ישעיהו, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ח

The great powers of the ancient world are summoned by divine providence to gather and attack the land of Israel. Through vivid imagery of swarming insects, mighty armies are revealed to be nothing more than tools directed by a higher power to execute judgment.

During the period when Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, launches a campaign against Judah, massive foreign armies mobilize to assist him. This invasion is not a random historical event, but a deliberate act of divine providence [אברבנאל]. God signals these armies, stirring their spirits and calling them to gather with great speed [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

The call goes out first to the Egyptian army, which is compared to a swarm of flies. This imagery highlights their overwhelming numbers, their swift movement, and their tendency to swarm together in an instant [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. The summons reaches the many canals and rivers of Egypt, a land sustained not by rain but by the rising waters of the Nile [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. The call extends to the very edges of these waterways, suggesting that even simple Egyptian farmers will abandon their fields to join the military campaign, driven by a deep desire to ruin the land of Israel [רד״ק].

Alongside the Egyptian forces, God calls to the Assyrian army, symbolized by a bee. In contrast to the fly, the bee represents fierce, powerful warriors who strike their enemies with painful stings [רש״י, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. While both insects represent massive military forces [ביאור שטיינזלץ], a clear hierarchy exists between them. Just as a bee is stronger than a fly, the Assyrian empire was significantly stronger and more aggressive than Egypt [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

The actual military maneuver behind this imagery involves the king of Assyria first passing through Egypt. There, he gathers local forces and exiles, adding this vast Egyptian multitude to his own ranks before advancing together to attack the people of Judah [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].