Introduction
In this part of the chapter, the prophet continues his sharp mockery of idolatry: that very same man who chopped down a tree, baked bread and roasted meat over half of it, and from the remainder fashioned himself a god. From this mockery, the prophet turns to the people of Israel: you who know the elevated stature of the soul, you who are called My servants, will not forget Me. From there he moves to consolation: the wiping away of sins, the prepared redemption, and finally a new prophecy that begins with the redemption from Babylon and extends all the way to the ultimate future redemption, refuting all heretical views concerning Creation and Divine Providence.
"And He Does Not Take It to Heart" - Something That Requires No Deep Contemplation
וְלֹא־יָשִׁיב אֶל־לִבּוֹ וְלֹא דַעַת וְלֹא־תְבוּנָה לֵאמֹר חֶצְיוֹ שָׂרַפְתִּי בְמוֹ־אֵשׁ וְאַף אָפִיתִי עַל־גֶּחָלָיו לֶחֶם אֶצְלֶה בָשָׂר וְאֹכֵל וְיִתְרוֹ לְתוֹעֵבָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לְבוּל עֵץ אֶסְגּוֹד׃ - And he does not take it to heart, nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire, and I also baked bread upon its coals, I roasted meat and ate; and shall I make the rest of it into an abomination? Shall I prostrate before a block of wood?"
To what extent have "their eyes been plastered shut from seeing, and their hearts from comprehending": in the previous verse it said, "They do not know, nor do they understand." Indeed, there are matters that require factual knowledge, and there are matters that require deep comprehension and discernment. Here, however, we are dealing with something so simple that even a child could understand it. There is no need for deep analysis or an extensive study session; all that is required is that one "take it to heart" - mere surface observation. Did I not burn half of it in the fire and even bake bread upon it, so how can I make the rest of it into an abomination?
The Malbim explains that the duplication in the verse addresses two arguments. If you made it into a deity, how is it possible that you used the rest of that very piece of wood to roast meat and bake bread? And if your intention was merely to channel the influence of higher spiritual forces through the idol, then "shall I prostrate before a block of wood?" - does a block of wood, a decaying and perishable object, have any power or capacity to draw down celestial influence from the stars and constellations? How could a piece of wood leave an impression on spiritual forces?
The word to'evah ("abomination") always denotes the disgrace of idolatry, as in the phrase, "You shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it" (sheketz teshaktzenu v'ta'ev teta'avenu), while "a block of wood" (bul eitz) expresses utter worthlessness, something of no value at all.
"Yitro" Versus "She'erito" - The Depth of the Disgrace
The Malbim notes the shift in terminology: here it says "and its remainder (yitro) shall I make into an abomination," whereas in verse 17 it says "and its leftover (she'erito) he made into a god." The difference between she'ar and notar (or yeter) is that she'ar is what was intentionally left behind from the outset, whereas notar is what merely happened to remain on its own. For example: if pretzels and biscuits are set out here, and one decides to take the biscuits, the pretzels naturally remain - that is notar, without prior intention. But if one wished to serve guests the pretzels, and specifically took the biscuits because one thought they were not fresh, then the pretzels were left behind intentionally from the outset - and that is she'ar.
Accordingly, the prophet initially said "and its leftover" (she'erito), because there he was describing the idolater's perspective: he sculpts and uses wood for bread and roast meat, intentionally setting aside a portion from the outset for the idol. Here, however, when the prophet comes to mock him and expose the full depth of his disgrace, he speaks the raw truth: all the man truly wanted was a good lunch, and only because an extra scrap of wood happened to be left over did he tell himself, "It is a shame to waste it; let us just turn it into a god." This is a far greater disgrace. It is as though the prophet is saying: I gave him too much credit earlier when I called it a "leftover" (she'erit), as if he had deliberately set it aside for the idol. The truth is that it is not even a designated remnant, but mere scrap that was left behind.
"He Feeds on Ashes" - One Who Does Not Realize He Has a Soul
רֹעֶה אֵפֶר לֵב הוּתַל הִטָּהוּ וְלֹא־יַצִּיל אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ וְלֹא יֹאמַר הֲלוֹא שֶׁקֶר בִּימִינִי׃ - He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot rescue his soul, nor will he say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Rashi explains that this means he has taken as a shepherd something of which half is already ash: Is not the other half of this log of wood already in your oven, and whom have you taken as a shepherd? Shall one whose other half has already been reduced to ash be your shepherd?
The Malbim explains that "he shepherds ash" refers to the person himself. This person does not realize that he has a portion of God from above within him, and fails to grasp that he possesses an exalted, transcendent spiritual soul. For had he grasped this, how could he ever conceive of bowing down to an idol and a block of wood, which is two levels below you: you are a speaking being (medaber), below you is the animal (chai), and below that is the plant (tzomeiach). Inevitably, he does not view his body as a dwelling place for an exalted soul, but rather as a piece of inanimate matter, akin to ash. Therefore, he "shepherds ash" - he guides ash - because he regards his body merely as ash, a purely physical entity.
"A deluded heart has led him astray" - his heart mocks him, an expression of mockery and jest, until it turned him from the path and brought him to take an inanimate stone or a growing tree and turn it into a god. And all this is because you believe that your governance - that is, your body which is the "shepherd" and leader - is ash, a material thing, and you did not understand that you possess a portion of God from above. For if not so, would a spiritual entity ever worship a physical object, wood and stone?
"And he cannot save his soul" - he does not reflect: How can I do such a thing when I have a divine soul within me? How can I subjugate the divine, intellectual soul before an inanimate object or vegetation? "Nor does he say: Is there not a lie in my right hand?" - at the very least, he should have said that this lie is so obvious, as if engraved upon his right hand. "Right hand" denotes revelation, just as Hashem swore by His right hand, since the right hand is exposed and prominent. A person performs most of his actions with his right hand, and if something is engraved on his right hand, he always sees it. But because he "shepherds ash" and does not know at all that he has a soul, viewing his existence as purely physical and material, he turns out to be worse than the idol: the idol at least possessed the soul of vegetation, whereas he regards himself as mere ash.
"Remember these, Yaakov" - You Know Your Stature
זְכׇר־אֵלֶּה יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי עַבְדִּי־אָתָּה יְצַרְתִּיךָ עֶבֶד־לִי אַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא תִנָּשֵׁנִי׃ - "Remember these things, Yaakov and Yisrael, for you are My servant; I formed you to be a servant to Me; Yisrael, do not forget Me."
The Malbim explains: You, Yaakov, know the stature of man from the perspective of his form (tzurah), from his spiritual aspect. And especially you, Yisrael, for "Yaakov" denotes the lower level, the heel (ekev), whereas "Yisrael" expresses immense greatness, an aspect of mastery and royalty (serarah). And you know that your soul is higher even than the ministering angels, as indicated by the very name Yisrael: "He strove with an angel and prevailed" - you wrestled with an angel and overcame him, showing that your stature is higher than that of an angel, and how much more so are you higher than crooked and base things. "For you are My servant" - you are not like the nations who serve other gods; and so you know your spiritual stature, you are not one who "shepherds ash," treating his body as mere physical matter, but rather you are conscious of the spiritual component within physical reality.
And not only by virtue of your service to Me, but "I formed you to be a servant to Me" - from birth, from the very fact that I imbued you with an exalted divine soul, I formed you from the outset as a servant to Me. There is a vast difference between something created from the start for a specific purpose and something redirected to that purpose only later; that which is formed from the outset reflects far greater excellence. Therefore, "Yisrael, do not forget Me" - you must remember Me, and not forget and worship other gods. This returns to the earlier theme: how could someone who recognizes the spiritual part within himself ever take a lowly, physical thing like stone or wood and make it a god, when he himself exists on a vastly higher plane?
"I Have Wiped Away Your Transgressions Like a Thick Cloud" - Sins as a Barrier
מָחִיתִי כָעָב פְּשָׁעֶיךָ וְכֶעָנָן חַטֹּאותֶיךָ שׁוּבָה אֵלַי כִּי גְאַלְתִּיךָ׃ - "I have wiped away your transgressions like a thick cloud, and your sins like a mist; return to Me, for I have redeemed you."
Even though at present our iniquities separate us from Hashem our God, and because of them, as it were, the Holy One, Blessed be He, cannot rest His Shechinah among us - for sins interpose like an iron barrier, just as thick clouds block one who wishes to look at the sun and receive its rays - when the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires to redeem us, He will say: "I have wiped away your transgressions like a thick cloud." Just as the thick cloud and mist are wiped away by the power of the wind that scatters them, so will I wipe away your transgressions.
The Malbim notes the precise difference in phrasing: "thick cloud" (av) versus "cloud" (anan), and "transgressions" (pesha'im) versus "unintentional sins" (chata'ot). A pesha is committed intentionally and premeditatedly, so such transgressions are severe and are akin to "thick clouds" that cast deep darkness. In contrast, "chata'ot" are unintentional sins (shegagot), which is why the verse compares them to a "cloud," which is lighter and does not darken as heavily.
However, all of this comes with a condition: "Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." Seemingly, it should have said, "for I will redeem you." The Malbim explains: The redemption is already prepared; if you will only repent and return, it is as though I have already redeemed you long ago. This is not something that belongs merely to the future, but something that is already present here.
And so I read in the name of Rav Bravda (may Hashem grant him a complete recovery), who related concerning one of the great leaders of the generation whom he knew - a truly great person - who dreamt that the Chofetz Chaim told him that the redemption is already here. He was asked: What does this mean? After all, Mashiach has not yet arrived! He answered: The meaning is that Mashiach is already among us, and all that is needed is one more effort to allow him to be revealed and to redeem us. This is the meaning of "for I have redeemed you": the redemption is already prepared, and on what does it depend? On teshuvah. It is not a process of creating something from nothing; rather, through a simple return, redemption can already be attained.
"Sing, O heavens" - General Providence and Individual Providence
רׇנּוּ שָׁמַיִם כִּי־עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה הָרִיעוּ תַּחְתִּיּוֹת אָרֶץ פִּצְחוּ הָרִים רִנָּה יַעַר וְכׇל־עֵץ בּוֹ כִּי־גָאַל יְהֹוָה יַעֲקֹב וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵל יִתְפָּאָר׃ - "Sing, O heavens, for Hashem has done it; shout, you depths of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For Hashem has redeemed Yaakov, and will glorify Himself in Yisrael."
"Sing, O heavens" - the heavens will sing to Hashem, because then it will be apparent to all "that Hashem has done it," and all will recognize Who created heaven and earth. There will be immense joy in all the worlds when it is revealed and clear to all, "and every created being will know that You created it, and every formed entity will understand that You formed it." People will no longer be misled by that foolish belief that the Holy One, Blessed be He, being exalted and on high, abandoned the governance of the earth and takes no interest in lowly earthly matters, having handed the direction of the world over to celestial bodies, the constellations, and the stars. This mistaken belief will vanish, "for Hashem has done it."
"Shout, you depths of the earth" - there it will be seen that the Holy One, Blessed be He, exercises complete providence. And not merely general providence. General providence (hashgachah kelalit) does not govern each individual detail, but rather the preservation of the species as a whole, as exists with animals. Most Rishonim maintain that providence over animals is general - in the terminology of Sefer HaIkkarim, "species providence" (hashgachah minit) - meaning that Hashem watches over the elephant species so it will not go extinct, and if He decides it should, it will. That is providence over the species as a whole. (The view of the Baal Shem Tov differs, but this is the classic, widely accepted approach.) In contrast, over the Jewish people, providence is individual (hashgachah pratit), over each and every person at every single moment.
Therefore, the verse continues: not only "shout, you depths of the earth," referring to the earth as a whole, but also "break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it" - teaching you that providence is individual and minutely detailed, even over plant life, even over each and every tree. And through what will His providence become manifest? "For Hashem has redeemed Yaakov, and will glorify Himself in Yisrael": the Holy One, Blessed be He, redeems "Yaakov," referring to the Jewish people in their lowlier state, while through "Yisrael" - a term denoting nobility and rulership - in their elevated state, He will glorify Himself, performing for them glorious miracles, signs, and wonders.
"I am Hashem, Maker of all" - Refuting Heretical Beliefs
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה גֹּאֲלֶךָ וְיֹצֶרְךָ מִבָּטֶן אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה עֹשֶׂה כֹּל נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם לְבַדִּי רֹקַע הָאָרֶץ מֵאִתִּי׃ - "Thus says Hashem, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: I am Hashem, Maker of all, Who stretched out the heavens alone, Who spread out the earth by Myself."
"And He Who formed you from the womb" - Rashi explains: Even from the time of "and the children struggled together within her," already from back then I formed you and chose you.
The Radak notes the precise phrasing: "Who stretched out the heavens alone (levaddi)" and "Who spread out the earth by Myself (me'itti)." I am first before all created things, and at the time of Creation there was nothing here; everything was created by Me. When the heavens were created, I was completely alone, and subsequently, everything you see in nature was formed from Me. And so it is brought in Bereishit Rabbah: All agree that angels were not created on the first day, but only on the second day. Why? So people would not say: Michael was stretching out the southern side of the firmament, Gavriel was stretching the northern side, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, was measuring in the middle. So they would not say there was any aid or assistance here - that each angel took a side and pulled, and that is how the world was created. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: No, "alone." On the first day of Creation I was alone, and there is no other power in all of creation of whom it could be said that he assisted Me.
The Malbim explains that a new topic begins here, like a new prophecy. At its outset, it speaks of the Babylonian redemption, and from there it continues to the future redemption. "Your Redeemer" refers to the future, and "He Who formed you from the womb" refers to the past. And in this verse, Scripture refutes all the heretical notions that were prevalent in their time:
There were those who believed that the world was brought forth by Hashem out of necessity, just as a shadow is formed from the sun: the sun does not set out to produce anything; rather, the moment the sun shines on an object, a shadow is automatically cast. Similarly, they wanted to claim that the reality of creation emanates from Him, blessed be He, by necessity, and not out of a deliberate will to create a world. This is the vain belief of Aristotle. Others asserted that there was an eternal primordial matter (chomer hayuli), and the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, found this matter and formed a world from it - meaning He is like a mighty power who came, found raw material, and shaped a world out of it, but did not bring all of reality and existence into being ex nihilo.
Against this, it is said: "I am Hashem, Maker..." The term "maker" (oseh) always indicates someone who acts through free choice and will: I decided to act, and had I not wished to, I would not have acted. This directly contradicts the view of Aristotle, who argued that everything emerged automatically. And what might one argue - that He made only part of it? To this, it says, "Maker of all" - even the primordial matter itself, I brought into being.
There were also those who claimed that creation unfolded through a chain of causes and effects (ilot v'alulim), a phrase found among the ancients, or in modern terms, cause and consequence: everything can be traced back to a prior cause. A person is born, and where did he come from? From his father. And where did his father come from? From his mother, and so on, tracing down through endless details. They believed that creation developed through a gradual devolution until a physical world emerged. To this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "Who stretches out the heavens alone" - without any assistant, not through intermediate causes, and not through forces that were created and in turn spawned other forces, but rather I spread out the heavens directly by My own hand.
And there are those who argue that the earth was handed over to the laws of nature: the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, gave it an initial push, and ever since, the world revolves on its own and everything operates according to nature. Eat healthily and you will be healthy; eat poorly and you will fall ill; there is a virus, and there are statistical probabilities of being harmed by it; there is no Divine decree, no Providence, everything is just nature. The verse refutes this with the words, "Who spreads out the earth by Myself (me'iti)": if you observe the spreading of the earth, you will see that it is not natural at all, for earth is heavier than water, so how can it remain spread out above the water? Take a clump of earth and place it upon water; an island must be anchored to the seabed below. Thus, the entire existence of the dry land is not natural, but contrary to nature, and it cannot endure "if not from Me" - unless I sustain this reality at every single moment.
"Who Frustrates the Omens of Impostors" - The Sorcerers, the Recluses, and the Natural Philosophers
מֵפֵר אֹתוֹת בַּדִּים וְקֹסְמִים יְהוֹלֵל מֵשִׁיב חֲכָמִים אָחוֹר וְדַעְתָּם יְסַכֵּל׃ - Who frustrates the omens of impostors and turns diviners into fools; Who turns the wise backward and makes their knowledge foolish.
Rashi explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, says, since I stretched out the heavens, I can also thwart them. "Baddim" refers to astrologers who read the signs of the heavens, observing the movements of celestial bodies - such as a certain planet appearing on the horizon of another, and the like - and drawing conclusions from them. Why are they called "baddim"? Because they fabricate things from their own hearts, making up tall tales (sippurei baddim). The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I frustrate them, for all their conclusions are based on celestial omens, yet "do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens" - I created the heavens, and I can alter them. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, told Avraham: Leave your astrology; what do you see, that Jupiter (Tzedek) is in this position? I will move Jupiter to another position: "Avram cannot bear children, but Avraham can bear children." The Holy One, blessed be He, rules over nature, and whenever He wills it, He alters even the course of the stars.
And since the astrologers of Babylon were gazers at the stars, using this as one of their primary methods to govern their kingdom - as it is said, "Let the astrologers stand up and save you" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will frustrate the omens of their fabricators. Just as I frustrated the omens of Egypt's diviners, who deduced from a star of misfortune rising before them that Israel would face bloodshed in the desert, that they would never enter the Land, and that their leaders would be struck by water - yet I overturned their signs, and the Jewish people left Egypt, were redeemed, entered the Land, and inherited it - so too will I frustrate the omens of the Babylonian fabricators.
Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra explains that "baddim" derives from the root "badad," meaning isolation or seclusion. There are souls endowed with the ability to isolate themselves and predict the future, not by means of intellect and deduction, but through the sheer power of seclusion itself, reaching a state akin to prophecy and perceiving hidden matters. "Diviners" (kosemim) are the astrologers, and "the wise" refers to those who divine through inspecting animal livers and shoulder blades. Some divined by examining the liver and shoulder, while others interpreted involuntary body twitches; whole treatises were written on this in ancient times, claiming that if a person's right eyelid twitched, it signified such-and-such. Today this holds no significance, but in their era, great weight was attached to it. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: All those omens of the recluses, the diviners, and the soothsayers, I overturn, for I alone determine reality.
The Malbim explains: Since I created and continue to supervise the upper and lower realms through willful governance - that is, according to My desire and choice, and not like a shadow cast inevitably by the sun - I consequently frustrate the omens of impostors and the celestial signs. If a constellation indicates a certain outcome, but My will is otherwise, I nullify it. And if an omen appears in the courses of the stars indicating that Jerusalem will not be rebuilt, I will overturn the celestial signs, and Jerusalem will indeed be rebuilt.
"And turns diviners into fools" - those who seek to discern future events through the art of divination will appear mad and foolish, because whatever they foresee turns out entirely the opposite. The diviner foresees that things should unfold in one way, yet the reverse occurs, until he is driven to distraction. The Holy One, blessed be He, turns them into madmen, unable to comprehend what they are seeing.
"Who turns the wise backward and makes their knowledge foolish" - the wise men mentioned here, explains the Malbim, are natural philosophers and scientists, who deduced what the future held based on the laws of nature. Their method was to look "forward," investigating from cause to effect: if I see fire, there must inevitably be smoke; if I see heavy clouds, rain must fall. You have not yet seen rain, but from the cause you infer the effect. And so it is in ordinary life: one knows a certain type of person, loud, contentious, and quarrelsome, and the moment he walks into the room, one concludes that trouble is brewing. It is logical deduction, putting two and two together. For Sherlock Holmes it works every time, because in fiction everything goes according to script; but in reality, how often have we seen dark clouds and forecasts of torrential downpours, with meteorologists and synoptic charts predicting rain, only for the precipitation to fall across the border in Jordan, leaving us dry? "Who turns the wise backward" - what you deduce from cause to effect does not necessarily come to pass.
And what happens then? They turn around and go backward. There is a reverse method of deduction: from effect to cause. For example, why didn't it rain? Because there was wind. After all, the next day the weathermen need to explain themselves. Why is there a forecast the next day as well, when they already gave you a three-day forecast? Because the next day they always have to explain why what they predicted yesterday didn't occur: there were unexpected southern winds that shifted the clouds, or a cloudburst that caused this and that, so what we said yesterday is no longer relevant, but what I am telling you today will certainly come to pass. One has to make a living and keep their job! And that is what is called a commentator: he will always explain the development to you after it already happened - why this one acted this way and that minister acted that way; but to anticipate anything in advance, he cannot do.
On this, the Malbim says: Even this you can only deduce through the laws of nature. But if I govern the world above nature, then those wise men who initially reasoned from cause to effect, and saw that according to nature the event should have occurred yet failed to materialize, will realize that there is Someone Who governs reality. This is the meaning of "He turns the wise backward": what you anticipated in advance, Hashem turns backward, forcing you in the end to produce an explanation for why it did not happen. This is "backward" - not looking forward, but searching retroactively for explanations as to why plans went awry. "And makes their knowledge foolish" - and ultimately they will understand that the matter has no natural cause at all, but is the finger of God, for according to their understanding and natural law, everything they predicted should have come to pass.
The Malbim brings a third explanation for why these soothsayers are called baddim. We have seen one explanation, from the idea that they fabricate (bodim) things from their hearts; a second explanation, from badad, seclusion and isolation; and the third explanation, because they were accustomed to wearing a linen ephod (ephod bad). This ephod served as a tool for them to divine secrets - distinguished by thousands of degrees from the ephod of the Kohen Gadol, through which they truly knew by means of the stones of the Choshen. And as we find with Micah, who made an ephod and teraphim, they had a method of making an ephod to divine hidden things. This is "He frustrates the omens of the imposters (baddim)": those linen ephods through which they attempted to reach conclusions about the future.
"Confirms the Word of His Servant" - The Power of the Tzaddik and the Power of the Prophet
מֵקִים דְּבַר עַבְדּוֹ וַעֲצַת מַלְאָכָיו יַשְׁלִים הָאֹמֵר לִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם תּוּשָׁב וּלְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה תִּבָּנֶינָה וְחׇרְבוֹתֶיהָ אֲקוֹמֵם׃ - He confirms the word of His servant, and fulfills the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited," and to the cities of Judah, "You shall be built, and I will raise up its ruins."
Rashi explains that "the word of His servant" refers to Moshe, and "the counsel of His messengers" refers to the angel who said to Yaakov, "Your name shall be Yisrael." I fulfilled My words and what I promised them, and so too here I will fulfill the counsel of My prophets, as I promise that Jerusalem shall be inhabited, that the Jewish people will return to Jerusalem.
The Malbim explains that this is a continuation of the preceding verse. The indication of the stars, the indication of the sorcerers, and the indication of natural scientists - all point to the same conclusion: Babylon will succeed and Israel will fall. This is especially true according to the scientists: an empire like Babylon, what are the chances it could fall? And a battered land like Israel, which endured exiles, wars, and conquests, what are its chances of success? The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will overturn reality, for He "confirms the word of His servant."
The miracle will come about for two reasons. The first is the decree and prayer of the righteous. As Eliyahu HaNavi said, "As Hashem lives... there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word." Hashem fulfills the decree of the righteous; even though it was not pleasing to the Holy One, blessed be He, to punish the people of Israel, once the tzaddik decreed it, the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfilled it. This is "He confirms the word of His servant": the tzaddik does not state this as prophecy but as a decree - he speaks and decrees, and so it shall be established. Eliyahu did not say that he foresaw that there would be no rain, but rather "according to my word" - I decree that there will be no rain, and the Holy One, blessed be He, confirms the word of His servant.
The second reason: in order to validate prophecy, the prophet needs a sign and wonder so that people will believe his prophecy, for who is to say that what he foresees will indeed come to pass? Regarding this it is stated, "and fulfills the counsel of His messengers." "Messengers" (mal'achim) here refers to emissaries, the prophets; when they devise counsel to achieve that goal, declaring that at such-and-such time there will be a sign and wonder so that people will believe in their prophecy, the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills and confirms their word. "Who says to Jerusalem, 'You shall be inhabited,'" and also the other cities of Judah shall be built, and also the ruins of Jerusalem - which are the Beis HaMikdash and the courtyards - all of them "I will raise up" in My own glory.
It emerges that all their predictions are meaningless, for a tzaddik has the power through his decree to nullify the destined future. Even though according to nature things should have unfolded as they saw, a tzaddik comes along and issues a decree, and the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills it, and thereby Hashem overturns the laws of nature. And second, there is prophecy: the prophet establishes something by virtue of his prophecy, and the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the counsel of His emissaries. If so, everything you observe in the celestial forces, the heavenly bodies, the stars, and the laws of nature is destined to be overturned, for it is in My power to overturn everything and transform it.
Notice the variation in phrasing: "word" (davar) versus "counsel" (etzah). The Malbim explains that a "word" is an absolute matter, a decree, as in the wording of Eliyahu, "but according to my word (devari)." "Counsel" is when something is said for the purpose of achieving another objective. Therefore, regarding the messengers - who are the prophets - it says "counsel": the prophet states that something will occur so that people will believe his prophecy, and he is permitted to announce that at such-and-such time rain will fall or an alteration of nature will occur, so that they recognize him as a true prophet. Thus, this prophecy is directed from the outset so that from then on they will accept his prophecy, and it therefore falls under the category of "counsel."
"Who Says to the Deep, 'Dry Up'" - The Fall of Babylon
הָאֹמֵר לַצּוּלָה חֳרָבִי וְנַהֲרֹתַיִךְ אוֹבִישׁ׃ - Who says to the deep, 'Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers.'
"Tzulah" is an expression related to metzulah (the deep abyss), and it refers to Babylon. He says to her: "Be dry" - become parched - "and I will dry up your rivers." Babylon is situated upon rivers, and Scripture compares the destruction of its population to the drying up of its rivers. Radak explains that Babylon was compared to the deep for two reasons: first, because it was filled with water; and second, because it is a valley, and a metzulah is always a deep place, just as a valley is low-lying. It was there that the dead of the Flood were swept, in Shinar, because it is a low-lying area. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to her that she will become desolate and dry up, and no goodness will remain in her; rather, she will be destroyed by Cyrus. The drying of the rivers is also an allegory, for Babylon, which had been so firmly built, was destined to be laid waste.
And see how the Holy One, blessed be He, overturns reality. In the natural order, Babylon is a deep abyss, and water naturally gathers in sunken places; could such a place ever dry up? Could it be possible for rivers in a low valley to run dry? The Holy One, blessed be He, says: When I will it, I will dry it up and bring it to naught. This is what we noted: that the Holy One, blessed be He, announces in prophecy that He will overturn the order of nature, and that specifically the opposite of what seems natural will come to pass. For according to nature, what are the chances of a thriving empire that possesses an army and rules the world to fall? Very slim. In the parable, it is full of water and brimming with rivers, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, says that it will dry up and nothing will remain of it. And where is that Babylonian empire today? What remains of it? A fractured and divided land, where every day one hears of a hundred or two hundred killed in car bombings, one murdering the other. Nothing is left of it, and its downfall began long ago. That which appears to you today as immensely successful - "Who says to Babylon, 'Be dry'" - will be laid waste and become parched and desolate. In contrast, Jerusalem, which currently appears dry, ruined, and desolate, is precisely what I will rebuild: "Who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited,' and of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built, and I will raise up its ruins.'"
"Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd'" - The Miracle of Changing a King's Heart
הָאֹמֵר לְכוֹרֶשׁ רֹעִי וְכׇל־חֶפְצִי יַשְׁלִם וְלֵאמֹר לִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם תִּבָּנֶה וְהֵיכָל תִּוָּסֵד׃ - Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, and he shall fulfill all My desire,' even saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the Temple, 'Its foundation shall be laid.'
Which is more difficult: to split the Red Sea, or to put it into the heart of a gentile king to serve as an instrument in the hand of Hashem and redeem Israel? We would have assumed the splitting of the Red Sea. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Know that it is harder to change the heart of a king. The Malbim already notes this wonder and writes that although people might not consider this to be such an overt miracle, know that free will is stronger than the laws of nature, and intervening in it and altering it is, as it were, more difficult than overturning the systems of nature.
In Summary:
In this section, the prophet concludes his mockery of idolaters: a person who fails to recognize that he possesses a divine soul from above is one who "feeds on ashes," treating his own body as mere inanimate matter, and therefore does not hesitate to worship wood and stone, which are two levels beneath him. From here, the prophet turns to Israel: you know the supreme elevation of your soul, which is higher even than the ministering angels, and you were formed from the very start as servants to Hashem; therefore, "you will not be forgotten by Me." Hashem promises to wipe away transgressions like a thick cloud and sins like a mist, and the redemption already stands prepared, dependent only upon repentance. Then all the worlds will rejoice in the recognition that Hashem made everything and exercises personal divine providence down to the very last tree. Through this, Scripture refutes all heretical views: not emanational necessity like a shadow cast by the sun, not primordial matter, not a deterministic chain of causes and effects, and not an autonomous natural governance, but rather: "I am Hashem, Maker of all, Who stretched out the heavens alone." And finally: all the wisdom of the astrologers, diviners, and natural scientists will be overturned, for Hashem fulfills the word of His righteous servant and carries out the counsel of His prophets, destroying Babylon that appeared so secure and rebuilding Jerusalem that seemed so desolate, and swaying the heart of Cyrus - which is a miracle greater even than the splitting of the Red Sea.