Psalms · Psalm 33

'Rejoice, you righteous' — raise your voice [in song]. 'Is comely' — from the same root as 'desire,' and the nun is for the passive (nifal) construction, on the pattern of 'and all that is prepared in a pan.' And some say [it is] like 'fitting' in the language of the Talmud.

"Rejoice in Hashem, O you righteous, Praise is comely for the upright" — the letter bet in "in Hashem" (ביהוה) stands in place of a lamed, and similarly (Leviticus 16:22): "and he shall send the goat away (ושלח את השעיר) into (ב) the wilderness." Or the bet may keep its ordinary sense, and the meaning would be: your rejoicing and your praise shall be in Him, and not in anything else. "Comely" (נאוה) — the alef is quiescent, and its root is aleph-vav-heh (אוה). Likewise (Song of Songs 1:10): "your cheeks are comely (נאוו) with circlets"; (Proverbs 19:10): "Luxury is not fitting (לא נאוה) for a fool"; (ibid. 17:7): "Arrogant speech is not fitting (לא נאוה) for a boor." In all of these the alef is quiescent, except for "Holiness befits (נאוה) Your house" (Psalms 93:5), where the alef is mobile (vocalized). The grammarians agree that the alef is a root letter, being the first radical, and the nun belongs to the nifal pattern. But it is also possible that the nun is a root letter, and its root is נאה, with the third radical appearing openly in the pattern נאוה. And our Rabbis, in their language, commonly used this term with the root נאה. It appears that this is indeed the root as they understood it, when they say (Mekhilta, Tractate Shirata, chapter 3; Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 133b; and elsewhere): [Editorial note: In the words of our teacher (Radak) it is written: "a comely (naeh) etrog, a comely (naeh) lulav"; but I have not found anywhere in the Talmud "a comely etrog," only "a comely lulav," etc.; and it amounts to the same thing. See Tosafot, Bava Kamma 9b, s.v. "Eilaima" (אילימא).] "a comely lulav"; (ibid., Yoma 86a): "how comely are His deeds" [Editorial note: In our version the text reads: "how comely (are His ways, how proper) are His deeds."] — and many more besides these. And the meaning of the term is: beautiful — that is to say, for "the righteous" and for "the upright," it is good and beautiful to rejoice and to praise Hashem, for they are the ones who understand and comprehend Hashem's work, and the deeds of His hands, and His kindnesses toward His creatures; and this is their pursuit, not the desires of the world. Therefore he said that praise befits them, that they should praise Him according to what they perceive in His works, as he goes on to relate throughout this psalm.

"In Hashem" — [rejoice] among those who praise Hashem. "Praise is comely" — it is fitting for them to praise Hashem, for they understand something of the glory of His greatness.

"Comely" — from the term denoting becoming and beautiful.

'Sing joyfully' — this psalm is connected to the previous subject. In it he explains that Hashem guides His world by two kinds of governance: the natural governance, which is founded upon fixed, unchanging laws, and the providential governance, which operates according to the deeds of human beings, good or bad. And he explains the matter of Hashem's knowledge and providence, and in particular the providence directed specifically toward those who fear Hashem and think upon His name. 'Sing joyfully' — at the end of the previous psalm he said, 'Rejoice in Hashem and be glad, you righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright of heart,' for the upright are on a higher level than the righteous: their heart and mind proceed uprightly, without any doubt at all, and without turning at all from the ways of Hashem. This is a higher level than the righteous, who perform righteous deeds in practice but have not yet ceased from the inner battle — both the battle of their intellect regarding matters of belief and opinion, and the battle of their inclination in deeds and actions. Therefore he commanded that the righteous should rejoice in their heart, and he adds concerning the upright that they should sing joyfully in actual practice. And in this psalm, in which he clarifies Hashem's particular providence, he adds that 'the righteous' will attain the level of the upright, 'and sing joyfully in Hashem'; 'and for the upright,' for them, 'praise is fitting' — they will praise Him, and praise is fitting for them, since they have always attained the truth and never had any doubt at all. This includes that they will recount the praise of Hashem, and also that praise itself is due to them, for the uprightness of their intellect and for their having attained the truths.

"with a lyre of ten melodies" — Heb. בנבל עשור, of ten kinds of melody.

'Give thanks ... with the psaltery of ten strings' — Rabbi Moshe said: the psaltery is [an instrument] that has ten holes in it. But he did not speak correctly, for the psaltery is an instrument in its own right, and so too the ten-stringed instrument [is a separate instrument] — as if it said, 'with a psaltery, with a ten-stringed instrument,' in the manner of 'as a friend, as a brother to me.' And similarly: 'as a lamb, [that is] tame' [is understood] as 'as a lamb, as one that is tame' — for the letter kaf serves for two words, just as the letter bet does double duty, as in 'with Almighty God, He will accomplish His purpose.' And the proof that they are two [separate instruments] is: 'upon the ten-stringed instrument, and upon the psaltery.'

"Give thanks to Hashem with the harp" — for musical instruments awaken the wise soul and assist it. "With the psaltery of ten strings sing praises to Him" — the conjunctive vav is missing, and it is as if it said: "with the psaltery" and "the asor [ten-stringed instrument]." Similarly (Habakkuk 3:11): "sun, moon," and the like. And "asor" is a musical instrument that has ten strings, therefore it is called "asor" [ten]. Likewise (Psalms 92:4): "upon an asor and upon a psaltery."

"With the psaltery of ten strings" — like "tenfold"; and it is a musical instrument possessing ten strings.

'Give thanks' — (the clauses of these statements are arranged opposite one another in parallel phrases): first, that they should give thanks to Hashem for the natural governance that has been ordered since the six days of creation, a statute He gave that will not pass away; and he commanded 'that they give thanks to Hashem' for this 'with the harp, and sing praises' to His mighty acts 'with the ten-stringed psaltery' — for the harp is a symbol pointing to the order of the worlds, that is to say, that they are all arranged according to the laws of music, 'when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy' (Job 38:7), as I wrote there in my commentary on that verse — and they would play on the ten-stringed psaltery as a symbol of the celestial spheres, which are ten according to the ancients' astronomical reckoning.

'Sing to Him' — on account of two [clauses], as if it were written: 'play skillfully for Him with a shout of joy,' in the manner of: 'Do not rebuke me in Your anger' (Psalm 6:2).

"Sing to Him a new song" — renew a song to Him constantly. "Play skillfully amid shouts of joy" — with mouth and hand, strive to sing joyfully to Him.

"Play skillfully" — sing with a good and pleasant melody, with a voice of shouting.

'Sing to Him' — this is the second [kind of governance]: 'you shall sing to Him,' at every time, 'a new song,' concerning the providential governance, which is not fixed according to the laws of nature but rather changes and renews itself continually according to the deeds of human beings who possess free will — for according to these Hashem renews His wonders, whether for kindness or for chastisement, and the song is renewed according to the renewal of the deeds. And accordingly, 'play skillfully amid shouts of joy' — for the teruah (shout of joy) indicates the coming into being of something new, and the revelation of Hashem to judge the earth.

'For, the word of Hashem' — these are His decrees that He decreed, and they are called 'words' because everything is done through the angels, who carry out His will; and so have all the prophets, and also the wise of heart, acknowledged. And the sense of 'rejoice,' in connection with this verse, is that the righteous are always in joy and glad song, and do not grieve over what Hashem has decreed for them, because everything is uprightness and faithfulness.

"For the word of Hashem is upright" (so it reads in our text) "and all His work is done in faithfulness" — The decrees of God and His judgments are upright, and everything is done in faithfulness, without injustice, as Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, said (Deuteronomy 32:4): "A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He." The righteous and the upright will recognize and acknowledge His righteousness and His uprightness; and if an evil incident or misfortune should befall them, they will nevertheless praise God and acknowledge His righteousness and His uprightness, and recognize that it is for their good, and that whatever God does, He does in faithfulness. And when they recognize all this, they will praise with joy and with a good heart over the evil just as over the good (Mishnah Berakhot 9:5), for the evil is in fact good in their eyes (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 60b). And so the prophet said (Isaiah 12:1): "I will thank You, Hashem, for You were angry with me." And David said (Psalms 101:1): "I will sing of lovingkindness and justice."

"For [the word of Hashem is] upright" — and it is therefore fitting to recount His praise.

'For upright' — (this now explains, in contrast, the natural governance) — 'is the word of Hashem,' which is the utterance by which He created existence (as he will explain in verse 6, 'by the word of Hashem the heavens were made') — 'it is upright,' meaning that what was made by His utterance is founded upon fixed, upright, unchanging laws; and likewise nothing was added to this utterance and nothing was taken from it, just as befits Him, may He be blessed. 'And all His work is done in faithfulness' — now, these two forms of governance, the natural and the miraculous, are designated in the Holy Scriptures by the terms 'faithfulness' (emunah) and 'truth' (emet), and by the term 'lovingkindness' (chesed): the natural governance, ordered from the six days of creation, is designated by the term 'faithfulness,' because these laws are faithful and enduring forever, and Hashem has bound Himself to conduct these laws continually and never to nullify them — like the statutes of heaven and earth, day and night, summer and winter, and the like, which shall never depart forever. The providential governance, which is renewed at times by the will of Hashem in a wondrous manner, is characterized by the term 'lovingkindness,' because He is not obligated to perform it, but does it by His kindness according to His will at any time. Therefore it says that 'all His work' — that is, of the word of Hashem — is 'in faithfulness,' for their laws are necessary, assured, and never changing, forever.

'He loves' — he mentions 'uprightness' together with 'the word,' for that is correct. 'and faithfulness' — together with 'the deeds,' for He brings every hidden thing to light. 'and righteousness' [tzedakah] — like 'justice' [tzedek], in order to make everyone equal; and 'justice' [mishpat] is connected with this. And His lovingkindness encompasses everything; therefore: 'the earth is full of the lovingkindness of Hashem.'

"He loves righteousness and justice" — In His world He acts at times with "righteousness" and at times with "justice," but "lovingkindness" is the dominant [attribute]; therefore it says: "The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Hashem" — and just as He acts [this way], He loves that His creatures should act so as well. And so the prophet said (Jeremiah 9:23): "For I, Hashem, do lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight." That is to say: just as I do them, so I love that you should do them.

"The earth is full [of the lovingkindness of Hashem]" — He does kindness with all creatures.

'He loves' — (this explains, in contrast, the providential governance) — inasmuch as 'Hashem loves righteousness and justice.' For this, the natural laws do not suffice, because in the governance of the inhabitants of the earth, who possess free will, and whose deeds are contingent, not dependent on the natural laws, and who sometimes choose to do good and sometimes to do evil — it necessarily follows that Hashem must conduct Himself with them accordingly, doing righteousness with the righteous and justice with the wicked. And this is impossible according to the governance of nature, which does not change on account of a change in the deeds of human beings, for its course is fixed. Therefore Hashem must conduct Himself with the inhabitants of the earth according to the providential governance, which alters nature according to good or evil deeds, as it is written: 'If you indeed heed My commandments... then I will give the rain of your land in its season' — 'lest your heart be seduced, etc., and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain' — for all this is a different governance, higher than the laws of nature, which are called 'faithfulness'; rather, it is a governance called by the name 'lovingkindness.' Therefore, 'the earth is full of the lovingkindness of Hashem' — a governance to which He did not bind Himself at the time of creation, in the six days of creation, but whose foundation and root are in the lovingkindness of Hashem.

'By the word' — he returns to mention 'the word,' for it is not only the parts [i.e., individual details] that are bound up in the word of Hashem, but the roots [fundamentals] as well. And he mentions 'the heavens' and 'by the breath of His mouth' — like 'by the word of Hashem' — because all the creatures on earth, and everything that comes into being among them, depend on the arrangement of the heavens.

"By the word of Hashem were the heavens made" — as it is said, "And God said," in the account of creation, and this refers to [His] will and desire; and likewise: "And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" — this repeats the same matter [in different words]. And it is among the acts of lovingkindness of God that He brought the creatures into being as good as they could be, according to the decree of His wisdom, as it is said (Genesis 1:31): "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Now, "the heavens" and "all their host" were made "by His word," and the earth is included among them, for a sphere cannot revolve except around a fixed point, and that is the earth; and everything on the earth is dependent on the host of heaven, for they are the ones that govern by the will of God.

"Their host" — these are the angels and the celestial spheres.

'By the word' — he explains what he said, 'For the word of Hashem is upright': 'by the word of Hashem the heavens were made' — for the heavens were founded upon fixed, unchanging laws; 'and all their host by the breath of His mouth' — he indicates that, as it were, the heavens as a whole were made by the utterance, while by the breath that went out from His mouth at the time of the utterance — which is lighter than the utterance itself — all their host was made, namely the stars and the heavenly lights that were hung in place on the fourth day. I have already explained in my commentary on Genesis that there was a difference between the creation of the heavens and the creation of the earth: in the heavens nothing was changed, but everything remained just as it was created by the first utterance, for even the heavenly lights were created on the first day together with the heavens, only that they were hung in place on the fourth day, as our sages of blessed memory said. Not so with the earth: after the earth was created on the first day, several changes came upon it through the [remaining] nine utterances, for He afterward added new occurrences to what had been made on the first day — the gathering of the waters and the formation of the dry land, the rising of the vapors to the firmament, and the creatures that were created upon it — as it is written, 'Thus says Hashem, who creates the heavens' (referring to the first creation alone) — 'He is God, who forms the earth and makes it, He established it,' for He added improvements to it through the exchange of one form for another. And therefore, regarding the heavens, he said that the word of Hashem is upright, because nothing further was added to it; but regarding the earth he said, 'He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap,' for the earth did not remain in accordance with 'faithfulness,' which is the fixed law made by the first creation, because 'the earth is full of the lovingkindness of Hashem' — for in the first creation the natural law was that the element of water would surround the element of earth [dust], and Hashem had to change this law, to gather the waters of the sea into the sea so that they would stand there as a heap and not return to cover the earth. 'And He puts the depths in storehouses' — so that the waters would be held back in the depths and in the seas, in order that the dry land would appear. And he also intended, by saying 'He puts the depths in storehouses,' to refer to what is said there [in Genesis], that the revealing of the dry land was accomplished chiefly through the preparation made by the utterance, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters' — for He set the law that the waters would rise by means of vapors to the firmament, which is the place of the storm-clouds, and there the air that had been mixed with the element of water went out from them, and by this they were separated from the dry land, for most of the waters remained suspended by the decree of the King, in the air (as I wrote in my commentary on Genesis, and in my commentary on Job, chapters 26 and 38, and further below, chapter 104). And therefore it says that the waters of the depths were put into storehouses in the firmament. And by this Hashem established the other governance, by which He conducts Himself with the inhabitants of the earth, according to the providential governance called by the name 'lovingkindness' — that He holds back the waters so that they dry up, or sends them so that they overturn the land. And likewise the giving of rain and all that depends on this — all of it is providential, as it is written, 'and the firmament tells of the work of His hands.' And this is a continual act, as indicated by the fact that it says 'gathers as a heap,' 'puts in storehouses,' in the present tense, for this is done and enacted continually through providence.

"as a mound" — Heb. כנד, an expression of height, and so did Onkelos render (Exod. 15:8): נצבו כמו נד, they stood up like a wall, and so did Menachem (p. 121, missing) explain it. נד and נאד do not have the same meaning. "He puts the deeps into treasuries" — under the earth.

'He gathers' — now, he mentioned 'the earth' first, because it is the solid [element], and we are born from it; and afterward 'the heavens,' and afterward 'the sea'; and he did not mention the sphere of wind and of fire, for he spoke only of what is visible to the eye. Rabbi Moshe said: the surface of the earth, which is the dry land, is revealed only once the waters stand up like a heap, when the waters were gathered together; and 'gathers' [konnes] is from the same root as: 'Go, gather [k'nos] all the Jews' (Esther 4:16); and 'lays them up in storehouses' — the meaning is doubled [i.e., restated for emphasis].

"He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap" — This is a further act of lovingkindness of God toward His creatures: He collected the waters from over the face of the earth, and gathered them and received them into one place, and so there was dry land; for were it not for this, there would be no creature there except fish. And it says "as a heap [ned]," which means a mound and a pile, as in (Exodus 15:8): "the floods stood upright as a heap [ned]"; (Joshua 3:13): "and they stood up in a heap [ned]" — to indicate that the waters are higher than the land. And indeed it appears that the waters, which had been spread over the whole face of the earth, when they were gathered into one place, truly became elevated above the land considerably. For there is no depression at the place where the waters were gathered, even though at the ends of the earth it slopes and descends, because it is spherical. And what it says (Psalms 107:23), "those who go down to the sea," refers to the shore, [meaning] that the land is higher than the shore of the sea; and this is among the wonders of the Creator: that the waters are elevated, and the waves of the sea come up to the place that is the shore, and do not pass beyond that point, as it says (Jeremiah 5:22): "Do you not fear Me, says Hashem, will you not tremble before Me, who have placed the sand as a bound for the sea, an eternal decree that it cannot pass? Though its waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it." Therefore it says: "He lays up the deeps in storehouses" — as though they were "in storehouses" from which they cannot go out. Now, in these verses [Radak] mentioned the four elements: for in the word "heavens" is hinted the element of fire, "and by the breath of His mouth" hints at the element of air, and "the earth" is hinted at in the two verses, and was mentioned explicitly above (verse 5): "the earth is full of the lovingkindness of Hashem."

"He gathers" — He gathers the waters of the ocean sea to be like a heap and a mound, high above the earth, and it does not descend downward in the manner of [ordinary] water. "He lays up" — He confines the depths in storehouses so that they do not go out to flood the earth.

"Gathers" — collects. "As a heap" — like a thing that is piled up, as in "rose up in one heap" (Joshua 3). "The deeps" — thus is called an abundance of water.

'Let ... fear' — now, since everything was created by His word, it is fitting that the people of the earth should fear Hashem, and tremble at His word. And he mentions 'all the earth' — in the manner of: 'and all the earth came to Egypt' (Genesis 41:57).

"Let all the earth fear Hashem" — and since this is so, it is only right that "all the earth fear Hashem," for He established the inhabited world for them, as it says: "He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap"; if so, "Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" — and this refutes the words of those who deny the Torah, who say that the world is eternal [preexistent].

"Fear" — meaning, they shall be afraid.

"Let them fear" — Through the fixed, natural governance, "let all the earth fear Hashem," because He is the Creator of all; and through the providential governance that He conducts toward the inhabitants of the settled world (tevel), which is the inhabited portion of the earth, "from Him let all the inhabitants of the world stand in dread" — for dread (magor) is greater than fear (yirah), which is the fear of reward and punishment. Because through this governance which He conducts toward the settled world He rewards and punishes, they dread His punishment, lest He flood [the world] with the waters of the sea, or restrain the heavens so that there be no rain.

'For He spoke' — with desire and will, not by [any] instrument. 'He commanded, and it stood' — the meaning is doubled, as if it said: 'for He spoke, and it was' — a statement. 'and He commanded' — a command. 'and it stood' — as I have explained, in the manner of: 'and He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it' (Numbers 23:20); for the power of Hashem is in the power of every act, whether past or future.

"For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it stood" — If you wish, you may explain this with reference to the matter that preceded it: the creation of the world; or with reference to the matter that follows it: "Hashem brings the counsel of the nations to nought." It means: that He created the world, and everything is in His hand, and man has no power to change the affairs of the world from what "He has spoken" and commanded to be; so it will be, "and it stood," and man cannot avert the decrees that come upon him, neither by strength nor by wealth. And whatever a person plans to accomplish by his own devices — if God does not will it, it will not happen; and this is what it goes on to say:

"And it was" — as He spoke, so it was. "And it stood" — so it will stand forever.

"For" — this explains: "let all the earth fear Hashem, for He spoke and it came to be," for He is the One who brings everything into existence and creates it all; "from Him let all the inhabitants of the world stand in dread, for He commanded and it stood," for even the establishment and endurance of the earth is not of itself — unlike the heavens, of which it is said, "a decree He gave, and it shall not pass," and which endure and stand of themselves. For the earth does not stand of itself, since according to its own particular nature it would be fitting for the waters to cover the face of the earth (tevel); rather, Hashem commanded that it stand, and set sand as a boundary for the sea, and gives the early rain and the late rain in its season. Therefore they stand in dread, fearing His punishment, lest He withdraw His providence for a moment, and all flesh perish together, and man return to dust.

'Hashem' — following [what came before], that His counsel stands, no nation has the power to nullify it; rather, it is He who nullifies their counsel.

"Hashem brings the counsel of the nations to nought" — it means: "nations" — that is, even if all the nations were of one counsel and one accord, "Hashem" would "bring their counsel to nought," as it says (Isaiah 40:17): "All the nations are as nothing before Him." Or it means: "nations" is said in contrast to what will be mentioned later (verse 12), "Happy is the nation whose God is Hashem," for the rest of the nations ascribe power to other gods — and this is [the belief] of their masses. And some of them, who are the select individuals, say that God has no providence or knowledge of the deeds of man; therefore it says: "Hashem brings the counsel of the nations to nought." And it further says: "He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect" — as is the way of the language, to repeat the same matter in different words.

"Brings to nought" — [meaning] 'annuls'; an expression of nullification and prevention, as in 'he shall make it void, and he shall annul it' (Numbers 30).

"Hashem" — Since Hashem governs the earth with a particular providence, therefore, in the general matters that are desired by Him in accordance with His wisdom and will, blessed be He, He nullifies the counsel of the nations and their thoughts, and directs everything according to the overall purpose that He desires; and the thoughts of men and their counsel cannot avail to nullify the counsel of Hashem and the purpose agreed upon by Him. Now, the "counsel" (etzah) is the purpose desired by the one who acts, and the "thoughts" (machashavot) are the means that lead to that purpose — for one thinks of ways to bring the counsel, which is the purpose, into actual deed. "And Hashem brings the counsel of the nations to nought" — that is, the purpose desired by them — and also "makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect" — that is, the many thoughts and means that they prepare in order to bring about the purpose, which is the counsel. But "the counsel of Hashem," which is the purpose desired by Him, "stands forever," and men cannot change it through their stratagems; and also "the thoughts of His heart," which are the means that He prepares toward His counsel, stand "for all generations." Now the purpose is one — for example, the overall purpose that Hashem has counseled in the perfecting of humanity as a whole until the end of all generations — this stands forever without change; but the thoughts, which are the means that He prepares to bring about the overall purpose, change according to the generations, and therefore it says "for generation and generation." Likewise, the final, all-encompassing rectification destined to come in the end of days is the overall counsel within [His] governance, and it stands with Him forever without change — and though it tarry, wait for it. But the means, Hashem is always preparing for this according to the generations, generation by generation, until everything that is renewed in every generation — such as the exiles, the redemptions, and the transformations that occurred in all the generations — are all like the fixed links of a single chain, whose final link is the overall counsel that stands with Him forever without change.

'The counsel of Hashem' — corresponding to 'the counsel of nations.' 'the thoughts of His heart' — by way of comparison, corresponding to 'the thoughts of peoples.'

"The counsel of Hashem stands for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations" — by way of contrast to "their counsel" and "their thoughts" [mentioned above].

"Stands for ever" — and there is none to nullify His counsel. "To all generations" — it will endure through all the days of the generations.

"Happy is the nation whose God is Hashem" — for they do not believe in these foolish beliefs, but rather say and believe that Hashem is God, whose meaning is: Judge, Guide, and Overseer of all. And it says "his God," because he has accepted Him as God. And likewise: "The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance" — for He has accepted them as a people of "inheritance," as it says (Deuteronomy 26:17-18): "You have avouched Hashem this day to be your God... and Hashem has avouched you this day to be His own treasured people..." And they separated themselves from the evil beliefs, and were commanded to accept in their minds and understand with their intellect that from Him comes to them the good and its opposite, all according to their deeds, as it says (Deuteronomy 8:18): "And you shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth." And it says (Deuteronomy 11:12): "The eyes of Hashem your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year." And it speaks of its opposite (Deuteronomy 32:30): "How should one chase a thousand... were it not that their Rock had sold them" — meaning that this thing does not happen by chance. And so all the blessings and curses that He appointed for them proceed from within the natural order of the world, so that they may know that everything is by design, from Him; and the nation that holds this belief — happy is it!

"Happy is the nation" — happy is the nation. "The people" — the word "happy" serves for both [clauses], as though it said, "Happy is the people whom Hashem has chosen as His own inheritance."

"Happy" — In light of this, he says that "happy is the nation whose God is Hashem" — any nation that believes in Hashem and worships Hashem, so that He is its God, happy is it, for then it is under His providence. And in addition to this, "happy is the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance" — for beyond its own choice, in that it chose Hashem as its God, it is also chosen by Hashem to be for Him a treasured people, and He appears over it with a wondrous, miraculous providence.

'From heaven' — because he had mentioned the might of Hashem, he now says that He knows the secrets of the heart, and behold, He is wise and mighty in strength. And the sense of 'He looks down' is as though He sees everything with [His own] eyes. And he mentions 'the heavens' — because they surround the whole earth. And he says: 'upon all the inhabitants' — so that not a single person among them would be overlooked.

"From heaven Hashem looks; He beholds all the sons of men" — This is the belief of that "nation" mentioned [in the previous verse]; not like those who say (Job 22:14): "Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He does not see, and He walks about the circuit of heaven."

"From heaven" — although He is in heaven, He looks intently to see on earth the deeds of the sons of men.

"From heaven" — Now he tells how Hashem conducts [the world] by the two kinds of governance mentioned. On the one hand, Hashem governs through the heavens, which is the governance of nature and of the [heavenly] order, whereby Hashem has established His throne in the heaven and governs according to the laws of nature set in order from the beginning. And by this governance, "Hashem looks from heaven; He beholds all the sons of men" — He sees them all with a foreknowledge that He knew from the beginning, all the particulars of the deeds that would occur; and it is a single, all-encompassing seeing that does not multiply or change — rather, with a single foreknowledge He saw them all, and their deeds, until the end of all generations; and likewise all their affairs were allotted from the beginning, in accordance with the overall governance attributed to the heavens and to the governance of nature.

"He oversees" — He looks.

"From the place of His habitation He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth" — He repeats what he said in different words, in order to strengthen the belief; for indeed He sees and knows all that they do. "He looks intently" (hishgiach) is like "He looks" (hibit); and so too (Song of Songs 2:9): "Gazing through the windows."

"From the place [of His habitation]" — from heaven, the established place of His dwelling; and the matter is repeated in different words.

"The place of His habitation" — from the language of 'establishment' (preparation). "Looks intently" — from the language of 'watching' (hashgachah), with much attentive observation.

"From the place of His habitation" — On the other hand, [there is] the providential governance, which is not attributed to the heavens but to "the place of His habitation," where He sits and judges according to [men's] deeds. From there, "He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth" — not a general seeing alone, but a particular providence; and not only upon all mankind in general, but upon all the inhabitants of the earth in every generation, each individual according to his own particular, freely-chosen deeds.

"He Who forms their hearts together" — All of their hearts together and knows all the thoughts. Our Sages, however, explain that it refers back to “From His dwelling place, the Creator oversees their hearts together,” and they derived from here that all are examined with a single glance (Rosh Hashana 18a).

'He who fashions' — the Fashioner is one, though the created beings are different from one another; therefore He alone understands all their deeds.

"He who fashions their hearts alike" — for whoever truly fashioned their hearts knows them. That is to say, how could the thoughts of their hearts be hidden from Him, since it is He who fashioned them? In the manner of what is said (Psalms 94:8): "He who forms the eye, shall He not see?" And as for what it says "yachad" (alike/together) — this means that He knows them all in a general way. And so our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said, and they were precise about the word "yachad," saying (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 18a): "And they are all surveyed with a single glance." And since He knows "their heart," all the more so "their deeds." And this is [the meaning of]: "Who understands all their deeds" — And it is also possible to interpret "ha-yotzer" (he who fashions) similarly to (Zechariah 11:13): "And I cast it into the house of Hashem, to the yotzer" — which is like [reading it as] "ha-otzar" (the treasury). And he means: that He 'stores together their heart' — that is, in His treasury and in His storehouses they are all [gathered], just as a person knows for certain what is in his own storehouse.

"He who fashions" — and since it is He who fashions their hearts together, this one like that one, no man being lacking, He also understands all their deeds; therefore He watches over everything.

"He who fashions" — He comes to answer the objection raised by the philosophers regarding this [divine] knowledge: that surely the deeds of free choice are contingent — they multiply, change, and are renewed — and it is impossible for Hashem's knowledge to multiply, change, or be renewed for Him. The answer to this, as stated in the Guide of the Perplexed (part 3, chapter 21), is that there is a difference between the knowledge of the maker regarding what he has made, and the knowledge of someone else regarding that same made thing. This is because, if the thing made is made in accordance with its maker's knowledge, then its making follows from his knowledge; but the observation of it by other people follows after the made thing. For example, one who makes a clock by means of gears, the work of craftsmen, knows in advance every movement it will make and every single inclination that it will indicate; and he does not know all this by observing the movements as they occur now — rather, the opposite: the movements as they occur were made to occur in accordance with his knowledge, [determined] in advance. Whereas another person who observes that instrument gains a new piece of knowledge each time. And this is what is meant: that Hashem, insofar as He is "the one who fashions their hearts," in that respect "He considers all their deeds" in such a way that no new knowledge arises for Him at the time of the contingent action, on account of the multiplicity of the ever-renewing deeds — for He knew all this at the time He fashioned their hearts. And likewise, [His knowledge does not multiply] on account of the multiplicity of people, each of whom has a different heart and a different choice — for "He fashioned their hearts together," meaning that the hearts of all people were created in a single creation, and at that time He understood all their deeds; and no new knowledge arises for Him at all, and His knowledge does not multiply or change through the multiplicity, renewal, and variation of their deeds.

'A king is not [saved]' — the decrees [of Hashem] are not like the plan of the great counselor among men, who is the king; so what benefit is there in his counsel? Indeed, he is not saved by the greatness of the strength that he has; and the sense [of this] concerns his armies.

"A king is not saved by the multitude of a host" — Is a king not indeed "saved" and victorious by the multitude of his "forces" and his armies? Rather, he means to say that people should recognize that He is the One who watches over them, and "understands all their deeds," and does good or harm to whomever He wishes. For behold, you sometimes see that "the king," who is the greatest of men, and who has "a great host," is not saved, but rather stumbles along with all his forces before a small people. And by what is this caused, if not by [God's] watching over the deeds of man? For behold, the king of Assyria — as long as God desired [to use] him, he conquered all the nations and subdued all the lands, and God called him (Isaiah 10:5) "the rod of My anger and My indignation," as if He were sending him and commanding him to do what he was doing. But once he grew arrogant, and attributed the strength and the stratagem to himself and not to God, and said (ibid. v. 13): "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent," and came to Jerusalem with a heavy host, it was said of him (II Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36): "And they arose early in the morning, and behold, they were all dead corpses." Behold, he was not "saved by the multitude of his host," but rather stumbled once God grew angry with him. And many such things like this were written in the books of prophecy as a sign and a testimony. "A mighty man is not delivered by great strength" — For behold, Sennacherib, his own sons struck him down with the sword, and Goliath, who was "a mighty man," fell by the hand of David, who was a young and tender lad. Behold, neither a man's "strength" nor his "might" avails him, unless it be by the will of God.

"A king is not [saved]" — he brings proof that everything is by [divine] providence, and says: have we not seen that a king is not saved in war by the multitude of the host that is with him? And if everything were according to nature, it would be fitting for him to be saved by them.

"A host" — the armies of a people.

"There is not" — From this providence, by which He watches over the inhabitants of the earth, flows the special and wondrous providence over those who fear Hashem; and then, no effort or preparation that people make to work against this providence will avail, for it is the providence of Hashem that accomplishes valiant deeds. "The king is not saved by the multitude of a host" — that is, by the abundance in quantity of his army; and likewise an abundance of strength in quality will not avail, for also "the mighty man is not delivered by great strength."

'A vain thing' [sheker] — because Hashem said: 'Do you give the horse [his] might?' (Job 39:19); and the sense refers to the horse of the king and the army. 'it does not deliver' — the object [of the verb] is omitted, and it is [understood as] 'his life.'

"A horse is a false hope for safety" — For it is God who gave it its might, as it says (Job 39:19): "Do you give the horse might?" — meaning, just as I have given [it]. And when God does not desire [to grant success through] its might, He causes it to stumble, and its rider is not saved by it. "Neither does it deliver by its great strength" — By its great power, the rider upon it shall not escape.

"A horse is a vain thing" — The running of a horse is a false hope for bringing salvation to its owner. "Nor does it afford escape by its great strength" — Despite all its great strength, it cannot save its owner's life.

"Its great strength" — its meaning is power and might.

"A vain thing" — Also the means and instruments that they prepare for this, such as horses made ready for war, will not avail, for "a horse is a vain thing for safety." And not only will it fail to bring victory in war, but also "it cannot deliver its owner by its great strength." He also means to say that sometimes the horse will betray its owner and carry him by force against his will into the battle — and this itself becomes his salvation, for it comes about through providence, so that by it he is saved, even though by his great strength he would not have escaped. And why do the army and the horses not avail? Because "behold, the eye of Hashem is upon those who fear Him," and He fights on their behalf and puts to shame the riders of horses, as it is written, "You are a hiding place for me from the adversary, You preserve me." And he explains that this providence comes for two reasons: first, because they are those who fear Him; second, because they "hope for His mercy" — and Hashem saves those who trust in Him.

'Behold, the eye of Hashem' — in the manner of: 'and I will set My eye upon him' (Genesis 44:21), and 'set your eyes upon him' (Jeremiah 39:12). 'toward those who fear Him' — [they fear] Him alone, not a king who is [merely] flesh and blood; and they hope only for His lovingkindness alone.

"Behold, the eye of Hashem is toward those who fear Him, toward those who wait for His mercy" — Behold, those who trust in their own strength will not be saved; but "those who fear" God and "those who wait for His mercy," God's protection is upon them, and He delivers them from a great host.

"The eye of Hashem" — Hashem's providence is upon those who fear Him, who wait for His mercy.

'To deliver from death' — [whether by] sword or plague.

"To deliver their soul from death" — in war. "And to keep them alive in famine" — And should "famine" come upon the world, He will "keep" them "alive." Since they "wait for His mercy," He brings about circumstances to satisfy them [with food] in the midst of those who are starving.

"To deliver" — even if nature itself opposes it. "In famine" — when there is famine in the world.

"To deliver their soul from death" — so that they should not die by the hand of the adversary who oppresses them; and also "to keep them alive in famine," as indeed happened in this incident, that Israel grew weary through famine, and the adversary also came upon them, and Hashem delivered them from both.

'Our soul' — since we have seen that those who fear Hashem and hope for Him are delivered, therefore 'our soul has waited for Him.' And the sense of 'our help' — corresponds to 'the multitude of a host' that he mentioned in connection with the king. 'and our shield' — corresponds to 'the king,' as in: 'Behold our shield, O God' (Psalm 84:10).

"Our soul has waited for Hashem" — therefore "He is our help and our shield" — when we are delivered.

"Our soul" — therefore our soul waits for Hashem, for He has always been our helper.

"Has waited" — [meaning] she has hoped.

"Our soul" — He says that even though their hope did not come immediately — as it is written, "my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long" — so that "our soul has waited," waiting many days, nevertheless "He is our help and our shield," for He helped us in the famine, and shielded us from the adversary.

'For in Him does our heart rejoice' — corresponds to 'those who fear Him.'

"For in Him does our heart rejoice" — when He delivers us from evils, "in Him does our heart rejoice; for" we recognize "that" the salvation comes to us from Him, "Because we have trusted in His holy name" — therefore He delivered us.

"For in Him" — in His salvation our heart rejoices, for we have trusted in Him, and it is His way to save those who trust in Him.

"For in Him" — for hoping in Hashem is not like hoping in a man: one who hopes for salvation from a man, and is not saved by him at once, becomes sad, because he does not trust in his salvation with a strong trust, since perhaps the man is unable or unwilling to save him. But "in Him does our heart rejoice," even though the hope did not come at once, "because we have trusted in His holy name" with a strong trust, that He will certainly save us, since His holy name is called over us, as it is written, "and Your name is called over us; do not abandon us."

'Let ... be' — he mentions 'Your mercy' and 'as we have waited for You,' corresponding to 'those who wait for His mercy.'

"Let Your mercy, Hashem, be upon us, according as we have waited for You" — So may "Your mercy be upon us" at every time and in every season, just as "we have waited" [for You].

"According as" — according to the measure of the hope, so shall the mercy be.

"Let it be" — Nevertheless, I ask that we not need to wait and delay for a long time for the mercy of Hashem, but rather, "let Your mercy, O Hashem, be upon us" at once, "according as we have waited for You," and may You save us immediately.