Chapter 48 of Yeshayahu continues the theme of the preceding chapters: the Holy One, blessed be He, rebukes the people of Israel for their stiff-necked nature, while simultaneously heralding to them the redemption from Babylon through Cyrus. We enter the chapter from its midpoint, from the verse speaking of "you would deal very treacherously," and proceed to its end: why the Holy One, blessed be He, is slow to anger, what the "crucible of affliction" is, why "for My own sake, for My own sake," and what lies behind the secret of the promise, "Go out of Babylon with a voice of singing."
"For I Knew That You Would Deal Very Treacherously" - Two Visions
גַּם לֹא־שָׁמַעְתָּ גַּם לֹא יָדַעְתָּ גַּם מֵאָז לֹא־פִתְּחָה אָזְנֶךָ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי בָּגוֹד תִּבְגּוֹד וּפֹשֵׁעַ מִבֶּטֶן קֹרָא לָךְ׃ - You have neither heard, nor have you known, nor from that time was your ear opened; for I knew that you would deal very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb.
Rashi cites a Midrash here. When the Holy One, blessed be He, descended to rescue Israel from Egypt, it is stated: "I have surely seen (ra'oh ra'iti) the affliction of My people." Chazal ask: Why this double expression? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I see two sights. One sight - "I have seen the affliction of My people," meaning I see their present suffering, the torments inflicted by the Egyptians. And a second sight - "I have seen" the future as well, seeing that you are destined to betray Me, as early as the sin of the Golden Calf. That is to say: I see not only what is occurring now, but also what you are destined to do after I take you to Myself as a nation.
"For My Name's Sake I Will Defer My Anger" - Why Total Destruction Is Averted
לְמַעַן שְׁמִי אַאֲרִיךְ אַפִּי וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם־לָךְ לְבִלְתִּי הַכְרִיתֶךָ׃ - For My Name's sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain Myself for you, so as not to cut you off.
The Malbim explains: There is normally reason to be patient with a sinner - lest he repent. The Holy One, blessed be He, extends patience because there is always a chance that a person will change his ways. But here it says, "and were called a transgressor from the womb," meaning there seems to be no hope that you will repent. Especially since you have witnessed such wondrous miracles, yet even miracles of creation - something from nothing - fail to convince you. According to this, it would have been fitting to destroy you and punish you immediately. Why, then, do I defer My anger? To this comes the resolution: "For My Name's sake." It is not for your sake that I delay the punishment, but because My Name is associated with you, and when Israel suffers, Hashem's Name is desecrated among the nations.
"And for My praise I will restrain Myself (echtom) for you" - the Malbim explains that echtom derives from the word chotem (nostril or nose). The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even when I punish, I do not expend all the fury of My wrath upon you. First, I am patient before punishing, and even when I do punish - "I will restrain Myself for you," holding back part of the anger in the nostrils; a measure of wrath will remain contained, and I will not exhaust all My arrows against them. This aligns with what Chazal taught on the verse "I will spend My arrows upon them" - "My arrows are spent, but they are not spent." That is: I will not bring them to total annihilation, but will see to it that My arrows are exhausted before they are exhausted. The fury will not be absolute fury, and the anger will not be an anger of total destruction, Heaven forbid.
"I Have Chosen You in the Furnace of Affliction" - Poverty Is Fitting for Israel
הִנֵּה צְרַפְתִּיךָ וְלֹא בְכָסֶף בְּחַרְתִּיךָ בְּכוּר עֹנִי׃ - Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
When metal is refined from dross, a relative separation is made between the good and the bad: the superior metal is preserved, while the tin and lead are separated out. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: When I examine your state, there are no completely righteous individuals among you; there is no "silver" in you, everything is akin to dross. Under strict justice, total destruction, absolute fury, and annihilation should have been decreed. Therefore - "Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver." The refining does not take place in a crucible containing silver, but in a crucible of affliction, and in such a crucible what is relatively superior compared to the rest remains. In other words, this standard itself requires leaving a remnant of the Jewish people. Had I refined you in a crucible of silver, everyone would have perished, for compared to silver everyone is considered dross. But in a crucible of affliction, one selects what is good relative to the bad alongside it. This is the meaning of "I have chosen you" - you are the chosen remnant within the furnace of affliction. In simple terms: I will destroy the completely wicked, but not the intermediate ones, for if I were to destroy the intermediate ones as well, nothing would remain of them.
The Radak explains along similar lines: I did not wish to cut you off completely, and therefore "I have refined you, but not with silver" - not like a refiner of silver who removes all the dross until only pure silver remains. Rather, "I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction (oni)," and oni connotes both poverty (aniyut) and affliction or suffering (inui). Had I refined you in a furnace of silver, all the dross would have burned and been consumed completely; therefore, the means to purify you will be through poverty, suffering, tribulations, and subjugation to foreign kingdoms - tribulations such as the bereavement of children and damage to the offspring of livestock and the produce of the soil, as written in the curses of the Torah, all so as not to wipe them out entirely.
It turns out, then, that "poverty is fitting for Israel." When the Jewish people are in poverty, aside from the fact that they do not kick - poverty itself ensures their survival. Had there been no poverty, it would have been necessary to destroy everyone; but since the Holy One, blessed be He, purifies us specifically through poverty, poverty is better than annihilation, poverty is better than destruction.
"For My sake, for My sake I will do it" - Three Reasons for Choosing
לְמַעֲנִי לְמַעֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה כִּי אֵיךְ יֵחָל וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֹא־אֶתֵּן׃ - For My sake, for My sake I will do it, for how could it be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.
The Malbim explains: Sometimes a person chooses someone because of his importance, and will therefore exert effort on his behalf - I chose him for his own sake, because he is important. Sometimes one chooses a person of lesser stature, and why? Because there is a benefit to be gained from him; then the choice stems both from my side (I gain something) and from his side (he is the means to achieve the benefit). And there is a third situation: you choose a lowly person, and you derive no benefit from him whatsoever. This is the worst situation, for he could easily be neglected. Why, then, would you not neglect him? For instance, because he is your relative, and if you neglect him, people will scorn you: "What, you have such a relative and you do not help him?" That is to say, there is no benefit and no importance, and you give only so that you yourself will not be disgraced.
A story is told of a miserly rich man whom collectors approached for charity. He said to them: "What are you talking about? I have a brother who has nothing to eat, and you think I will give to you?" Two weeks later, that very brother came to the charity fund asking for help. They said to him: "What are you talking about? Your brother is very wealthy, and he himself said he has a brother who has nothing to eat. Does he not give to you?" He replied: "Nothing at all, he has never given me a penny." They returned to the rich man and asked: "How could you say that?" He replied: "Did I ever say I give to him? I told you that I have a brother who has nothing to eat and I don't give to him - so will I give to you?" Indeed, sometimes a person gives only out of awkwardness, so that he will not be criticized or put to shame.
This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "For My sake, for My sake I will do it." The first two reasons do not apply here - they are not worthy on their own merits, and I derive no benefit from them; therefore, "for My sake, for My sake" is doubled. And what does remain? "For how could it be profaned?" - I am concerned for the honor of My Name, as Moshe Rabbeinu said, "And what will You do for Your great Name?" "And My glory I will not give to another" - because when Israel is humiliated, battered, and rejected, the names of idols and foreign gods are glorified, for the nations say: Behold, our god has defeated their God, heaven forbid. Everything, therefore, is done solely to prevent the desecration of My Name, and not on their own account.
"I Am the First, and I Am the Last"
שְׁמַע אֵלַי יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל מְקֹרָאִי אֲנִי־הוּא אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹן אַף אֲנִי אַחֲרוֹן׃ - Listen to Me, Yaakov, and Yisrael whom I called; I am He, I am the first, and I am the last.
Rashi explains: "Yaakov" is the name your father called you, whereas "Yisrael" is the name the Holy One, blessed be He, called you, and this is "Yisrael whom I called" - the name that I called you. Radak explains the three expressions as corresponding to the three tenses: "I am He" - in the present, "I am the first" - in the past, "and I am the last" - in the future; He was, He is, and He will be.
The Malbim explains the difference between Yaakov and Yisrael according to his consistent approach: "Yaakov" expresses Israel at a time of lowliness and decline, from the word ekev (heel) and bottom; "Yisrael" expresses them at a time of mastery and elevation. He says to them: "Listen to Me, Yaakov" - on your own merits and in terms of your deeds, you are of lowly stature, but you are "Yisrael whom I called" - your being My people, called by Hashem's Name and chosen by Him, is what grants you the elevated stature of Yisrael; without this, you are merely Yaakov.
Furthermore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: The miracles that I will perform for you in the redemption from Babylon - it is I who did them. There are past miracles that are universally acknowledged as being from Hashem: the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt. When you now witness the miracles of the redemption from Babylon through Cyrus, who will lead Israel out of Babylon to ascend to the Land - know that the One who was "the first" and brought you out of Egypt is "the last" who performs these present miracles as well. Do not think that they occur through the laws of nature, heavenly constellations, or the influence of the stars.
"My Hand Also Founded the Earth" - Heaven and Earth as One
אַף־יָדִי יָסְדָה אֶרֶץ וִימִינִי טִפְּחָה שָׁמָיִם קֹרֵא אֲנִי אֲלֵיהֶם יַעַמְדוּ יַחְדָּו׃ - Indeed, My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; I call to them, they stand together.
I made the earth and the heavens all at once, which is why it says "My hand" and "My right hand": with the left hand I laid the foundations - the earth, and the right hand "spread out the heavens," in a single moment, like a pot and a lid placed together. And now, "I call to them, they stand together" - I summon the heavens and the earth, which I created as one, to hear the question I will ask in the following verse.
The Radak adds: Do not say that I have existed only from the beginning of time; rather, even before time was created, I existed. And when was time created? At the moment primordial matter was created. The Ramban writes that time is dependent on matter: wherever there is matter, there is time; where there is no matter, there is no time. It took eight hundred years until Einstein grasped this and established in the theory of relativity that time depends on the existence of matter. Take a spaceship and fly it at the speed of light - it will transform from mass into energy and will no longer be matter. Therefore, the Ramban says that it is meaningless to ask what the Creator of the world did a thousand years before the creation of the world, for there is no such thing as "a thousand years before the creation of the world," nor even a single second, since before Creation there was no time at all. That is also why Chazal, when they wished to speak of primordial times, used the term "generations" - a concept that is not a ticking clock, but something more internal.
Hence: "My hand founded the earth." The moment the earth and the heavens were created, time was created; and if the hand founded the earth, then the hand preceded the earth, meaning I was here before the clock of time began to tick. "Spread out [tifcha] the heavens" - from the term tefach (a handbreadth), the measure of a hand, as it is said, "and measured the heavens with a span." And notice, says the Radak, that regarding the earth it says simply "My hand" - and wherever "hand" is mentioned without specification, it refers to the left hand, as immediately afterward it transitions to "and My right hand." The earth is the lower realm and therefore associated with the left, whereas the heavens are more exalted, just as the right hand is more honored than the left. Furthermore: the heavens will endure forever, as it is stated, "If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth," and there is another verse expressing that only if the heavens depart from before Me could the seed of Israel cease from being a nation before Me. The heavens were made with the right hand, representing a mighty act, and therefore they will endure forever, whereas the earth was made, as it were, with the weaker hand, and thus it is possible for the earth to perish.
"Assemble, all of you, and hear" - Who has foretold these things?
הִקָּבְצוּ כֻלְּכֶם וּשְׁמָעוּ מִי בָהֶם הִגִּיד אֶת־אֵלֶּה יְהֹוָה אֲהֵבוֹ יַעֲשֶׂה חֶפְצוֹ בְּבָבֶל וּזְרֹעוֹ כַּשְׂדִּים׃ - Assemble, all of you, and hear: Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he will perform His desire upon Babylon, and His arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
According to the Malbim, this is the question the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to ask heaven and earth, both of which were created by Him: "Who among them has declared these things?" - who in heaven or on earth foretold these matters in advance? Which matters? "The Lord loves him; he will perform His desire upon Babylon" - Cyrus, whom Hashem loved, will fulfill Hashem's desire regarding Babylon, namely, he will destroy it. "And His arm shall be on the Chaldeans" - he will act through the power of the Chaldeans; they will serve as My extended arm. Indeed, it was the Chaldeans who, as it were, helped the Holy One, blessed be He, carry out His plan: Belshazzar's own ministers rebelled against him, informed Cyrus, and assisted him in overthrowing Babylon. Thus, neither heaven nor earth foretold this in advance.
"I, even I, have spoken"
אֲנִי אֲנִי דִּבַּרְתִּי אַף־קְרָאתִיו הֲבִאֹתִיו וְהִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכּוֹ׃ - I, even I, have spoken; indeed, I have called him, I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
I am the One Who redeemed Israel from Egypt, and I will also redeem all of Israel from the final exile from the four corners of the earth. "Indeed, I have called him" - I called Cyrus. According to this, "The Lord loves him" in the previous verse refers to Cyrus, whom Hashem loved so that he would fulfill His desire and slay Belshazzar. However, Rashi cites Targum Yonatan that these words refer to Avraham Avinu: "I have spoken, indeed I have called him" - this is Avraham, and "I have called him" means I elevated him, from the expression keru'ei ha-edah ("the notables of the congregation"), which denotes greatness; "I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous" - I made his way successful in spreading faith in the Creator of the world throughout the entire earth.
The Radak explains that the repetition "I, even I" comes to convey: I am He Who was, and I am He Who will be - past and future. And just as I spoke of Cyrus through My prophets, so have I brought him against Babylon and made his way prosperous - exactly as My word was spoken in the past, so have I brought it to fruition. And "I have called him" - I called him by name, as Scripture states that Hashem called His anointed, Cyrus, and mentioned his name explicitly; it is a mark of immense honor and distinction when the Holy One, blessed be He, mentions by name the emissary He wishes to send.
The Malbim details the progression: "I have spoken" in advance that it would be so, "I have called him" to go to battle, "I have brought him" against the royal city itself, and not only that, but "and he shall make his way prosperous" - he prevailed over them and destroyed Babylon. None of these events were dictated by the laws of nature or astrological constellations; rather, I brought them all to pass. If so, how can anyone claim that idols and pagan forces act in the world? After all, I announced this in advance, and I carried it out.
"Draw Near to Me, Hear This" - A Difficult Pasuk
קִרְבוּ אֵלַי שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת לֹא מֵרֹאשׁ בַּסֵּתֶר דִּבַּרְתִּי מֵעֵת הֱיוֹתָהּ שָׁם אָנִי וְעַתָּה אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה שְׁלָחַנִי וְרוּחוֹ׃ - "Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I did not speak in secret; from the time that it came to be, there was I; and now the Lord Hashem has sent me, and His spirit."
This verse is very difficult: its opening appears to be a continuation of the Holy One, blessed be He, speaking from the previous verse, whereas its conclusion - "and now the Lord Hashem has sent me, and His spirit" - is in the words of the prophet. Who, then, is speaking here? The Midrash explains, and Rashi elaborates, that there is a "mixture of statements" here, and "he who stated this did not state that": in part of the words the prophet speaks in the Name of Hashem, and in part he shifts to speak in his own name. The first part is the word of the Omnipresent - "Draw near to Me, hear this: from the beginning I did not speak in secret; from the time that it came to be, there was I" - and then the prophet transitions to speak in his own name: "and now the Lord Hashem has sent me, and His spirit" - all that I am telling you, the Holy One, blessed be He, and His spirit have sent me to declare.
Some explain that these words refer to the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai: "Hear this" refers to the Written Torah, as it is stated, "And this is the Torah"; "from the beginning I did not speak in secret" - for the Giving of the Torah occurred openly before all the nations; "from the time that it came to be" - from the inception of the Torah, "there was I" - for all the prophets already stood there at Mount Sinai, and my soul was already there when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah to His people Israel. The Radak cites additional interpretations in his own name, in the name of the Ibn Ezra, and in the name of his father. Whoever wishes to delve deeper can consult the commentators to see the difficulty and the various resolutions; we will follow the path of the Malbim so as not to become confused.
The Malbim explains: "Draw near to Me, hear this" - it is not the distant heaven and earth speaking to you, but rather you can hear this from me, who am right here beside you, speaking prophecy in the Name of Hashem. Not only am I declaring it now, but "from the beginning I did not speak in secret" - from the very moment this matter began, I publicized and announced it to all, even though I was not commanded to publicize it; the prophecy was not initially given to me to publicize, yet nevertheless "from the time that it came to be, there was I" - from the inception of the matter, when I was there in Babylonia, I did not speak in secret, but openly. Even while in Babylonia, I announced that Babylon would be destroyed and that the Holy One, blessed be He, would bring Cyrus, and I was not afraid to say this publicly. And what has changed now? "And now the Lord Hashem has sent me, and His spirit" - until now I spoke on my own accord, according to my understanding, as "a wise person is superior to a prophet," but now Hashem has dispatched me on an explicit mission to prophesy concerning this, and has sent His spirit with me, and from now on you will hear these words as a direct command from Hashem, may He be blessed.
"Teaching You for Your Benefit" - The Redemption Depends on You
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה גֹּאַלְךָ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מְלַמֶּדְךָ לְהוֹעִיל מַדְרִיכְךָ בְּדֶרֶךְ תֵּלֵךְ׃ - "Thus says Hashem, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Hashem your God, Who teaches you for your benefit, Who leads you in the way you should go."
"Your Redeemer" - from the Babylonian exile through Cyrus. "Teaching you for your benefit" - every day I teach you paths of life, so that you may live in peace and tranquility if you heed the way of Hashem. After all, all exiles and tribulations began as a result of straying from Hashem's path; and I teach you for your benefit - so that good will come to you, so that you will not have to suffer exiles and the yoke of subjugation to foreign kingdoms, so that you would not be exiled to Babylonia and would not even need salvation. "Who leads you in the way you should go" - if you walk in the way I guide you, only benefit will come to you.
The Malbim explains that here the prophet returns to reassure them. As we have seen, they had a fear that this redemption would not last long, and many knew this in advance - which is why only fifty thousand people ascended from the Babylonian exile. Consider this: there were hundreds of thousands who did not return to the Land of Israel. People often attribute this exclusively to the Yemenite Jews, but they were not the only ones who stayed behind; one could say that the vast majority of the diaspora did not return. It is like what people say today: What is the State of Israel? The Jewish state. And where are the majority of Jews? Scattered throughout the world. So it was in their time as well: during the Return to Zion, only fifty thousand returned. Why? Because of the fear of another exile. Indeed, it is recorded that the Yemenite Jews told Ezra that they had a tradition that this was not the final redemption and that another exile was destined to follow, so why go up only to suffer further later on?
We have already learned in the words of the Malbim that the Babylonian redemption, the redemption of Ezra and Nechemiah, was a sort of probationary redemption. Had Israel stood the test, the Messiah would have arrived at the end of the four hundred and twenty years and built an eternal Temple - the Beit HaMikdash would have descended fully built from Heaven, bringing the exile to a permanent end. However, as is well known, the Second Temple was destroyed on account of the sin of baseless hatred and other misdeeds of that era; consequently, they did not pass the test, and another exile was decreed upon them. Yet in truth, it was a testing period after which the ultimate and eternal redemption was meant to follow, and the Malbim discusses this at length in his commentary on the visions of Daniel. Therefore, the prophet comes here and says: You fear that the days of peace will not endure and that you will be exiled a second time - know that this depends on you. If you improve your ways, the trial period will become an eternal redemption.
"If Only You Had Listened to My Commandments"
לוּא הִקְשַׁבְתָּ לְמִצְוֺתָי וַיְהִי כַנָּהָר שְׁלוֹמֶךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ כְּגַלֵּי הַיָּם׃ - "If only you had listened to My commandments, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea."
וַיְהִי כַחוֹל זַרְעֶךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי מֵעֶיךָ כִּמְעֹתָיו לֹא־יִכָּרֵת וְלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵד שְׁמוֹ מִלְּפָנָי׃ - And your seed would have been like the sand, and the issue of your bowels like the grains thereof; his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before Me.
The Radak explains kime'otav as referring to sand pebbles, small stones that resemble a ma'ah (a small coin). Others explain ve-tze'etza'ei me'echa kime'otav as related to me'ayim (innards, what is deep inside): like the innards of the sea - the fish; your offspring would multiply like fish. "His name would not be cut off nor destroyed" refers to your descendants. According to the Radak's approach, the meaning is that even though you did not heed My commandments, I will not cut you off entirely; rather, I will exile you to the land of your enemies and redeem you afterward.
According to the Malbim, however, all of this describes what would have happened had you repented during the Second Temple era, acted righteously, and walked in the way of Hashem: then "your peace would have been like a river" - peace would have flowed endlessly and you would have merited the complete redemption, "and your righteousness like the waves of the sea," and then "your seed would have been like the sand, and the issue of your bowels like its grains." The Malbim distinguishes between "your seed," which refers to the adults, and "offspring," which refers to the young children: the adults would multiply like the sand of the sea, and the young like kime'otav. Regarding kime'otav, he follows the Radak's direction but deepens it: like the innards of the sea, for the sea brings forth countless fish, billions of fish. He also offers another explanation: that me'otav refers to the sand, for fish lay their eggs in the sand at the bottom of the sea, where the eggs develop until fish hatch from them. In his words: "For species of fish are found where the female carries nine million eggs or more in her belly" - consider what vast quantities are being described. Just like this sand in which the fish deposit their young, so too would your offspring multiply.
And what is the difference between "will not be cut off" (*lo yikaret*) and "nor destroyed" (*ve-lo yishamed*)? The Malbim explains: cutting off refers to destroying the entity itself - the nation itself being eradicated, wiped out, leaving nothing behind. Destruction, by contrast, applies to what happens to its essence - for example, if its religion or faith were to be destroyed; this can still be called destruction even if the people physically survive. Therefore, both are stated: it will not be cut off physically, nor will its name be destroyed from before Me - its religion and faith will also endure forever. And because its name will never be cut off from before Me, this tranquility will be an everlasting redemption.
"Go Forth from Babylon" - Departing and Fleeing
צְאוּ מִבָּבֶל בִּרְחוּ מִכַּשְׂדִּים בְּקוֹל רִנָּה הַגִּידוּ הַשְׁמִיעוּ זֹאת הוֹצִיאוּהָ עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ אִמְרוּ גָּאַל יְהֹוָה עַבְדּוֹ יַעֲקֹב׃ - Go forth from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare, proclaim this, utter it to the end of the earth; say: Hashem has redeemed His servant Jacob.
The prophet tells them: Go forth from Babylon with a voice of singing, and do not worry that you might return to exile; if you follow the upright path, you are guaranteed that you will not return to exile, and this will be an everlasting salvation. "Declare, proclaim" represents two stages: declaring (*lehagid*) means telling an individual, whereas proclaiming (*lehashmi'a*) means publicizing openly. Nor should this be done only nearby, but rather "utter it to the end of the earth" - publicize it throughout the entire world. And what will the proclamation be? "Hashem has redeemed His servant Jacob" - the redemption from Babylon will surely arrive. Here again, "Jacob" reflects the lowly state of the Jewish people, in contrast to "Israel," which denotes dominion and royalty.
And what is the difference between "go forth" and "flee"? The Malbim explains: when they departed from Babylon itself, Babylon was still quiet, so it was simply a departure ("go forth"). Along the way, however, once they reached the province of the Chaldeans, sounds of war were already being heard, and when there are sounds of war one does not walk at a leisurely pace but flees - hence, "flee from the Chaldeans." Even so, the prophet tells them that it will all take place with a voice of singing, for you are marching toward redemption, and that should fill you with joy; do not go out in sorrow, but with songs of joy.
"And They Did Not Thirst" - A Figurative Depiction from the Past
וְלֹא צָמְאוּ בָּחֳרָבוֹת הוֹלִיכָם מַיִם מִצּוּר הִזִּיל לָמוֹ וַיִּבְקַע־צוּר וַיָּזֻבוּ מָיִם׃ - And they did not thirst when He led them through the dry places; He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; He cleaved the rock, and the waters gushed out.
In the plain sense of the verse, this sounds like a promise: even though He led them through ruins and parched places, they did not thirst, for He caused water to flow from the rock for them - He brought forth water for them from stone. Yet the Radak raises a difficulty: if these verses refer to the redemption from Babylon, the return in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, why does the Book of Ezra, which details their departure from exile, make no mention of such miracles being performed for them?
The Malbim resolves this: the prophet speaks here in poetic imagery (*melitzah*), recalling the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the Jordan before Israel, where the waters stood upright like a wall, as well as the water that issued from the flinty rock - all events from the Exodus from Egypt. He uses this as an analogy, saying: the Holy One, blessed be He, will redeem you; remember how you were redeemed back then, when He brought forth water for you from a rock and split the sea for you. Could there be any doubt of His power to do so? Just as He acted in the past, so is He destined to redeem you. This is not a literal promise that He would part the sea or bring forth water from a rock on their journey back from Babylon, and thus the Radak's difficulty is resolved, as the prophet is not describing a literal miracle destined to occur in the future.
"There is no peace, said Hashem, to the wicked"
אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר יְהֹוָה לָרְשָׁעִים׃ - "There is no peace, said Hashem, to the wicked."
Who are the wicked? Rashi says: Nevuchadnetzar and his descendants. Radak says: The people of Babylon. And the Malbim explains that this is a conclusion of consolation - you no longer need to fear the Chaldeans, for regarding these wicked people Hashem said, "There is no peace"; peace has been stripped from their territory forever. And Baruch Hashem, we see that there is no peace there to this day: time and again we hear of a car bomb and another hundred killed, of wars there in Babylon, which is modern-day Iraq, and so on. "O daughter of Babylon, who is destined to be devastated, happy is he who repays you... Happy is he who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock" - this prophecy is fulfilled before our very eyes.
In summary: The chapter opens with severe rebuke - "A transgressor from the womb you were called" - and teaches that the delay of punishment is not in our own merit, but rather "for the sake of My Name," and even in times of wrath, "I will curb [My anger] for you" - I will not exhaust all My arrows against you. The refining process is not like the crucible of silver, which would consume everything, but in the crucible of poverty and affliction, through which the survival of the remnant is specifically guaranteed - poverty is fitting for Israel. "For My sake, for My sake I will act," not because of your virtue and not for My own benefit, but to prevent the desecration of Hashem's Name and so that His glory is not given to another. I am the first and I am the last; My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens, and neither the heavens nor the earth foretold the matter of Cyrus - I spoke, I called him, I brought him, and his path succeeded. And from here to consolation: "Who teaches you for your benefit" - everything depends on you; if you would only heed the mitzvos, your peace would be like a river and your offspring like the sand of the sea, neither cut off nor destroyed. "Go out of Babylon with a singing voice" and proclaim to the end of the earth that Hashem has redeemed His servant Yaakov, just as He redeemed in the past through the splitting of the sea and water from the rock. And for the wicked - "There is no peace"; peace has been removed from their border forever. May Hashem redeem us with an eternal redemption speedily.