In this part of the psalm, we reach its turning point. Until now, the Malbim explains, the words of the chapter were the prayer of that generation during the famine - the three years of drought in the days of David - and from this point forward begins the response from Hashem. Alongside the Malbim's commentary, we will also follow Rashi and the Radak, who interpret the entire psalm as referring to the future Redemption and the ingathering of the exiles, and we will see how these two paths intertwine.
אַשְׁרֵי תִּבְחַר וּתְקָרֵב יִשְׁכֹּן חֲצֵרֶיךָ נִשְׂבְּעָה בְּטוּב בֵּיתֶךָ קְדֹשׁ הֵיכָלֶךָ׃ - Happy is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courtyards; may we be satisfied with the goodness of Your House, the holy place of Your Sanctuary.
At first glance, according to the defective spelling of "תבחר" (without a yod), one might think it should be read with a sheva nach (quiescent sheva). However, beneath the letter tav there is a meteg (ga'yah, or "ja'yah" in the Yemenite tradition), and the meteg turns the subsequent sheva into a sheva na (vocal sheva). When there is no accent mark indicating this, the sheva is nach; but here, since there is a meteg under the tav, one cannot read it as "tivְchar," but rather "tִivchar" with a vocal sheva (ti-ve-char). This is the correct way to read it.
Rashi explains: Happy is the one whom You choose and draw near, who will merit to dwell in the courtyards of Hashem, and then "may we be satisfied with the goodness of Your House" and with the holiness of Your Sanctuary, where the Shechinah rests in the innermost chambers. The Malbim likewise notes the precise order of the words: courtyard, house, sanctuary (chatzer, bayit, heichal). The house is more interior than the courtyard, and from it stems the aspect of bounty and goodness; and the sanctuary is more interior than the house and holier than it, and from it comes holiness - hence, "the holy place of Your Sanctuary."
The Radak interprets this as referring to the Redemption: Happy is the one whom You draw near, happy is that generation whom You will choose to ascend from the exile and merit to dwell in Your courtyards. Happy is the one who will merit reaching the time of salvation and the sanctified place, where the Holy of Holies is, where the Ark rests, where the Divine Glory resides - and this is "the holy place of Your Sanctuary." Happy is that generation.
The Malbim connects this verse to what was stated earlier: "Matters of iniquities have overwhelmed me; as for our transgressions, You will atone for them." By nature alone, it is difficult for a person to overcome his yetzer, and he needs siyata dishmaya (Heavenly assistance), as Chazal taught: Were it not for the Holy One, blessed be He, helping him, he could not withstand it. Therefore, "Happy is the one You choose and bring near" - happy is the one You choose and bring close so that he can dwell in Your courtyards and never depart from the House of Hashem all the days of his life. Happy is one who merits detaching from the yetzer hara and cleaving solely to spirituality, to Godliness alone.
From here comes the plea: "May we be satisfied with the goodness of Your House" - do not withhold goodness from us, referring primarily to sending rain in its proper time, as this was the period of three years of famine and drought. And "the holy place of Your Sanctuary" - may we merit to persevere in Your holy service, for the Sanctuary represents the source of holiness, and may we merit to remain cleaved to Your service. Up to this point, explains the Malbim, was the prayer of that generation during the famine. From here on comes the response from Hashem.
נוֹרָאוֹת בְּצֶדֶק תַּעֲנֵנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעֵנוּ מִבְטָח כׇּל קַצְוֵי אֶרֶץ וְיָם רְחֹקִים׃ - With awesome deeds in righteousness You answer us, God of our salvation, the trust of all the ends of the earth and the distant seas.
The Malbim, as he often does, slightly rearranges the words of the pasuk to clarify its precise meaning: "Answer us, O God of our salvation, with awesome deeds, for through justice is the trust of all the ends of the earth." That is to say: Answer our prayer just as You answered us through the Urim VeTumim with awesome deeds. For at that time it was revealed to them by the word of Hashem that the famine came because of the sin of Saul having killed the Gibeonites, and because Saul was not eulogized properly. David had Saul's sons pass before the Ark, and the Ark drew them in by the power of the Urim VeTumim; those who were drawn in were handed over to the Gibeonites to be put to death. A person may not be handed over to death except by the word of Hashem, and here it was indeed by Hashem's word through the Ark. This is the meaning of "awesome deeds" (*nora'ot*): the answer given through the Urim VeTumim was awe-inspiring, and whoever witnessed it was struck with dread and reverence.
And what is the meaning of "through justice"? "The trust of all the ends of the earth" - the world's security depends upon justice. When people practice justice toward one another, the world has security and endurance. But when there is no justice, even among the nations of the world, the Holy One, Blessed be He, returns the world to chaos: in Sodom there was pervasive injustice, and Hashem overturned Sodom; in the generation of the Flood there was robbery, oppression, and injustice, and the world was wiped out. Upon justice rests the security of the world.
Here the pasuk alludes to the injustice done to the Gibeonites and the appeasement that followed. There are several explanations for this: Saul struck Nov, the city of the kohanim, and the Gibeonites were the attendants there, the hewers of wood and drawers of water. Some say that in destroying Nov he also killed the Gibeonites; others say that he did not kill them directly, but because Nov was destroyed, the Gibeonites lost their livelihood and had to wander in search of sustenance, which ultimately caused their deaths - and for this he was held accountable.
Either way, there was a heavenly claim against the house of Saul regarding the Gibeonites, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, was appeased only when the Gibeonites were compensated. Yet the Gibeonites themselves acted wickedly: they demanded lives, unwilling to forgive or show mercy. Therefore, it is said of them that "the Gibeonites were not of the Children of Israel" - as a result of this act they were distanced, for they lacked the hallmark Jewish traits of shame, mercy, and loving-kindness.
And when everyone saw how the descendants of Saul died for this sin, it was awe-inspiring: fear and trembling seized them at the sight of Hashem's judgment. This is what the pasuk means: "Answer us, O God of our salvation, with awesome deeds" - just as the trust of all the ends of the earth rests upon justice, so too answer us now through awesome deeds. Master of the Universe, answer us in a manner fitting what we have done: we have administered justice righteously, and therefore it is proper that You now bring down rain for us.
Rashi explains: "Answer us with awesome deeds in righteousness" - in Your righteousness, answer us by performing awesome deeds among the nations; answer us, Master of the Universe, in Your righteousness to exact retribution from the nations. "Trust" (*mivtach*) means a refuge: when a person seeks to flee and take shelter under someone, that is his refuge. You are a refuge for all the inhabitants of the ends of the earth from one end to the other, and in You alone do they take shelter; "and of the distant sea" - even for those far out at sea You are a stronghold. There is no place outside of His blessed dominion.
Radak interprets this as a prayer: In Your righteousness, answer us with awesome and wondrous deeds. King David pleads: Master of the Universe, redeem us through awesome and wondrous deeds, so that the nations will stand astounded. Actions that transcend nature are called "awesome" (*nora'ot*), because when a person witnesses such things, awe falls upon him and he fears Hashem. When one sees hailstones descending from heaven, or the sea splitting - anything that departs from the natural order inspires awe. Therefore he asks: Exact retribution from the nations in ways that transcend nature, and through this God will be revered among them, and they will hold Him, blessed be He, in awe.
"The trust of all the ends of the earth and the distant sea," according to Radak: You, Hashem, are the trust of all Israel who dwell in the ends of the earth. It is as if it were written, "the ends of the earth and the distant ends of the sea" - both those at the ends of the earth and those on distant islands of the sea, far from Jerusalem, trust in You to gather them and return them to Jerusalem.
מֵכִין הָרִים בְּכֹחוֹ נֶאְזָר בִּגְבוּרָה׃ - Who establishes mountains by His strength, girded with might.
Rashi explains: He makes the rugged mountains sprout by His strength, preparing and providing sustenance upon them, and He also prepares rain - as it is said, "Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass sprout upon the mountains." And because the power of rain is mentioned here, the verse states, "girded with might," for Chazal said that rain expresses the might of Hashem, which is why we recite "He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall" in the blessing of *Atah Gibbor le'olam Hashem* ("You are eternally mighty, Hashem").
The Radak explains: If the nations ask, how is it possible that the Jewish people, lowly and impoverished among the nations, scattered and dispersed - who will take them out from among them? Just as they themselves say (Yeshayahu 49:24), "Can prey be taken from the mighty?" - the nations are mighty, they conquered us, and we are placed under their hand throughout all the dispersions of the world; who can take war's spoils from a mighty warrior? The answer there is: "Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant shall escape, and I will contend with those who contend with you" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even the captive taken by the mighty warrior I will take from him, and the tyrant's prey shall escape from his hand, and I Myself will fight your battle. So too here: He Who establishes mountains with His strength and performs mighty deeds and wonders is able to redeem Israel from their exile.
And why does the verse mention mountains specifically? Because mountains are among the wonders of God, says the Radak, as we find, "like the mountains of God." This is a general rule: any expression juxtaposed with His blessed Name indicates an immense thing in which God's might is evident - "a city great to God," "a flame of Yah" (an immense fire), "ma'apelyah" (an immense darkness), "a panic of God." Attaching God's Name magnifies the thing into something immense and wondrous. And so it is with mountains: when one gazes upon them, or when traveling to places where one sees towering mountains, man is dwarfed beside them, feels his insignificance, and senses the Creator's might. This is the meaning of "He establishes mountains with His strength, girded with might" - do not wonder, then, how the Holy One, blessed be He, will take us out of exile.
The Malbim explains that the subject here is justice, continuing from "With awesome deeds in righteousness You answer us": justice is what "establishes mountains with its strength." Justice is, as it were, the entity that builds the mountains and establishes them by its power, for the world can exist only if there is justice within it, and if there is no justice, everything reverts to chaos and void. Justice is what prepares the world, lays its foundations, and upholds the mountains with its strength. And even when Hashem prepares them with dew and rain and makes grass sprout on the mountains, through this He is "girded with might" and His strength is recognized - but know through what power this occurs: through the power of justice in the world. If there is no justice, the Holy One, blessed be He, overturns the world.
מַשְׁבִּיחַ שְׁאוֹן יַמִּים שְׁאוֹן גַּלֵּיהֶם וַהֲמוֹן לְאֻמִּים׃ - He stills the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.
Rashi explains *mashbi'ach* as an expression of humbling or subduing, as in "and a wise man subdues it (*yeshabchenah*) in the end" - meaning humbles it, and as in "when its waves surge, You calm them (*teshabchem*)" - You humble them. That is, Hashem quiets and humbles the noise of the seas and the roar of their waves, and likewise humbles the tumult of the nations.
The Radak also follows this approach, citing the verse "when its waves surge, You calm them." When Israel leaves exile, the nations will shout and make noise, but Hashem will silence them and stop their mouths. Just as He quiets the roar of the seas and the crash of their waves, so will He quiet the tumult of the nations. The word *hamon* ("tumult" or "crowd") is related to *hemyah*, meaning noise - for wherever there is a crowd (*hamon*) there is commotion (*hemyah*), as it is difficult to silence a crowd, as in the phrase "a bustling city" (*kiryah homiyah*).
The Radak further explains that the letter *vav* in *v'hamon le'umim* ("and the tumult of the nations") is the *vav* of comparison: just as He stills the roar of the seas and the roar of their waves, exactly so does He still the tumult of the nations - this just like that. Here it is fitting to mention the functions of the letter *vav*: typically it is the conjunctive *vav* (*vav hachibur*, also called *vav ha'ituf*, for conjunction and joining are one and the same). There is the conversive *vav* (*vav hahipuch*), which turns past to future and future to past: *yehi* is future, whereas *vayehi bimei* is past; *halach* is past, whereas *vehalach velakach vesam* is an imperative/future form. And there is the comparative *vav* (*vav hahashva'ah*) - this just like that: "Cold water to a weary soul, and (*v'*) good tidings from a distant land," meaning just as cold water is refreshing to a weary soul, so too are good tidings from a far land. Similarly, "His majesty is over Israel, and His strength is in the skies."
The Malbim, on the other hand, interprets *mashbi'ach* from the root of praise and improvement (*shevach*). Although in his lexical analysis he explains it as "quiets," in his commentary on the verse he explains that justice is what improves the roar of the seas and the tumult of the nations: through justice they become something praiseworthy and do no harm. The roar of the seas and the tumult of the nations are inherently destructive, but when justice reigns in the world, the world functions properly and endures. Who improves them? Justice. One could say this is his intent in encompassing two meanings in a single word: *mashbi'ach* means both quieting and improving. That is why the verse did not simply say "quiets." When justice prevails, it stills the roar of the seas and the tumult of the nations, and as a result, they turn into something beneficial and cause no harm. Up to this point, the Malbim notes, is Hashem's response to those who pray: if they practice justice, they will be saved from all troubles - both natural troubles, which are the "roar of the seas," and troubles stemming from human free will, which are the "tumult of the nations" - and everything will be transformed into praise and goodness.
וַיִּירְאוּ יֹשְׁבֵי קְצָוֺת מֵאוֹתֹתֶיךָ מוֹצָאֵי בֹקֶר וָעֶרֶב תַּרְנִין׃ - Those who dwell at the ends fear Your signs; You make the outgoings of morning and evening sing for joy.
Rashi explains: "You make the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice" - You cause the creatures, the dwellers of the ends of the earth, to sing for You: in the morning they recite "Yotzer HaMe'orot" (Creator of the luminaries) and in the evening "HaMaariv Aravim" (Who brings on the evenings), singing, thanking, and praising Hashem.
Radak explains that this verse speaks of the wonders of the Creator, that the Holy One, blessed be He, displays His wonders every day until people come to revere Him, meaning to understand that there is no ruler other than the Holy One, blessed be He. The example: His awesome works by day and by night - the moon and stars by night, the sun by day - and through them "You make... rejoice," as man derives joy from them. For who could imagine a world without a sun, and woe to a world without a moon; the very existence of the sun and the moon gladdens the hearts of all living beings.
A second explanation in Radak: "You make... rejoice" - that they themselves sing, as it is written: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." And who causes them to sing? Hashem, Who brings forth the stars, the sun, and the moon - by bringing them forth, He inspires them to sing praise while they rule over the world.
And this is what we find with Yehoshua. When Yehoshua stopped the sun and silenced it, it was no simple matter: the sun did not agree. It said: When I go forth and shine upon the world, I sing praise to Hashem - my very shining is a song of praise before Him; if you silence me now, who will praise and laud Hashem? Yehoshua told it that he would sing in its stead. And this is what is stated: "Then spoke Yehoshua to Hashem on the day Hashem delivered the Amorites before the Children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: Sun, stand still at Givon, and Moon in the Ayalon Valley." What is meant by "Then spoke"? Rashi explains: he sang praise in place of the sun, because he had told the sun "stand still [dom]" - cease from singing praise; for whenever it stands still and does not move, it does not sing, since it sings during its course of travel. And so too here: "You make the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice" - by bringing forth the stars, the sun, and the moon, You inspire them to sing praise.
The moon was created to illuminate the night, and there is no comparison between a moonlit night and a moonless one: at the start of the month, one goes outside and sees pitch darkness. The IDF knows this well and times operations accordingly - when they wish to remain undetected, they operate on moonless nights. But the primary purpose of the luminaries is stated explicitly in the Torah: "for signs and for seasons, and for days and years," and only afterward, "and to give light." Giving light is, as it were, a secondary function; the primary purpose is signs and appointed festivals. How are the festivals established? By the moon; without it, we would not know when each festival occurs. The moon ensures that each year begins with the lunar cycle, whether twelve months or thirteen. And the sun ensures that we stay aligned with the solar seasons, so that Pesach always falls in the spring, unlike the Islamic calendar that follows only the moon, where Ramadan drifts across the seasons of the year.
Another explanation in Radak: these two verses deal with the departure from exile, and they are closely linked. "Who stills the roaring of the seas" - He Who quieted the roar of the sea before the people of Israel when He split the sea for them and led them through it, is the One Who will still "the tumult of the peoples," silencing the roar and clamor of the nations when the Redemption arrives. And then "They that dwell in the uttermost parts shall be afraid of Your signs" - just as the inhabitants of the earth's ends feared the signs You performed at the splitting of the Red Sea, as it is said, "Nations heard and trembled, shuddering seized the inhabitants of Philistia," so will it be in the future when You lead Israel out of exile.
And what is "You make the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice"? Another marvel that You performed for them at the Exodus from Egypt, morning and evening: the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night before the people. So too will You do with them at the ingathering of the exiles, and then the dwellers of the ends of the earth will fear Your signs, dread will fall upon the nations, and they will release Israel. This is what is meant by the verse, "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt I will show him marvelous things" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform wonders for us just as He did then. And in the words of Chazal: Moshe is the first redeemer and he is the final redeemer, and Moshe will bring out the generation of the wilderness, revive the dead, bring them back, and bring them into the Land of Israel. Thus, both verses speak of the character of the future Redemption, which will match the scale of the first Redemption.
The Malbim explains: Now those who dwell at the ends of the earth will fear Your signs, for You cause the outgoings of morning and evening to rejoice - that is, the eastern direction and the western direction, for the directions are the edges. In all directions of the world they saw the signs, and all sing praise to Your Name and revere You. And what signs are being referred to? The rains that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought down after three years of drought, and the justice that Hashem executed when it was commanded to take the sons of Shaul, who were the king's sons, and execute judgment on them for the sake of the Gibeonites, who were merely attached converts (geirim gerurim). In this there was a tremendous sanctification of Hashem's Name: people said, look at this, these were merely attached converts, and yet the king's own sons are held accountable because the king harmed them! As a result, many came and converted. They saw Hashem's signs and witnessed the immense value placed on every individual in Israel: even if simple converts were wronged, no one says, "It is nothing, they can be cast aside"; rather, they are given their rightful place and dignity. And although the demand of the Gibeonites was cruel, the Holy One, blessed be He, nevertheless protected their honor. Through this, "They that dwell in the uttermost parts shall be afraid of Your signs" - all will feel awe before You and draw moral instruction from Hashem's governance.
פָּקַדְתָּ הָאָרֶץ וַתְּשֹׁקְקֶהָ רַבַּת תַּעְשְׁרֶנָּה פֶּלֶג אֱלֹהִים מָלֵא מָיִם תָּכִין דְּגָנָם כִּי כֵן תְּכִינֶהָ׃ - You have remembered the earth and watered it, You greatly enrich it; the channel of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for so You establish it.
This verse presents initial difficulties, and we must examine the words of the commentators. Rashi explains: When You wish to bestow good upon the earth, You remember it. "And watered it" (vatshokekeha) - most commentators explain this as related to watering (hashkayah), meaning that You saturate it. "You greatly enrich it" (rabat ta'ashrenah) - You increase its bounty and enrich it. And by virtue of what? "The channel of God is full of water" - from the watercourses of God that are overflowing with water. Through this, "You prepare their grain" for the dwellers of the ends of the earth mentioned earlier, "for so You establish it" - for in this manner You prepare for them everything they need.
Radak notes here the subject of rain, which is also among the wondrous works of God. Just as the psalmist recalled the wonders of the Exodus from Egypt and declared that the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform similar marvels for us in the future, so too he mentions rain. This follows the path of Elijah who spoke of the matters of rain, and as we learned at length in the Book of Iyov regarding the great praise of rain, an act of lovingkindness that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs for the world by sending down precipitation. Furthermore, Radak explains that through this, Hashem judges the nations - "You have remembered" (pakadta) can imply the reckoning of sin, for through this Hashem reckons their transgressions.
According to Radak, "vatshokekeha" derives from longing (hishtokekut), and the letter vav here functions in the pluperfect, meaning that this had already occurred beforehand, as if to say: You remembered the earth after it had already longed for water. You decreed a period during which rain was withheld from the land, which caused it to yearn intensely for rain, and then in Your kindness You remembered it. The word shokeket is an expression of deep desire, as in "and to your husband shall be your desire" (teshukatech), referring to intense craving. This serves as a parable for our state in exile: we are like a parched land, eagerly awaiting salvation and redemption and longing for rain; then the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers it and brings down the rain - which signifies the ultimate redemption.
"You greatly enrich it" (rabat ta'ashrenah) - this is grammatically equivalent to ta'ashirenah, just as vayadbiku appears as vayadbeku, and vayadrechu as vayadrichu. You enrich the land through the power of rain. "The channel of God is full of water" - after the earth is fully satiated, vast channels filled with water remain from the rain to provide drink for man and beast; for the rain, after descending, forms streams and rivers from which both humans and animals drink. And why is the name of God mentioned here? This follows the established principle: whenever Scripture wishes to emphasize the immense scale of something, it attaches the name of Hashem to it - such as "the mighty mountains" (harrei Kel), "a thick darkness" (ma'apelyah), and "an exceedingly great city" (ir gedolah l'Elohim) - denoting something of immense magnitude. The same applies to "the channel of God" (peleg Elohim).
"You prepare their grain, for so You establish it" - Radak comments: after You satiate the land, it produces vegetation, and thereby You prepare their grain and the crops flourish. "For so You establish it" - meaning that You safeguard the grain so that no harm befalls it, preventing it from being stricken by blight or mildew. For if not for this, of what benefit would the rain be? Rain might fall and grain might sprout, only for blight and mildew to strike and ruin it. Rather, You prepare it so that it will not be harmed, thereby ensuring it is ready for human consumption.
The Malbim explains this according to his approach: this refers to the period of the three years of famine, after which the Holy One, blessed be He, brought down rain following the proper eulogy delivered for Saul and the resolution of the matter of the Gibeonites, who had exacted retribution from Saul's descendants. And now, "You remembered the earth" after three years of famine, "and watered it" - You saturated it with rains of blessing; "You greatly enrich it" - You enriched it with great abundance, and through this You prepare the grain of its inhabitants. And what is meant by "for so You establish it"? You prepared the land in such a manner that grain and sustenance would be produced in vast quantities, providing proper and sufficient provision for all.
I saw in the work Tehilot Maharitz an explanation by way of homiletical allusion (remez). The name Elohim represents the Divine attribute of strict justice (Middat HaDin), and similarly, judges are called elohim, denoting judgment. By contrast, the name Kel represents the attribute of lovingkindness and mercy - "the kindness of God (Chesed Kel) endures all day long," and it is one of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: "Hashem, Hashem, Kel, merciful and gracious." A further premise: water corresponds to acts of lovingkindness (chasadim), while wine - being red - corresponds to judgments (dinim), which is why wine is diluted and softened with water. Similarly, the Kabbalists drink water alongside black coffee, because black represents an intensified manifestation of red, symbolizing harsh judgments, and they drink water with it to temper those judgments. According to this, the allusion is beautiful: "Divide (peleg) God (Elohim)" - if you divide the letters of the name Elohim, you derive from it the name Kel; "full of water" - brimming with boundless acts of kindness, for the attribute of Kel is the attribute of lovingkindness. This is the meaning of "the channel of God is full of water."
In these verses, we transition from prayer to the Divine response. "Praiseworthy is the one You choose and bring near" is the praise of one who is granted heavenly assistance to cleave to the house and sanctuary of Hashem, for without God's help, man cannot overcome his evil inclination. "With awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness" teaches a paramount principle: the world's security rests upon righteousness - righteousness establishes mountains through its strength, and righteousness stills the roaring of the seas and the tumult of nations, pacifying natural afflictions and man-made troubles alike. The episode of the Gibeonites, in which Hashem exacted retribution from the royal house for the injustice committed against resident proselytes, brought about a great sanctification of Hashem's name and caused "the dwellers of the ends of the earth to fear Your signs." Finally, "You have remembered the earth and watered it" - after the years of famine came rains of blessing, and the yearning earth was visited with kindness. According to Radak's approach, all of this serves as a parable and a sign for the future redemption: just as Hashem stilled the sea and brought forth the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in the morning and evening during the Exodus from Egypt, so will He do for us at the time of the ingathering of the exiles, as it is written: "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wondrous things."