מלכים ב, פרק י״ט, פסוק כ״ט

The prophet addresses King Hezekiah with a double divine promise, ensuring both military rescue and economic recovery. Even with the impending defeat of the Assyrian army, the people of Judah remain paralyzed by the fear of starvation. The enemy has devastated their crops and chopped down their trees, and a lingering dread remains that Sennacherib might return with fresh forces. To provide absolute security, the prophet ties the military retreat directly to an agricultural guarantee. The miraculous withdrawal of the Assyrian king and his failure to conquer Jerusalem serve as clear proof that God will also fulfill His promise of a steady food supply [רלב״ג, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, the sheer downfall of Sennacherib's army stands as the sign that the nation will not starve despite the severe agricultural ruin left by the enemy [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

Because the Assyrian siege prevented the people from going out to their fields to plant, God promises a special blessing for the immediate future. For the first year, the nation will be sustained by grain that grows naturally from seeds dropped during the previous harvest [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. God will ensure this wild growth is plentiful enough to feed the entire nation, and they will be able to gather it in complete safety, free from the fear of lurking enemies [רלב״ג, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. In the second year, the people will again rely on natural produce, eating the secondary growth that sprouts from the unharvested seeds of the first year [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This secondary growth will also include fresh branches sprouting from the very tree stumps that the Assyrian soldiers had cut down [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. The reason the people will not plant during this second year is that it coincides with a Sabbatical year, a time when Jewish law forbids plowing and sowing. To honor this, God grants a unique blessing, allowing the nation to thrive entirely on this secondary wild produce [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, חומת אנך, אברבנאל].

After two difficult years of depending on wild crops and miraculous divine care, the third year marks a return to a blessed and prosperous routine. The people will finally resume working their land, using the leftover seeds from the second year to sow fresh crops. They will harvest their fields and plant new vineyards in absolute peace and security, with no trace of the Assyrian threat remaining [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל].