Chapter 11 of Yeshayahu is devoted entirely to describing the King Mashiach and the Messianic era: his spiritual virtues, the transformation of nature in the world, and the ingathering of the exiles that will follow. In this part, we will explore from the fifth verse onward: from the description of righteousness and faith cleaving to Mashiach, through the wondrous vision of wild beasts dwelling peacefully together, up to the ingathering of the dispersed of Israel and the scattered of Yehudah from the four corners of the earth.
וְהָיָה צֶדֶק אֵזוֹר מׇתְנָיו וְהָאֱמוּנָה אֵזוֹר חֲלָצָיו׃ - And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his waist.
The Malbim explains that the prophet is describing how righteousness and faith are not merely external acquisitions for Mashiach, but like an ezor - that is, a belt or girdle. Just as a belt cleaves tightly to the loins and waist, so too will righteousness and faith be, as it were, an inseparable part of his very body, clinging to him under all circumstances.
And why does the prophet specifically compare righteousness to the girdle of the loins (motnayim)? Because righteousness pertains to matters between man and his fellow man, and interpersonal conduct is visible to all. One can see whether a person treats others fairly or not; his behavior is out in the open. Therefore, the righteousness practiced by Mashiach is "the girdle of his loins" - the belt worn over the garments, open and visible to every eye.
By contrast, faith, which belongs to the realm of between man and the Omnipresent (bein adam la-Makom), is compared to "the girdle of his waist (chalatzayim)." The chalatzayim, the Malbim explains, refers to the inner area beneath the garments. He brings textual proofs for this: "his sword girded upon his loins (motnav)" - motnayim refers to the exterior; "every man with his hands on his loins (chalatzav), like a woman in labor" - chalatzayim refers to what is internal; and similarly, "your son who shall come forth from your loins (me-chalatzeycha)" - referring to what is internal rather than external.
Why is faith compared to the inner belt worn beneath the garments? Here the Malbim cites a profound principle from the Chovot HaLevavot in Sha'ar HaAvodah: the hallmark of the complete believer is that his hidden inner life surpasses his outward appearance. We are still far from this, and would that our inside merely matched our outside (tocho ke-varo). But the complete believer's inside vastly exceeds his outside. When you observe him externally, he appears at a certain level, but if you were to peer inside, you would see the sublime heights he has attained, such that everything visible on the outside is as nothing compared to what he conceals. He reveals a handbreadth and conceals two thousand.
In this context, it is worth relating: Rav Elyashiv zt"l was once asked, where are the hidden righteous men (tzaddikim nistarim) of today? After all, in every generation there are thirty-six hidden righteous men. In the past, there was a Mottele the wagon driver or a Yankele the water carrier, about whom it was discovered only after his passing that he left behind sacks of Kabbalistic writings - a towering figure whom nobody suspected, a simple wagon driver who knew the entire Shas by heart and whose brilliance astounded everyone. Where are such figures today? Are the shoemaker or the construction worker truly at such levels? He replied: Nowadays there are no such hidden righteous men; rather, the revealed tzaddikim are themselves the hidden tzaddikim. For when you see such a tzaddik, you think you recognize his greatness, but if you knew what he conceals within, you would realize you do not know even the slightest fraction of who he is. What profound, internal avodat Hashem exists within him that you cannot see at all - had you seen it, you would stand in utter awe. Thus, the revealed tzaddik appears to be at a certain level, but know that within him he conceals a hidden tzaddik who is infinitely greater.
This is what the verse means: "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins" - the external realm, between man and his fellow man, visible to all; "and faithfulness the girdle of his waist" - the realm between man and the Omnipresent, which remains internal and concealed. However much you may know about Mashiach, you will never truly grasp his authentic spiritual greatness; it will remain completely hidden from you.
וְגָר זְאֵב עִם־כֶּבֶשׂ וְנָמֵר עִם־גְּדִי יִרְבָּץ וְעֵגֶל וּכְפִיר וּמְרִיא יַחְדָּו וְנַעַר קָטֹן נֹהֵג בָּם׃ - And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
The prophet describes that era: even the wolf, and even the leopard, which is the fiercest of beasts, will cause no harm. The leopard will lie down beside the young goat - a suckling, the weakest and most defenseless of animals - without harming it. Nor will this be seen as an extraordinary wonder that evokes astonishment; rather, "and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together": just as today a large ox walks alongside small calves and no one is surprised that he does not trample them, so will it be that the calf walks alongside the young lion and full-grown lions. And who will lead them? "And a little child shall lead them" - a young boy will guide them, feeling neither fear nor dread in their presence.
On a humorous note: there was once a zoo that set up an exhibit of the Messianic era, illustrating "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb." They put a wolf and a lamb together in one cage, and people came and marveled at the sight. Someone asked the zoo director: "Tell me, what's your secret?" He replied: "Simple - we just replace the lamb every day."
Radak notes something fascinating here. He writes that in the Messianic era, the natures of wild beasts and domestic animals will transform, returning to what they were at the beginning of Creation and in Noach's ark - for in the past, the lion was a herbivore. And where is the proof that lions and all predators ate grass and vegetation? Consider: when Noach emerged from the ark, there were no other animals left in the world at all, aside from the pairs he had brought into the ark and the seven pairs of kosher animals from which he was to offer sacrifices. What, then, did all the predators eat? Furthermore, all the predators remained inside the ark for an entire year - what did they eat during that whole year? One cannot say they ate the other animals, for the animals did not mate in the ark and there was no reproduction, and had the predators eaten the other animals, those species would have become extinct. Perforce, the food Noach brought in for the animals - fruits and vegetables - was also the food of the predators.
Radak raises the possibility that Noach was commanded to bring seven pairs of kosher animals so that they could serve as food for the predators; however, this is very difficult to accept, for how long could those few animals feed all the predators in the ark - a month? That could not possibly last very long. We are forced to arrive at the conclusion reached by Radak: that originally, predators undoubtedly ate vegetation. This is why he says that in the Messianic era, their nature will be transformed and return to the way it was at the beginning of Creation, so that the predators will not prey upon the animals alongside them, but will return to eating grass, as we will see in the next verse.
However, Radak presents an alternative explanation: some commentators explain that all of this is an allegory. The wolf, leopard, bear, and lion are allegories for the wicked who oppress and rob the weak, just as predators prey upon the weaker animals beneath them; while the lamb, cow, calf, and kid goat are allegories for the humble of the earth, whom Radak explained in the previous verses are trampled under the hand of tyrants. Thus, the prophet comes to say that in the Messianic era there will be peace on earth, and people will not harm one another, and even the ruthless tyrants who once crushed the weak will no longer harm them.
Yet Radak raises a difficulty with this interpretation: later in the passage it says, "They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain," which implies specifically Eretz Yisrael; whereas the peace between the strong and the weak will encompass the entire world, not just the Holy Land! For it is written: "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," and it is written, "and the battle bow shall be cut off," and of Mashiach it is said, "and he shall speak peace to the nations." If so, it is difficult to say that only upon "My holy mountain" will the strong refrain from harming the weak, when there will be no wars anywhere in the entire world.
Parenthetically, for those who remember: in the arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, there was a clause requiring the destruction of ballistic missiles. The titanium in them was an expensive metal, and it was repurposed for various things, including luxury pens crafted from the missile casing. Someone remarked that this fulfilled the prophecy of "and they shall beat their swords into pens" - playing on the Hebrew word 'ittim (plowshares), pronounced similarly to 'etim (pens), though the text actually says "plowshares," derived from the agricultural tool et.
Therefore, Radak concludes: the correct view is that the nature of animals will not change, and they will continue to eat meat as before; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, promises that wild beasts will not cause harm anywhere in the Land of Israel - "They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain." And why? "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem." For when does a wild beast hold sway over a person? When he strays from the path and fails to do Hashem's will. Our Sages taught: A wild beast does not overpower a person unless he appears to it like an animal. Tremendous! If a lion devours a person, it means the lion saw a donkey, not a human being. Had it seen a true human being, then "the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall revere you," and the animal would naturally fear him. Indeed, we find numerous accounts of the great leaders of Israel who were cast into lions' dens and remained unharmed, such as Daniel and his companions. And since the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem, and everyone will be God-fearing and elevated, no animal will be able to harm a person. This is what was promised: "and I will banish wild beasts from the land" - even if a wild beast passes through the land, it will cause no harm. In summary, according to Radak, animals will retain their carnivorous nature, and the change will be that they will neither prey nor harm: a person will not leave his flock only for a lion to devour it, nor will a traveler set out on his way and be attacked by a wolf.
וּפָרָה וָדֹב תִּרְעֶינָה יַחְדָּו יִרְבְּצוּ יַלְדֵיהֶן וְאַרְיֵה כַּבָּקָר יֹאכַל־תֶּבֶן׃ - And the cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And if you ask what the predatory animals will eat - this verse addresses that question. Malbim explains: the bear will graze in the pasture and will not need to hunt prey. Moreover, their young will grow up together and will not fight; the calves of the cow and the cubs of the bear will lie down together as if they were a single species. And if you might say that a bear grazing is not such a great novelty, since even today the bear is not purely carnivorous but also eats fruit and honey, Scripture adds: "and the lion shall eat straw like the ox." Even the lion, whose entire diet today consists solely of meat, will eat straw in the future to come. According to Malbim, this is literal: the lion's nature will change. According to what we saw in Radak, however, this is allegorical: it does not mean the lion will literally eat straw, but rather that the lion will not hunt; and what will it eat? If a carcass is found, it will eat it, but going out to hunt and kill domestic livestock, let alone kill human beings - that will not happen, because all will be righteous.
Radak brings yet another allegorical interpretation: the lion, bear, and serpent are allegories for the wicked nations. "And the cow and the bear shall graze" - they will not occupy themselves with pursuit to kill, but will graze alone; that is, they will occupy themselves solely with the service of God and not with the vanities of this world. And this is the meaning of the continuation of the verse: "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem."
Parenthetically, there is an interesting observation here by Radak that is somewhat puzzling: Radak writes that the word dov (bear) mentioned here is feminine, as it says, "And there came forth two she-bears [sheteyim dubim]"; and just as the cow is the female counterpart to the ox, so the bear here is female. "The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together" - the cow who is the mother and the bear who is the mother, and their young shall lie down together. What remains unclear according to this is: if dov is the female, what is the male called, and what is its name?
וְשִׁעֲשַׁע יוֹנֵק עַל־חֻר פָּתֶן וְעַל מְאוּרַת צִפְעוֹנִי גָּמוּל יָדוֹ הָדָה׃ - And the nursing child shall play over the asp's hole, and the weaned child shall stretch his hand into the viper's den.
Even the serpent, which has borne a curse ever since the sin of Adam HaRishon - "And I will put enmity between you and the woman" - despite all this, "The nursing child shall play over the asp's hole." Not only will the serpent not go out and intentionally cause harm, but also, "over the viper's den the weaned child will stretch his hand."
What is a me'urah? The Malbim explains that it comes from the root of orah and light (or). The venom of a snake burns, as we find with "fiery serpent [saraph] and scorpion" - the saraph is so named because its venom burns; the bite literally burns, heating up the body like a fire. And a burning thing is also something that illuminates. Therefore, the prophet says: "And over the viper's me'urah" - in its venom only the light will remain, but it will no longer burn. And the viper (tzif'oni) is even more dangerous than an ordinary snake.
Furthermore, he adds: "the weaned child shall stretch [hadah] his hand." A yonek is a nursing baby, and a gamul is one who has already been weaned, as in "like a weaned child on its mother." One might have thought that a nursing child playing by the asp's hole is no great wonder, for he lacks understanding and puts his hand into the snake's hole out of sheer ignorance. Therefore, Scripture tells us: even the weaned child, who is already off milk and possesses discernment and understanding - he, too, "over the viper's den shall stretch his hand." And what is hadah? The Malbim explains it as related to hed (echo): when a person speaks toward mountains, he receives an echo, which is a returning voice. "His hand hadah" - he will reach out his hand and draw it back, repeatedly, multiple times, without any fear.
Radak cites Targum Yonatan here, who translates "the viper's me'urah" as: "the sight of the eyeballs of the deadly serpent" (chivei being a snake, and churman being a viper). According to this, me'urah relates to the sight or light of the eyes (me'or einayim). Radak explains the Targum's meaning: when the snake is inside its hole, the child sees its eyes shining from within; and a snake's eyes, like a cat's eyes, gleam and illuminate. The hole is dark, and the child sees what look like two lanterns or lamps, like two radiant gemstones. This sparks his curiosity and he wants to put his hand inside - and nonetheless, the snake will not harm him.
A third explanation is that of Rashi, which is the interpretation commonly accepted today: "And Menachem explained it as an expression of a hole and cavities in the ground," like "Ur of the Kasdim" or "in the urim honor Hashem" - expressions denoting holes and caves. According to this, "the viper's me'urah" is similar to "the asp's hole": the hole where the snake hides, what we refer to today as a den or burrow. Thus, there are three interpretations: from the root of light (the Malbim), from the sight of the eyes (Targum Yonatan and Radak), or in the sense of a den (Rashi).
לֹא־יָרֵעוּ וְלֹא־יַשְׁחִיתוּ בְּכׇל־הַר קׇדְשִׁי כִּי־מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת־יְהֹוָה כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים׃ - They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea.
Predatory animals, whose nature is to hurt and destroy, will neither hurt nor destroy. What is the difference between hurting (lehara) and destroying (lehashchit)? The Malbim explains: one who harms another does so for his own benefit or pleasure, whereas a destroyer - like wanton vandalism - does so without any pleasure, simply to tear apart, ruin, and inflict damage. Therefore, if a lion preys upon a deer, this is called hurting, for it does so for its sustenance and pleasure. The prophet tells us: not only will these predators not hurt for the purpose of eating, but they will not even destroy - such as the asp and snake, regarding which Chazal noted that the serpent is asked: What pleasure do you derive from biting? For it does not bite to consume prey; a lion wants meat and therefore hunts, but a snake strikes and often does not consume the prey at all, simply continuing on its way.
"In all My holy mountain" - throughout the Holy Land. "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea" - the awareness of Hashem, blessed be He, will spread so extensively that even the predatory beasts will sense that a new era has arrived in the world, the era of ultimate rectification. And though they lack the faculty of intellect, nevertheless this awareness will envelop everything, "as the waters cover the sea."
And what is the meaning of the word yam (sea)? Surprisingly, it does not refer to the water itself. Radak writes that yam refers to the basin or trench in which the water sits. A proof of this is the "sea" that Shlomo made - did Shlomo create water? He made the basin! Therefore, yam is the basin containing the water. With this, one can understand the verse: just as the water covers the entire seabed, the entire valley within which the sea rests, without a single spot lacking water or remaining dry - so too, says the Malbim, the knowledge of Hashem will cover everything. Even the physical nature of animals, which by its very design is not disposed to intellect and possesses no reason, will be influenced by it; the knowledge of Hashem will spread over them as well, and they too will change their nature for the good: "They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain."
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא שֹׁרֶשׁ יִשַׁי אֲשֶׁר עֹמֵד לְנֵס עַמִּים אֵלָיו גּוֹיִם יִדְרֹשׁוּ וְהָיְתָה מְנֻחָתוֹ כָּבוֹד׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that the root of Yishai, who stands as a banner for the peoples, unto him shall nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
"The root of Yishai" refers to King Mashiach, who was mentioned in the opening verse: "A shoot shall come forth from the stem of Yishai, and a sprout shall flourish from his roots." And what is a nes (banner)? A high pole upon which a flag is hoisted, serving as a rallying cry to summon nations to battle or other affairs. Initially, when King Mashiach is revealed, he will stand "as a banner for the peoples" - as if calling all the nations to come and wage war against him, for at first the nations will not be pleased that a Jewish king reigns with dominion over all. All the nations will be summoned to the flag to go to war against him, which is the war of Gog and Magog. Yet know - "unto him shall nations inquire": in the end, everyone will recognize that he is the true redeemer.
"And his resting place shall be glorious" - his peace will not be like the rest of an ordinary person or an insignificant king whom no one bothers to fight; on the contrary, he will be so prominent that initially everyone will come to fight him, and when they finally accept his sovereignty, it will be an immense glory, demonstrating that he prevailed against all those kings and that the hand of Hashem aided him.
Notice the precise wording: "as a banner for the amim (peoples)" and then "unto him shall goyim (nations) inquire." As explained previously, an am is greater than a goy, because an am possesses an organized state and monarchy, whereas a goy is a loose conglomeration of tribes without an organized kingdom. In Somalia there are goyim; in Britain and the United States there is an organized government, so they are called an am. The verse comes to teach: even the goyim, those who lack organized governance and are considered more primitive, will also ultimately recognize the reign of the redeemer who emerges from the root of Yishai.
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יוֹסִיף אֲדֹנָי שֵׁנִית יָדוֹ לִקְנוֹת אֶת־שְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר וּמִמִּצְרַיִם וּמִפַּתְרוֹס וּמִכּוּשׁ וּמֵעֵילָם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר וּמֵחֲמָת וּמֵאִיֵּי הַיָּם׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that the Lord shall set His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
And when was the first time that Hashem extended His hand to acquire His people? The redemption from Egypt. The future redemption will likewise be fulfilled: "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders" - like that redemption, which was filled with wonders. Then, once everyone recognizes the truth of the redeemer, there will be an ingathering of the exiles from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, and so on, just as in the first redemption.
וְנָשָׂא נֵס לַגּוֹיִם וְאָסַף נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְפֻצוֹת יְהוּדָה יְקַבֵּץ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ׃ - And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
"And He shall raise a banner for the nations" - as mentioned, a nes is a tall pole upon which a flag is hung, and here it serves as a summons to all to follow King Mashiach toward the ingathering of the exiles. The verse distinguishes between two categories: "the outcasts of Israel" (nidchei Yisrael) and "the dispersed of Judah" (nefutzot Yehudah). The dispersed of Judah are those scattered across the world today - for all we have today are Judah and Benjamin, a few from the tribe of Levi, and a tiny fraction from the remaining tribes - this is the Jewish people known to us, scattered across every corner of the globe. In contrast, there are the outcasts, whose whereabouts are unknown to us, living in remote and secluded regions. These are the Ten Tribes, who formed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in Samaria, as opposed to Judah and Benjamin, of whom we are descendants. The outcasts He will "assemble" (ve'asaf) - for there is no need to gather them together, as they are already gathered together beyond the Sambatyon River and beyond the Mountains of Darkness; they are merely cast out from their land. But "the dispersed of Judah" - the familiar Jewish diaspora - them He will "gather from the four corners of the earth."
וְסָרָה קִנְאַת אֶפְרַיִם וְצֹרְרֵי יְהוּדָה יִכָּרֵתוּ אֶפְרַיִם לֹא־יְקַנֵּא אֶת־יְהוּדָה וִיהוּדָה לֹא־יָצֹר אֶת־אֶפְרָיִם׃ - And the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
In the past, the kingdom of Judah faced two types of adversaries. The first was the envy of Ephraim: Ephraim was not an enemy to Judah, but rather envied them over the royal throne. We have seen time and again how difficult it was for Ephraim to see the monarchy held by the tribe of Judah, and they came several times to wage war against them over this. The second was actual adversaries - the foreign nations that came to wage war against them and oppress them. The prophet declares: In the future to come, the envy of Ephraim will depart, and Judah's adversaries - the nations - will be cut off. Then it will be clear to all: "Ephraim shall not envy Judah." And why had Judah harassed Ephraim? Because Ephraim rebelled against the Davidic dynasty, as in the rebellion of Sheva ben Bichri against the kingdom of the House of David, forcing Judah to besiege and fight him. In the future, Judah will have no need to harass Ephraim, for Ephraim will not envy Judah and will accept his sovereignty, and consequently Judah will not need to battle him to impose his rule by force.
Chazal expound this regarding the two future Messiahs: Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef. Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim, and both will lead the kingdom of Israel triumphantly without any jealousy between them. We know that the most fragile government is a unity government, for when two leaders sit together, they quarrel constantly. But with the coming of the Mashiach, there will be such profound peace that two leaders - Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David - will govern the kingdom with justice and integrity through a clear division of roles. For as is known, Mashiach ben Yosef oversees the physical redemption, while Mashiach ben David oversees the spiritual redemption, and neither will infringe upon the other - with no envy, no hatred, and no conflict.
The Malbim explains here that in Scripture we find three kinds of jealousy. There is one who is jealous of another: Why does he hold a certain position and I do not; why was it given to him and not to me? Such jealousy does not arouse malice, but merely distress over why the other attained a distinction that he lacks; this jealousy is always expressed with the letter beit, as in: "And Rachel envied her sister" (vatikane Rachel ba'achotah). There is another type, where a person is zealous for the honor of another - how could you do such a thing to him, I am zealous on his behalf; this is expressed with the letter lamed, as in: "I have been very zealous for the Lord" (kanno kineisi la-Hashem), and as Moshe Rabbeinu said to Yehoshua when Eldad and Meidad were prophesying in the camp: "Are you zealous for my sake?" (Hamkaneh atah li). And the third is when one envies his fellow with the intent to harm him, which appears with the direct object marker et: envying him maliciously (mekaneh oto).
And what is the difference between envying someone maliciously ("to envy et") and harassing them? An adversary harasses because you wronged me in the past, or because I hate you, and therefore I afflict you. But one who envies feels that the distinction you possess rightfully belongs to him, and that your attainment diminishes and harms him, and therefore he directs his hostility toward you. This is the meaning of "Ephraim shall not envy Judah": since Ephraim will then recognize that this royal greatness belongs rightfully to Judah, they will not feel that something belonging to them was taken away, nor that this diminishes them in any way, and consequently they will harbor no envy toward them.
וְעָפוּ בְכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים יָמָּה יַחְדָּו יָבֹזּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶדֶם אֱדוֹם וּמוֹאָב מִשְׁלוֹחַ יָדָם וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּם׃ - And they shall swoop down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they shall plunder the children of the east; Edom and Moab shall be the reach of their hand, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
"And they shall swoop down" - they will fly swiftly upon the shoulder and flank of the Philistines; "toward the west" - meaning to battle the Philistines who dwell in the west (the Philistines corresponding to the Palestinians). "Together they shall plunder the children of the east" - those situated in the east. "Edom and Moab shall be the reach of their hand" - the reach of Israel will extend as far as Edom and Moab, and their dominion will spread there. "And the children of Ammon shall obey them" - the children of Ammon, located in the region of modern-day Jordan, will likewise submit to their authority and will not resist the sovereignty of King Mashiach.
וְהֶחֱרִים יְהֹוָה אֵת לְשׁוֹן יָם־מִצְרַיִם וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ עַל־הַנָּהָר בַּעְיָם רוּחוֹ וְהִכָּהוּ לְשִׁבְעָה נְחָלִים וְהִדְרִיךְ בַּנְּעָלִים׃ - And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and wave His hand over the river with the strength of His wind, and strike it into seven streams, and lead men across in shoes.
"And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the Sea of Egypt" - the Holy One, blessed be He, will dry up the inlet of the sea near Egypt so that the dispersed in the land of Egypt may cross there. "And wave His hand over the river" - this refers to the Euphrates River; "with the strength of His wind" - with the might of His wind, He will dry up the Euphrates River, as it were, so that those lost in the land of Assyria may return. "And strike it into seven streams" - corresponding to the lands mentioned in verse 11: Egypt, Assyria, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea. Hashem will strike the rivers in those places and allow them to be crossed dryshod in shoes, so that the waters will not impede them, and all those exiles will be able to cross on dry ground and return from the land of their exile.
וְהָיְתָה מְסִלָּה לִשְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיוֹם עֲלֹתוֹ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ - And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel on the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
By Hashem drying up the tongue of the Egyptian Sea, waving His hand over the river of Assyria, and striking the seven streams - from all this a highway will be created, a paved road for the remnant of His people who will remain from Assyria, "as it was for Israel on the day it came up from the land of Egypt." For there as well, we walked on a highway in the midst of the sea on dry ground after Hashem dried up the Yam Suf, and likewise He dried up the Jordan upon our entry into the Land. So too in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will dry up the rivers and the seas and pave a clear, leveled highway for us, and the Jewish people will go forth from their exile speedily in our days, Amen.
In these verses, Yeshayahu depicts the figure of Melech HaMashiach and his world. First, his virtues: righteousness as the belt of his waist, revealed and evident to all in interpersonal conduct, and faithfulness as the belt of his loins, internal and hidden, reflecting the standard of the complete believer whose inner conscience exceeds his outward appearance. Next, the description of peace throughout creation: wolf with lamb, leopard with kid goat, and a nursing infant playing over a cobra's hole - whether this is literal, meaning the nature of animals will revert to its original state as at the beginning of Creation and in the Ark of Noach (as the Radak deduced from the animals' sustenance in the Ark), or whether the intention is that animals will cause no harm whatsoever, since "a wild beast has no dominion over a person unless he appears to it like an animal," and at a time when the earth is filled with the knowledge of Hashem, the beast has no dominion. And finally, the Redemption itself: the root of Yishai, whom all the nations initially rise up against and ultimately all seek out; the ingathering of the dispersed of Israel and the scattered of Yehudah; the removal of envy between Ephraim and Yehudah and the unification of the two Mashiachs; and a paved highway for those returning from exile, like the days of our departure from the land of Egypt.