Introduction
We continue with Psalm 68, in its final section. According to the Malbim's approach, the entire chapter depicts one unified reality: one of David's wars, when enemies came to wage war against Israel in Bashan, and the Holy One, blessed be He, went out before His people and subdued them. In the verses before us, we will see the end of the pursuit after the enemies, the return of the camp with song and dance to the Land of Israel, the tribes greeting those returning, and the acknowledgment that everything is from Hashem. Alongside the Malbim, we will also examine Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the Radak, each of whom places the psalm in a different context.
"That your foot may crush in blood" - Total Victory Over the Enemy
לְמַעַן תִּמְחַץ רַגְלְךָ בְּדָם לְשׁוֹן כְּלָבֶיךָ מֵאֹיְבִים מִנֵּהוּ׃ - "That your foot may strike in blood, the tongue of your dogs having its portion from the enemies."
Rashi explains this in two ways. First: timchatz is from the language of cleaving - our foot will cleave through the blood of the enemies, as if rivers of blood were formed from them and our feet wade through them; thus we will prevail over the enemies. Second: machatz is the name of a vessel used to ladle wine from a pit, and here, as it were, we will draw the enemies' blood with this vessel, and the tongue of your dogs will lap up their blood. "From the enemies, minehu" - minehu denotes sustenance, as in "and He appointed (vayeman)" and "who appointed (minah) your food," an expression of sustenance. That is to say, from the enemies will come the sustenance of the dogs.
The Ibn Ezra cites three approaches to the word minehu: First, as meaning "from there onward" - from it and onward. Second, as in "a trace of it (shemetz minehu)," meaning a portion of it, and he is referring here to the queen: after speaking of the enemies in general, he now says that she too will be subdued. Third, some explain minehu as an expression of command and appointment - so Hashem commanded.
The Radak explains that timchatz is neither an expression of cleaving nor the name of a vessel, but rather denotes redness: timchatz is like techmatz, for letters frequently interchange their positions, as in keves-kesev (lamb) and salmah-simlah (garment). Techmatz means to become red, as in "Who is this coming from Edom, with dyed (chamutz) garments from Botzrah" - whose garments are red with blood. Accordingly: your foot will be reddened by the blood of the enemies, and the tongue of your dogs will also be reddened by their blood. The Radak adds that the verse can be explained as referring not to Israel, but to the Holy One, blessed be He, as if He is going out to battle the enemies, as in the phrase, "and their lifeblood was sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My clothing" - all of which is by way of allegory, to express that Hashem fights on our behalf and subdues our enemies.
The Malbim explains this according to the running theme of the chapter: those who fled from the land - you will strike them down with your sword, and your foot will be bloodied from their blood. He depicts death as the chief slaughterer - not a baker or cook, but the one in charge of the slaughterhouse, the executioner - who has dogs accompanying him and feeding on what he slaughters. The dogs will dip their tongues in the enemies, minehu, meaning from them and their multitude, from the exact same kind - the enemies are like those dogs of death, and ultimately the dogs will feed on their flesh. The allegorical meaning: here in the Land of Israel, the enemies fell miraculously, and when they fled beyond the border of the land, Israel pursued them and struck them with the sword, casting their flesh to the dogs. According to the Malbim, timchatz means soiled with blood, like someone who was struck and has blood flowing from him.
"They have seen Your ways, O God" - Recognizing That Everything Is from His Hand
רָאוּ הֲלִיכוֹתֶיךָ אֱלֹהִים הֲלִיכוֹת אֵלִי מַלְכִּי בַקֹּדֶשׁ׃ - "They have seen Your ways, O God, the ways of my God, my King, in holiness."
Rashi explains: It is fitting for You to save these people, for they saw Your ways in Your holiness at the sea. When Hashem revealed Himself at the Red Sea, He appeared to them as a warrior of battle, and about this it is said, "This is my God and I will glorify Him." And since they saw Your ways then - "singers went before, musicians followed" - Israel preceded by singing the Song of the Sea before You, and only after them came the musicians, who are the angels. For the angels sought to sing praises, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not permit them, and only after Israel sang did they sing as well. Incidentally, Rashi himself will note later that it is not the literal meaning of the psalm to apply the entire chapter to the Giving of the Torah and the Splitting of the Red Sea, but Chazal certainly expounded the chapter as referring to the Exodus from Egypt, the Splitting of the Red Sea, and the Giving of the Torah.
The Radak sets the psalm in the days of Chizkiyahu, during the war of Sennacherib, when Hashem struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand army commanders in the Assyrian camp. When Israel saw the plague among the enemies - "They have seen Your ways" - they recognized that this came from You. There was no natural explanation for the event, and to this day historians describe a mysterious plague that struck Sennacherib's army; Chazal reveal to us the nature of that "mysterious plague" - an angel struck down Sennacherib's soldiers. "The ways of my God, my King, in holiness" - Hashem, who reigns in Heaven, in holiness, is the One who sent His angels to our aid, as it is written, "And the angel of the Lord went out and struck the Assyrian camp."
The Malbim explains that from here onward, the text describes the return of the Lord of Hosts with His people to the Land of Israel after the victory, and how they sang before Him in choirs. Normally, when troops return from war, they are greeted with song and dance, as was sung for David: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." The poetic imagery here parallels what the Malbim noted at the beginning of the psalm regarding the verse, "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let those who hate Him flee before Him," echoing the words, "And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward, that Moses said: Rise up, Hashem, and let Your enemies be scattered" - just as the Ark went before us in the wilderness, so David says that in our time as well, Hashem arose before us and delivered us. And now, at the conclusion of the war, the text corresponds to, "And when it rested, he said: Return, Hashem, unto the myriads of thousands of Israel." When the Ark returned from war, the myriads of thousands of Israel went forth to greet it with timbrels and dances. In the same way, when the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, returned from the Jordan to His holy land, Israel went out to meet Him, praising what they beheld - "They have seen Your processions, God, the processions of my God, my King, in holiness," seeing how He came from the sanctuary and saved us.
"The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after" - The Order of the Procession
קִדְּמוּ שָׁרִים אַחַר נֹגְנִים בְּתוֹךְ עֲלָמוֹת תּוֹפֵפוֹת׃ - The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after, in the midst of maidens playing timbrels.
The Malbim explains: "The singers went before" - ahead of Your processions walked the singers, meaning the vocalists came out to greet You, like a king returning from victory before whom people sing. "The players on instruments followed after" - the vocalists followed the musicians, and the musicians were in the midst of the maidens playing timbrels. Thus, the order of the procession was: first the instrumentalists, after them the singers, and after them the King.
"Bless God in the congregations" - Fetuses in the Womb and the Fountain of Israel
בְּמַקְהֵלוֹת בָּרְכוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲדֹנָי מִמְּקוֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
Our Sages derive from here, as cited by Rashi, that even fetuses in their mothers' wombs sang praise at the Red Sea. From where is this derived? For it is said, "Bless God, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel" - referring to those who are still in the fountain, that is, fetuses in the mother's womb, since a woman's womb is called a "fountain" (makor).
The Radak explains: Why "in congregations"? Because in congregations there is public proclamation. Congregations denote a large assembly, and amidst a great assembly you make His wonders known to all. "The Lord, from the fountain of Israel" - let all who have issued from the fountain of Israel bless the Lord, meaning everyone who stems from the root of Jacob, as it is written: "All you the seed of Jacob, glorify Him."
The Malbim explains following this line of thought: together with those who returned walked many choirs praising God, "and the Lord, from the fountain of Israel" - from the Land of Israel. He portrays the camps that went outside the land to wage war as water flowing beyond its source, like a pool overflowing its banks whose waters stream outward; and now we go forth to greet them from the Land of Israel, like a fountain brimming with water coming out to meet them, with countless choirs.
"There is Benjamin, the youngest, their ruler" - Benjamin at the Head and the Tribes Surrounding Him
שָׁם בִּנְיָמִן צָעִיר רֹדֵם שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה רִגְמָתָם שָׂרֵי זְבֻלוּן שָׂרֵי נַפְתָּלִי׃ - There is Benjamin, the youngest, their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
Rashi explains "rodem" - ruling over them, dominating them, for Benjamin, the youngest, merited kingship. And to what does this refer? Samuel said to Saul: "Though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel?" Yet Benjamin was among the smallest of the tribes, the last and not the first. Rather, as Targum Yonatan translates: "The tribe of Benjamin crossed the sea at the head of all the tribes" - during the splitting of the Red Sea, the tribe of Benjamin crossed first, at the head of all the tribes. By virtue of this, Benjamin became "rodem," meriting royalty. "The princes of Judah, their stoning (rigmatam)" - the princes of Judah were angry at this, protesting: We are the royal tribe, why are we not first? They grew jealous of them and pelted them with stones, as did the princes of Zebulun. Furthermore, Rashi brings another explanation: that "rigmatam" is like "rikmatam" (embroidery) - that they wore embroidered garments, related to the word argaman (purple), as Menachem ben Saruk connected and explained it. And according to the Yemenite tradition, where the gimmel is pronounced like a qof, the two words sound similar to each other, making the explanation beautifully clear.
Radak, as is his way, situates these events in the days of Hezekiah and the siege of Jerusalem. There, Benjamin and Judah were present, for after the exile of the Ten Tribes only Judah and Benjamin remained, and Hezekiah reigned over these two tribes. The remaining tribes were exiled in the days of Hoshea the son of Elah, in the ninth year of his reign, which was the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign, while the king of Assyria marched up in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah - eight years later. If so, why are "the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali" mentioned here, given that they had already been exiled? Radak explains that a few remnants from the other tribes remained scattered throughout the Land of Israel, a few here and a few there, and they were still there in the days of Josiah, as explicitly stated in II Chronicles 34:6. The tribe as a whole was exiled, but scattered individuals remained, and they came to Jerusalem to assist Judah and Benjamin during the siege. According to this, "their council" (rigmatam) refers to their gathering - that they all assembled in Jerusalem to aid Hezekiah against Sennacherib. "There is Benjamin, the youngest, who ruled over them" - the youngest of the tribes subdued the enemies, and even though the enemy's army was vast, God struck them down and Israel gathered the spoils. And "there" means in that very place: in the place of blessing and praise, concerning which it was said, "In assemblies, bless God," there they took the spoil and there they witnessed the enemy's downfall.
Derash and Peshat - And Why a Cohesive Arc Is Essential
Radak also cites the homiletic exposition of the Sages, who interpreted this passage as referring to the splitting of the Red Sea, but he argues that this does not fit the flow of the psalm. This is a fundamental principle: when we explain a verse, we cannot detach it from the reality in which it is situated and claim that it suddenly leaps to an entirely different era. King David recites a complete psalm whose message reflects a unified reality; it is impossible for an isolated historical detail unrelated to the whole to suddenly intrude into it. Therefore, Radak remarks that while we certainly do not dispute the way of derash, we cannot establish that this is the running peshat of the psalm. This is the difference between commentators of Tanach and commentators of the Talmud: the homilist is permitted to take a verse out of its immediate context, whereas the Tanach commentator must explain an overarching sequence.
This is also what makes the Malbim so unique. Even in a book like Job, where the verses often appear disconnected on the surface, the Malbim weaves them together and creates an overarching progression. For this reason, his absence is felt so acutely in Ecclesiastes, where each verse seems to stand entirely on its own, yet there is no Malbim commentary on Ecclesiastes, leaving us struggling to grasp how King Solomon composed a book that forms one unified arc; likewise, there is no Malbim commentary on Lamentations, where we also study each verse individually, yet finding the unified narrative remains difficult. The Malbim's primary life's work was to demonstrate that a biblical chapter is not an assembly of fragmented units, but rather tells one complete, coherent story.
The Malbim himself explains here: following "in assemblies, bless God" - praising, singing, and playing musical instruments - what is the theme of this song? The song portrays the nations that had taken Israel captive as wild beasts of the wilderness and mighty bulls; yet despite all this, they were subdued beneath Israel, who ruled over them. When facing an army of warriors, subjugation is arduous, but when they are reduced to the state of animals, it is easy to herd them like sheep to the slaughter. This is the meaning of "Benjamin, the youngest, who ruled over them": even a young lad like Benjamin subdued those enemies, who had seemed like bulls and mighty ones of Bashan, fattened bulls. And "the princes of Judah, their stone throwers" (rigmatam) - Judah did not even need a staff. When a shepherd wishes to direct an animal back into the herd, if it is close by, he strikes it with a staff, and if it is far off, he picks up a stone and throws it. Such was the formidable power of the princes of Judah that merely slinging a pebble was enough to drive the nations away.
"Your God Has Commanded Your Strength" - Strength Is Not from Ourselves
צִוָּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ עֻזֶּךָ עוּזָּה אֱלֹהִים זוּ פָּעַלְתָּ לָּנוּ׃ - Your God has commanded your strength; display Your strength, O God, which You have wrought for us.
מֵהֵיכָלֶךָ עַל יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם לְךָ יוֹבִילוּ מְלָכִים שָׁי׃ - From Your Temple over Jerusalem, kings shall bring tribute to You.
The address here is directed toward the people of Israel: your God has commanded your strength; He is the One who granted you might. In Radak's view, it is also possible that the address is directed to King Hezekiah: your God has granted you strength. That is to say: this might and triumph over the enemy do not stem from yourself; Hashem commanded them. Therefore, give thanks to Him and say, "Display Your strength, O God, which You have wrought for us" - this strength is what You have accomplished on our behalf. This is the very foundation of receiving kindness: to express gratitude. A person must never be ungrateful toward any creature, all the more so toward the Holy One, blessed be He; always remember that "this You have wrought for us," for everything comes from You, Master of the Universe.
The Malbim explains that the word "commanded" applies to both parts: your God has commanded, your strength has commanded - He decreed that they must submit before the people of Hashem. For you have seen that young Benjamin rules over them with a staff, and Judah with a stone; know that this did not happen of its own accord, but rather Hashem commanded that they be subdued before us, and God's strength decreed it. Therefore, the verse addresses this strength itself, following the Malbim's frequent approach of personifying an abstract concept: "You, the strength - display Your strength, O God, which You have wrought for us" - it is You who saved us, not by our own power, but through Your might. And from where did You act? "From Your Temple over Jerusalem" - from the Temple set above Jerusalem this strength went forth, from the sanctuary of Hashem where the Divine Presence rests. Therefore, the tribute that the kings bring belongs to You, for tribute is presented to the victorious power, and it is You who have triumphed.
And to what does the verse allude? The Malbim explains that it hints to the account in II Samuel 8, where To'i, king of Hamath, sent vessels of silver and gold to David because David had defeated Hadadezer, thereby bringing salvation to To'i as well. How did he show his gratitude? With vessels of silver and gold. Yet David said: Was it I who fought this war? Hashem fought the war - and he dedicated those vessels of silver and gold to Hashem. Salvation belongs to Hashem, and He is the One who delivered; why then should I accept the reward? This is the meaning of "kings shall bring tribute to You": the kings bring tribute, and David declares - it belongs to You, Master of the Universe, for You wrought the salvation.
"Rebuke the Beast of the Reeds" - An Obscure Verse and Its Opening
גְּעַר חַיַּת קָנֶה עֲדַת אַבִּירִים בְּעֶגְלֵי עַמִּים מִתְרַפֵּס בְּרַצֵּי כָסֶף בִּזַּר עַמִּים קְרָבוֹת יֶחְפָּצוּ׃ - Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, the multitude of bulls among the calves of the peoples, submitting himself with bars of silver; scatter the peoples that delight in war.
This verse is completely cryptic on its own, so let us see how the commentators unpack it. Rashi takes the path of Midrash: "Rebuke the beast of the reed" - in our printed editions it reads, "this is Amalek, who is compared to the wild beast of the forest," but this is clearly the work of censorship. In the original text it reads: this is Esau, who is compared to the wild boar of the forest dwelling among the reeds, as it is written, "The boar out of the wood ravages it" - which also fits the verse Rashi himself cites. The censor did not like the fact that Esau represents Edom, so he changed it all to Amalek; but in truth, all of Edom is like the wild boar dwelling among the reeds. Thus, the meaning is: Rebuke Esau, Hashem.
"The congregation of mighty bulls among the calves of the peoples" - Rashi's phrasing here is difficult: "Until they grew fat and You made him like mighty bulls among the other nations, who are merely like calves compared to them." His intention is: until You, Master of the Universe, fattened him and made him like mighty bulls among the calves of the peoples. A mighty bull is large, while a calf is small - You made Esau like a massive bull compared to the rest of the nations, who are like small calves; that is, You granted him dominion and royalty. Therefore, please Hashem, rebuke that beast dwelling among the reeds. "Submitting himself with bars of silver" - *mitrapes* means appeased: he can be appeased with bars of silver, by giving him money. As is well known, throughout history the way to deal with Edom was always through money, through bribery.
"Esau Has Hands" - The Way of Exile
Once, people told the Rav of Brisk that a non-Jewish governor had been appointed who was an enemy of Israel, and they began listing everything known about him, how wicked and corrupt he was. He said to them: "Why do you say that? I actually saw him, and he seems completely fine to me; he lacks nothing." They were bewildered - was the Rav praising him? He said to them: "He has two healthy hands; everything is fine." In plain terms: fill his hands, and everything will be resolved.
And once, there was a wicked governor who refused to take bribes under any circumstances. They came and asked: "What do we do?" The Rav of Brisk told them: "Leave it to me." He went to him on a scorching summer day wearing an overcoat and carrying an umbrella. The governor asked him: "What is the meaning of this joke?" He replied: "I dreamt about my mother, and she told me it would rain today." The governor said: "What are you talking about? It is a sweltering summer day." He replied: "I am even willing to bet on it. If my mother says so, she knows." They wagered ten thousand rubles. In the evening, the Rav of Brisk returned with a dejected expression. The governor said: "If you came to apologize, I accept no excuses." He replied: "I did not come to apologize; I came with the money. You were right. I do not know how my mother was mistaken this time, but here is the money." He counted out the cash to him. Then he added: "I only came to make a request regarding the decree." The governor said: "It is fine, do not worry; everything is annulled, wiped clean." He later said to them: "Understand, Esau has hands - 'submitting himself with bars of silver.' It is enough to appease him with money, and with that, you solve all problems."
Even with the Germans, may their names be blotted out, with whom for a long time money could not be discussed - toward the end of the war, when they realized where things were heading, one could buy entire train cars from them with money. People paid fortunes and bought entire train cars of Jews - Kastner, Schindler. Who can imagine what a merit that was. The gentile has not changed: he has a pair of healthy hands; fill them, and everything will be resolved.
The Parameters of Bribery
And the Halachah must be clarified. Bribery strictly applies when you pay a judge in a beit din to pervert justice. Anything else is not categorized as bribery. Similarly, if a gentile comes to impose a decree upon me, is there any doubt that I am permitted to pay in order to save myself from his corrupt decree?
Once, a gentile judge asked a Jew who paid him: "After all, you Jews have a prohibition against bribery, so how is it that, with no lack of customers, every time a different Jew comes to me and pays under the table? This room has seen plenty of payments." Not that he had any qualms about taking it; he was merely curious: "How do you reconcile this?" The Jew replied: "It is quite simple. When a Jew stands trial against a gentile, and the judge is a gentile, the Jew already starts at a disadvantage of twenty to eighty. The Jew pays, and now it is fifty-fifty. It turns out he did not pervert justice; he merely balanced the scales. The entire prohibition is to give a bribe in order to pervert justice; when you are not perverting it, but merely balancing it, it is permitted."
Indeed, Yaakov Avinu bowed before his brother Esau seven times. And Rebbe, whenever he went to meet with the imperial authorities, would study the parashah of Esau; on the contrary, it is from there that we learn how to conduct ourselves with gentiles. "Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation has passed": a person must flatter, appease, and speak pleasant words to him so that he removes the decree. One should not be stubborn and say, "Out of the question!" Quite the opposite: "Why should you make yourselves conspicuous?" Before the gentile, while we are in exile, we must present ourselves as humble before him, so long as he leaves us alone.
What Prevents Bribery - The Law or the Torah?
Speaking of bribery: a gentile judge once remarked to the Brisker Rav that Russian law is more just than Jewish law - dust to his mouth. Why? Because under Russian law, it is forbidden to give a bribe and forbidden to take a bribe, and if caught, both are punished. In the Torah, however, nowhere is there an explicit prohibition against giving a bribe; the prohibition is strictly "do not take a bribe," but giving is permitted. To be precise, giving also involves the concern of "do not place a stumbling block before the blind," yet the Torah never wrote "do not give a bribe," and this raises a question.
The Brisker Rav replied: Quite the opposite. Realize that the Torah prevents bribery, whereas Russian law encourages it. The judge asked: How can that be, when Russian law punishes both? He answered: Understand. In your system, when a person enters the judge's chambers and slips him an envelope, the matter is sealed - the judge knows it is an airtight bunker: it will never leak from me, otherwise they will hang me, and it will never leak from him, otherwise they will hang him. Thus, the judge has no fear at all and takes it. But with us, when a person approaches a dayan to offer a bribe, the giver is relaxed - since nothing will happen to him - while the dayan trembles in fear: 'If I accept it from him, he will run and tell his friends that this judge takes bribes, and he will have nothing to lose.' Consequently, precisely because the Torah did not explicitly forbid giving, a situation is created where the judge is terrified to take. And the judge's face fell in embarrassment.
The Sharp Wit of the Brisker Rav
A sensible person would never enter into an argument with the Brisker Rav, for one could never emerge victorious before him; his logic was so refined and straight that it was a marvel of marvels. Once, while sitting on a train, a priest sat down next to the students and began questioning them: 'Why do you not believe in that man?' They answered him: 'The Sages lived in that man\'s generation, knew him, declared him to be falsehood and deceit, his deeds done through sorcery, and determined that there was no substance to him.' He said to them: 'The Sages were mistaken.' They retorted: 'How dare you say that?' He said: 'Behold, Rabbi Akiva believed that Bar Kochba was the Mashiach, yet in the end he proved a disappointment - so Rabbi Akiva was mistaken; if so, when the Sages did not recognize that man as Mashiach, they were also mistaken.' The students were stumped and had no reply. The Brisker Rav did not intervene, his eyes buried in his book, but when he saw that the students needed rescuing, he turned to the priest: 'And who said Rabbi Akiva was mistaken?' The gentile began to laugh: 'What do you mean who said? Bar Kochba died; what kind of Mashiach is that?' The Brisker Rav said to him: 'If so, then you too concede that a Mashiach who died cannot be considered the Mashiach' - and he returned to his learning. That ended the matter. One sentence, and nothing more was needed.
As for the matter itself, Rabbi Akiva was not mistaken. The straightforward understanding is that in every generation there is a potential Mashiach; if the generation is worthy, he is revealed, and if not, someone else receives the role. Rabbi Akiva held that Bar Kochba was fit for it, specifically as Mashiach ben Yosef - for Mashiach ben David represents the spiritual redemption, while Mashiach ben Yosef represents the physical redemption. Ultimately he fell short, as it is written that he acted with pride, and there were several reasons why he did not merit to fulfill that role. But in terms of potential fitness, Rabbi Akiva certainly saw him as one worthy of being the Mashiach, as Chazal state that the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to make him Mashiach.
"He Scattered Peoples Who Delight in Battles"
Let us return to the verse. "Appeasing himself with bars of silver" - they are appeased only when placated with money; only then does he humble himself. "He scattered peoples" - they scattered the tribes, as in the phrase "Indeed, He loves peoples," "who delight in battles" - and they constantly seek nothing but battles. In other words, the nations - and we are referring here to Edom - scattered the tribes and are perpetually looking for war.
The Malbim explains this according to his ongoing approach. Tou, king of Chamat, as mentioned, sent a tribute to David because he fought and struck Hadadezer - and the tribute came because "You rebuked the beast of the reeds, the company of bulls among the calves of the peoples": the enemies were like predatory beasts lurking among the reeds, and like a herd of bulls, mighty oxen goring with their horns, yet you scattered them and rebuked them. "Appeasing himself with bars of silver" - that same Tou, king of Chamat, who sent vessels of silver and vessels of gold because you defeated Hadadezer and scattered them, comes and humbles himself, submitting before you. The term mitrapes is like Chazal's exposition on "humble yourself [hitrapes] and urge your friend" - that you plead before him and humble yourself before him. He humbled himself before you "with bars of silver," rushing forward with a gift of silver and gold. "He scattered peoples who delight in battles" - bizar means scattered, like pizar: he spread out vast amounts of silver and gold before you, spoils from peoples who delight in battles. And where did he obtain all that silver and gold? From the nations he fought against, striking them and scattering them before him - for when you wage war against a nation and they flee before you, you scatter them; and from their spoils he sent gifts to you, so that you would rebuke the beast of the reeds, acknowledging that you struck the army of Hadadezer.
In summary:
In these verses, we witness the conclusion of the war and the return of the victors: the enemies were crushed to the point where their blood stained the feet and the tongue of the dogs; Israel recognizes that "they have seen Your processions, O God" - that everything represents the ways of our King in holiness, and they go out to greet the returnees with singers, musicians, and maidens playing timbrels, in countless choirs. Young Benjamin subdues the enemies, and the princes of Judah need only throw stones, yet all this is because "your God has commanded your strength" - the strength stems from the Temple overlooking Jerusalem, and therefore "kings shall bring gifts to You," to You and not to us. Finally comes the supplication: "Rebuke the beast of the reeds" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuke that nation which constantly yearns for war. Throughout the exile, we learned from Yaakov and from Rebbi how to deal with Eisav: to submit, flatter, and humble ourselves until the wrath passes, so long as we are spared his decrees - out of a clear knowledge that the strength and salvation come not from our own power, but from His power, blessed be He.