הָעָם הַהֹלְכִים בַּחֹשֶׁךְ רָאוּ אוֹר גָּדוֹל יֹשְׁבֵי בְּאֶרֶץ צַלְמָוֶת אוֹר נָגַהּ עֲלֵיהֶם

The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; inhabitants of the land of the shadow of death, light shone upon them.

הִרְבִּיתָ הַגּוֹי לוֹ הִגְדַּלְתָּ הַשִּׂמְחָה שָׂמְחוּ לְפָנֶיךָ כְּשִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר כַּאֲשֶׁר יָגִילוּ בְּחַלְּקָם שָׁלָל

You elevated the nation; You increased its joy. Success and fortune do not always bring greater joy, but in this case, they rejoiced before You like during the harvest celebration. In contrast to the time of sowing, which is accompanied by worry and uncertainty, the harvest of the crop is accompanied by joy and song. The harvest is like when they, the nation, would revel in their division of the spoils of war.

כִּי אֶת עֹל סֻבֳּלוֹ וְאֵת מַטֵּה שִׁכְמוֹ שֵׁבֶט הַנֹּגֵשׂ בּוֹ — הַחִתֹּתָ כְּיוֹם מִדְיָן

For those who were to Judah as the yoke of its burden and the bar on its shoulder, treating Judah as a beast of burden, and those who are like the rod that oppresses it, You have broken them like You broke the enemy on the day of Gideon’s victory over Midyan.

כִּי כָל סְאוֹן סֹאֵן בְּרַעַשׁ וְשִׂמְלָה מְגוֹלָלָה בְדָמִים וְהָיְתָה לִשְׂרֵפָה מַאֲכֹלֶת אֵשׁ

For every boot [se’on] stamps noisily, and a person’s upper garment is rolled, covered, in the blood of war, and it will become a conflagration, fuel for a fire. The victors will burn all their battle gear that will be unfit for further use.

כִּי יֶלֶד יֻלַּד לָנוּ בֵּן נִתַּן לָנוּ וַתְּהִי הַמִּשְׂרָה עַל שִׁכְמוֹ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר אֲבִיעַד שַׂר שָׁלוֹם

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and the authority will be placed on his shoulders. This may refer to yet another auspiciously named son who would be born to Isaiah, or it may refer to a son who would be born to the royal family. Alternatively, this prophecy may apply to the distant future. He will call his name a long string of honorific titles befitting a great leader and hero: Wondrous Advisor, Mighty One, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

לְםַרְבֵּה הַמִּשְׂרָה וּלְשָׁלוֹם אֵין קֵץ עַל כִּסֵּא דָוִד וְעַל מַמְלַכְתּוֹ לְהָכִין אֹתָהּ וּלְסַעֲדָהּ בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבִצְדָקָה מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם קִנְאַת ה' צְבָאוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה זֹּאת

His task will be to make potent the authority of his office and for there to be unending peace when a new king sits on the throne of David and in his kingdom, to establish it, the kingdom, and to support it with justice and with righteousness from now and forever; the zealotry of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this, as He will exact revenge from those who demean Zion.

דָּבָר שָׁלַח אֲדֹנָי בְּיַעֲקֹב וְנָפַל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

This is a prophecy that was more pertinent to Isaiah’s era: The Lord sent a word of prophecy in Jacob, and it was received and became known in Israel.

וְיָדְעוּ הָעָם כֻּלּוֹ אֶפְרַיִם וְיוֹשֵׁב שֹׁמְרוֹן בְּגַאֲוָה וּבְגֹדֶל לֵבָב לֵאמֹר

The entire people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say with pride and with arrogance of heart:

לְבֵנִים נָפָלוּ — גָזִית נִבְנֶה שִׁקְמִים גֻּדָּעוּ ו— אֲרָזִים נַחֲלִיף

Structures made of bricks have fallen and yet we will build new houses with hewn stone; sycamores, which were relatively cheap, have been felled and we will replace them with cedars.

וַיְשַׂגֵּב ה' אֶת צָרֵי רְצִין עָלָיו וְאֶת אֹיְבָיו יְסַכְסֵךְ

The Lord elevated and strengthened the adversaries of Retzin over him, and He will rouse his, Retzin’s, enemies against him. Alternatively, this latter phrase means that God will rouse Israel’s enemies against Israel. The Kingdom of Israel relied on Retzin’s aid to stand up to its enemies, but Retzin would be occupied with his own enemies and unable to send aid to Israel.

אֲרָם מִקֶּדֶם וּפְלִשְׁתִּים מֵאָחוֹר וַיֹּאכְלוּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל פֶּה בְכָל זֹאת לֹא שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה

Aram came from the north-east, and the Philistines came from the west, and they consumed Israel with each mouth. Nevertheless, His wrath is not withdrawn, and His hand is still outstretched to smite them. The calamities and defeats have not ended.

וְהָעָם לֹא שָׁב עַד הַמַּכֵּהוּ אֶת ה' צְבָאוֹת לֹא דָרָשׁוּ

But the people of Israel did not respond appropriately to what befell them: They did not return to the One who smites them, and they did not seek the Lord of hosts. They should have considered that these were not chance occurrences, but acts of divine providence, and that it was God who smote them so that they should repent.

וַיַּכְרֵת ה' מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל רֹאשׁ וְזָנָב כִּפָּה וְאַגְמוֹן יוֹם אֶחָד

The Lord eliminated both the head, the leaders, and the tail, the common people, compared to the treetop and bulrush, respectively, from Israel. They will all perish in one day.

זָקֵן וּנְשׂוּא פָנִים הוּא הָרֹאשׁ וְנָבִיא מוֹרֶה שֶּׁקֶר הוּא הַזָּנָב

The prophet explains the metaphors: The elder and esteemed, he is the head, and a prophet teaching falsehood, he is the tail. Both the sages, the leaders of the people, and the false prophets will perish.

וַיִּהְיוּ מְאַשְּׁרֵי הָעָם הַזֶּה — מַתְעִים וּמְאֻשָּׁרָיו מְבֻלָּעִים

The leaders of this people, who are supposed to guide them on the right and true path, mislead, and those whom they lead are confused and corrupted.

עַל כֵּן עַל בַּחוּרָיו לֹא יִשְׂמַח אֲדֹנָי וְאֶת יְתֹמָיו וְאֶת אַלְמְנֹתָיו לֹא יְרַחֵם כִּי כֻלּוֹ חָנֵף וּמֵרַע וְכָל פֶּה דֹּבֵר נְבָלָה בְּכָל זֹאת לֹא שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה

Therefore, the Lord will not rejoice over their young men; rather, He will punish them, and He will not pity their orphans and their widows, as it is all hypocrisy and evildoing, and every mouth speaks depravity. The calamities that will befall Israel and Judah will come as punishment for their sins. Nevertheless, His wrath is not withdrawn and His hand is still outstretched, as the people do not take these matters to heart.

כִּי בָעֲרָה כָאֵשׁ רִשְׁעָה שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת תֹּאכֵל וַתִּצַּת בְּסִבְכֵי הַיַּעַר וַיִּתְאַבְּכוּ גֵּאוּת עָשָׁן

For wickedness burns like a destructive fire: It first consumes thorn and thistle, but subsequently it ignites the thickets of the forest, and ultimately they will all be burned and rise in a column of smoke.

בְּעֶבְרַת ה' צְבָאוֹת נֶעְתַּם אָרֶץ וַיְהִי הָעָם כְּמַאֲכֹלֶת אֵשׁ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו לֹא יַחְמֹלוּ

In the anger of the Lord of hosts, the land is displaced, the people are as the fuel of fire; no one will have compassion for his brother.

וַיִּגְזֹר עַל יָמִין — וְרָעֵב וַיֹּאכַל עַל שְׂמֹאול — וְלֹא שָׂבֵעוּ אִישׁ בְּשַׂר זְרֹעוֹ יֹאכֵלוּ

One snatches and devours people on the right, and still he is hungry; one eats on the left, but even when the people smite each other left and right and devour each other, they are still not sated. Ultimately, each man will eat the flesh of his own arm.

מְנַשֶּׁה אֶת אֶפְרַיִם וְאֶפְרַיִם אֶת מְנַשֶּׁה יַחְדָּו הֵמָּה עַל יְהוּדָה בְּכָל זֹאת לֹא שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה

Concerning the political situation, Manasseh is against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh; together, they are against Judah. Even before the king of Assyria invaded the land, it was mired in strife and internal battles. The kingdom of Samaria was swiftly falling into decline, and Judah was punished together with it. People felt that their actions were improper but they continued in their ways. Nevertheless, His wrath is not withdrawn and His hand is still outstretched. God has not finished reckoning with them.