Introduction: The Holy One, Blessed Is He, Settles the Score with the King of Assyria
In this section of the chapter, the prophet transitions from the rebuke directed at Israel to the Holy One, Blessed Is He, settling accounts with the king of Assyria himself. Until now, we learned that Assyria is merely "the rod of My anger" - a staff in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, to rebuke the nations and Israel. Now, the prophet describes the haughtiness of Sennacherib, the response given to him by the prophet, the downfall of his camp, and the salvation of Israel and their repentance. We will follow the order of the pesukim according to the commentary of the Malbim.
"I Will Punish the Fruit of the Arrogant Heart of the King of Assyria"
וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יְבַצַּ֤ע אֲדֹנָי֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מַֽעֲשֵׂ֔הוּ בְּהַ֥ר צִיּ֖וֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם אֶפְקֹ֗ד עַל־פְּרִֽי־גֹ֙דֶל֙ לְבַ֣ב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֔וּר וְעַל־תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת ר֥וּם עֵינָֽיו׃ - "And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks."
When the Holy One, Blessed Is He, completes all that He intended to execute through the king of Assyria - punishing all who rebelled against Him, may He be blessed - He will then put an end to the affliction of the nations. And when will this be? "On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem." When Sennacherib arrives to conquer Mount Zion, that is where the Holy One, Blessed Is He, will conclude His reckoning with him. And then, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria" - I will punish him for the actions that sprouted and bore fruit from his arrogant heart, which is his pride. For Hashem did not command him to annihilate mighty nations and wipe them from existence, but only "to take booty and seize plunder," so that they might repent. Likewise, "and the glory of his haughty looks" - for he took pride in his haughty eyes and arrogance, refusing to acknowledge that he was merely a rod and a staff in Hashem's hand, instead attributing all power to himself.
"By the Strength of My Hand I Have Done It, and by My Wisdom, for I Am Understanding"
כִּ֣י אָמַ֗ר בְּכֹ֤חַ יָדִי֙ עָשִׂ֔יתִי וּבְחׇכְמָתִ֖י כִּ֣י נְבֻנ֑וֹתִי וְאָסִ֣יר ׀ גְּבוּלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֗ים וַעֲתֽוּדֹתֵיהֶם֙ שׁוֹשֵׂ֔תִי וְאוֹרִ֥יד כַּאבִּ֖יר יוֹשְׁבִֽים׃ - "For he said: 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am understanding; and I have removed the borders of peoples, and plundered their treasures, and brought down inhabitants like a mighty one.'"
The Malbim explains: War requires two things - strength and valor on one hand, and counsel and strategy on the other, as it is written, "counsel and strength for war." Both are essential: if one has many strategies but lacks physical strength during battle, he will not prevail; and if one has great strength without tactical skill, he will be overcome by stratagem. The king of Assyria boasted of possessing both, rendering Hashem's assistance completely unnecessary in his eyes. Corresponding to valor, he declared, "By the strength of my hand I have done it" - I did not require any deity to assist me. And corresponding to strategy, he said, "and by my wisdom, for I am understanding."
And what is the difference between chochmah (wisdom) and tevunah (understanding)? The Malbim returns to this fundamental principle in many places, especially in Sefer Mishlei: chochmah is something received from Above, whereas tevunah is deriving one concept from another - logical deductions, reason, and inference. "And from where can wisdom be found?" - man must receive wisdom from Him, may He be blessed, for "from His mouth come knowledge and discernment," as chochmah comprises truths that only divine intellect encompasses, received through a prophet and the giving of the Torah. Tevunah is what a person subsequently develops from the foundations of wisdom he has received. Regarding this, the king of Assyria says: "by my wisdom" - and should you ask, did you receive this wisdom from God? To this he answers, "for I am understanding" - I understood it on my own; I have no need to receive wisdom from God, for I attained it through my own analytical power.
Now he elaborates on his unique wisdom: "and I have removed the borders of peoples." Previous kings conquered a country and left its inhabitants in place, thereby guaranteeing that at some point those nations would revolt against them - for they remained in their homeland, on their terrain, knowing the topography, knowing where to flee and where to hide. Just as we witness insurgencies in Arab lands today, or the difficulty of conquering Gaza today. I, says the king of Assyria, did not act foolishly like them: I exiled the nations from their lands and settled other peoples in their place - I brought the Cuthites to Eretz Yisrael, and led the Ten Tribes to Cuthah, Avva, and Sepharvaim. In this manner, I ensured that they would never cast off my yoke.
And not only this: "and plundered their treasures [atidotayhem]" - I even stripped them of the future right to claim concerning their land, "This land was ours." I mixed them all together so that no future claim would remain to them. Furthermore: "and brought down inhabitants like a mighty one" - I did not settle for merely exiling a nation from place to place, but even those who had long been settled in the land, from antiquity, I cast down from their places and exiled elsewhere. Through this, I ensured that all peoples would be subservient to me and pay tribute, unable ever to shake off my yoke.
"And My Hand Found as a Nest" - A Nest That Offered No Defense
וַתִּמְצָ֨א כַקֵּ֤ן ׀ יָדִי֙ לְחֵ֣יל הָעַמִּ֔ים וְכֶֽאֱסֹף֙ בֵּיצִ֣ים עֲזֻב֔וֹת כׇּל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲנִ֣י אָסָ֑פְתִּי וְלֹ֤א הָיָה֙ נֹדֵ֣ד כָּנָ֔ף וּפֹצֶ֥ה פֶ֖ה וּמְצַפְצֵֽף׃- And my hand reached, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers abandoned eggs, all the earth have I gathered; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped.
The Malbim explains: A tyrannical king who conquers kingdoms usually finds it difficult to plunder their treasures, requiring many battles until he captures them. In the meantime, two things occur: first, the conquered nation incurs enormous expenses for the war effort, and the longer the battle drags on, the less money remains at the end - bleeding away drop by drop. Second, over that long period, they smuggle and hide the silver and gold, dispersing their treasures in distant places - "Swiss bank accounts" - and afterwards it is difficult to find them. But with me, says Sancheriv, it was not like that: "And my hand reached, like a nest" - my hand seized the wealth of the nations and their riches like a person finding a nest where the bird is brooding over its chicks. They were tranquil and at ease, and all at once I captured them; both the bird and the golden eggs were in my hand, and I did not need much time.
Furthermore: naturally, when a person comes to take the chicks, the bird fights back with its meager strength - with its wings, its claws, and its beak. But "and as one gathers abandoned eggs, all the earth have I gathered" - I gathered the wealth of the entire earth like one who gathers abandoned, ownerless eggs, where the mother bird is not in the nest at all. They did not put up even the slightest fight against me; I came, took everything - the silver and the gold, the chicks and the eggs - without any battle whatsoever. "And there was none that moved a wing" - it is the way of a bird to fight with its wings to drive away its enemies, yet no one flapped a wing against me. "Or opened a mouth" - a bird pecks with its beak, yet no one opened its mouth to peck. "Or chirped" - when there are no wings and no beak, at least one cries out; yet there was not even a cry. I descended upon the wealth of peaceful, tranquil nations, seized them by force, and exiled them all, and not a single person fought back or even raised a cry of protest, due to my overwhelming might. And Rashi explains why the verse continues with the phrase "moved a wing, opened a mouth, or chirped": because he compared the conquered nation to a bird, he continues within the very same metaphor.
"Shall the Axe Boast Against Him Who Chops with It?" - The Prophet's Response
הֲיִתְפָּאֵר֙ הַגַּרְזֶ֔ן עַ֖ל הַחֹצֵ֣ב בּ֑וֹ אִם־יִתְגַּדֵּ֤ל הַמַּשּׂוֹר֙ עַל־מְנִיפ֔וֹ כְּהָנִ֥יף שֵׁ֙בֶט֙ וְאֶת־מְרִימָ֔יו כְּהָרִ֥ים מַטֶּ֖ה לֹא־עֵֽץ׃- Shall the axe boast against him who chops with it, or shall the saw magnify itself against him who moves it? As if a rod could wave those who lift it, as if a staff could raise what is not wood!
Here the prophet answers the king of Assyria. Could an axe possibly boast against the one who chops with it? True, an axe is a powerful tool, but can it break and chop on its own? Were it not for the hand that raises it, could you break anything by yourself? You say, "I am a mighty axe" - true, but someone is holding you and using you. You are nothing more than an instrument in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who is the One that raised you up and gave you strength.
And why did he add, "or shall the saw magnify itself against him who moves it?" The Malbim explains: An axe might still have some argument. For after it has been lifted, on its way down it chops with its own momentum - its sheer weight is enough to pull it down and break whatever is below. The axe could claim: "The lifting was done by you, but the descent and the chopping were done by me." Similarly, Sancheriv claims: "The beginning came from the Holy One, Blessed be He, but the completion was mine." To this the prophet tells him: You are not an axe, but a saw. A saw cuts only as it is pulled back and forth; the moment the hand rests, the saw ceases its work completely and possesses no independent power whatsoever. Could it be conceived that the saw would magnify itself against the one who wields it? And a saw that saws through cedars - everything is done solely by the Holy One, Blessed be He, and you are merely an instrument in His hand.
"As if a rod could wave those who lift it" - all the more so is there no room for an even more absurd claim: not only does the tool claim to act by its own power, but it claims to move the one holding it. It is as if the saw were to say: "Do you see the hand moving back and forth? I am the one moving, and consequently I am moving the hand. Do you see the hand swinging the axe? I decided to lift myself, and the hand rose following me." Could such a thing be? "As if a rod could wave those who lift it" - as if it were not enough for the rod to swing itself, but it even swings those who lift it! This is Sancheriv's claim: not only am I independent and acting on my own strength, but I possess the power to compel the Supreme Might to do as I wish.
"As if a staff could raise what is not wood" - and even more than that: could a staff raise itself and claim that it is not wood? Wood is an inanimate physical substance, lacking life and without any capacity for independent action. You arrogate greatness to yourself to say: "I am not lifeless wood; there is life within me; I am a staff capable of lifting itself." This is what he meant when he said, "I am a god" and not a man, and "I will resemble the Most High." Could it be imagined that dead wood would claim to possess life?
Through this, says the Malbim, he magnified his folly in four ways. First, he denied that all his strength and actions came from Hashem, claiming his power was independent. Second, he denied even that the origin of his power and dominion came from Hashem - for a person might say, "I was created by Hashem, but now I act independently," yet he denied even the very beginning. Both of these points are contained in the words, "Assyria is the rod of My anger, and the staff in their hand is My fury": from the start you are nothing more than a stick, and you strike only whom you are told to strike. Third, he imagined that he had the power to overcome even the God of gods. And fourth, he became so foolish that he forgot he was a mere human being, declaring, "I will resemble the Most High."
"Leanness among His Fat Ones" - The Fall of Assyria from Within and Without
לָ֠כֵן יְשַׁלַּ֨ח הָאָד֜וֹן יְהֹוָ֧ה צְבָא֛וֹת בְּמִשְׁמַנָּ֖יו רָז֑וֹן וְתַ֧חַת כְּבֹד֛וֹ יֵקַ֥ד יְקֹ֖ד כִּיק֥וֹד אֵֽשׁ׃- Therefore, the Master, Hashem of Hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones; and under his glory a burning shall be kindled, like the burning of a fire.
The Malbim explains: The power and glory of a kingdom derive from two things. The first is internal strength - how many warriors it possesses, and how much inner courage and might its people have. The second is external honor - a multitude of people and great wealth. Here, the prophet compares the Assyrian Empire to a man who, in his prime, possesses internal strength - he is robust and powerful - and external honor - his wealth and many children. Their downfall will occur in two stages: first, their internal strength will be destroyed, and afterward, their wealth and greatness as well.
"Will send leanness into his fat ones" - the Holy One, blessed be He, nullifies their internal strength, and this comes from within themselves rather than from an external cause. This is like weight loss: when a person loses weight, it is not because someone extracted something from him, but because the internal organs consume the fat. When one ceases to take in fat from the outside, the body consumes its own fat and converts it into energy, causing the person to grow lean. In the same way, Assyria's internal strength will dissolve from within, like a body consuming itself. Second, their external honor - the wealth and greatness they project in the eyes of the nations - will also be nullified, but this will happen through an external cause: like a person whose home, possessions, and property are consumed by an unexpected fire, losing all his grandeur in an instant. Then the empire will be left with neither internal might and resilience, nor external honor and wealth.
"And beneath his glory" - Garments are a person's glory
There is an additional allusion here, says the Malbim, to the fire that descended from heaven and consumed his camp. This is understood in light of what Rashi cites from Chazal. The Gemara relates that Rabbi Yochanan used to call his garments "my honorers" (mechabedutai), because clothing bestows honor upon a person. This is an everyday reality: if a man enters a room wearing shorts and an undershirt, and later that very same man enters wearing a suit, tie, and an elegant briefcase - the first time we might look at him with disdain, and the second time with respect, even though we do not know him at all.
A famous story is told about the Ibn Ezra: Once he arrived at a gathering dressed as an impoverished pauper, and they seated him at the table of the poor. On another occasion, he arrived in dignified, distinguished attire, and they seated him at the head table alongside the rabbis and dignitaries. As he sat there in a regal robe with long, flowing sleeves, a bowl of soup was served - and he took his sleeve and dipped it straight into the soup to "feed" the coat. When asked in astonishment what he was doing, he replied: "Two weeks ago I was here and you seated me among the poor, but today you seated me at the head of the table. What changed? Only these fine clothes! If so, who truly earned this meal - me, or my garments? If the honor was meant for me, you would have honored me two weeks ago as well. Clearly, the honor belongs to my clothes, so let them drink the soup!"
From here, incidentally, we find an insight into the halachot of tzeniut, which guide women not to dress in overly casual clothing. Some critique: why do women in the Torah-observant community dress in dignified attire, so that walking through Bnei Brak often feels like Shabbat, whereas elsewhere people wear jeans and plain, casual clothes? The explanation is simple: this is not about wearing lavish clothing, but rather that dignified clothing naturally fosters distance and respect, whereas t-shirts and jeans create a feeling of overly familiar informality. A cornerstone of tzeniut is that a woman wears clothing that inspires dignity and distance rather than casual familiarity. Thus, honor is inextricably bound up with one's garments.
This explains the phrase, "and beneath his glory a burning shall burn like the burning of fire." How did Sancheriv's army perish? Their souls were burned while their bodies remained intact - and their garments remained completely unharmed. "Beneath his glory," beneath his clothing, a fire burned; garments are what bestow glory upon a person, and only the interior was consumed as by a blaze of fire. Rashi quotes the Midrash Aggadah: here, the Holy One, blessed be He, repaid the descendants of Shem for the honor Shem showed his father when he covered Noach's nakedness, as it says, "And Shem and Yefet took the garment." The Jewish people merited through this the mitzvah of tzitzit, the tallit; while Sancheriv and his army, who were also descendants of Shem, merited that "beneath his glory a burning shall burn" - that their clothing remained intact and unburned. And what is the honor in this? The burning of one's clothing makes for a disgraceful, degrading death. As Chazal teach, "and choose for him a noble death" - even one sentenced to execution by a court is not killed in a grotesque manner that brings indignity to the body, with blood, wounds, and bruises. Here, too, the Holy One, blessed be He, selected for them a dignified death: their bodies and clothes remained intact and only their souls were burned, as a reward for that deed.
"And the light of Israel shall be for a fire" - Salvation through time and salvation through merit
וְהָיָ֤ה אֽוֹר־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְאֵ֔שׁ וּקְדוֹשׁ֖וֹ לְלֶהָבָ֑ה וּבָעֲרָ֗ה וְאָכְלָ֛ה שִׁית֥וֹ וּשְׁמִיר֖וֹ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ - And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and consume his thorns and his briers in a single day.
The Malbim explains: Israel's deliverance from troubles depends on two factors. The first is time: every affliction has an allotted lifespan, and when that time runs out, the affliction must inevitably depart. No trouble is endless; just as day inevitably follows night, so does salvation follow distress - the only question is when. The second is the improvement of deeds: when we better our ways, the trouble naturally dissipates. This is the concept of "If they merit, I will hasten it; if they do not merit, in its time." If you purify your actions and change your ways, you can remove the distress this very day; and even if they do not merit it, the trouble does not last forever, but salvation will arrive in its time.
Here, in the salvation from Sancheriv, both elements converged. From the perspective of time, the night had reached its end, which is the meaning of "And the light of Israel shall be" - the morning light dawning for Israel. That very light that shines for us will itself become a consuming fire for Sancheriv. In other words, this was not merely our deliverance while he returned home unscathed; rather, that which brings illumination to us burns him. And from the perspective of deeds: that generation was righteous, and they added even more piety and righteousness under the pressure of the siege Sancheriv imposed upon them. This is the meaning of "and his Holy One for a flame" - through the special merits of Israel, the blaze in the Assyrian camp intensified. A flame is greater than a simple fire: fire remains low, while a flame reaches high, thereby publicizing the miracle far and wide and making his downfall evident to all the nations. Thus, our sanctification and the rectification of our deeds achieve two things: they increase our merit for salvation, and they magnify Sancheriv's downfall from a mere fire into a towering flame. Consequently, "and it shall burn and consume his thorns and his briers" - the fire and flame will consume his thorns, meaning the ordinary rank-and-file soldiers of the camp, bringing immediate salvation to Israel at that very time.
"And the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field" - The fall of the princes and warriors
וּכְב֤וֹד יַעְרוֹ֙ וְכַרְמִלּ֔וֹ מִנֶּ֥פֶשׁ וְעַד־בָּשָׂ֖ר יְכַלֶּ֑ה וְהָיָ֖ה כִּמְסֹ֥ס נֹסֵֽס׃ - And the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, from soul unto flesh, He shall consume; and it shall be as the melting away of a standard-bearer.
If previously the prophet spoke of "his thorns and his briers," the common crowd and the rank-and-file soldiers of the camp, he now turns to discuss the ministers, counselors, and warriors, who are the prominent ones, corresponding to the "forest" and "fruitful field." The forest, the Malbim explains, is stronger, while the fruitful field (carmel) is more precious, serving as a metaphor for the ministers and advisors. And "from soul unto flesh He shall consume": in a burning forest, the tree trunks are not burnt down to complete coals but are merely charred, while only the branches and canopy go up in flames - meaning the vegetative life-force is consumed first. In the metaphor: the camp will disintegrate until no spirit of life remains in it, as their monarchy and leadership will be nullified, while the physical body - the individual soldiers - still exists. Therefore, he adds "from soul unto flesh He shall consume" - not only the leadership and the high-ranking ministers, but also the individual men; all of them He shall consume.
"And it shall be as the melting away of a standard-bearer [kimsos noses]" - the Malbim explains: even the standard-bearer (the noses), who is Sennacherib, will melt away. Why is he called a noses? Because he raises the banner (nes) of nations to battle. A "nes" is a high pole, a mast upon which a flag is hung, as in the phrase "Raise a banner toward Zion"; they would go out to war with a tall pole topped by a standard carried before them. And "masos" refers to something that melts. Thus, even the bearer of the banner and standard himself will ultimately melt away.
Rashi explains somewhat differently: since the prophet compared them to forest trees, he likened their downfall to a worm that eats away at the trees of the forest. And it is known that the House of Jacob is compared to a worm, whose strength lies entirely in its mouth. The worm is tiny and of no account, yet a little worm can bring down a mighty tree. There are entire wooden houses whose residents must be evacuated because tiny worms and ants have devoured them, declaring them in danger of collapse. According to Rashi, "noses" is the worm, and "masos" is the decay and dust eaten away by it - the worm will grind and gnaw at you little by little until nothing remains of you. And one could say this also hints at the manner of their death: a tree eaten from within by a worm looks completely intact on the outside, and nothing seems amiss until it suddenly collapses; so too with them - their souls were burned while their bodies remained intact.
"And a Child Shall Record Them" - Ten Remained
וּשְׁאָ֥ר עֵ֛ץ יַעְרוֹ מִסְפָּ֣ר יִהְי֑וּ וְנַ֖עַר יִכְתְּבֵֽם׃ - And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few in number, that a child may write them down.
"And the rest of the trees of his forest" - the few who will remain from all that vast forest he brought against Judah. "Shall be few in number [mispar yihyu]" - they will be easily countable, to the extent that "a child may write them down": a young boy does not know how to write much, nor how to count high numbers, yet they will be so few that a child could count them. As people say today, they could be counted on one hand. Rashi cites the teaching of Chazal: How many of them were left? Ten. For there is no child who does not know how to write a small yud - a complicated letter is difficult for him, but a dot, a small stroke, he already knows how to write. And how many remained? A number that even a young child can write, which is a yud - ten.
"To Lean Upon Him Who Smote Him" - The End of the False Support
וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא לֹא־יוֹסִ֨יף ע֜וֹד שְׁאָ֤ר יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וּפְלֵיטַ֣ת בֵּֽית־יַעֲקֹ֔ב לְהִשָּׁעֵ֖ן עַל־מַכֵּ֑הוּ וְנִשְׁעַ֗ן עַל־יְהֹוָ֛ה קְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בֶּאֱמֶֽת׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the House of Jacob, shall no more lean upon him who smote them, but shall lean upon Hashem, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
On that day, when they see the mighty power of Hashem, blessed be He, they will no longer lean upon the one who struck them. We have already explained several times the distinction between "Israel" and "Jacob": Israel connotes nobility and dominion (serarah), referring to the prominent and distinguished; Jacob connotes the heel (ekev), referring to the lowliest, the humbler part of the nation. Likewise, there is a distinction between "remnant" (she'ar) and "survivors" (peleitah): she'ar refers to those who remain in their place, while peleitah refers to those who flee and escape elsewhere. Accordingly, "the remnant of Israel" refers to the tribe of Judah, who still remained in their land and had not been exiled; while "the survivors of the House of Jacob" refers to the Ten Tribes, who were on a lower spiritual level than Judah because they had served idols all along, and had already been exiled, dispersed, and fled.
And why will they no longer lean upon the one who smote them? For we have seen whom they went to recruit as an auxiliary force - Assyria, Aram, the gentile nations - and what became of it? Those very nations turned around and struck them, exacting a heavy toll. Not only did they fail to deliver and fail to protect them from their enemies, but after taking all their silver and gold, they turned and attacked them themselves. The prophet offers an image expressing both aspects at once: the staff. On one hand, it serves as a support - "one who walks leans upon his staff"; on the other hand, there is a "damaging rod" (mateh chovlim), meaning the very same stick can be used to beat and strike. That is precisely what happened to you: you took a walking stick that turned into a rod of chastisement, and the support itself struck you.
"And they shall lean upon Hashem, the Holy One of Israel, in truth" - they will lean upon the true support, upon the Holy One, blessed be He, the Holy One of Israel, whose Name the Jewish people sanctify and exalt. The word "in truth" (be'emet) can be expounded in two ways. First: that He is a true support, unlike those supports made of a crushed reed, where when a person leans on them, splinters pierce his hand. Second: that the truth reflects back upon us - when you lean and trust in Hashem sincerely and in truth, He will be a support for you. But if "with their mouth they honor Me, while their heart is far from Me," where you merely seek His protection and then go on doing whatever you please, He will not serve as your support. Only one who leans upon Hashem with all his heart in truth will Hashem protect and deliver.
שְׁאָ֥ר יָשׁ֖וּב שְׁאָ֣ר יַעֲקֹ֑ב אֶל־אֵ֖ל גִּבּֽוֹר׃ - A remnant shall return, the remnant of Yaakov, unto the mighty God.
"A remnant shall return" - the survivors of the sword who will remain here from Yehudah and from Yisrael. And do not think that only some of them will return; rather, "the remnant of Yaakov", which includes even the lowliest among them, will all return "unto the mighty God": they will witness the mighty power of Hashem and be awestruck, and this will awaken in their hearts the desire to return and take shelter in the shadow of Hashem, blessed be He.
"A determined destruction, overflowing with righteousness"
כִּ֣י אִם־יִהְיֶ֞ה עַמְּךָ֤ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כְּח֣וֹל הַיָּ֔ם שְׁאָ֖ר יָשׁ֣וּב בּ֑וֹ כִּלָּי֥וֹן חָר֖וּץ שׁוֹטֵ֥ף צְדָקָֽה׃ - For though your people, Yisrael, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return; a determined destruction overflows with righteousness.
At first glance, this verse appears obscure, containing several phrases whose connection is not immediately clear. The Malbim rearranges its structure as follows: "Yisrael, your people are like the sand of the sea; yet even if only a remnant remains, it shall return, because righteousness washes away determined destruction." That is: you, Yisrael, are a vast and mighty nation like the sand of the sea, and even if after the exile imposed by the king of Ashur only a meager remnant remains - as was said of Sancheriv, "and the remainder of the trees of his forest," meaning only a few - know, Hashem says in prophecy, "it shall return"; they will yet return. And in what merit? In the merit of "righteousness washes away determined destruction": the righteousness of their deeds, that they will improve their ways, practice righteousness and justice, and return to Hashem, will wash away the determined destruction - the absolute and total annihilation that deserved to come upon them, Heaven forbid. Righteousness nullifies the decree, and through this, the remnant will yet return in a complete redemption to the Holy Land.
כִּ֥י כָלָ֖ה וְנֶחֱרָצָ֑ה אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ צְבָא֔וֹת עֹשֶׂ֖ה בְּקֶ֥רֶב כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ - For the Lord, God of Hosts, executes a consumption, firmly decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
You might ask: Hashem has already decreed destruction, and the decree is "firmly decreed" - decisive, absolute, finalized, and determined! If so, this is already after the final verdict, so how can the Holy One, blessed be He, change His decree? To this the prophet replies: Hashem does not change His decree; the decree stands - He merely changes the address. "For the Lord, God of Hosts, executes a consumption, firmly decreed" - the decree will be fulfilled, but "in the midst of all the earth", upon the nations who revile the people of Hashem. And the people of Hashem will ultimately be saved.
"Be not afraid, My people who dwell in Zion, of Ashur"
לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ צְבָא֔וֹת אַל־תִּירָ֥א עַמִּ֛י יֹשֵׁ֥ב צִיּ֖וֹן מֵאַשּׁ֑וּר בַּשֵּׁ֣בֶט יַכֶּ֔כָּה וּמַטֵּ֥הוּ יִשָּֽׂא־עָלֶ֖יךָ בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ - Therefore, so says the Lord, God of Hosts: Be not afraid, My people who dwell in Zion, of Ashur; he will strike you with a rod, and raise his staff over you in the manner of Egypt.
Therefore, the prophet informs them: even though the other nations fear Sancheriv, who cast his terror and dread upon all peoples, and even though the Ten Tribes feared him because they were exiled by him - you, My people who dwell in Zion, who remained in Zion, and the generation of Chizkiyahu were righteous, he will not prevail against you. What then? "He will strike you with a rod." The Malbim explains: a blow from a rod (shevet) is not dangerous, as a rod is a light switch, as in the phrase "He who spares his rod hates his son"; but a staff (mateh) inflicts severe afflictions and intense pain. And he tells you: you have nothing to worry about; it will only be the strike of a rod. "And raise his staff over you in the manner of Egypt" - for as we saw in the Book of Melachim and will see further on, Sancheriv was forced to march down and wage war against Tirhakah, king of Cush. Hashem orchestrated this so that he would bring back from there all the spoils he had captured, which would ultimately fall into our hands. When he departed, he told them: do not think that I am gone for good; I will return and conquer you. This is the meaning of "raise his staff over you" - he will lift the staff over you as a threat: until now you have only tasted the rod, but wait, the staff still awaits you! And the prophet says: do not fear these threats.
כִּי־ע֖וֹד מְעַ֣ט מִזְעָ֑ר וְכָ֣לָה זַ֔עַם וְאַפִּ֖י עַל־תַּבְלִיתָֽם׃ - For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and My anger shall be directed to their destruction.
"A very little while" (miz'ar) - a brief time; that is, in a short while, in just a few days. "And the indignation shall cease" - My wrath against you will come to an end. For Ashur is "the rod of My anger," and the staff in his hand is "My indignation"; he possesses no power of his own, but is merely a stick in the hand of the Almighty to threaten Yisrael so that they do teshuvah. And Hashem says: this indignation, which is the stick with which I struck the nations, will come to an end, and there will no longer be a staff, so to speak, in My hand to strike. "And My anger" - yet the burning wrath will not end; and upon whom will it be directed? Not upon the inhabitants of the earth, but "upon their destruction" (tavlitam). The Malbim explains that tavlitam is related to tevel, which denotes an abomination, as in "they have committed an abomination (tevel); both of them shall surely be put to death," which is said regarding illicit relations and depravity. In other words: My anger will remain against the abominations of the Assyrians, and I will exact retribution from them.
"Like the Slaughter of Midian at the Rock of Oreb"
וְעוֹרֵ֨ר עָלָ֜יו יְהֹוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ שׁ֔וֹט כְּמַכַּ֥ת מִדְיָ֖ן בְּצ֣וּר עוֹרֵ֑ב וּמַטֵּ֙הוּ֙ עַל־הַיָּ֔ם וּנְשָׂא֖וֹ בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ - And the Lord of Hosts shall brandish a whip against him, like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff shall be over the sea, and He shall lift it in the manner of Egypt.
Hashem will brandish a whip against Assyria just as He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. With Midian, it is related that they killed one another out of the terror of Hashem that fell upon them; they were seized with panic, turning their swords against each other, and their princes subsequently fled and were killed. So too will it befall the Assyrian camp, turning on one another in slaughter. And who killed Sennacherib himself? His own sons struck him down with the sword, precisely like the blow of Midian at the rock of Oreb.
"And His staff shall be over the sea" - and afterward He will brandish the staff of Hashem over him. Where have we seen the staff of Hashem in action? When it struck over the sea, an act performed solely by His own Hand, blessed be He. So too here, the culmination of the task will be done by His Hand - through the angel who consumed the Assyrian camp with a burning of the soul while the physical body remained intact. "And He shall lift it in the manner of Egypt" - a poetic expression: the king of Assyria will now descend to Egypt, and when he returns along the coastal route, he will bring the staff of Egypt with him. The blows the Egyptians suffered at the sea through the staff will accompany him on his return march, and those very same blows he will receive here.
"And the Yoke Shall Be Destroyed Because of Fatness"
וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יָס֤וּר סֻבֳּלוֹ֙ מֵעַ֣ל שִׁכְמֶ֔ךָ וְעֻלּ֖וֹ מֵעַ֣ל צַוָּארֶ֑ךָ וְחֻבַּ֥ל עֹ֖ל מִפְּנֵי־שָֽׁמֶן׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day, that his burden shall be removed from upon your shoulder, and his yoke from upon your neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of fatness.
"His burden shall be removed" - the burden you bear under the king of Assyria, which is the heavy tribute you are forced to pay him. In addition, his yoke weighs upon you, in that you are subjugated beneath him and not independent. "And the yoke shall be destroyed because of fatness" - the Malbim explains this by analogy to an ox: the yoke is a wooden frame fitted over the ox's neck, to which the plow or wagon is hitched. If the ox's neck is too thick and fleshy, the narrow yoke pinches against it, breaks, and cannot sit upon it at all. It is as if the prophet says to him: you, king of Assyria, wish to place your yoke upon Chizkiyahu's neck - yet his neck is too fat and your yoke is too narrow; it will not fit over him, but will shatter instead. And what is that "fat neck"? The abundant merits possessed by Chizkiyahu, as we will discuss shortly. This is always the prophet's manner, speaking in metaphors and poetic allegories, as we saw in the previous verse with the supportive staff that is also a punishing rod, and with the staff he brings from Egypt.
Our Sages offer additional interpretations here, cited by Rashi. First: "And the yoke shall be destroyed" - the yoke of Sennacherib, "because of oil [shemen]" - on account of Chizkiyahu, who was smooth and gentle with his generation like oil. When people describe an agreeable person, they say he is smooth as oil or soft as butter; when they describe an unyielding person, they say he is hard as a cedar, impossible to deal with, treating everything with rigid severity. The verse teaches that the harsh yoke will be broken because of the oil - the soft and gentle, which is Chizkiyahu, will prevail over the harsh, which is Sennacherib's yoke.
Another explanation: "Because of oil" - because of the oil of Chizkiyahu that burned in the synagogues and study halls, as he set the people to study Torah. As the Sages recounted: they searched from Gevat to Antipatris, and from Dan to Be'er Sheva, and could not find a young boy or girl who was not fluent in the intricate laws of ritual purity and impurity - which are among the most difficult areas of Halachah, and this applied to children of seven, eight, and ten years old. Where did this come from? From King Chizkiyahu, who drew everyone near to the service of Hashem. It was this oil of Chizkiyahu that shattered Sennacherib's yoke. The Gemara relates that he planted a sword at the entrance to the house of study and declared: 'Whoever does not engage in Torah study shall be pierced by the sword.' This was not mere coercion; rather, he told them: Sennacherib is waiting outside, having already finished his work with the ten tribes; do you wish for the same outcome? Your only path is to engage in Torah study. Therefore, he planted a sword in the house of study and told them: this sword represents the sword of Sennacherib, and if you do not engage in Torah, it will overtake you. Not that I will kill you, Heaven forbid, but know that a sword hangs over your heads, and only one who engages in Torah study merits to be spared from it.
The Campaign of Conquest: The Terror of the Cities versus the Serenity of Jerusalem
בָּ֥א עַל־עַיַּ֖ת עָבַ֣ר בְּמִגְר֑וֹן לְמִכְמָ֖שׂ יַפְקִ֥יד כֵּלָֽיו׃ - He has come upon Aiath, he has passed through Migron; at Michmas he stores his baggage.
Now the prophet describes how the king of Assyria advanced with tremendous might, and all melted before him in panic - except for Zion and Jerusalem, which laughed at him, derided him, and held him in contempt, for they knew that their strength was with them: "And we will invoke the Name of the Lord our God," and they had nothing to fear from him. See his overwhelming advance: "He has come upon Aiath," and "he has passed through Migron" - names of locations, yet no one stood to wage battle against him. "At Michmas he stores his baggage" - there he deposited his heavy armaments to lighten his load for the march.
עָֽבְרוּ֙ מַעְבָּרָ֔ה גֶּ֖בַע מָל֣וֹן לָ֑נוּ חָֽרְדָה֙ הָרָמָ֔ה גִּבְעַ֥ת שָׁא֖וּל נָֽסָה׃ - They have crossed the pass; Geva is our lodging place; Ramah trembled; Givat Shaul has fled.
From there they crossed the pass and lodged at Geva, where the rocky crag of Michmas stands on one side. Then his arrival became known to all the inhabitants of the land, near and far, so that even the dwellers of Ramah were seized with terror, and Givat Shaul fled in panic before the approaching Sancheiriv.
צַהֲלִ֥י קוֹלֵ֖ךְ בַּת־גַּלִּ֑ים הַקְשִׁ֥יבִי לַ֖יְשָׁה עֲנִיָּ֥ה עֲנָתֽוֹת׃ - Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Pay heed, Laishah! Poor Anatot!
The prophet commands Bat Gallim to raise her voice in a shriek, so loudly that even Laish will hear, and poor Anatot as well - so that everyone will hear.
נָֽדְדָ֖ה מַדְמֵנָ֑ה יֹשְׁבֵ֥י הַגֵּבִ֖ים הֵעִֽיזוּ׃ - Madmenah has fled; the inhabitants of Gebim have gathered their belongings to flee.
And what does he announce to them? That Madmenah has already fled, and the inhabitants of Gebim "gathered for refuge" [he'izu] - as in the verse, "gather [ha'ez] your livestock" (Shemot 9:19) - meaning they packed all their possessions and rushed them to a safe haven, beyond the reach of the enemy's hand.
ע֥וֹד הַיּ֖וֹם בְּנֹ֣ב לַעֲמֹ֑ד יְנֹפֵ֤ף יָדוֹ֙ הַ֣ר בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן גִּבְעַ֖ת יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ - This very day he will halt at Nov; he will wave his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
In contrast to the immense panic that gripped all the surrounding areas, the prophet comes and says: Mount Bat Tziyon, which is Jerusalem, waves its hand at all the refugees fleeing from the neighboring towns, as if to say: Why are you running? What are you afraid of? "This very day he will halt [la'amod] at Nov" - this very day he will get stuck at Nov and remain there. Malbim explains that "to halt" [la'amod] is used here in the sense of "the plague stayed [amad] in his eyes" (Vayikra 13:5) or "and she ceased [vata'amod] bearing" (Bereishit 29:35) - meaning that the momentum comes to an end. This very day his march will cease at Nov, and he will never reach here.
Rashi cites that throughout this entire march he "toiled" [nitlabet] so as to reach Nov that very day. In the language of Chazal, nitlabet means he suffered and exerted himself, as in "how much we toiled on the road" - not in the modern Hebrew sense of being undecided or hesitant. That is, he exerted himself and drove all his troops and legions at breakneck speed to reach Nov on that specific day, because his astrologers had told him: If you attack it today, you will conquer it, for the celestial signs portended success on that day. When he reached Nov, panting and breathless from the rush, he stood, looked out, and asked: Where is Jerusalem? They pointed it out to him: Right over there. He said: That? That is just a small neighborhood! They replied: No, that is the troublesome Jerusalem that causes all the commotion. He began waving his hands with arrogance: Was it over such a city that I exhausted all these legions? A single battalion would have been enough! Why did I mobilize the entire army and all these forces - for this tiny village? He told them: Lodge here tonight, and tomorrow let every man cast his stone at it - each soldier will throw a single stone, and that will be enough. Chazal describe the hundreds of thousands who accompanied him, who dried up the Jordan with their footsteps - a colossal army. And he said: Over this did I make all this fuss? Original Jerusalem spanned only a tiny area, even smaller than the Old City enclosed by the Ottoman walls today. And about this he waved his hand: What is "Mount Bat Tziyon, the hill of Jerusalem"? Such a tiny hill, and to conquer it I ran so hard?
"Lopping off the boughs with violent force" - The Felling of the Assyrian Forest
הִנֵּ֤ה הָאָדוֹן֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת מְסָעֵ֥ף פֻּארָ֖ה בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה וְרָמֵ֤י הַקּוֹמָה֙ גְּדוּעִ֔ים וְהַגְּבֹהִ֖ים יִשְׁפָּֽלוּ׃ - Behold, the Master, Hashem of Hosts, will lop off the boughs with violent terror; and the tall of stature will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.
"Behold, the Master" - in Whose hand are all the legions, Hashem of Hosts; He will perform a supernatural miracle to cut down this immense forest of Sancheiriv's camp. "Mesa'ef" refers to one who fells trees in a forest. Normally, someone who cuts down trees for timber begins with the lesser, lower trees and only later moves on to the prime, large ones - that is when one does not intend to ruin the forest, but to log it systematically. But someone coming to destroy begins the other way around, with the largest and most prominent trees. This is why the verse states that He will first "lop off the boughs [purah]," the highest branches that lend glory [pe'er] to the tree. Nor should you imagine that He will prune them with shears, which cut neatly so that the foliage remains shapely, but rather "with violent force [be-ma'aratzah]" - for utter destruction. Malbim explains that a ma'aratzah is a heavy, powerful iron tool smashed against the tree to shatter it with force, related to the word aritz (mighty and ruthless). And purah refers to the fruit of the tree and its uppermost canopy, which sit like a crowning glory atop its head, as in the phrase, "I have trodden the winepress [purah] alone" (Yeshayahu 63:3).
"And the high of stature are hewn down" - in the second stage, He will cut down the trees of lofty stature, which tower above the rest of the forest trees. And afterward He will move to those that are lower than them, which are not of towering stature but merely tall - "and the lofty shall be humbled," until nothing remains except for the small, low bushes.
וְנִקַּ֛ף סִֽבְכֵ֥י הַיַּ֖עַר בַּבַּרְזֶ֑ל וְהַלְּבָנ֖וֹן בְּאַדִּ֥יר יִפּֽוֹל׃ - And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
And finally, He will cut down with iron even all the thickets of the forest, the branches and the trunks. If until now it spoke of the tall, lofty, and strong, here it tells you that He will wipe out everything and leave nothing behind - even the low ones, even the forest thickets tangled below, until all of Lebanon entirely falls. And the allegory: initially the officers and warriors will fall, and ultimately the weak and the entire nation will fall as well. And "*venikaf*" is an expression of cutting down and breaking, as in "*kenokef zayit*" (as when beating an olive tree), and it is related to "*nogef*" (striking), as explained previously: "A person does not strike (*nokef*) his finger below unless it is decreed upon him from Above" - that is, he receives a blow - and as in the phrase, "Behold, I will smite (*nogef*) your entire border with frogs."
"And the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one" - Rashi explains: they will fall by the hand of an angel. And an additional explanation of "*adir*" (mighty one): in the merit of Chizkiyahu, who was the mighty leader and ruler of Israel, as it says, "And their mighty one shall be of themselves." And just as Rashi explains on "The deeps covered them... they sank like lead in mighty waters" - they drowned in the water, and who did? The mighty ones, namely the Egyptians. Here too, "shall fall by a mighty one": by means of a mighty person, strong and ruling over Israel, and in the merit of Chizkiyahu - Sancheiriv and all his armies will ultimately fall.
In summary:
In this part of the chapter, the great foundation is revealed: Sancheiriv is nothing more than an axe and a saw in the hand of the one who hews with it, yet he attributed to himself independent power, wisdom that is not from Heaven, and even the ability, as it were, to subjugate the Supreme Might - and with these four levels of folly, his verdict was sealed. The Holy One, blessed be He, nullifies his internal strength through "leanness in his fat parts" and his external glory through "a burning like the burning of a fire," until only a meager few remain whom a child could record. In contrast stands the salvation of Israel, which arrives both by virtue of the designated time - "And the light of Israel shall be" - and by virtue of righteous deeds - "and his Holy One for a flame," for their righteousness overflows the decreed destruction. From this point forward, they will no longer rely upon the one who struck them, but rather upon Hashem, the Holy One of Israel, in truth; and the fat neck of Chizkiyahu, his oil burning in the study halls, is what breaks the yoke of Sancheiriv: the forest of Assyria is hewn down from the tallest trees to the thickets, "and the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one" - by the hand of an angel and in the merit of Chizkiyahu.