ישעיהו, פרק ז׳, פסוק ד׳

In the midst of a severe military and political crisis, God sends a message of reassurance to King Ahaz, revealing that the looming threat is nothing more than a dying fire. The prophet instructs the king to abandon his panic and maintain a posture of passive confidence. The primary approach among commentators is that the directive given to the king draws upon the imagery of wine resting undisturbed on its dregs. It is an instruction to sit peacefully and calm his spirit, completely avoiding any frantic action [רש"י, רד"ק, שד"ל, אבן עזרא]. Others interpret the instruction more literally as a command to stay guarded. In this view, the king is told to remain barricaded inside Jerusalem, avoid a frontal battle in the open field, and rely entirely on God's protection [רד"ק, אברבנאל, מלבי"ם]. A third perspective views this as a spiritual call: if the king guards himself against sin, he will earn peace and security through the grace of God [חומת אנך].

Addressing the king's emotional state, the prophet distinguishes between the external terror provoked by the enemy and the internal faintheartedness that naturally lingers from past traumas [מלבי"ם]. To illustrate the true weakness of the enemy, the two threatening kings are compared to the discarded tails of smoking firebrands. These are small pieces of wood used to stoke a fire, which are tossed aside once they burn down and become too small to hold [רד"ק, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Although the kings appear to Ahaz as blazing torches, their flames have already died out, leaving them with no power to consume or destroy. All that remains of them is smoke, which can only cause temporary distress or sting the eyes before vanishing completely [רש"י, רד"ק, מצודת דוד, שד"ל, אברבנאל, מלבי"ם, שטיינזלץ]. This smoke represents their human anger and arrogance; because it lacks any divine backing, it is destined to fade away [מלבי"ם, אברבנאל, שטיינזלץ].

The enemies are specifically identified as Rezin, Aram, and the son of Remaliah. The primary approach among commentators is that this is a shorthand expression, implying that just as Rezin is paired with his nation of Aram, the son of Remaliah represents his nation of Ephraim [רד"ק, מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, Aram is grouped solely with Rezin because both faced immediate destruction, whereas the kingdom of Israel would survive for another two decades and did not share the same imminent doom [שד"ל]. Finally, referring to the king of Israel merely as "the son of Remaliah" rather than by his given name is a deliberate insult. It highlights that neither he nor Rezin were legitimate heirs. They were usurpers who seized power by force, and the father of the Israelite king was never a monarch [שד"ל, אברבנאל].