Introduction: Between Trust in Hashem and Trust in Egypt's Horses
Chapter 31 in Yeshayahu continues the prophet's rebuke against those who went down to Egypt to seek help against Assyria. The prophet contrasts two camps: those who relied on chariots, horses, and flesh and blood, versus those who trusted in the Holy One of Israel. The first part of the chapter delivers this rebuke, while the second part presents a magnificent depiction of Hashem's protection over Jerusalem - both an earthly defense and a heavenly defense - culminating in the fall of Assyria by a sword neither of man nor mortal.
Pasuk 1: "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help"
הוֹי הַיֹּרְדִים מִצְרַיִם לְעֶזְרָה עַל־סוּסִים יִשָּׁעֵנוּ וַיִּבְטְחוּ עַל־רֶכֶב כִּי רָב וְעַל פָּרָשִׁים כִּי־עָצְמוּ מְאֹד וְלֹא שָׁעוּ עַל־קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת־ה' לֹא דָרָשׁוּ׃ - Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor do they seek Hashem.
Rashi explains that this verse refers to the Ten Tribes who went down to Egypt to seek help. They sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, as related in Melachim II chapter 17, and went to import horses from there - which, as previously explained, were swift runners. "And rely on horses" - they did not rely on the Holy One of Israel, unlike Chizkiyahu, of whom it is written, "He trusted in Hashem, the God of Israel" and rebelled against the king of Assyria. They said: We have our own imports, horses from Egypt, and they will save us - "nor do they seek Hashem."
The Malbim explains the verse through parallel clauses: the verse is divided into four parts, where part one corresponds to part three, and part two corresponds to part four. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help" corresponds to "but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel" - instead of turning toward the Holy One of Israel, you went to seek help from Egypt. "And trust in chariots because they are many" corresponds to "nor do they seek Hashem" - they place their trust in horse and chariot, and do not trust in Hashem's power and heavenly assistance.
Permitted Hishtadlus - For One Who Is Not on an Exalted Level
The Malbim explains: At times, a person trusts in Hashem, yet he tells himself that one must not rely on miracles, and therefore he must pursue physical, natural solutions so that salvation may arrive through natural means. We find this with King David: it is not written that he would lie at home and sleep; rather, he would prepare an army and go out to battle, while simultaneously praying, "I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them, and did not turn back until they were consumed." The battle and salvation belong to Hashem, yet he still made natural efforts (hishtadlus). For one who acts this way, it cannot be said that he has sinned or erred, for this is how the Holy One, Blessed be He, conducts His world according to nature. One need only realize, ultimately, that "a horse is a false hope for safety," that salvation belongs to Hashem, and that He is the One who fights the battles - not that "I accomplished it." This is the requisite faith, and it does not preclude preparing an army and going out to wage war.
Yet there is a distinction. A person who knows that physical means are from Hashem, and understands that effort is also necessary - for him this is natural, and he will not be held accountable for it. However, someone who is already accustomed to open miracles, to whom Hashem has shown that he needs nothing, who sits in his home and Hashem delivers him - why would he suddenly decide at a certain point to rise up and fight? If Hashem has saved you until today without any effort on your part, then starting to make physical efforts today constitutes, for you, a decline in trust (bitachon).
An Insight: Yosef and the Chief Butler
This sheds light on the verse, "Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem," contrasted with "Cursed is the man who makes flesh his arm." The verse also says, "Blessed is the man who makes Hashem his trust... and does not turn to the arrogant and strayers after falsehood." Chazal teach: "Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem" - this is Yosef; yet "and does not turn to the arrogant and strayers after falsehood" - this also refers to Yosef, who turned to the arrogant when he said to the chief butler, "Remember me and mention me." On the surface, this appears to be a direct contradiction: at one moment it states that Yosef trusts in Hashem, and at the next that he turned to the arrogant. Which is it - does Yosef trust in Hashem, or does he turn to the arrogant?
Rather, that is precisely the point. Had Yosef been an ordinary person, his appeal to the chief butler would not have been defined as having turned to the arrogant, but rather as standard hishtadlus that every person is expected to undertake - acting through natural channels. But since this was Yosef, "Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem," whose level of bitachon was extraordinarily elevated, turning to the chief butler was not considered a routine effort, but a failure of "turning to the arrogant and strayers after falsehood." At your lofty level, having seen how until now the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivered you from every plight and was continually with you - why turn to the chief butler? For you, this was held against you as a deficiency.
The Holy One of Israel - Individual Divine Providence; "And Hashem" - General Guidance
This is what the Malbim explains here as being reckoned to them as a sin. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt" to seek help, "and rely on horses" - relying on horses as the natural means through which they will triumph in battle, and for this comes the grievance: "and they have not turned to the Holy One of Israel." The Malbim explains that the expression "the Holy One of Israel" always comes to convey the dimension of individual Divine Providence (hashgachah pratit) through which the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over His people. Rely upon the individual providence of Hashem! Then there is another side: where a person relies on natural means yet does not remove his trust from Hashem, and the physical means are only due to the need to act according to nature.
To this he adds, "and they did not seek Hashem." If it were only as an addition - both trusting in Hashem and making natural effort (hishtadlut) - that would be acceptable. But you have completely removed your trust from Hashem. And that itself is a great sin: if you go and take physical actions because you act according to the laws of nature, and such is the will of Hashem that you act, why do you not also mention the Holy One, blessed be He? If you believed in Hashem, you would pray to Him while also acting according to nature, and that is legitimate (unless you are on a higher spiritual plane, as we noted). But the moment that "they did not seek Hashem" - that is the grievance.
Therefore he adds: "and trust in chariots because they are numerous" - why do you place your trust? Not because Hashem is with me, but because I have many chariots. "And upon horsemen because they are very strong" - "strong" (atzmu) speaks of quality rather than quantity: the chariots are numerous, and the horsemen are powerful. One who glorifies the might of an army is essentially saying: with this might I will be victorious; "my strength and the might of my hand." Therefore, "and they did not seek Hashem" - which represents general governance - and furthermore "and they have not turned to the Holy One of Israel," which is individual providence. Not only do they act as if there is no individual providence, but they act as if there is no general providence either, having placed no trust in Hashem whatsoever, but solely in the power of chariots, horsemen, and horses.
Verse 2: "Yet He too is wise"
וְגַם־הוּא חָכָם וַיָּבֵא רָע וְאֶת־דְּבָרָיו לֹא הֵסִיר וְקָם עַל־בֵּית מְרֵעִים וְעַל־עֶזְרַת פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן׃ - Yet He too is wise, and brings evil, and does not take back His words; He will rise up against the house of evildoers, and against the help of the workers of iniquity.
Do you think to devise stratagems against Hashem's decree upon you? "Yet He too is wise" - the Holy One, blessed be He, is wiser than you in carrying out His decree. Do you think you can outsmart Hashem, blessed be He? And not only that, but "and brings evil" and "does not take back His words" - the decrees He has ordained, He will execute. "He will rise up against the house of evildoers" - these are the tribe of Ephraim, the Ten Tribes who were evil and sinful, and were exiled. And as for your thought to overcome hardships through the aid of the king of Egypt, with horses and chariots - "and against the help of the workers of iniquity": the Egyptians, from whom you expect to receive help, are in truth workers of iniquity and purveyors of falsehood. And we have already seen in earlier verses that Egypt never helped anyone who relied upon them, and therefore they are a broken reed of a staff; everyone who leaned on them in the past ultimately suffered defeat.
A Broken Reed - In Our Days as Well
Unfortunately, in our generation as well, people failed to understand this and leaned upon Egypt. The Americans leaned on Egypt, and we leaned on Egypt, thinking we had an agreement, and we had this and we had that, and suddenly it became clear that we had no brothers, only the "Muslim Brotherhood." People said: this is the most stable country in the Middle East, there is an iron rule there. Three days before the regime collapsed, the Head of Military Intelligence assessed that Mubarak was not going to fall. Woe to us from the assessments of those who draw massive salaries. That same person can assess that so-and-so does not yet have a nuclear bomb, and that Hezbollah is afraid to attack us - what do they have to do with reality? "He Who sits in heaven laughs, Hashem scorns them." Where are all the experts and analysts? Who would have thought two years ago of this entire Arab revolution? Until a few months ago, they were certain that the Middle East was heading toward democracy, that there would be elections, that there would be a "New Middle East," a window of opportunity. What foolishness, how little they comprehend the Arab mindset.
The Holy One, blessed be He, is bringing everything here toward an upheaval. After all, it is written that there will be a war between Edom and Yishmael in Jerusalem, and Edom will strike Yishmael. If so, we are heading toward this. What do you think, that they are turning into poodles? They are turning into Rottweilers, for this war is looming at the doorstep. And the ones sleeping are us - we need to wake up and do teshuvah. All these revolutions convey a message to us: things are heating up. The Gedolei Yisrael already speak explicitly that we are in the footsteps of Mashiach (ikvata deMeshicha), and all the events all around us, and all the division and incitement from within - it is clear that this is heading toward an explosion, may Hashem protect us. This should awaken us to repent and realize that time is short, and we cannot continue doing what we have done until now.
And this is the rebuke: "Yet He too is wise" - will you attempt to outsmart Hashem? You have helpers and supporters, but upon whom? "Upon the help of the workers of iniquity," those who to this day have done only evil. And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed to undo the counsel of Ephraim, so He will decree to undo the counsel of Egypt, and you will see that those upon whom you relied are a broken reed of a staff upon which it is impossible to lean.
Verse 3: "Now Egypt is man and not God"
וּמִצְרַיִם אָדָם וְלֹא־אֵל וְסוּסֵיהֶם בָּשָׂר וְלֹא־רוּחַ וַה' יַטֶּה יָדוֹ וְכָשַׁל עוֹזֵר וְנָפַל עָזֻר וְיַחְדָּו כֻּלָּם יִכְלָיוּן׃ - Now Egypt is man and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; when Hashem stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble and the one helped will fall, and together they will all perish.
The prophet tells them: You are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, Who is a supreme spiritual power without equal, and His weapons are "angels of spirit that carry out His word." If you wish to fight against Hashem's decree and undo His word, it would have to be - to use children's parlance - "a fair match," yet here there is no match whatsoever. With whom are you fighting against the Holy One, blessed be He? With Egypt, who are mere flesh and blood? You would need the power of a god, or at least bring some other deity - but there is none besides Him. "Now Egypt is man and not God." And against the angels of spirit, who are the army of the Holy One, blessed be He, what are you deploying? "And their horses are flesh and not spirit" - horses of flesh against angels of spirit?
"When Hashem stretches out His hand" - Rashi explains: when the Holy One, blessed be He, supports something in His hand, as it were, it is enough for Him to tilt His hand just slightly, and everything slips and falls. Consequently, "the helper will stumble" - that is Egypt, "and the one helped will fall" - that is the people of Israel, "and together they will all perish" - in a single moment, they are all wiped out. If so, how foolishly you acted to trust that Egypt would help you - against whom? Against the Holy One, blessed be He!
Verse 4: The Power of One Who Trusts in Hashem - The Lion Crouching Over Its Prey
כִּי כֹה אָמַר־ה' אֵלַי כַּאֲשֶׁר יֶהְגֶּה הָאַרְיֵה וְהַכְּפִיר עַל־טַרְפּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יִקָּרֵא עָלָיו מְלֹא רֹעִים מִקּוֹלָם לֹא יֵחָת וּמֵהֲמוֹנָם לֹא יַעֲנֶה כֵּן יֵרֵד ה' צְבָאוֹת לִצְבֹּא עַל־הַר־צִיּוֹן וְעַל־גִּבְעָתָהּ׃ - For so has Hashem said to me: Just as the lion and the young lion growl over their prey, against whom a full band of shepherds is called out, yet he is not terrified by their voice nor subdued by their multitude, so will Hashem of Hosts descend to wage war upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.
Now the prophet comes to describe the tremendous power of one who trusts in Hashem, and the salvation of the people of Jerusalem - a salvation from Hashem in two respects: both from the physical aspect here on earth, and from the spiritual aspect up above in Heaven. First, he speaks of the earthly protection. When Chizkiyahu prepared for the arrival of Sancheriv - though one can hardly call it "preparing," since he did nothing other than climb into bed and go to sleep - he was tranquil and serene without any fear. Sancheriv besieged Jerusalem and spoke boastful words, claiming that within a few strides he would wipe out everyone, yet Chizkiyahu was not alarmed: he trusted in Hashem and did nothing.
The Holy One, blessed be He, Who dwells in Jerusalem, is like a lion and a young lion crouching over its prey. When a lion has preyed upon a deer and crouches over it, who can stand against him? Who would come to take it from him? Does he have any fears? Any worries? Does he look over his shoulder? He fears no one. "Against whom a full band of shepherds is called out" - even if a whole gathering of shepherds rallies against him, he will not budge from his place. "Yet he is not terrified by their voice" - from all the noise they make to frighten him, he is neither alarmed nor broken. "Nor subdued by their multitude" - to surrender simply because they come in vast crowds and large numbers does not phase him at all.
And what is the meaning of "yehgeh"? In his Biur HaMilim, the Malbim explains that the root *h-g-h* indicates either emitting a sound from the mouth, inner thought, or a low voice ("he meditated in his thought," "he conceived an idea"). Usually, we find this expression applied to a dove, but not to a lion - nowhere else in Tanach is "yehgeh" used regarding a lion. Therefore, he explains that here "yehgeh" refers to what the lion is thinking to himself: as he sits over his prey, he reflects in his heart - even if shepherds come here, even if they try to frighten me, and even if they shout and arrive in large numbers, who will dare come close?
"So will Hashem of Hosts descend to wage war upon Mount Zion and upon its hill" - so the Holy One, blessed be He, descends to earth, as it were, to protect Mount Zion and Jerusalem. They sit securely, like a lion that has no fear and does not budge from its place, without preparing an army and without arranging anyone to defend against Sancheriv, for the Holy One, blessed be He, is present right here, as it were, descending to deploy as an army upon the mountain and upon "its hill" - its hill being the Temple Mount. This is the earthly protection.
Verse 5: "Like Flying Birds" - Protection from Heaven
כְּצִפֳּרִים עָפוֹת כֵּן יָגֵן ה' צְבָאוֹת עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם גָּנוֹן וְהִצִּיל פָּסֹחַ וְהִמְלִיט׃ - Like flying birds, so will Hashem of Hosts shield Jerusalem; shielding and delivering, sparing and rescuing.
The Radak cites in the name of his father that the flying birds are a metaphor for the angel of Hashem who came and struck the camp of Assyria, for the angel is like a flying bird: Hashem will send angels resembling birds, who will fly swiftly to protect and create a barrier against the army of Sancheriv.
The Malbim explains: when someone seeks to rob a bird's nest, it flies swiftly to guard the nest and rescue it. In this way, Hashem will protect Jerusalem - He will fly, as it were, upon the heights of the clouds to rescue His nest, the people of Israel: "Even a bird has found a home, and a swallow a nest for herself" (Tehillim 84:4). Just like a bird that flies in a single moment to rescue its nest, so too the Holy One, Blessed be He, will come in a single moment to rescue the people of Israel. And this salvation has two aspects: "defending and delivering" (*ganon vehitzil*) - in the sense of protection, that He will shield and protect so that the enemy cannot approach the nest; and also "passing over and rescuing" (*pasoach vehimlit*) - He skipped and leaped over the enemy camp, rescuing the spoils from their hands.
For we all remember what we learned in Sefer Melachim: Sancheriv arrived here after fighting Tirhakah king of Cush. He laid siege, was told that there was a battle in his own land, abandoned everything and went off to fight, saying: Do not think I have left; I am still coming back. He went, fought, took vast spoils, and returned here. And why did the Holy One, Blessed be He, orchestrate things this way? So they would not come empty-handed - "They shall not appear before Me empty-handed"! If they are coming anyway, let something remain behind. He brought all the spoils from Cush, and an angel of Hashem came and smote them all, leaving all the spoils right here. Thus, it was not only "defending and delivering" - rescuing us from his hand - but also "passing over and rescuing", leaping, as it were, over the enemy camp and wrenching from his grasp all the spoils he held.
Thus, even though down on earth no natural preparations were made - Chizkiyahu went to sleep, did not sharpen swords, did not muster his army, did nothing at all - the Holy One, Blessed be He, guarded him from an earthly standpoint, "as the lion and the young lion growl over their prey"; and on the other hand, from heaven as well, just like "the stars fought against Sisera": from heaven I help and shield, preventing any situation where he could harm you, through Hashem sending His angels who do His bidding, "like hovering birds", supernatural and beyond nature.
Furthermore, there appears to be an allusion here: when did the salvation of Chizkiyahu and the people of Jerusalem take place? On Pesach. And this is hinted at in the verse: "Defending and delivering, passing over (*pasoach*) and rescuing" - *pasoach* shares the root of Pesach: when will Hashem rescue us from his hand? When they offer the Pesach sacrifices, that is when the salvation from Sancheriv will occur.
Verse 6: "Return to Him against Whom You Deeply Rebelled"
שdefenceוּבוּ לַאֲשֶׁר הֶעְמִיקוּ סָרָה בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Return to Him from Whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.
The prophet tells them: now that you see that all salvation comes from Him, Blessed be He, why are you relying on Egypt? Egypt is merely physical aid and assistance with no real substance, "a man and not God", "their horses are flesh and not spirit", and in a single moment Hashem will stretch out His hand, "both he that helps shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall perish together." Would it not be far better for you to rely on the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who protects both with supreme spiritual protection and with earthly defense? And since you see that Hashem is the protector, the helper, and the savior - it naturally follows: "Return to Him from Whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted."
*Sarah* (with a *samech*) means that you have gone deep in turning away (*lasur*) from Him, Blessed be He - you turned away from the way of Hashem and went deeply along that path. And why does it call this "deepened" (*he'emiku*)? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, is on high, and whoever turns away from Him goes down. Therefore, one who drifts further and further away is described as going deeper. This is also how we speak of a person who drifts away from Torah and mitzvot: he is declining, going down, dropping spiritually - because to reach Hashem, Blessed be He, one must ascend. And one who has deepened his distance has descended very deep. He says to them: return to Him, and through this you will have salvation - and Hashem will protect you like a guarding lion and young lion, and like hovering birds defending Jerusalem.
Verse 7: "Every Man Shall Despise His Idols of Silver"
כִּי בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִמְאָסוּן אִישׁ אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ וֶאֱלִילֵי זְהָבוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לָכֶם יְדֵיכֶם חֵטְא׃ - For on that day every man shall despise his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made for you as a sin.
"On that day" - on the day Hashem strikes the camp of Assyria, says the Radak, when they see that the camp of Assyria falls not by the sword but by the hand of Hashem, Blessed be He, every man will naturally despise his idols of silver. He will look at the idols he bought with silver, or that were plated with silver, and realize that they are vanity and utterly useless, and that there is none beside Him. "And his idols of gold" - even the superior idols, in which they invested gold or fashioned entirely out of gold. "Which your own hands have made for you" - then you will understand: what is this idol? Folly and vanity; you made it with your own hands, and you think it will save you? If so, anyone who holds such an idol has a "sin" (*chet*), a deficiency in his hand. And then you will understand that salvation is from Hashem, for when Chizkiyahu and his faction trusted in Hashem, He shielded them, delivered them, and saved them.
Verse 8: "By a Sword Not of Man" and "A Sword of No Mortal"
וְנָפַל אַשּׁוּר בְּחֶרֶב לֹא־אִישׁ וְחֶרֶב לֹא־אָדָם תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ וְנָס לוֹ מִפְּנֵי־חֶרֶב וּבַחוּרָיו לָמַס יִהְיוּ׃ - And Assyria shall fall by the sword of no man, and a sword of no human shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his chosen youths shall become tributary.
Radak explains that an angel is neither an ish nor an adam, and therefore Assyria fell "by the sword of no ish" and "a sword of no adam." But as we frequently find, the Malbim explains that there are no redundancies in Scripture: "no ish" conveys one meaning, and "no adam" conveys another; had they meant the exact same thing, Scripture would not have repeated it. Furthermore, at first the verse says, "And Assyria shall fall by the sword of no ish," whereas regarding "a sword of no adam," it does not say "shall fall" but "shall devour him" - here the verse is already speaking of devouring and total destruction.
The Malbim introduces a fundamental principle: the word ish derives from yeish (existence), encompassing every existing being in the world, and even an angel is called an ish, as it says, "and the man (ish) Gabriel" - an explicit verse in Daniel that we have already studied; and similarly, "And a man (ish) found him wandering in the field" - and who was that man? Gabriel. It follows that when Scripture writes "by the sword of no ish," it means neither a human being nor even an angel. In contrast, "a sword of no adam" means: not a human being, but an angel, yes.
According to this: "And Assyria shall fall by the sword of no ish" - neither by human nor by angel, but solely by Hashem Blessed is He Himself. And what is meant by "and a sword of no adam shall devour him"? The Malbim explains: sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, causes an enemy to fall, and then the soldiers turn to strip the slain - that is, after the enemy collapses, the army begins to pursue and strike. The onset of the defeat is that the enemy flees and ceases attacking, and then we enter the picture and strike them down. In such a case, the sword devouring the enemy is the sword of an adam (a human being), even though the initial downfall itself was wrought by the hand of Hashem. That is, the collapse was by Hashem, but we deliver the finishing touches - and we have seen many examples of this in the wars of Israel, where the Holy One, blessed be He, caused the enemies to fall before them, and the people pursued and destroyed them with the sword.
Here, however, the prophet states: the Assyrian army was slain by an angel of Hashem, and not by the sword of man. At the outset, who caused its downfall? "By the sword of no ish" - not even an angel struck it down, for the initial collapse was brought about by Hashem Himself. And could the finish have been carried out by us? To this he says: even the conclusion was not by your hand, and therefore "a sword of no adam shall devour him" - even the "devouring," which is the complete annihilation and not merely the defeat, was executed by the sword of the angel. "And he shall flee from the sword" - in the wake of the danger, he was forced to flee and escape; "and his chosen youths shall become tributary" - not only did he flee, but he was subsequently compelled to pay tribute to the people of Israel.
Verse 9: "And his rock shall pass away from terror"
וְסַלְעוֹ מִמָּגוֹר יַעֲבוֹר וְחַתּוּ מִנֵּס שָׂרָיו נְאֻם־ה' אֲשֶׁר־אוּר לוֹ בְּצִיּוֹן וְתַנּוּר לוֹ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And his rock shall pass away from terror, and his princes shall be shattered by the banner, says Hashem, Whose fire is in Zion and Whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Rashi explains: "His rock" refers to his strength; "from terror" (mimagor) means from fear, as in "terror all around (magor misaviv)" and "You shall not fear (lo taguru) any man." The root lagur denotes fear, and it seems related also to the concept of le'egor (to gather in or contract), for a person who is afraid shrinks and withdraws into himself. "You shall not fear (lo taguru) any man" means: do not withdraw your words on account of any man; a litigant comes in shouting, and the judge immediately pulls back his words, closes up, and refrains from speaking out of fear of the reaction. And when a person is afraid, he retreats indoors and shuts his house, which may also connect to lagur in the sense of dwelling inside. In any case, here it denotes fear: the enemy's strength had been solid as a rock, yet "it shall pass away from terror" - out of fear it will melt away. "And his princes shall be shattered by the banner (nes)" - on account of the miracles (nissim) that Hashem will perform for Israel, his princes and nobles will be broken. "Says Hashem, Whose fire is in Zion" - the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a fire in Zion, a place where He will burn them, "and Whose furnace is in Jerusalem."
The Malbim explains: "And his rock" - his rock, his stronghold, melted away from terror; he who had been supremely confident melted from fear and dread. "Shall pass away (ya'avor)" - as if a saw (massor) had passed through it, the tool used for cutting, as though sawing through it and crumbling it to pieces. "And his princes shall be shattered by the banner" - until now, they were the ones who raised the standard of rebellion and war, for a nes is a raised banner, as we have already discussed. In illustrations, one always sees armies marching into battle with a great standard carried before them - this was the signal of war, accompanied by battle cries and the rallying of troops to fight. Now, the moment he merely sees the enemy raise the battle banner, he is immediately shattered: "and his princes shall be shattered by the banner."
"Says Hashem, Whose fire is in Zion" - the people of Israel possessed light (or), and that very light that shone for Chizkiyahu turned into a consuming fire (ur) to burn Sancheiriv, and into a blazing furnace. The very fire with which you sought to burn the people of Israel will become a furnace in which Sancheiriv himself is consumed, and the camp of Sancheiriv encamped around Jerusalem was burned. May Hashem perform miracles for us just as He performed for Chizkiyahu and his company, Amen and Amen.
In summary:
The chapter sharply contrasts those who went down to Egypt for help - who leaned on chariots and horses and completely abandoned their trust in Hashem ("they did not gaze upon the Holy One of Israel" regarding individual providence; "and they did not seek Hashem" regarding His general cosmic governance) - with Chizkiyahu, who placed his complete trust in Hashem and took no physical action. Natural effort is permissible and even appropriate, but for someone on an exalted level of bitachon, relying upon it is counted as a shortcoming, as seen with Yosef and the chief cupbearer. Egypt is "man and not God," and their horses are "flesh and not spirit"; Hashem need only extend His hand, and the helper stumbles and the helped collapses. In contrast, the Holy One, blessed be He, protects Jerusalem on two fronts: on earth, like a lion crouching over its prey, undeterred by the shouts of the shepherds; and from heaven, like flying birds swooping down to protect their nest - "protecting and delivering, passing over and rescuing," an allusion to Pesach, when this salvation occurred. From this follows the call, "Return to Him against Whom they have deeply rebelled," the revulsion for idols, and the fall of Assyria by a sword that was neither of man nor of human - we played no role in either the initial downfall or the final slaughter - until its rock melted from terror, its princes were shattered, and the light in Zion became a consuming furnace that incinerated the enemy.