ישעיהו, פרק ט״ז, פסוק י׳

A bleak shadow of absolute destruction falls over the land of Moab, creating a sharp contrast between the natural happiness of the harvest season and the empty wasteland left by the enemy. All happiness is either completely wiped out [מצודת ציון, רד״ק], or stripped away from the land and transferred to other places and people [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. This loss covers every layer of human emotion. It erases both the steady, year-round sense of calm and food security, as well as the sudden, thrilling rush of excitement a farmer feels at the exact moment of the harvest when he realizes his hard work was not in vain [מלבי״ם].

This deep sadness will cover every fertile area. The silence will not just fall on specific mountains, but across all grain fields, forests, orchards, and planted lands [רש״י, רד״ק, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Normally, the harvest is filled with loud, happy noises [רד״ק]. Now, the fields will be entirely quiet. The morning blast of a horn or flute that usually gathers the workers to the fields will not sound, and the joyful singing that marks the end of a successful workday will be gone [מלבי״ם]. All songs of happiness [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ] and loud cheers [אבן עזרא, שד״ל] will disappear completely.

The silence extends into the vineyards and winepresses. The grapes are poetically referred to as wine, named for the final product they are destined to become [רד״ק, שד״ל]. However, they will never reach that state. The collection pits where the fresh juice usually flows will remain empty [מצודת ציון]. The devastation brought by the enemy will be so absolute that even if grapes were successfully gathered into the press, they will sit untouched. There simply will be no workers left alive to step on them [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד].

Finally, God declares that He has personally silenced the familiar cheers of the harvest. The vibrant noises of the season will be entirely canceled [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Gone are the rhythmic, happy shouts of the workers stepping on the grapes, who would normally yell out together to encourage and speed one another along [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. Also missing is the heavy, coordinated call of the laborers gathering to drop the massive wooden beam onto the grapes to squeeze out the juice [רש״י]. All these vibrant sounds of life, teamwork, and agricultural success will be replaced by total silence.