Psalms · Psalm 97

"The Lord has reigned" — when He takes the kingdom from Amalek and from his descendants. "the earth will exult" — This is what Ezekiel said (35:14): “When the whole earth rejoices, I shall make you desolate.” He prophesied this concerning Amalek.

'Hashem reigns; let the earth rejoice' — the great [earth]; the meaning is: even though He Himself is not seen, His righteousness is known to the righteous.

"Let [the isles] be glad" — [David] repeated this many times, in these psalms, on this subject, in order to strengthen the hearts of people who had despaired of redemption during the exile. "Isles" — the borders/coastlands of the nations.

"Hashem reigns" — In the future, when His kingship is revealed, then joy will increase in the world. "Isles" — the inhabitants of the islands of the sea.

"Hashem reigns" — he explains that through Hashem's reign in this way, namely providence by means of nature, therefore "the earth rejoices" (tagel) — that the earth as a whole attains gilah, whose definition is joy over something newly arising, for the governance of the earth will be renewed to conform, according to Hashem's will, to reward and punishment. "And the multitude of isles are glad" (yismechu) — meaning that although the earth as a whole will necessarily undergo a renewal in which nature conforms to reward and punishment, nevertheless in the various parts of the earth and in some of the isles there will be perpetual joy (simchah), because nature does not change in its particulars, only as a whole. This is the difference between the openly miraculous providence that he will speak of in the following verses, and the providence by means of nature spoken of here: in miraculous providence, change occurs even in particulars, and the miracle may happen even for the sake of a single individual or a single nation; but in providence by means of nature, there is no change of nature for the sake of a single particular, for that would be an open miracle. Rather, Hashem arranges the general course of nature according to [human] deeds and reward and punishment — for example, that the year's rains will be as is fitting according to the deeds of the people of the world — yet in the particulars there is no change. Hence the gilah [joy] over the good renewal that comes according to [human] deeds applies only to the earth as a whole, but not to the individual isles; rather, they experience the perpetual simchah [joy] that corresponds to the general good, because Hashem arranges the general course of nature to conform with providence, to the point that it seems as though everything is natural and necessary. And once Hashem has arranged the general order according to His will (this being the meaning of gilah), the particulars do not change except by the second way, which is entirely miraculous, an open miracle.

'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne' — in the manner of: 'for a throne is established through righteousness' (Proverbs 16:12).

"Clouds and thick darkness" — to darken and obscure, upon the wicked; and then they will recognize that "righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne" — for until now they would say that there is no justice, because of the prosperity and success of the wicked.

"Clouds and thick darkness" — This is a metaphor for the darkness of the troubles that will be prepared to punish the wicked with. "The foundation of His throne" — the establishment of His throne will be in righteousness and justice, to repay each one his due.

"And darkness" — it is the thickness of the cloud.

"Clouds and darkness" — he portrays, in this respect, that providence is hidden and not perceptible to all, for many will imagine that the world follows the natural course necessitated by the constellations; and he depicts it as though "clouds and darkness" canopy "round about Him," so that no man sees Him or grasps Him, for His providence is hidden. Yet nonetheless, "righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne" — for the heavenly governance that is called Hashem's throne, as it is written, "Hashem has established His throne in the heavens" — the foundation of the throne of this governance is arranged according to the laws of righteousness and justice, corresponding to reward and punishment according to the deeds of the generation. And although the supreme Ruler is canopied by cloud and darkness, nevertheless, at the time when "fire goes before Him," he depicts it as though from the cloud surrounding Him fire and lightning bolts go forth "and burn round about His adversaries" — meaning that He punishes the wicked as He comes forth. Then "His lightning bolts light up the world" — then the darkness departs, and the world becomes filled with light from these lightning bolts, so that it may be seen who is sending the lightning bolts, which are the emissaries of His providence to punish His adversaries; and by this, "the earth saw and trembled" — out of fear of the punishment.

"Fire will go before Him" — in the war of Gog and Magog, for it is written concerning his war (Ezek. 38:22): “And I shall plead against him with pestilence and with blood, and rain bringing floods and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.”

'A fire [goes before Him]' — he likens the decrees descending from heaven to fire, which burns — its very scent is deadly.

And the meaning of "and burns up round about" — that there will be no place to escape from the fire.

"And burns up" — a term for flame and fire, as in 'a flaming fire' (below, Psalms 104). "His adversaries" — His enemies.

"His lightnings" — His brilliant lights, an expression of (Ezek. 21:15): “It is polished that it may glitter (ברק).” "and quaked" — “Surely there will be a great earthquake on that day in the land of Israel. And at My presence, the fishes of the sea...will quake.” [The word] וַתָּחֵל is an expression of (above 48: 7): “pangs (חיל) like [those of] a woman in confinement.”

'His lightnings lighted up [the world]' — the meaning is like the ordinary way of rain when it falls, whose lightning bolts are the causes, which most people do not understand — only the wise do; and those who see [it] with their own eyes tremble.

"Lighted up" — that is, that His judgments will be visible to all, as it is said, "I will rain fire and brimstone upon him and upon his hordes" (Ezekiel 38:22); therefore: "The earth saw, and trembled" — or, "His lightnings lighted up" may be understood according to its plain sense, referring to the fire that He will rain upon them, and the lightning bolts will be great and continual, until all the nations are afraid. "The earth" — meaning, the inhabitants of the earth.

"Lighted up" — The lightning bolts will be so great that they will light up the whole world. "Saw" — When the earth sees the flash of the lightning, then it will writhe and tremble.

"And trembled" — from the language of anguish (chalchalah).

"melted like wax" — Heb. כדונג, as it is written (Ezek. 38:20): “and the mountains will be thrown down, and the cliffs will fall.”

'The mountains' — in the manner of rain [continuing the image]. the meaning of 'mountains' is: they are the arrogant, and it says 'they melted,' even though they are [normally] dry — the opposite of their nature. the meaning of 'Lord' is that the arrogant are not truly the lords of the earth.

"Like wax" — this is beeswax. "And the mountains" — this is a metaphor for the wicked kings.

"Mountains" — This is a metaphor for lofty, haughty men.

"Like wax" [dong] — [i.e., another word for] wax (sha'avah). "Melted" — a term for melting and dissolving.

"The mountains" — he portrays that when these lightning bolts, the emissaries of His providence, go forth from the cloud and darkness in which the watching God dwells, and they reach the peaks of "the mountains," they "melt like wax" before the fire, and then all will recognize that this is "from before Hashem" — not because of the idols — "from before the Lord of all the earth." That is to say: the adherents of the Sabians attributed all the products of nature to "sons of gods," ascribing to them divine power, and they assigned to each natural force a particular idol ruling over it, and likewise to every country and climate a different "lord" — namely a particular star exerting its influence there — as though the earth had many lords, each one acting and functioning in its own place, over that which it was appointed to govern. But now they will see that the lightning bolts and the melting of the mountains do not come by way of the idols and the natural forces, but only "from before Hashem" — and not [confined] to one part of the earth, but "from before the Lord of all the earth."

'The heavens declared [His righteousness]' — the inhabitants of the heavens, for they carry out the word of Hashem.

"Declared" — the heavens, in that they rain down hailstones and fire and brimstone upon the wicked, declare the righteousness of God, for this is His righteousness and His glory, in that He executes judgment upon the wicked until they are consumed.

"The heavens" — The angels of heaven will declare His righteousness that He performed for Israel.

"[The heavens] declared" — and by this they will see that the governance of the heavens and the constellations is not a governance compelled by the laws of nature, but rather a governance ordered according to righteousness and justice, and "the heavens declared His righteousness" — that through them He rewards and punishes, and not only in parts, for "all the peoples saw His glory." That is to say: according to the view of the adherents of the Sabians, everything that happens in the lower world comes about through the turning of the constellations and the necessity of natural outcomes, so that the heavens in their constellations do not look to righteousness and uprightness according to [human] deeds, but merely revolve according to what is necessitated by their constellations — even though this may result in injustice befalling the righteous and good befalling the wicked. But now "the heavens declared His righteousness" a second time, against the view of the adherents of the Sabians, who held that each star rules and acts by its natural power only over one part of the globe of the earth, and over one nation and not another. But now "all the peoples saw His glory," for He, by His will, directs the constellations according to His will, according to the laws of His righteousness, in a governance that encompasses all the peoples. And consequently "all who serve a graven image shall be ashamed" — meaning, both those who serve a graven image, thinking that through the image they would draw down upon themselves the spiritual influence of some star, or of some host of heaven, and also "those who boast in idols," thinking that they, or the land of their dwelling, are watched over by some idol that bestows upon them honor and greatness — for now they will see that "all gods bow down to Him," that all existing powers bow down before Him, acknowledging that He rules over them to direct them according to His will.

"All worshippers of graven images will be ashamed" — as it is written (Isa. 2:18): “And the idols will completely pass away.” "who boast" — Who praise themselves with their worship.

'Ashamed be [all those who serve graven images]' — and the meaning of 'bow down to Him' is in the manner of: 'and upon their gods Hashem executed judgments' (Numbers 33:4).

"Be ashamed" — then all who serve a graven image will be ashamed, [those] who used to boast and glory in idols, and would say that their success came by means of the idols that they worshiped; but now, when God, may He be blessed, judges them, they will see and know that there is no substance in them, and that there is no power except in Hashem alone. And "the graven image," "the god," and "the idols" are forms that they make in the pattern of the host of heaven, and they worship them. "Bow down to Him, all gods" — these are the host of heaven that were worshiped; they will acknowledge and bow down to Hashem, for He executed judgment upon their worshipers. "And bow down" [vehishtachavu] — this is not an imperative, but rather a past-tense form used in place of a future [i.e., it is to be understood as "they will bow down"]. Or its meaning is: "all gods" [means] all who worship other gods. "And [those who] serve" — for the masculine form stands in place of both [genders, i.e., the masculine plural includes the feminine as well].

"Those who boast" — Those who praise themselves for their idol-worship, and these [idols] are things of nought (elilim), of no benefit. "All gods" — The host of heaven that are worshipped as gods — they will bow down to Hashem, because He executed judgment upon those who worshipped them.

"That boast themselves" — from the language of praise and glorification.

"Your judgments" — Your vengeance.

'Zion heard' — some say that 'all gods' [mentioned elsewhere] are the angels. the meaning of 'bow down to Him' is to give thanks, because all who worship a graven image are put to shame. 'And Zion rejoiced' — for there [in Zion] is the glory, when His judgments are made manifest; then it will become clear that 'You are most high above all gods' — in heaven and on earth.

"[Zion] heard" — the sound of the lightning and the thunder, and rejoiced; while the rest of the peoples will tremble at the sound, Israel will hear and rejoice, for they will know that the hailstones and the fire are coming down for the judgment of the wicked. "And mentions Zion" — because it is the head of the kingdom of Israel, and furthermore because nearby it will be the place of judgment of the wicked, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat; therefore it also mentions "the daughters of Judah," which are the cities of Judah.

"Heard" — When Zion hears of the vengeance [taken] upon the enemy, then she will rejoice. "Because of Your judgments" — on account of the carrying out of Your judgments.

"The daughters of Judah" — the villages of Judah, as in 'Kenath and its villages' (Numbers 32).

"[Zion] heard" — that is to say: although the governance of Zion is higher and more exalted than the governance mentioned here, which is governance by means of nature — for Zion and Jerusalem will be governed by a miraculous, individually providential governance that overturns all the laws of nature, as will be explained [elsewhere] — nevertheless, when it heard that He had watched over all the peoples in general, directing the governance of the constellations according to the laws of righteousness and justice, "Zion rejoiced because of these Your judgments."

['And Zion rejoiced — for there is the glory, when His judgments are made manifest, then it will become clear —] that You are most high above all gods — in heaven and on earth.

"For" — then they will recognize that You are exceedingly high, beyond all limit, exalted above all gods — these being the host of heaven that were worshiped until now.

"You are exalted" — You are elevated and praised above all gods, that is, the host of heaven that are worshipped as deities.

"Are exalted" — from the language of ascent and praise.

"For You" — that is, through Your judgments: (1) You became "most high above all the earth," so that all would recognize that You are the Most High and the First Cause; (2) for You are "greatly exalted above all gods," since all their power comes from You, and [You act] not like one who acts of necessity, but like one who acts by will, by judgment, and by righteousness — and in this You are exalted above them all, since they are compelled, and neither know nor choose in their actions.

'O you who love Hashem' — the meaning is: behold, Hashem is the Judge; therefore you, His lovers, should hate every evil person and not fear him, for Hashem alone guards His faithful ones.

"[O you who] love [Hashem]" — from now on, every lover of Hashem will hate every evil person, and there will be no doubt whatsoever in his heart suggesting that Hashem does not see the deeds of the wicked, for he will see that God, may He be blessed, alone preserves the souls of His faithful ones, whom He delivered from the hand of the wicked and brought out of the exile of Babylon, Media, and Persia.

"You who love [Hashem]" — You who love Hashem, hate those who do evil, and do not fear them; for behold, Hashem preserves the souls of His pious ones and delivers them from the hand of those wicked ones.

"Those who love Hashem" — After he has explained the general providence exercised through the celestial order (ha-ma'arakhah) and nature, by which He guides the whole world, he turns to address Israel and their righteous ones, and says: you, "who love Hashem, hate evil" — for you are not like the other nations, whose governance is natural, and whose providence over them is general, not individual, since they are not attached to Hashem; therefore they serve the host of heaven, as it is written, "which Hashem your God has allotted to all the peoples" (Deuteronomy 4:19). For you are the ones attached to Hashem your God, like a son placed under his father's providence, whom he watches over with individual providence encompassing all his affairs, out of love — and therefore you are called "those who love Hashem." And therefore it is for you to hate evil, for love of Hashem is love of the absolute good, since He is the absolute good and the root of all goodness. For you are not under the celestial system, except insofar as "He preserves the souls of His pious ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked" — for on the side of your souls, which are a portion of God, He has attachment and love with you as a father has with his son, to the point that He preserves the souls of His pious ones, each and every soul individually, with individual providence; and by virtue of this preservation, "He delivers them from the hand of the wicked" — not like the nations, whose providence is general and follows the necessity of the celestial system, such that it is inconceivable that it would save them individually from the evil of those who possess free choice. And in this they are distinguished: (1) in individual preservation; (2) for "light is sown for the righteous" — meaning that the light of God is found sown within them, like a seed sown in their souls, ready to be fruitful and multiply if one waters it, tends it, and cultivates it — like a seed ready to be fruitful and multiply. For whoever guards his soul and performs its service, the sown light will grow and increase until it becomes a sevenfold light, as it is written, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn" (Proverbs 4:18), and the great prophetic light spreads over him. And accordingly, "gladness [is sown] for the upright of heart" — for they rejoice with spiritual joy through the light of God shining in their souls, as when "His lamp shone upon my head" (cf. Job 29:3), as it is written, "The light of the righteous rejoices" (Proverbs 13:9).

"A light is sown for the righteous" — A real sowing is prepared to grow for them.

'Light' — the meaning of 'sown' is: if one sows a little, one reaps much. 'And gladness for the upright in heart' — [likewise] sown. Accordingly, [when it says] 'they shall rejoice,' the meaning is that all their joy is through Hashem.

"Light is sown for the righteous" — in this world it is sown for the righteous. "And gladness for the upright of heart" — the light and the gladness, and they will reap it in the future, in the days of the Messiah, and then you will truly rejoice in it, for you will have seen His righteous judgments.

"For the righteous" — For the sake of the righteous there is light sown; meaning, just as one who sows something — the field produces more than what was sown — so too, a greater reward is prepared for the righteous than if he had received his reward immediately. "And gladness for the upright in heart" — For the upright in heart, gladness is sown; and the matter is repeated in different words.

"And His holy name" [lit. "the remembrance of His holiness"] — that is, His name.

"In Hashem" — in reliance upon Hashem. "To [His holy] remembrance" — in remembrance of His holy name.

"Rejoice in Hashem, you righteous" — for He is bound to you with a bond of love, and therefore He performs for you signs and wonders in a holy matter that is elevated above nature. And you, "give thanks to His holy remembrance" — you give thanks not for a natural governance, but rather for the remembrance of the miracles, which are holy, above nature.