Psalms · Psalm 96

"a new song" — This song deals with the future, as is proven by the final verse, “for He has come to judge the earth.” Any reference to a “new song” deals with the future.

'Sing to Hashem a new song' — [this is said] twice, and the meaning is: continually. 'All the earth' — [meaning] all the inhabitants of the earth, as in 'and all the earth came to Egypt' (Genesis 41:57).

"Sing" — each man will say to his fellow: Sing to Hashem a new song, for He has gathered you from Babylon; and he says "new," meaning that you should renew for Him a song other than the psalms and songs already written; and he repeats again [for emphasis]. "Sing to Hashem a new song" — for emphasis. And this psalm he composed when the Ark was brought up from the house of Obed-Edom, together with the psalm "Give thanks to Hashem, call upon His name" — except that there is a slight difference between them; and he made it new in this one, "a new song," because he adapted it in this book to be about the ingathering of the exiles. "All the earth" — all the inhabitants of the earth.

"Sing" — He first describes (in this psalm and the one following it) Hashem's providence acting through nature: that He performs hidden miracles and arranges nature in a manner consistent with the salvation of Israel and the success of His servants and those who love His name. And he said, "Sing to Hashem a new song," for the nations knew that Hashem is the First Cause, and they called Him "the God of gods" (Aramaic: elaha de-elahaya), only they did not believe that He is unlike any other maker — that once a maker has completed his work, the thing made no longer depends on the maker, and the maker's hands are withdrawn from it. For example, one who makes a clock: once he has made it, it turns on its wheels and cylinders on its own. Not so with Hashem: He continues to turn and be engaged in His works with a power that has no limit, and the continued existence of creation is a constant, ongoing creation, and all of existence depends on His power, so that if He were to withdraw His hands from it for even a moment, everything would return to nothingness. Therefore the nations would sing Him an old song, since He was the First Cause of existence in the distant past, but you shall sing Him a new song, for He renews the work of creation continually, every day. And this is the second point: "Sing to Hashem, all the earth" — not as it was until now, when most of the multitude among the nations denied Hashem and said, "It is not He," attributing all of creation to the stars and constellations.

'Sing' — His honored name, which is the proper Name [i.e., the Tetragrammaton]. 'Proclaim' — you, the people of Hashem, [proclaim it] to one another.

"From day to day" — meaning, always, every day. And the sense of "proclaim" is: [each tells it] to another — for even though everyone already knew the salvation at the same time, nevertheless the retelling of the salvation would be dear in their eyes on each and every day, as if it had just occurred, because news is the renewal of the telling, and it is sweet to a person on the day he hears it, and afterward that sweetness gradually diminishes. And he says that on each and every day the retelling of the salvation is sweet, as if that very day were the day of the news.

"Proclaim from day to day" — Every day they would proclaim to one another the new salvation.

"Proclaim" — its meaning is the announcing of news.

"Sing" — He explains, corresponding to what he said, "Sing to Hashem a new song," that along with what — "you shall sing to Hashem, you shall bless His name" — for blessing comes only for the good and the beneficial influence one receives from Him; the nations, who did not recognize that He is the One who guides and bestows all good, only praise His name, but do not bless Him. But you shall bless His name, for you know that He is the One who bestows an abundance of blessing, because "you shall proclaim His salvation from day to day" — for His salvation is renewed every day, since He renews the work of creation every day and brings forth new salvations every day. And it is clear that a proclamation is not made about something ordinary, but only about something whose coming is uncertain and which is not accustomed to occur regularly — for it would not be fitting to proclaim that dawn broke in the morning, since that is a constant thing bound to happen. Therefore he said that even His constant, daily salvation you shall proclaim — meaning you shall proclaim that He brought forth the heavenly lights, for even their emergence is not a necessity but depends on His will, since He renews the work of creation every day. "Declare" — and corresponding to what he said, "Sing to Hashem, all the earth," he explains, "Declare His glory among the nations," for until now there were two classes among the nations, namely "nations" and "peoples" (it is explained elsewhere by me that "peoples" are more distinguished than "nations") — for the lowly nations did not know of Hashem at all, while the distinguished peoples, who knew that there is a first originator and prime cause, did not know that He is a ruler who supervises, and that the power is in His hand to do with all creation as He wishes. And in their view it was fitting to give Him honor as the First Cause, but not to bless Him, nor to recount His wonders, for they did not believe that He guides the world and works salvations and blessing, and that it is in His power to perform wonders and overturn nature. But now even the lowly nations will recognize His glory, that He is the First Cause, and the distinguished "peoples," who recognized His glory even until now, will now recognize "His wonders," and will know that it is in His hand to change and destroy nature as He wishes.

'Declare' — since it mentions 'among the nations,' therefore '[in] all the earth' [mentioned above] refers to the land of Israel.

"Declare" — His glory, with which He honored you in the sight of the nations, among whom you had been despised and lowly.

'For [great is Hashem]' — even though you declare His glory and His wonders, He is [still] greater and much more praised than all 'gods' — these are the angels, for He is the God of gods.

"Gods" — these are the angels; they magnify Him, exalt Him, and praise Him. And the sense of this account is that then all the nations will acknowledge Him, and Israel are the ones who will make known among the nations that He is great and praiseworthy.

"Above all gods" — These are the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, whom the idol-worshippers served and accepted as deities.

"For great" — corresponding to what he said, "Declare His glory among the nations," he explains, "For great is Hashem, and highly praised" — the name "great" indicates that He is the first and final cause of everything, as is stated in many places, meaning that His power extends over all existence. And nonetheless He is highly praised, because everything is done with the utmost wisdom and kindness, so that in every particular thing His ability, His wisdom, and His goodness are seen. And corresponding to what he said, "among all the peoples, His wonders," he explains, "For He is feared above all gods" — lest you say that the forces of nature are fixed in such a way that He can no longer change them, like a craftsman who, once he has finished his work, no longer needs to attend to it, so that the forces of nature stand independently and act by their own power — rather, He is feared above all gods, for all the forces are in awe of Him, since He can change them and nullify them, for their life and their continued existence depend on His will, and were His will to be withdrawn from them, they would become as nothing.

'For [all the gods of the peoples are] things of nought' — [meaning] falsehood and lies, as in 'worthless physicians' (Job 13:4); and it is from a root meaning 'no' — as if to say 'there is no being in it' or 'it is a no-being' — the language being elliptical, as in 'and better than both is he who has not yet been' (Ecclesiastes 4:3). 'But Hashem made the heavens' — the meaning of 'heavens' is the dwelling places of the angels mentioned [above]; and He is the awesome Name over the souls, which are honored forms — and He also made the bodies.

"For all the gods of the peoples" — that they used to worship formerly, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are "things of nought" — that is to say, they are as nothing, they wander [away, having no substance], for He is the one who made them; and this is [the meaning of] "but Hashem made the heavens."

"Things of nought (elilim)" — For compared to Hashem they are as nothing. "But Hashem" — But Hashem made the heavens and their entire host; if so, even they [the sun, moon, and stars] are the work of Hashem's hands.

"Things of nought" — it is from the language of 'no' (al), meaning a thing of no benefit; and likewise 'physicians of no value' (Job 13).

"For all the gods of the peoples" — who attribute divinity to the host of heaven, thinking that they act by their own power, are themselves "idols," for their power is fixed and limited by their Creator. The heavens, which the nations worship, do not act at all by their own power; rather, "Hashem made the heavens" — He is the one who acts within the heavens, and everything happens by His power and His influence, for He made the heavens and everything is dependent upon Him.

'Honor and majesty are before Him' — before Him alone, not before the nought-gods of the peoples. 'In His sanctuary' — [this refers either to] the heavens, the heaven of His holiness, or to the Ark, which is called 'strength' [and stood] in the Temple — and this is the correct view. And the reason is: the heavens are the dwelling place of the stars, while the Temple is a house of habitation for Him.

"Honor and majesty" — these are the stars; they recognize His greatness and give honor and majesty before Him. "Strength and beauty" — they give [these] in His sanctuary, which is the heavens, His holy dwelling place, and they acknowledge that He is Lord over all.

"Honor and majesty are before Him" — hod (honor) is a quality inherent within the essence of a thing, while hadar (majesty) is the external beauty visible to the eye. Similarly, oz (strength) is an inner quality — the thing is strong in its very essence — while tiferet (splendor) is an external quality by which one is glorified before others. Accordingly, [the verse] states that Hashem Himself has before Him hod and hadar, corresponding to His inner will and to His will as it is revealed. From this there unfolds "strength and splendor are in His sanctuary" — for from the inner hod that exists in His essence, there unfolds the oz in His sanctuary, by which He conducts the world; and from the hadar there unfolds the tiferet, by which He conducts a wondrous governance, through which He is glorified by His great power.

"Ascribe to the Lord, families of peoples" — And what shall you ascribe to Him? Ascribe to the Lord glory and might.

'Ascribe [to Hashem]' — that you should acknowledge with your mouth that the glory and the strength belong to Him alone.

"Ascribe to Hashem" — And he continues and explains: "Ascribe to Hashem glory and strength" — meaning, tell of His glory and His strength.

"Ascribe" — [meaning] 'give,' i.e., utter with the mouth and say, as in 'and did not utter anything improper' (ibid., 1).

"Ascribe to Hashem, O families of peoples" — you, families of peoples, do not attribute anything to any power other than Him alone. And it explains: "ascribe to Hashem glory and strength" — meaning, there are peoples who acknowledged the existence of God, but said that although He created the world, He does not govern the world, but rather handed over the governance to the array of the heavens. They pictured Him as a king who sits in his innermost chambers and has handed over the governance of the state to his ministers and counselors, who govern according to the laws he enacted, without changing anything. In this view, glory (kavod) befits Him insofar as He is the Creator, but not strength (oz) and not dread (mora), since [in their view] He has no power to change anything. Therefore it says that they should give Him both glory — insofar as He is the Creator of all — and also strength — insofar as He is the Governor, and it is in His power to overturn nature, according to His will and according to the need of the governance of reward and punishment. Now it explains these two things. Corresponding to what it said, "ascribe to Hashem glory," it says, "ascribe to Hashem the glory of His name" — for in this respect He is likened to a king who sits in his innermost chambers, and He Himself is not recognized by the people of His kingdom, and the glory that is given is given to His name. In this you would be like servants bearing a tribute-offering to the courts of the king, who do not reach the king's inner palace to see his face, for he is hidden from the people of his kingdom. That is to say, in this respect — insofar as you recognize that He is the Creator — glory and exaltation belong to Him on this account. "And the tribute-offering that you bear" to His name, "lay it down in His courts" — as if the whole world were the court of this King, where His ministers and officers stand, who receive the tribute-offering that you bring to the king, for they are the ones who stand beneath him in this respect. Now it adds, saying (corresponding to "ascribe to Hashem strength"): "bow down" — but know that in truth, from these very courts to which you have come, you will reach all the way to the king's inner palace, for in truth he does not sit set apart from the people; rather, he is ready to appear before those who visit his courts, and they greet him in the camp. And when you see the king himself, "bow down" — but know that in truth, from these very courts to which you have come, you will reach all the way to the king's inner palace, for in truth he does not sit set apart from the people; rather, he is ready to appear before those who visit his courts, and they greet him with a tribute-offering. And when you see the king himself, "bow down before Him" in fear and dread, "in the beauty of holiness" — for in this respect, in that He reveals Himself in His splendor, He rises above the laws of nature and performs wonders according to His will — this is called by the name "holy," which is that which is exalted above nature. And when He reveals Himself to His creatures through His individual providence, He then rises above the fixed laws of nature to holiness and wonder, and this is His splendor, the splendor of a king who has no need of ministers and officers to help him in governance, for He is the One who humbles Himself to look upon heaven and earth. And through this, "tremble before Him, all the earth" — for through this, fear and dread reach Him, insofar as it is in His power to destroy nature and to conduct a providential governance.

'Ascribe [to Hashem the glory due to His name]' — the meaning of 'the glory due to His name' is the Ark, which is called 'the Name'; hence it continues, 'and come into His courts.'

"Ascribe to Hashem, O you sons of might" — give Him, with your mouths, glory and strength; and likewise give Him glory in deed, in that you bring Him an offering. "Into His courts" — these are the courts of the Temple, for the honor of His name.

"The glory due to His name" — the glory that is fitting for His name. "Bring" (lit. "carry") — Carry an offering upon the shoulder and come with it to His courts, [that is,] to the Temple.

'O worship [Hashem]' — when they come with an offering to the court, your worship should be with trembling and fear.

"In the beauty of holiness" — in the Temple, which will be more magnificent and more sanctified than all [other] houses. "Tremble before Him, all the earth" — for you had not trembled and had not feared before Him until now, but when you see His wonders, tremble before Him.

"In the beauty of holiness" — in the Temple, which is resplendent in holiness.

"Tremble" — from the language of writhing and trembling.

"“The Lord has reigned”" — This song will be [sung] in the future. "He will judge peoples with equity" — Those whom he will turn into a clear tongue (Zeph. 3:9). "with equity" — with merits.

'Say [among the nations]' — he is speaking to those bringing the offering, [instructing] that the nations, upon their return, should say: 'Hashem reigns.' And the meaning is that Hashem has settled man upon the earth. the meaning of 'it is also established' is that Hashem is a righteous king, the opposite of 'crumbling,' as in 'the earth is utterly crumbled' (Isaiah 24:19) [and] 'all the foundations of the earth are shaken' (Psalm 82:5).

"Say" — he speaks to the families of the peoples who come to the Temple: when you return to your land, say among the nations, "Hashem reigns," and the land is at rest. This is [the meaning of] "the world also is established, it cannot be moved" — for you will recognize His kingship, in that He brought His people out of exile with great glory, for even the kings of Persia and Media sent them away to their land; you will see that He rules over all, and you will recognize this through the judgment that He carried out upon the nations who came against Jerusalem, that He is the ruler and the kingship is His. Further still you will recognize His kingship in that "the world is established, it cannot be moved," for the whole world will be at peace — nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. "He will judge the peoples with equity" — for He judged the peoples justly and destroyed the wicked among them.

"Say among the nations" — Say to one another, "Hashem reigns" — meaning, now He has shown His kingship. "The world also is established" — meaning, now it is seen that You, Hashem, established the world as well, so that it should not be prone to fall. "He will judge" — He is the One who judges the peoples with righteous judgment, according to the measure of mercy.

"Say among the nations" — accordingly, you shall make known among the nations that "Hashem reigns" — that He did not hand over His kingship and governance to the ministers of the hosts and to the forces of nature, but He Himself reigns and governs. And then you will recognize that even the entire natural order consists of hidden miracles, and that He arranged nature in such a way that within it there is also room for judgment, for reward and punishment, and that the governance of the world is not fixed according to nature alone. Rather, "even though the world is established so that it cannot be moved," nevertheless "He will judge the peoples with equity" — for even though the laws of nature are arranged and fixed and will never be moved, nevertheless He arranged the natural order in His wisdom in such a way that it would accord with the providential order according to deeds, so that even though the world is founded upon the laws of nature, nevertheless He judges the peoples according to reward or punishment — the laws of nature will follow according to the deeds of mankind, as it says: "If you will indeed heed My commandments... then I will give the rain of your land in its season" — "lest your heart be seduced..." — "and He will shut up the heavens."

"the sea...will roar" — to raise its voice in praise.

'Let the heavens be glad' — when it gives its dew, and the earth yields its produce and the field gives its fruit — this is the meaning of 'let it exult.' the meaning of 'let the sea roar' is: [either] the clouds rising from the sea, or the whole thing is a figure of speech, [meaning] that the whole world will be tranquil and secure when Hashem's righteousness is manifest on earth — or in the manner of officials and musicians going out before the king when he arrives from a distant place. the meaning of 'for He comes' — the second [interpretation] supports the first, as in: 'to the outer court, to the people' (Ezekiel 44:19).

"Let [the heavens] be glad" — the gladness of the heavens, the rejoicing of the earth, the roaring of the sea, the exultation of the field, and the singing of the trees — all of this is by way of metaphor for the great joy that will exist because of the great peace that will be in the world, and the great goodness that will be. "And its fullness" — the fish of the sea.

"Let the heavens be glad" — This is a figure of speech for the abundance of joy that will then be in the world; and so too, concerning a day of calamity it is said, "the sun and the moon are darkened" (Joel 2:10). "Let it roar" — Let it give forth a loud sound, because of the greatness of the joy. "And its fulness" — the creatures that fill it.

"Let [them] be glad" — and accordingly, "let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice." There is a difference between simcha (gladness) and gil (rejoicing): simcha is the continual state, while gil pertains to something newly occurring. At a time when the governance proceeds according to the fixed order, "simcha" is fitting — for a good that is continual; and at a time when good comes according to deeds, not according to the fixed law, "gil" is fitting. Now, since Hashem's governance in this respect is ordered between nature and providence — the heavens act always according to their continual natural order, and so they are always glad — nevertheless the governance reaches the earth according to deeds, and there a good and an abundance is renewed according to reward, not according to the fixed laws, and so "gil" (rejoicing) is fitting for it. And [the psalm] explains how these two are found together: that even though the heavens are glad, nevertheless the earth rejoices. That is, even though the heavens and their array proceed in their natural course, and nature behaves according to its custom, nevertheless the earth is governed according to providence and according to reward and deeds. This will occur either by means of "the sea roaring, and its fullness" — for sometimes the sea goes forth and floods the world, if the world stands guilty — or sometimes "the field exults, and all that is in it," or "then all the trees of the forest shall sing" — meaning that even though the heavens do not change and give their rains according to their custom, nevertheless the earth is affected according to deeds. For if, according to nature, it would be fitting for only scant rains to fall, nevertheless "the field and all that is in it" will exult, for the rains fall only on the fields and produce fruit and crops; and at other times, when [the people] are guilty and it would be fitting according to nature for abundant rains to fall, the rains fall on the forests and not on the crop-fields, and "all the trees of the forest sing" — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in tractate Rosh Hashanah. And in this way, even though the heavens are glad, nevertheless the earth rejoices, for in the earth the matter changes according to reward and punishment.

"all the forest trees" — All the rulers of the nations.

"Sadai" [field] — like "sadeh," meaning the field and the wilderness. "And all that is in it" — the beasts of the wilderness.

"And all that is in it" — the creatures found in the field.

"Exult" — rejoice. "The field" [sadai] — like 'sadeh' (field).

"For He has come" — the second [occurrence] is an explanation of the first, and the repetition is for emphasis.

"Before Hashem" — the joy will be before Hashem, because He has come; and he continues and explains that He has come to judge the inhabitants of the earth. "In His faithfulness" — in truth, as is fitting.

"Before Hashem, for He has come, for He has come" — it says here twice "for He has come," because this coming of His will occur through an intermediary, by means of the natural order: as if He came once and infused the fixed natural order into the heavens, and came a second time to judge the earth — for although the first order proceeds in its natural way, He will [also] judge the earth according to the deeds of mankind. And in this, the two modes of governance are joined together, for "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His faithfulness" — for it has been explained by us that "faithfulness" (emunah) as applied to Hashem's governance refers to His conducting [the world] according to fixed nature, a faithfulness that has been steadfast since ancient times; whereas "righteousness" (tzedek) is when He examines the deeds of mankind and conducts [the world] according to reward and punishment. And in this manner — that He conducts a providential governance by means of nature — both righteousness and faithfulness are maintained together.