an entire episode discussed previously, which is not to be understood merely literally, as it contains deep, esoteric secrets of the Torah.
However, the Malbim, as is his way, takes an original approach in interpreting the verses. In his view, this does not speak at all of what will happen to the king of Assyria, but rather of what will happen to Judah. "On that day" - in the days of Achaz. "Hashem will shave with a hired razor" - has'chirah here means large, as in "her hired ones [sechireha] in her midst," thus denoting a large razor. And who is the razor? "With the king of Assyria" - the king of Assyria is the shaver, the instrument of the blow. Through the king of Assyria, who is likened to a razor, Hashem will shave the hair of the head, the hair of the feet, and the beard - from us.
And what is the meaning of these three types of hair in the allegory? The Malbim explains: In those times, it was customary to shave or cut the hair of the head short. Only in a later era did people begin to grow long locks, but naturally, people kept the hair of the head trimmed, and when a person appeared with wild, untrimmed hair, it was seen as a sign of degradation and mourning, Heaven forbid. Therefore, the Kohanim were cautioned not to let the hair of their head grow wild, the king would get a haircut every day, and the Kohen Gadol once a week - for overgrown hair was considered unseemly. Body hair ("hair of the feet") was also considered an unseemly thing, but it was a hidden degradation, as the cloak covered it. By contrast, the hair of the beard was considered a mark of honor and splendor.
And we already have proof from Scripture that in those days everyone grew a beard and did not shave, and had they shaved, it would have been considered a humiliation and a disgrace: the messengers David sent to Chanun ben Nachash, who shaved off half of their beards, and David sent them to Jericho until their beards grew back. The Radak asks: What was the problem - let them shave off the other half as well? From this you learn that walking around without any beard at all was an even greater disgrace than walking around with half a beard, which is why they remained there until their full beards grew back. It is clear, then, that it was their practice to grow a beard.
And the allegory: The hair of the head represents the major wicked individuals, whose wickedness is overt and well known, just as excessive hair on the head is visible and conspicuous and needs to be removed. The hair of the feet also represents the wicked who must be removed, just as it was customary to remove body hair, except that these are sinners in secret rather than overt sinners. But since once permission is given to the destroyer to destroy, he does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, the king of Assyria will strike and destroy the beard as well - and the beard is an allegory for the righteous.
The Malbim notes a precision in the verse: "The head and the hair of the feet, and the beard as well it shall sweep away (tisefeh)" - notice that it does not say yisefeh (in the masculine third person). After all, the verse began with "Hashem will shave" (yegallach Hashem), so it should have continued, "and the beard it shall also sweep away" (yisefeh). Why did the verse shift to the form tisefeh? Because the beard represents the righteous, and the Holy One, blessed be He, does not destroy the righteous, Heaven forbid; rather, it is the destructive force that does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, and it is that force which will destroy the beard. Therefore it says tisefeh: you, the Satan (the destroyer), will sweep it away - says the Holy One, blessed be He - not I. Furthermore, it says tisefeh (sweep away) rather than tegallei'ach (shave), because sefeh denotes ruin and destruction, as in "I will utterly consume them (asof asifem), says Hashem," and "they have ceased, they are completely consumed (safu tamu)." Shaving refers to the proper, orderly removal of hair, but regarding a beard, where there is no custom to shave it, taking it off is called "marring his beard" and destroying his hair. Therefore, this refers to the righteous - and all of this would take place in the days of Achaz.
The Desolation of the Land, and Butter and Honey
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יְחַיֶּה־אִישׁ עֶגְלַת בָּקָר וּשְׁתֵּי־צֹאן׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day, that a man shall keep alive a young cow and two sheep.
On that day, the sign of Immanuel will also be fulfilled, that the child will eat butter and honey. Why? Because from the vast desolation as the country is laid waste, every man will possess a young cow. That is: when the country is devastated and few people remain, the flocks and herds that were previously plentiful still remain - so if there were previously a million people here and only ten thousand or fifty thousand remain, the cattle will be abundant and the people few, and every person will have a heifer and sheep, something that was not the case previously in such proportions.
וְהָיָה מֵרֹב עֲשׂוֹת חָלָב יֹאכַל חֶמְאָה כִּי־חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל כָּל־הַנּוֹתָר בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃ - And it shall come to pass, from the abundance of milk they yield, he shall eat butter, for butter and honey shall everyone eat who is left within the land.
Consequently, when there are not many people and the flocks and herds are numerous, milk will be in abundant supply. Now, fresh milk spoils quickly and cannot be kept, whereas butter can be kept for months without refrigeration and nothing happens to it. This is the meaning of "from the abundance of milk they yield, he shall eat butter": because the abundance will be so great, with many animals and few people, and they will not be able to sell the milk commercially - since the population is sparse, milk is overflowing, and there is no one to buy it - they will churn the milk into butter in order to preserve it. They will also have honey, and this will be the food of all who remain in the land.
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה כָל־מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־שָּׁם אֶלֶף גֶּפֶן בְּאֶלֶף כָּסֶף לַשָּׁמִיר וְלַשַּׁיִת יִהְיֶה׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall become briers and thorns.
And if you should ask: Why will they eat butter and honey instead of bread and wine, for when there is wealth, people eat bread and wine? To this the verse informs us: Know that the entire land will be desolate, to the extent that a place that once had a thousand vines worth a thousand silver coins will become briers and thorns. And if that is the case with prized vineyards, all the more so the grain fields will be desolate, and there will be neither bread nor wine. And on what will they subsist? On butter and honey - milk from the livestock and wild bee honey.
"Briers and thorns" (shamir vashayit) - the Malbim explains that this is poetic language, meaning thorns and weeds. The verse is telling you, as it were: Who will be the masters of the land? Who will rule here? The briers and the thorns. The thorns will be the rulers, they will be the masters of the land, to the point that the prized vineyard worth a thousand silver coins will become their possession, and they will overrun it as they please.
בַּחִצִּים וּבַקֶּשֶׁת יָבוֹא שָׁמָּה כִּי־שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת תִּהְיֶה כָל־הָאָרֶץ׃ - With arrows and bow shall one come there, because all the land will become briers and thorns.
Here there are several explanations. The Malbim, consistent with his approach that the briers and thorns are, as it were, the masters of the land, explains that they will come into the vineyards with arrows and a bow - conquering them with their sword and bow until they belong to them, becoming their exclusive possession. In other words, this is poetic metaphor: the brier and thorn will be the sole ruler, reigning exclusively with arrow and bow, "because all the land will become briers and thorns" - and consequently, all sovereignty will be theirs.
Rashi explains: "With arrows and bow shall one come there" - anyone who wishes to enter the vineyard will need arrows and a bow, because since the place is abandoned, it is overrun by wild beasts, snakes, foxes, and jackals; anyone wishing to enter such a place must go armed, as it is a place of danger. The Radak explains that one will need to come with arrows and a bow because of warfare - not because of dangerous wild animals, but because the entire land will be engulfed in war, and a person will constantly need a bow and arrows to defend himself and survive.
וְכֹל הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּעְדֵּר יֵעָדֵרוּן לֹא־תָבוֹא שָׁמָּה יִרְאַת שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת וְהָיָה לְמִשְׁלַח שׁוֹר וּלְמִרְמַס שֶׂה׃ - And as for all the mountains that were hoed with a mattock, the dread of briers and thorns shall not come there; and it shall be for the pasturing of oxen and the treading of sheep.
Now you might ask: If the entire land will become briers and thorns, where will the animals graze? After all, we said that they will eat the milk of animals and the honey of bees, but the animals themselves must survive and eat; animals do not eat thorns, they need grass. If all crops turn to briers and thorns, on what will the animals from which we produce milk and butter subsist? To this the verse responds: On the high mountains, where plows cannot be used due to the steep terrain and which were hoed by hand with a mattock - with spades and digging tools - there "the dread of briers and thorns shall not come." That is, according to the metaphor that the brier and thorn are like tyrannical rulers taking over everything, at the mountain peaks they have no fear of this domineering ruler; his power will not reach to conquer the mountaintops, nor will he be able to cast his terror there. Consequently, in those places, "it shall be for the pasturing of oxen and the treading of sheep" - there the ox and the sheep will graze and rest.
The verse thus comes to tell you that the prized locations will become a wasteland, while only the marginal, less significant places will remain usable for cattle and flocks to graze. For who goes to sow upon the mountains? These are places difficult to sow, difficult to plow, and difficult to harvest. Meanwhile, all the valleys, the prime and fertile lands, will turn to briers and thorns. This is the Malbim's interpretation.
Rashi's Approach: A Prophecy of Good for the Generation of Chizkiyahu
Rashi explains differently: the generation the prophet speaks of here is already that of Chizkiyahu. This contrasts with the Malbim, who explained that it refers to the generation of Achaz, and that these verses symbolize the terrible devastation following the arrival of Sancheiriv - a state of catastrophe and total deprivation in which there is nothing left to eat but butter and milk. According to Rashi, on the contrary, the verse depicts the generation of Chizkiyahu, of whom it is said that they were so righteous that there was not a single boy or girl who was not fluent in the laws of ritual purity and impurity; they checked from Dan to Be'er Sheva, from Gevat to Antipatris, and could not find a single person who was not thoroughly versed in the halachot of what is permitted and forbidden.
And regarding that generation it is said: "And it shall come to pass, in every place where there used to be a thousand vines... shall become briers and thorns." The meaning is that people will stop occupying themselves with winemaking and seeking places of indulgence; instead, their sole pursuit will be Torah study alone. What about the vines? What about the fields? They will have no interest in them at all, and so they will revert to briers and thorns. Thus, this is actually a prophecy of blessing: your son will be righteous, and during his reign the land will be untilled - because the entire occupation of the people at that time will be the pursuit of spiritual and intellectual wisdom. They will no longer engage in tending vineyards; drinking a glass of wine will hold no appeal for them, for their singular focus will be: How can I immerse myself in Torah? A little butter and milk suffices for my sustenance, and I have no desire for fields and vineyards to enrich myself.
In Summary:
In this section of the chapter, the Holy One, Blessed is He, offers Achaz to ask for a sign - "Ask it either in the depth or in the height above" - whether a private sign for himself or a heavenly sign for the public benefit. Achaz refuses under the pretext of "I will not test Hashem," but the reversed phrasing in his words reveals that this is heresy rather than piety: he has no desire for the sanctification of Hashem's Name, and no sign or wonder will move him away from his idolatry. Therefore, Hashem Himself gives him a sign - "Behold, the young woman shall conceive" - not a supernatural miracle, but an earthly portent that brings the decree from potential into actuality, since an unfavorable prophecy accompanied by a tangible earthly sign is irrevocable. From this point forward, the prophet describes the impending calamity: the king of Ashur, in whom Achaz placed his trust instead of trusting in Hashem, will serve as the razor shaving the hair of the head, the feet, and even the beard - representing the openly wicked, the secretly wicked, and even the righteous, who are swept away when the destroyer is given license without distinguishing. The land will be laid waste, the vineyards will turn into briers and thorns, and the survivors will eat butter and honey due to an abundance of livestock and a scarcity of people. Rashi adds an auspicious dimension: that the generation of Chizkiyahu would abandon the vineyards and fields because their sole pursuit would be the Torah alone.