ישעיהו, פרק ל״ח, פסוק כ״א

Facing a fatal illness, the dying king receives an unexpected remedy from the prophet, blending physical action with Divine intervention. The prophet directs that a cake of pressed, dried figs be taken and smeared directly onto the king's infected boil, serving as a bandage to bring about his recovery.

The primary approach among commentators is that this recovery was a miracle within a miracle. In the natural world, applying sweet, sticky figs to an open, purulent wound would typically cause further contamination, stench, and harm. Yet, God deliberately chose a seemingly damaging substance to generate a cure, proving the healing was entirely supernatural. Offering a different perspective, [אברבנאל] suggests that the pressed figs did possess some natural medicinal properties for treating the infection, serving as practical medical advice from the prophet. Building on the relationship between nature and miracles, [שד״ל] explains that it is God's way to require a human action before performing a wonder. The physical application of the figs was not the true cause of the cure; rather, it served to demonstrate that the miracle was enacted intentionally by God's will, not by mere chance.

The placement of this event within the broader narrative presents a chronological puzzle. The instruction appears at the very end of the story, even though it naturally belongs in the earlier stages of the king's illness, as recorded in parallel historical accounts [רד״ק, אברבנאל, שד״ל]. To resolve this, [אברבנאל] explains that the detail of the figs was delayed to clarify why the king felt the need to ask the prophet for a sign. When presented with what appeared to be a standard, natural remedy, the king feared it might only offer superficial relief or empty comfort. He therefore requested a sign to guarantee that God would truly cure his dangerous internal disease. Because the physical remedy was secondary to the main miraculous event, it was appended at the conclusion as supplementary information. Alternatively, [שד״ל] proposes that the prophet originally omitted the detail of the figs for the sake of brevity. Later scribes appended this information at the end of the text, drawing from royal chronicles, to ensure the full story was recorded without altering the prophet's original written work.