Chapter 37 is the climax of Sancheriv's confrontation at the gates of Jerusalem. In the previous chapter, we heard the taunts and blasphemies of Ravshakeh: "Who among all the gods of these lands delivered their land from my hand, that Hashem should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" along with his attempt to incite the people to rebel against Chizkiyahu, claiming they stood no chance against the king of Assyria. Here, we witness Chizkiyahu's reaction, the prayer, the prophecy of Yeshayahu, and the miraculous downfall of the Assyrian camp.
וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו וַיִּתְכַּס בַּשָּׂק וַיָּבֹא בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - And it came to pass, when King Chizkiyahu heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the House of Hashem.
Three actions and three reasons: "He tore his clothes" - over the blasphemies uttered against Heaven. "He covered himself with sackcloth" - because of the dire distress that had now befallen them. "He entered the House of Hashem" - in order to pray.
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־אֶלְיָקִים אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּיִת וְאֵת שֶׁבְנָא הַסּוֹפֵר וְאֵת זִקְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים מִתְכַּסִּים בַּשַּׂקִּים אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא׃ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר חִזְקִיָּהוּ יוֹם־צָרָה וְתוֹכֵחָה וּנְאָצָה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי בָאוּ בָנִים עַד־מַשְׁבֵּר וְכֹחַ אַיִן לְלֵדָה׃ - And he sent Elyakim, who was in charge of the household, Shevna the scribe, and the elders of the Kohanim, covered with sackcloth, to Yeshayahu the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him: Thus says Chizkiyahu: This day is a day of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy; for children have come to the birthstool, but there is no strength to give birth.
What is the meaning behind the threefold expression "a day of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy," and what is the significance of the parable "children have come to the birthstool"? The Malbim explains: Yeshayahu had already prophesied in the past (Chapter 10) that Sancheriv would fall on Mount Zion, explaining there that the downfall would arrive only after two preconditions were met. First, that he would taunt, blaspheme, and exalt himself above the God of gods (ibid., verses 8, 20). Second, that Zion would reach a state of distress and nocturnal darkness - a situation where it seems as though there is no salvation whatsoever - and only then would deliverance arrive. In other words: a very deep descent, and out of it, the redemption.
Therefore, Chizkiyahu's emissaries now come and say to Yeshayahu: Everything you spoke has been fulfilled. "A day of trouble" - trouble in the absolute sense, distress that has reached the absolute brink, with the enemy standing right at the gates of Jerusalem. "And blasphemy" - behold, he reviles Hashem with insults and blasphemies, exactly as you said he would exalt himself above the God of gods. "And rebuke [tokhechah]" - an expression of argument and proof, as he comes to demonstrate with apparent proofs that the Holy One, blessed be He, supposedly lacks the power to save: just as He did not save Samaria, so He will not save Jerusalem.
Hence, "for children have come to the birthstool." We are like a woman sitting upon the birthstool, who, despite experiencing unimaginable pains, is not broken by them; on the contrary, they are themselves proof that the birth is imminent. The more severe the labor pains, the clearer the sign that we are in the final moments. So it is with us: it is clear to us that salvation is near. Yet the tragedy is - "and there is no strength to give birth." A woman needs strength to push in order to deliver the child, and in the mashal's application: we lack the mitzvot and good deeds that provide the spiritual strength through which salvation arrives, and we also lack human, physical power - the natural strength to stand in battle against the enemy. We possess neither merits nor military might to face Sancheriv.
Incidentally, what is a "mashber"? We are accustomed to saying "sitting upon the mashber," referring to the birthstool or seat where a woman gives birth. However, the Malbim explains differently: it is the place where the child breaks through the barrier during birth and emerges outside - likely referring to the placenta or amniotic sac enveloping the fetus, which the child breaks open to emerge. "Mashber" - the place where breaking through occurs.
אוּלַי יִשְׁמַע יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵת דִּבְרֵי רַבְשָׁקֵה אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֲדֹנָיו לְחָרֵף אֱלֹהִים חַי וְהוֹכִיחַ בַּדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְנָשָׂאתָ תְפִלָּה בְּעַד הַשְּׁאֵרִית הַנִּמְצָאָה׃ - It may be that Hashem your God will hear the words of Ravshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to taunt the living God, and will reprove the words that Hashem your God has heard; therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left.
Three arguments are contained in this verse. First - "It may be that Hashem your God will hear the words of Ravshakeh": Ravshakeh did not blaspheme of his own accord; he came on the mission of his master "to taunt the living God," and consequently, Hashem should punish Sancheriv himself for these grave blasphemies. Second - "And will reprove the words": for Ravshakeh presented his claims with apparent "proofs." When he questioned why they trusted that their God would save them, he based it on the premise that no god had ever saved from his master's hand - where are the gods of Chamat, where are the gods of Arpad? Therefore, if he were to succeed here, Heaven forbid the Name of Heaven would be desecrated, for it would be "proven" that he was correct: just as the gods of Chamat and Arpad could not withstand my ancestors, neither could the God of Israel. Master of the Universe, if You do not exact retribution from him, they will say his proofs were valid. Third - "Therefore lift up a prayer": the merit of prayer is the only thing that can save the surviving remnant. After Sancheriv had already exiled the Ten Tribes, it is most fitting that Hashem have mercy so that the remainder will not be exiled as well.
And why the apparent duplication between "perhaps He will hear" (ulai yishma) and "which He heard" (asher shama) - initially in terms of uncertainty and then in terms of certainty? The Malbim explains: "Perhaps He will hear" means that He will hear and pay attention so as to punish for the blasphemy, and have mercy and compassion upon us; whereas "which the Lord your God heard" refers to the act of listening itself - that the Holy One, blessed be He, listened to those very words by which he blasphemed the ranks of the Living God.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יְשַׁעְיָהוּ כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶם כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵי הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ אֲשֶׁר גִּדְּפוּ נַעֲרֵי מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אוֹתִי׃ - And Yeshayahu said to them, "So shall you say to your master: Thus said the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the attendants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me."
There are two reasons not to fear. First - "They blasphemed... Me": They did not curse you, but Me; therefore, they have a reckoning with Me, says the Holy One, blessed be He. Second - "The attendants of the king of Assyria": Know that this blasphemy was not commissioned by the king of Assyria himself; rather, on this first occasion, the attendants came and blasphemed on their own accord. And in any case - do not worry, I will save you.
הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן בּוֹ רוּחַ וְשָׁמַע שְׁמוּעָה וְשָׁב אֶל־אַרְצוֹ וְהִפַּלְתִּיו בַּחֶרֶב בְּאַרְצוֹ׃ - "Behold, I am putting a spirit into him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his land."
The Malbim asks: What is meant by "I am putting a spirit into him"? And what novelty is there in "and he shall return to his land" - was he not compelled to return on account of the rumor? Furthermore, how can it say "and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his land," when he subsequently returned a second time, and only afterward did he fall?
The Malbim explains that all of this was miraculous. First, "Behold, I am putting a spirit into him" - that he would believe the report. In their days there were no satellite phones; when hearing that Tirhakah king of Cush had marched out against him, who said the rumor was well-founded? Would he abandon the siege and return to defend his land over an unverified rumor? Says the Holy One, blessed be He: I will place within him a spirit and an inclination to heed the report and believe it. Second, the miracle lies in "and he shall return to his land" - that he did not remain here at all, whereas seemingly he could have sent part of his armies there and left part to continue the siege.
And regarding "and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his land" - the ultimate end will be that I will bring him down by the sword in his land, but not just yet. For everything there is a season, a time for every matter, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has further plans: that Sancheriv conquer Cush and Egypt. For there was a prophecy that the spoils of all these nations would be brought to the gates of Jerusalem. It would not do for him to come empty-handed - he had arrived with nothing. Therefore, he will now go and wage war against Cush and Egypt, amass vast spoils there, and return here with full hands. And when his army falls here, immense wealth will remain for the people of Israel, as the Holy One, blessed be He, promised that the spoil would be ours. Thus, Hashem orchestrates events so that he returns home now, fights, gathers wealth and plunder, comes back here to leave it behind, and ultimately returns home where his sons will strike him down.
וַיָּשָׁב רַבְשָׁקֵה וַיִּמְצָא אֶת־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר נִלְחָם עַל־לִבְנָה כִּי שָׁמַע כִּי נָסַע מִלָּכִישׁ׃ וַיִּשְׁמַע עַל־תִּרְהָקָה מֶלֶךְ־כּוּשׁ לֵאמֹר יָצָא לְהִלָּחֵם אִתָּךְ וַיִּשְׁמַע וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ לֵאמֹר׃ - And Ravshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Livnah, for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish. And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, saying, "He has gone out to fight with you." And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Chizkiyahu, saying:
Ravshakeh went to find his master and found him warring against Livnah. And then the rumor arrived. Why is "and he heard" (vayishma) mentioned twice? And above all - why does he send word to inform Chizkiyahu that he intends to return? By doing so, he is effectively telling him, "Prepare your army," yet one of the fundamental rules of warfare is the element of surprise!
The Malbim explains: "And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush" - he heard it casually, from passersby, and the rumor itself was merely "he has gone out to fight with you," meaning he was not yet actually waging war, but had only set out from his country. Although the rumor was unverified, the second "and he heard" comes to teach that he accepted the report and believed it. Since he saw that he was forced to return to his land, he realized that the people of Jerusalem would not rebel against Chizkiyahu, and his original plan to incite revolt from within had failed. He thought: Lacking any alternative, I will settle for less - that Chizkiyahu make peace with me, pay me tribute, and become my vassal. That is why he sent messengers a second time.
Notice the difference: this time, the appeal is directed to Chizkiyahu alone. Previously, he had told them that he had no business speaking with Chizkiyahu, that Chizkiyahu would receive his punishment for rebelling, and he addressed the people directly - and even when they pleaded, "Speak to us in our language," he refused, because the entire objective was to incite the people to revolt against their king. But now, seeing that the plan had failed and he was forced to depart, he tries to salvage whatever he can: to give Chizkiyahu another chance to become his vassal and pay him tribute as before.
כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר אַל־יַשִּׁאֲךָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בּוֹטֵחַ בּוֹ לֵאמֹר לֹא תִנָּתֵן יְרוּשָׁלִַם בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃ - "Thus shall you say to Chizkiyahu king of Judah, saying: Let not your God in Whom you trust deceive you, saying, 'Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.'"
A few preliminary questions arise. Why does he not repeat his earlier claim that he came by Hashem's command, arguing that Chizkiyahu had destroyed the altars - since people had previously brought sacrifices everywhere, and Chizkiyahu eliminated them all, restricting sacrifices to Jerusalem alone, which in the eyes of the king of Assyria was a flaw? Furthermore, why does he send letters along with the messengers this time, which he did not do previously? And why is he addressing Chizkiyahu specifically? The Malbim asks: if Chizkiyahu did not answer him or come out to him the first time, what made him think that sending letters would frighten him any more and lead him to agree to terms of peace?
The Malbim explains: although everything was written at length in the letters, he instructed the messengers to convey the main summary orally. The letters were filled with blasphemies and insults, as Divrei HaYamim makes clear, when he read the letters and tore his clothes. "Let not deceive you [al yashi'akha]" - let Him not mislead you with false counsel, as it were; do not imagine that the Holy One, blessed be He, will save you. And why did he drop the argument about the high places (bamot)? Because he now realized that Chizkiyahu had done so in obedience to the Torah's command, which forbids sacrificing anywhere outside the Temple, so he no longer repeats that worn-out claim. Instead, his argument takes a different turn: You rely on the Holy One, blessed be He? You think, "I abolished the altars that were against His will, so I have merit before the Creator of the world"? You are relying on Someone Who cannot be relied upon, Who has no power - do not trust in Him.
הִנֵּה אַתָּה שָׁמַעְתָּ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר לְכָל־הָאֲרָצוֹת לְהַחֲרִימָם וְאַתָּה תִּנָּצֵל׃ הַהִצִּילוּ אוֹתָם אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁחִיתוּ אֲבוֹתַי אֶת־גּוֹזָן וְאֶת־חָרָן וְרֶצֶף וּבְנֵי־עֶדֶן אֲשֶׁר בִּתְלַשָּׂר׃ - "Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them utterly; and will you be saved? Did the gods of the nations deliver those whom my fathers destroyed - Gozan, and Charan, and Retzef, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?"
Look how many lands and how many deities my forefathers and I have destroyed, and not one of them saved its people. Why, then, do you think your God will protect you?
אַיֵּה מֶלֶךְ־חֲמָת וּמֶלֶךְ אַרְפָּד וּמֶלֶךְ לָעִיר סְפַרְוָיִם הֵנַע וְעִוָּה׃ - "Where is the king of Chamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvayim, of Hena and Ivvah?"
"Hena" - he uprooted them (heni'a) from their place and led them into exile. "Ve'Ivvah" - he distorted (ivvet) and completely erased the borders of their lands, in the spirit of the verse, "I have removed the boundaries of peoples and plundered their treasures."
וַיִּקַּח חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־הַסְּפָרִים מִיַּד הַמַּלְאָכִים וַיִּקְרָאֵהוּ וַיַּעַל בֵּית יְהֹוָה וַיִּפְרְשֵׂהוּ חִזְקִיָּהוּ לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - "Chizkiyahu took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them; and Chizkiyahu went up to the House of Hashem and spread it before Hashem."
The letters contained blasphemies and insults directed against Hashem, and now Chizkiyahu saw that these blasphemies came directly from the king himself. Earlier, the Holy One, blessed be He, had told him, "with which the attendants of the king of Assyria have reviled Me" - attributing it not to Sancheiriv directly, but to his servants; here Chizkiyahu turns in prayer and says: Master of the Universe, look at the letters; these were sent by the king of Assyria himself!
From this, he knew that the prophecy of Yeshayahu was about to be fulfilled, for the prophecy foretold that when the blasphemies came from the king himself against Hashem, salvation would arrive. Therefore, it did not cross his mind for even a moment to make peace with Sancheiriv, to bow his head and accept his subjugation once more, even though he had ostensibly received an offer he could not refuse: After all, what was being asked of him? Simply to become a vassal to the king of Assyria and pay him taxes; the king had already dropped the plan of exile. Yet despite this - absolutely not. For this was precisely Yeshayahu's promise: when he blasphemes the Name of Hashem, salvation will come. And if so, what was there to do now? To come and pray before Hashem.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר׃ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים אַתָּה־הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים לְבַדְּךָ לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ׃ - And Chizkiyahu prayed to the Lord, saying: "O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, Who dwells above the cherubim, You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth; You made the heavens and the earth."
Three names corresponding to three aspects: "Lord of Hosts" - that You rule over all the hosts, both celestial and terrestrial. "God of Israel" - that Your divinity is made known in the world through the Jewish people who worship You. "Who dwells above the cherubim" - that in the higher realms Your divine providence is singular and supreme. If so, it is fitting that You have pity and compassion and champion our cause for the sake of the sanctity of Your Name, which is now being desecrated by Sancheriv. For "You alone are God" - not as Sancheriv claimed when asking, "Where are the gods of Chamat and Arpad?", implying there are many deities and none could withstand him. All of that is vanity; there are no other deities at all. When he boasts of having vanquished this one and that one, what are they to begin with? Everything is only Hashem, blessed be He, and there is no deity besides Him. And since "You made the heavens and the earth," it is fitting that You listen.
הַטֵּה יְהֹוָה אָזְנְךָ וּשְׁמָע פְּקַח יְהֹוָה עֵינֶךָ וּרְאֵה וּשְׁמַע אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי סַנְחֵרִיב אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח לְחָרֵף אֱלֹהִים חָי׃ - Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sancheriv, who sent to reproach the living God.
Three petitions corresponding to three kinds of blasphemy: "Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear" refers to the blasphemies uttered verbally by the first emissaries. "Open Your eyes, O Lord, and see" refers to the written letters, which were filled with blasphemy and revilement; of reading them it is said, "open Your eyes." And the second "hear" refers to the words of the second delegation of emissaries, to whom Sancheriv also gave an oral message, "who sent to reproach the living God."
אָמְנָם יְהֹוָה הֶחֱרִיבוּ מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר אֶת־כָּל־הָאֲרָצוֹת וְאֶת־אַרְצָם׃ - Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the lands and their land.
The Malbim asks: Just because the kings of Assyria laid waste to all the lands, is the Holy One, blessed be He, obligated to deliver us from their hand? What kind of argument is this? He explains: Had the blasphemer been an ordinary man, we would dismiss him as a braggart talking big, asking who he is and what substance he possesses. But this man comes with a proven record - "Truly," indeed they destroyed all the lands "and their land." According to the Malbim, "their land" means their principal provinces, their most vital and heavily fortified centers.
וְנָתֹן אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ כִּי לֹא אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה כִּי אִם־מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי־אָדָם עֵץ וָאֶבֶן וַיְאַבְּדוּם׃ - And have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone; and so they destroyed them.
True, they also burned their idols, just as they boast. Yet Chizkiyahu immediately qualifies this: "For they were not gods" - there is nothing impressive about that. They burned their gods? Naturally, it was mere wood and stone, a block of wood, the work of human hands. There is no valor in that.
וְעַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ מִיָּדוֹ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל־מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ כִּי־אַתָּה יְהֹוָה לְבַדֶּךָ׃ - And now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord.
Two requests: Save us from his hand, so that they cannot claim that they overcame You as well, Heaven forbid; and so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord. For if they were to defeat You too, Heaven forbid, people would ask what difference there is between the God of Heaven and all other deities. But the moment You subdue them, everyone will realize: they conquered all those false gods, yet they could not overcome Hashem - proof that Hashem is the one and only God, and all the rest are baseless vanity.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹץ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ אֵלַי אֶל־סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃ - Then Yeshayahu son of Amoz sent to Chizkiyahu, saying: "Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: Regarding that which you prayed to Me concerning Sancheriv king of Assyria..."
"Because you have prayed to Me" - because you prayed for the honor of My Name, that Hashem's Name not be desecrated among the nations, concerning Sancheriv king of Assyria.
זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה עָלָיו בָּזָה לְךָ לָעֲגָה לְךָ בְּתוּלַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן אַחֲרֶיךָ רֹאשׁ הֵנִיעָה בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃ - This is the word that Hashem has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and mocked you; behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head.
Know, Sancheriv, that the virgin daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you for all your insults and blasphemies, and the daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head after you - she knows that here will be your burial place and here will be your downfall. And what is the difference between "despised" (bazah) and "mocked" (la'agah)? The Malbim explains: one who despises considers the matter of no account at all; whereas one who mocks comes to demonstrate the baseness of the other's deeds, showing just how pathetic they are.
And why the double phrasing, "the virgin daughter of Zion" and "the daughter of Jerusalem"? The Malbim explains: the daughter of Zion is called a "virgin" because the stronghold of Zion is the City of David, which was a fortified city that had never been conquered, like a maiden who was never violated by any man. But Jerusalem is not called a virgin, because it was not as heavily fortified and protected as the stronghold of Zion, which was the City of David itself within the walls and far more secure, and therefore it is called merely "the daughter of Jerusalem."
אֶת־מִי חֵרַפְתָּ וְגִדַּפְתָּ וְעַל־מִי הֲרִימוֹתָה קּוֹל וַתִּשָּׂא מָרוֹם עֵינֶיךָ אֶל־קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Whom have you taunted and blasphemed, and against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel!
The daughter of Zion says to him: Whom have you taunted? Hashem Himself! And not only that, but "you have raised your voice" - there is one who taunts quietly, but you taunted loudly and with great fanfare. And not only that: your intention was not merely to agitate the people, but "lifted your eyes on high against the Holy One of Israel" - your aim was to provoke the Master of the World Himself. The Malbim explains the distinction in terminology: "one who taunts" (meharef) refers to insults between man and man, while "one who blasphemes" (megadef) generally refers to words spoken by man against his God, like blasphemy (birchat Hashem) - one who reviles the sanctity of Israel and the Torah of Israel. Therefore, in the verses regarding Sancheriv it says, "He also wrote letters to taunt," and here, "whom he sent to taunt," whereas the servants blasphemed so that it would be both taunting and disgrace - "with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me." That is, they were not content with taunting the people, but went so far as blaspheming the Holy One, blessed be He.
בְּיַד עֲבָדֶיךָ חֵרַפְתָּ אֲדֹנָי וַתֹּאמֶר בְּרֹב רִכְבִּי אֲנִי עָלִיתִי מְרוֹם הָרִים יַרְכְּתֵי לְבָנוֹן וְאֶכְרֹת קוֹמַת אֲרָזָיו מִבְחַר בְּרֹשָׁיו וְאָבוֹא מְרוֹם קִצּוֹ יַעַר כַּרְמִלּוֹ׃ - By the hand of your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you said: With the multitude of my chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the far reaches of Lebanon; and I cut down its tallest cedars and the choicest of its cypresses, and I reached its highest peak, the forest of its fertile land.
"By the hand of your servants you have taunted" - and whom? Hashem. And what did you say? You began "proving," as it were: Behold, I have already succeeded in the past. I ascended the heights of the mountains, I conquered, I reached the far reaches of Lebanon and its flanks, I felled the forest, the cedars, and the cypresses, to pave a way for my troops, until I reached "its highest peak" - the highest point where the Carmel forest stands, the choicest woodland. In other words: I have already laid Yehudah bare, cleared away the forests that blocked access to it, and it lies open before me ready to be conquered.
אֲנִי קַרְתִּי וְשָׁתִיתִי מָיִם וְאַחְרִב בְּכַף־פְּעָמַי כֹּל יְאֹרֵי מָצוֹר׃ - I have dug and drunk water, and with the soles of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of the siege.
Chizkiyahu stopped up the springs so that the enemy would have no water to drink during the siege. Sancheriv says to him: Do I need your water? "I have dug and drunk water" - karti is from the language of digging, like "the pit from which you were hewn" (nukartem); whenever I needed it, I dug into the ground and drank. Furthermore, you gathered the water between the city's two walls so that it would serve as an obstacle and an additional barrier delaying me from entering - yet I do not even need to stop up these canals, for "with the soles of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of the siege": merely the soles of my troops' feet, just by marching through with a little clinging to each one's shoes, will dry up your river. This is as Chazal say, that millions came, and the first ranks crossed by swimming while the last already walked on dry riverbed, so vast was the army. That is: I have no concern that you stopped up the springs, for I dig and drink; and I have no concern that you channeled the water between the walls, for with the soles of my feet I will dry up the rivers.
הֲלוֹא־שָׁמַעְתָּ לְמֵרָחוֹק אוֹתָהּ עָשִׂיתִי מִימֵי קֶדֶם וִיצַרְתִּיהָ עַתָּה הֲבֵאתִיהָ וּתְהִי לְהַשְׁאוֹת גַּלִּים נִצִּים עָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת׃ - Have you not heard? From long ago I made it, from days of old I formed it! Now I have brought it to pass, that you should lay waste fortified cities into ruined heaps.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: Why are you haughty? Why do you boast of your power? If you had heard from afar, from the place where you dwell, the words of the prophets who already prophesied about you coming here and everything that would happen with you - you would have known that it was not you who did this, but I, for I brought you here, and it was not through your own might. And not only the completion of the deed - "I have done it" - but also its inception and essence: "and formed it", for I declare the end of a matter from its beginning.
And even as for your success in laying waste to the cities and turning them into heaps - "and you should be to lay waste into ruinous heaps", you desolate the cities and turn them into heaps of ruins - do you think the goal was to destroy them? He says to him: Exactly the opposite. The purpose is "נִצִּים עָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת" - that fortified cities should blossom and sprout. From those very cities that you turned into heaps of ruins, fortified cities will now blossom. Just like a seed planted in the ground that seemingly rots - yet that very decay is the cause of the new life and the fresh flowering that will sprout from it. So Hashem says to him: This is the ultimate purpose. As for your destruction of the cities of Judah - they will be rebuilt in the days of Hezekiah with even greater strength and vigor. And one must distinguish between Jerusalem and Judah: Sennacherib succeeded in destroying Judah, everything in the surrounding area, but he was unable to enter Jerusalem and did not conquer it. Sennacherib took this as proof of his own prowess - but the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: On the contrary, I brought this about, and I announced in advance that it would happen, all so that out of this, fortified cities would flourish.
וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶן קִצְרֵי־יָד חַתּוּ וָבֹשׁוּ הָיוּ עֵשֶׂב שָׂדֶה וִירַק דֶּשֶׁא חֲצִיר גַּגּוֹת וּשְׁדֵמָה לִפְנֵי קָמָה׃ - And their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as a field blighted before the standing grain.
And as for what you saw - that the inhabitants of those cities were powerless and could not fight you, but rather were dismayed and ashamed - this too was not intended to destroy them completely, but rather that they be like the grass of the field, the green herb, and the grass on the rooftops "before the standing grain." For before the grain ripens, wild grasses, green herbs, roof weeds, and other vegetation sprout first; they appear earliest, but wither before the grain even matures. So it is with you: all of your temporary success is like grass that grows for a brief hour, and afterward you will see the field grow and bring forth its harvest. Do not infer from your temporary victory over the cities of Judah that your ultimate end will be successful, for the purpose was that in their place, the generation of Hezekiah would arise - a generation of righteous people, a generation immersed in Torah - and they would replace those whom you cut down. Therefore, do not boast of what you have done.
וְשִׁבְתְּךָ וְצֵאתְךָ וּבוֹאֲךָ יָדָעְתִּי וְאֵת הִתְרַגֶּזְךָ אֵלָי׃ - But I know your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, and your raging against Me.
Do not think that your own hand achieved this valor for you, or that you ascended on high by your own strength. Whether during the time you sat in your house or when you went out and came in to conquer kingdoms - everything was under My providence and within My knowledge. "And your raging against Me" - the blasphemies and taunts with which you raged against Me, these too I knew, and for them you will be punished.
יַעַן הִתְרַגֶּזְךָ אֵלַי וְשַׁאֲנַנְךָ עָלָה בְאָזְנָי וְשַׂמְתִּי חַחִי בְּאַפֶּךָ וּמִתְגִּי בִּשְׂפָתֶיךָ וַהֲשִׁיבֹתִיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בָּאתָ בָּהּ׃ - Because of your raging against Me, and because your arrogance has come up into My ears, I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
Since I listened to how you blasphemed with a loud uproar and great publicity, therefore "I will put My hook in your nose" - I will place a nose-ring in your snout, so that you cannot continue to advance against Jerusalem. "And My bridle in your lips" - a bridle is meant to rein in, as in the verse, "with bit and bridle to hold them in," to rein in your lips so that you can no longer taunt and blaspheme. "And I will turn you back by the way by which you came" - by the very same path you arrived on, I will send you back.
וְזֶה־לְּךָ הָאוֹת אָכוֹל הַשָּׁנָה סָפִיחַ וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית שָׁחִיס וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁלִישִׁית זִרְעוּ וְקִצְרוּ וְנִטְעוּ כְרָמִים וְאִכְלוּ פִרְיָם׃ - And this shall be the sign to you: Eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
Two questions arise: If this is a sign regarding Sennacherib's downfall, how can a sign be given from something that has not happened yet? Furthermore, once Sennacherib falls, why is a sign needed that they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit - isn't it obvious that we will be able to sow and plant as much as we wish, once we are the sole rulers here?
The Malbim explains: Since the prophet compared the destruction of the cities of Judah and their inhabitants to a plant that sprouts and grows after seemingly rotting in the earth, the sign is drawn from this very same concept. Behold, the entire land is desolate, to the point that from the sheer devastation you are forced to eat *safiach* (spontaneous aftergrowth), and in the second year *shachis* (growth from the remnants of the previous year - and across the passages two variations appear, *sachish* and *shachis*), where there is still no orderly cultivated crop. But in the third year, you will already sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit, and the land will be restored to its strength. And what happens to the vegetation of the field will serve as a sign for the Jewish people, fulfilling: "In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and bud, and the face of the world shall be filled with fruit." Just as produce in the soil rots and only then sprouts, so too the downtrodden state of Israel now is in order that afterward they will grow, flourish, and thrive.
וְיָסְפָה פְּלֵיטַת בֵּית־יְהוּדָה הַנִּשְׁאָרָה שֹׁרֶשׁ לְמָטָּה וְעָשָׂה פְרִי לְמָעְלָה׃ - And the surviving remnant of the House of Judah shall again strike root below and produce fruit above.
And this is the proof: those who now seem to be rotting in the ground, those whom you think you have cut down and eliminated - the cities of Judah that Sennacherib destroyed - do not worry; the surviving remnant of Judah will strike root below, the roots will multiply, and through this, "produce fruit above." And then there will be growth in everything: in the fortified cities, in the power of the monarchy, among the populace and the multitudes - all of them will multiply.
כִּי מִירוּשָׁלִַם תֵּצֵא שְׁאֵרִית וּפְלֵיטָה מֵהַר צִיּוֹן קִנְאַת יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה־זֹּאת׃ - For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and survivors from Mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall accomplish this.
"The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall accomplish this" - Rashi explains: Hashem will act out of zeal for His Name, and not because of merit in your hands. We learn from this that the merit of the Patriarchs had ended; so to speak, there was no longer the merit of the Patriarchs, but rather everything comes because the Holy One, Blessed be He, is zealous over the blasphemy against His great Name. And the Malbim explains: "For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant" - this refers to the common folk, the people in Jerusalem who stayed in their place and were not exiled. "And survivors from Mount Zion" - through Mount Zion, where Hezekiah sits in the fortress of Zion, there will be refuge: the exiles who escaped will return to take shelter under Hezekiah's shadow. And all this is because Hashem will be zealous for His Name that was desecrated among the nations, and zealous for His land.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר לֹא יָבוֹא אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְלֹא־יוֹרֶה שָׁם חֵץ וְלֹא־יְקַדְּמֶנָּה מָגֵן וְלֹא־יִשְׁפֹּךְ עָלֶיהָ סֹלְלָה׃ - Therefore thus said the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor advance against it with a shield, nor cast up a siege mound against it.
Four levels: he will not enter; and not only will he not enter, but he will not even shoot an arrow there; and not only that, but he will not advance against it with a shield - for they used to approach with shields so that arrows would not be shot at them from atop the wall; and not only that, but he will not cast up a siege mound - for they would build a high earthen ramp from which it was easier to shoot arrows into the city. And all the more so they will not be able to shoot arrows if there is not even a siege ramp.
בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־בָּא בָּהּ יָשׁוּב וְאֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לֹא יָבוֹא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and into this city he shall not come, declares the Lord.
And why this repetition? The Malbim explains: "By the way that he came, by the same shall he return" - first of all, he will return to his land, since Tirhakah, king of Cush, is waiting for him back home. Furthermore: know that he is destined to return here once again, with all the silver and gold, but even then, "and into this city he shall not come" - even the second time, he will not succeed in harming the city itself.
וְגַנּוֹתִי עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְהוֹשִׁיעָהּ לְמַעֲנִי וּלְמַעַן דָּוִד עַבְדִּי׃ - For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant.
Two reasons for the salvation: "For My own sake" - because of the desecration of Hashem's Name that took place; "and for the sake of David My servant" - for the sake of the Davidic dynasty, which the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not want to be cut off.
וַיֵּצֵא מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה וַיַּכֶּה בְּמַחֲנֵה אַשּׁוּר מֵאָה וּשְׁמֹנִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אָלֶף וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וְהִנֵּה כֻלָּם פְּגָרִים מֵתִים׃ - And an angel of Hashem went out and struck down in the camp of Assyria one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
וַיִּסַּע וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּנִינְוֵה׃ וַיְהִי הוּא מִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה בֵּית נִסְרֹךְ אֱלֹהָיו וְאַדְרַמֶּלֶךְ וְשַׂרְאֶצֶר בָּנָיו הִכֻּהוּ בַחֶרֶב וְהֵמָּה נִמְלְטוּ אֶרֶץ אֲרָרָט וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֵסַר־חַדֹּן בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - So Sancheriv king of Assyria journeyed, went, and returned, and dwelled in Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons struck him down with the sword; and they escaped to the land of Ararat, and Esar-chaddon his son reigned in his place.
Such is Hashem's lovingkindness toward His people Israel; He neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Holy One, blessed be He, sent His angel and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand, and they arose in the morning to find them all dead corpses. Chizkiyahu was asleep in his bed, while the Holy One, blessed be He, fought his battle. The only ones who survived were Sancheriv and his sons, and while he was prostrating himself in the temple of Nisroch his god, his sons Adrammelech and Sarezer killed him and fled to the land of Ararat, and Esar-chaddon his son reigned in his place.
It was taught: The first contingents of the Assyrian army crossed the river by swimming, as it is stated, "And he shall pass through Judah, overflowing and sweeping through"; the middle ones crossed standing upright - the water level had already dropped, and they crossed on foot; the last ones raised dust with their feet, having completely dried up the riverbed, and they found no water left in the river to drink until they brought water from elsewhere and drank, as it is stated, "I dug and drank water." And it is written, "And an angel of Hashem went out and struck down in the camp of Assyria one hundred and eighty-five thousand." Rabbi Abbahu said: These were the heads of their legions - do not think this was the entire army, but merely the troop commanders. Rav Ashi said: This is also indicated by the precise wording of the verse, "and upon his fatness leanness" - meaning among the fattest of them, namely the officers and leaders. Ravina said: This is also precise from the verse, "And Hashem sent an angel who annihilated every mighty warrior, leader, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria, and he returned to the house of his god, and his own offspring felled him there by the sword" - deduce from this that those who were struck down were indeed the legion heads, the "fat ones", the leaders, and the commanders.
And with what did he strike them? Rabbi Eliezer says: He struck them with the hand, as it is stated, "And Israel saw the great hand" - the hand destined to take retribution from Sancheriv. Rabbi Yehoshua says: He struck them with a finger, as it is stated, "The magicians said to Pharaoh, It is the finger of God" - this is the finger destined to take retribution from Sancheriv. Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gabriel, "Is your sickle sharpened?" He replied before Him: "Master of the Universe, it has been sharpened and ready since the six days of Creation, as it is stated, 'They fled from swords.'" Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: That season was the time of ripening fruits. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gabriel: "When you go out to ripen fruits, attend to them as well" - as if to say there was no need to dispatch him on a special mission; he could do it along the way. As it is stated, "As often as it passes through it shall take you; for morning by morning it shall pass through, by day and by night, and it shall be sheer terror to understand the message." Rav Pappa said: This is what people say, "Along your way, show yourself to your adversary" - that while going on your way, pass by your enemy and provoke him; so too here, Gabriel dispatched them incidentally along his way, without a dedicated mission.
And some say: He blew into their nostrils and they died, as it is stated, "He also blows upon them and they wither." Rabbi Yirmeyah bar Abba says: He clapped his hands at them and they died - a clapping of the hands, as it is stated, "I too will strike My hand against My hand, and I will satisfy My fury." Rabbi Yitzchak Nafcha said: He opened their ears, and they heard the song sung by the Chayos, the celestial beings, and died, as it is stated, "At the sound of Your exaltation, nations scattered."
And how many of them were left? Rav said: Ten, as it is stated, "And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few in number, that a child may record them" - how much can a young child write? A little child writes a mere dot, which is the letter Yud, whose numerical value is ten. And Shmuel said: Nine, as it is stated, "Yet gleanings shall be left in it, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries at the topmost branch, four or five on its productive boughs" - four and five make nine. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Fourteen, as it is stated: two, three, plus four and five. And Rabbi Yochanan said: Five - Sancheriv, his two sons, Nevuchadnetzar, and Nevuzaradan. Nevuzaradan - so we have received by tradition. Nevuchadnetzar - as it is written, "and the appearance of the fourth resembles an angel of God." Now, had he not seen an angel before, how would he have known? When he saw Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah in the fiery furnace, he said that there was a fourth with them who resembled an angel of God; if he had never seen an angel, how could he possibly know? Perforce, he had been here with Sancheriv and saw an angel of God, and later, when he saw the fourth figure in the furnace, he said: This reminds me of what I saw back then. As for Sancheriv and his two sons - as it is written, "And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons struck him down with the sword."
Our Sages relate: His sons heard Sancheriv asking what gives the people of Israel their strength, and they told him that they had a forefather who took his son and bound him as an offering to Hashem, blessed be He. He said: "Oh, is that so? In that case, if I am victorious, I will sacrifice my two sons to Hashem; I will slaughter both of them." His sons overheard this and said: "Behold, it says, 'Then you shall do to him as he conspired to do' - before he does this to us, let us do it to him! We will sacrifice him, and that will bring even greater gratification before Him, blessed be He." They went and killed their father while he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god. And what was "Nisroch his god"? An idol made from a plank of Noach's ark; "Nisroch" stems from the root neser, a plank - he possessed a beam from Noach's ark and would go and bow down before it. And there they overheard him declaring his vows to his god, "and Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons struck him down with the sword." So may all Your enemies perish, Hashem, Amen and Amen.
The chapter teaches the dynamic of redemption born out of crisis. Chizkiyahu and his emissaries recognize that the distress has reached its absolute extremity, like a woman upon the birthstool, and precisely in this lies the sign that salvation is imminent - except that there is no "strength to give birth," leaving prayer as the only recourse. Once Sancheriv blasphemes in writing, Chizkiyahu knows that Yeshayahu's prophecy is coming to fruition; he rejects the tempting offer of compromise and ascends to the House of Hashem. Hashem's response is that none of Sancheriv's might is his own: "I have made it from days of old," and the devastation itself is designed to lead to blossoming - "desolating fortified cities into ruinous heaps," like a seed that decays in the soil only to sprout forth. And in the end: one hundred and eighty-five thousand dead corpses in a single night; Chizkiyahu sleeps peacefully upon his bed while Hashem fights his battle, and Sancheriv falls by the sword of his sons in his temple of idolatry - all "for My sake and for the sake of David My servant," through the zeal of Hashem for His desecrated Name.