Psalm 107 is the great psalm of thanksgiving, enumerating those who must give thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, for bringing them out of distress to relief. In this section, we focus on the last of them: those who go down to the sea in ships. The psalm describes the storm, the terror of drowning, the sudden salvation, and the thanksgiving that follows; it then transitions to describe Hashem's providence in general - how He turns inhabited land into desolation and desolation into inhabited land, lowers nobles and lifts up the needy - all so that we may contemplate and recognize that there is no coincidence in the world.
יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם בָּאֳנִיּוֹת עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה בְּמַיִם רַבִּים׃ - Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do work in mighty waters.
At first glance, this raises a question: the sea is not lower than the dry land; the sea rests upon the earth, so why does it say "those who go down to the sea"? Rather, to reach the sea, a person always approaches from higher ground, for the sea is generally sunken relative to the surrounding topography - were it not so, it would flood the entire world. Compared to the shoreline around it, the sea lies below, and therefore, to reach it one must descend; hence, "those who go down to the sea."
The Malbim cites an additional explanation in the name of his father: the descent refers to descending into the ship. A ship is deep, and whoever boards it descends into it, as scripture says, "and he found a ship... and went down into it." Here too, "those who go down to the sea in ships" refers to descending into the hold of the ship, going down inside, which is considered a descent.
The "work" refers to all the various tasks performed while sailing a ship: managing the sail, the mast, the ropes, the oars, and the ship's other gear. The sailors were the craftsmen doing the work - their role was to unfurl the sail, furl it when necessary, and navigate it in the required direction.
And what are "mighty waters"? The Radak explains: the open sea (pelagos), where far more labor is required. What is pelagos? Rashi in Masechet Shabbat discusses the expression "mafligim" (setting sail): "separating from the dry land into the sea," which is the terminology for a ship setting sail, because one separates oneself from civilization - hiflig meaning distanced. But Rashi cites another explanation in the name of Rabbeinu Yaakov, who heard in Eruvin that the middle of the sea is called pelagos, and in the vernacular pelagas. We likewise find in Targum Yonatan on the Torah: "the depths congealed in the heart of the sea" is rendered "in the pelagos of the great sea" - showing that pelagos means the heart of the sea. Thus, "who do work in mighty waters" refers to the open sea, where the labor is vastly more arduous.
The Malbim explains that this describes the continuation of the ingathering of the exiles: after returning from exile and traveling by ship across the sea, the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them His wonders once again, so that they will praise Hashem for His kindness when they reach the Land. Two groups are mentioned here: there are "those who go down to the sea in ships," and among them are "those who do work in mighty waters" - the skilled mariners who know special techniques and seamanship to steady the vessel during a storm wind and be saved, as we will soon see regarding the nature of this tactic.
הֵמָּה רָאוּ מַעֲשֵׂי יְהֹוָה וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו בִּמְצוּלָה׃ - They saw the works of Hashem and His wonders in the deep.
They see Hashem's wonders and His deeds, how the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues them even in a situation where they are on the verge of drowning. The Radak adds that they see great sea creatures and the roar of the sea, and through this they recognize that the Holy One, blessed be He, granted man the wisdom to withstand all of this - to build a ship that transports him from place to place and stays afloat even when the sea is raging. In this itself, Hashem's deeds are evident: what tremendous wisdom He bestowed upon man to be saved even in such circumstances.
וַיֹּאמֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד רוּחַ סְעָרָה וַתְּרוֹמֵם גַּלָּיו׃ - For He commanded and raised a stormy wind, and it mounted its waves.
The Holy One, blessed be He, decreed and commanded, stirring up a storm wind upon the sea. "Vaya'amed" (and He raised) does not mean halting the wind; as the Radak explains, "He raised a storm wind" is like "He stirred up a storm wind" - He set against them a wind that rages upon them, and that very wind lifts up the waves.
יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ תְהוֹמוֹת נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה תִתְמוֹגָג׃ - They mount up to heaven, they go down to the depths; their soul melts away in distress.
Who are those who "mount up to heaven"? The Ibn Ezra says: either the waves or the seafarers, and one could say both - the waves and the ship's crew ascend to the heavens and plunge into the depths. And from this violent rising and falling, "their soul melts away in distress" - titmogag means melts. Out of the distress and dread, as the ship pitches and rolls and they realize they are about to drown, their soul virtually melts and dissolves within them.
יָחוֹגּוּ וְיָנוּעוּ כַּשִּׁכּוֹר וְכׇל־חׇכְמָתָם תִּתְבַּלָּע׃ - They reel and stagger like a drunkard, and all their wisdom is swallowed up.
Several explanations are offered for the word yachogu ("they reel"). Rashi explains that it denotes breaking, as in "in the clefts (chagvei) of the rock" - a place where there are fissures and fractures in the stone, and like "and the land of Yehudah shall become a terror (lechagah) to Egypt," which signifies brokenness. The Radak, on the other hand, explains that yachogu refers to movement, from the idea of circling, just as we say today chag to describe revolving or circling around; and he interprets lechagah as a movement of terror, shuddering out of place due to fear. The Metzudat Tzion explains that yachogu denotes dancing and swaying, citing support from "a multitude celebrating (chogeg)" - dancing.
"Like a drunkard" - a drunkard likewise staggers in his intoxication; he cannot balance himself and cannot stay in one place, constantly swaying. Similarly, the crew and even the captain cannot keep their footing in the storm wind, as the ship pitches violently up and down. There is a story of a driver pulled over for swerving, back before the era of breathalyzers, and the police officer told him to walk a few yards along the straight white line on the shoulder of the road. The driver responded: "Are you kidding me? First straighten out that line!" The drunkard stumbles and wobbles, entirely thrown off balance.
What is this wisdom? It is the seafaring expertise possessed by the captains regarding how to navigate the ship even in treacherous conditions. And in what sense is it "swallowed up" (titbala)? The Radak explains: it will be ruined, an expression of destruction; Metzudat Tzion explains similarly, comparing it to "Hashem has destroyed (bila) without mercy," meaning destroyed without compassion - their wisdom is ruined. The Ibn Ezra, by contrast, explains titbala in the sense of being covered up or obscured, as in "and the ears swallowed (vativlana)," where the thin ears enveloped the plump ones, and like "nor shall they go in to watch the sacred vessels being covered (kevala)" - when the holy vessels are covered. According to this: all their wisdom is eclipsed, as if they possessed no wisdom at all.
The Malbim, in his characteristic fashion, offers an original explanation here, applying it to those "who do work in great waters." When the ship begins to be tossed, they cast an anchor, and through this it does not rise high on the waves, as the anchor holds it down. However, the anchor plants it at a specific point, and the ship begins to spin around that point - it cannot drift away, yet it moves in a circle determined by the length of the chain. This is "they reel and stagger" (yachogu veyanu'u): yachogu is related to chug (circle) and mechugah (compass), as a compass traces a circular mark. After casting the anchor, the ship rotates in place like a drunkard who spins where he stands and cannot steady himself. "And all their wisdom is swallowed up" - for they thought that dropping anchor would save the ship, but in reality the ship is on the verge of breaking apart right where it is. Thus, even what they accomplished with their wisdom availed them nothing.
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר לָהֶם וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם יוֹצִיאֵם׃ - Then they cried out to Hashem in their distress, and He brought them out of their straits.
They cry out to Hashem to bring them out. The Radak explains: to bring them out to dry land. Another possibility is: to bring them out of the distress in which they are trapped.
יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָה וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ גַּלֵּיהֶם׃ - He turns the storm into stillness, and their waves are hushed.
The straightforward reading follows the Radak: He returns the storm to stillness; that very storm that raged earlier - Hashem restores it to silence. But the Malbim offers a novel interpretation: "He raises a storm" (yakem sa'arah) is understood literally, that He raised up and brought about a storm. And why? To show that the hand of Hashem did this, and that it was not by way of nature. First, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the storm with immense power, and immediately afterward - reduced it to absolute stillness. The sharp contrast itself is what is unmistakable: one moment a storm, and the next moment stillness. Through this, it became evident that the wonders of the Holy One, blessed be He, had achieved their ultimate purpose, as the turmoil suddenly turned to silence and the waves were hushed, making it known that the hand of Hashem had acted.
The Radak, who still felt the need to resolve the plain meaning - since yakem generally implies raising up and stirring a storm - adds a clarification: "He raised a storm" refers to the past; the storm that He had previously stirred up is the one that now turns to stillness, not that He is stirring up a new storm now. "And their waves are hushed" - the waves that had risen up against the ship and its passengers grew quiet, fell still, and ceased their churning.
וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כִי־יִשְׁתֹּקוּ וַיַּנְחֵם אֶל־מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם׃ - Then they rejoiced because they were quiet, and He guided them to their desired haven.
Three expressions are used here: demamah (stillness), hachashah (hushing), and shetikah (silence). The Malbim explains: demamah always denotes the cessation of what was occurring previously. In our own language as well, we say "the engine went silent" or "his heart went still" - there was speech and it ceased, there was noise and it grew still. This is not so regarding lehachashot (to hush), which implies being quiet from the outset: an absence of speech and an absence of storm, not something that had been active and then halted, but quiet from the start. On the other hand, lishtok (to fall silent) denotes a quiet that is the opposite of strife and tumult, as in "Where there is no talebearer, contention ceases (yishtok madon)" (Mishlei 26:20) and "and the sea ceased (vayishtok) from its raging" (Yonah 1:15). Hence, in the words of Chazal, shetikah signifies an absence of speech, whereas in Scripture, shetikah is applied even to inanimate things.
According to this: "He stills the storm to a calm" - that very storm that raged before is now silenced, ceasing its turmoil. "And its waves are hushed" - the waves grow still, as though they had never raged at all. "Then are they glad because they are quiet" - the silence is the exact opposite of what occurred before, and therefore their joy is immense. The Malbim adds that their joy is proportional to the greatness of the roar that preceded it: the greater the noise had been, the greater the joy becomes once it is silenced.
What does mechoz mean? A mechoz is a boundary, as in "with the netherworld we have made a pact (chozeh)" - we have set a boundary, rather than signing a legal contract. This is how the Radak explains: "to their desired mechoz" - to the boundary of their desire. Similarly, "and did not envision (chazu) his days" does not mean they did not see, but rather that they did not know his boundary, not knowing the limit of his days or how long he was destined to live. In spoken modern Hebrew the term has shifted to denote an administrative district ("such-and-such district"), but in biblical usage mechoz refers to a boundary.
And what is meant by "and He leads them to their desired haven"? One might have thought, says the Radak, that if the Holy One, blessed be He, halted the wind entirely, the ship would no longer be able to reach its destination. Therefore the verse teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, granted them a favorable wind to guide them to their desired haven - He did not silence the wind completely, but provided a breeze to carry them toward their destination.
A Russian minister once asked Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin: You Jews living here pray the prayer of "He Who gives salvation to kings," asking that the kingdom in which you reside should triumph in its wars - for ultimately, you live here. Yet in Poland, with whom we are at war, there are also Jews living, and they too pray that their kingdom will prevail. What is done with this in Heaven?
He offered him a clever reply: Observe how we open that prayer - "He Who gives salvation to kings and dominion to princes... Who makes a way in the sea and a path in mighty waters." Now, what does the sea have to do with this blessing, in which we bless kings and princes? Rather, there is a ship sailing from east to west, and there is a ship sailing from west to east. One prays for a tailwind to carry it to its destination, while the other prays for a tailwind blowing in the exact opposite direction. In their day, when ships sailed exclusively by the wind, one of them seemingly should never have reached its port. Yet "He makes a way in the sea and a path in mighty waters" - the Holy One, blessed be He, provides pathways, a channel for this one and a channel for that one, and each reaches its desired destination. In simple terms: do not try to manage the world for the Holy One, blessed be He. He knows how to reconcile seemingly contradictory and dual circumstances. Do not raise difficulties - the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, will be fulfilled, even when prayers appear to clash directly.
The Malbim notes: "Then are they glad because they are quiet" - they experienced a double joy. First, that the waves were silenced; and second, that they reached their desired destination unharmed. Therefore:
יוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם׃ וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל־עָם וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ׃ - Let them give thanks to Hashem for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the children of men. And let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the seat of the elders.
Let them give thanks to Hashem for the kindness of saving them, offering thanksgiving upon arriving safely at their destination; and as for the wonders He performed for them at sea, these they recount to mankind. From here we learn that there is a mitzvah to recount His wonders, to thank the Holy One, blessed be He, and to speak of the miracles He has performed.
The Malbim explains: when they reach dry land, they give thanks amidst gatherings of tens of thousands of Israel and before the elders there. There is a meaningful distinction between exaltation (romemut) and praise (tehillah). Exaltation applies to instances where events seem contradictory; this belongs to the common multitude, who do not deeply comprehend the Holy One, blessed be He, viewing Him as exalted, transcendent, and beyond reach. Praise, by contrast, pertains to His revealed deeds, and this takes place "in the seat of the elders" - "elders" referring to Torah scholars, who possess deep knowledge of the Holy One, blessed be He, and understand His ways. Exaltation reflects a loftier, more hidden reality, expressed by the simple folk for whom the Holy One, blessed be He, is utterly exalted and seemingly beyond direct perception in the world.
Chazal learn from here that one must give thanks before ten people - "Let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people" - and two of them must be Torah scholars (talmidei chachamim) - "and praise Him in the assembly of the elders," for "elders" refers to Torah scholars. Radak explains that "Let them exalt Him" applies to all those who traverse the sea: when they thank Hashem, they exalt and praise Him in the congregation of the people, and they also exalt and praise Him in the assembly of the elders and scholars, for the perception of the wise is on a far higher plane.
יָשֵׂם נְהָרוֹת לְמִדְבָּר וּמֹצָאֵי מַיִם לְצִמָּאוֹן׃ אֶרֶץ פְּרִי לִמְלֵחָה מֵרָעַת יוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ׃ - He turns rivers into a wilderness, and water springs into thirsty ground; a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
Rashi explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings desolation upon the settlements of the nations. Radak explains the thematic connection: after mentioning the four who must give thanks for Hashem's lovingkindness - for turning their mourning into dancing and bringing them from distress to relief - the Psalmist teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, sometimes brings about the reverse as well. He turns good into hardship to punish the inhabitants of a place. He turns bad into good when they do His will, and good into bad when they do not. Everything stems from Him, blessed be He, and He alters nature at His will, unlike the foolish who imagine that human affairs occur by mere chance.
"He turns rivers into a wilderness" - a place that had rivers and springs was naturally a settled area, for in ancient times settlements were built near water sources. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, specifically dries up these water sources and turns them into parched ground.
The Malbim explains that after recounting Hashem's kindness toward individuals, the passage shifts to describe His providence over the collective - entire nations or large groups of people. For you see that sometimes, on account of the wickedness of those who dwell there, the Holy One, blessed be He, destroys a settlement: a place that once had rivers He turns into a desert; a place that had springs and flowing waters He turns into arid drought, thereby transforming fruitful land into a salty waste where nothing grows. Indeed, "thirsty ground" (tzima'on) is even harsher than a desert, being a place of absolute, severe thirst; and all this is "because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it," for they corrupted their deeds.
יָשֵׂם מִדְבָּר לַאֲגַם־מַיִם וְאֶרֶץ צִיָּה לְמֹצָאֵי מָיִם׃ וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם רְעֵבִים וַיְכוֹנְנוּ עִיר מוֹשָׁב׃ - He turns a wilderness into a pool of water, and dry land into water springs; and there He settles the hungry, and they establish a city to dwell in.
Rashi explains: He prepares a ruined place for rebuilding - a desolate site is built up, and where there was once a desert, the Holy One, blessed be He, opens rivers. Radak explains that this continues the theme: from the wicked, Hashem removes the rivers and dries them up, whereas for the righteous - in places where no river existed - He turns a wilderness into a pool of water and brings forth water sources for them. The Malbim adds that "dry land" (eretz tziyyah) is even more arid than a wilderness, yet it is specifically that ground that becomes a spring of water, and from there the wilderness is transformed into a pool of water.
"And there He settles the hungry" - those who were starving elsewhere, the Holy One, blessed be He, settles in this place, as if the land was made fertile specifically for their sake. As Radak explains regarding "and they establish a city to dwell in": those who arrive from here and there because they lacked sustenance in their hometowns come to the place where Hashem transformed a wilderness into a pool of water, and there they find a home. Those in whom the Holy One, blessed be He, delights - He settles the hungry there and provides them with a livelihood.
In Tenufah LeChaim, Rav Chaim Palagi cites the words of Chazal regarding the verses: "Who is the man who has built a house and not dedicated it? Who has planted a vineyard and not redeemed it? Who has betrothed a woman and not taken her?" Chazal derive the proper order of life from this sequence: first a person should build a home, then plant a vineyard (secure a livelihood), and only afterward marry. The Rambam similarly writes that one should not act like fools, who marry first, then look to build a home, and only then seek a livelihood - leaving themselves destitute. In our times, of course, it is very difficult to follow these rules strictly; in earlier eras a person could build a house with relative ease, but today, given the reality of mortgages, some might never build a home at all.
In any case, writes Rav Chaim Palagi, this is hinted at here in the verses: "And established an inhabited city" - this refers to a home; then "They sowed fields and planted vineyards, yielding a fruitful harvest" - this is planting a vineyard; and afterwards "He blessed them and they multiplied greatly" - echoing "And God blessed them... be fruitful and multiply," meaning one should marry a wife and have children. Thus, here too Scripture arranged things according to the proper order in which a person should conduct himself in accordance with derech eretz.
וַיִּזְרְעוּ שָׂדוֹת וַיִּטְּעוּ כְרָמִים וַיַּעֲשׂוּ פְּרִי תְבוּאָה׃ וַיְבָרְכֵם וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד וּבְהֶמְתָּם לֹא יַמְעִיט׃ - They sowed fields and planted vineyards, yielding a fruitful harvest. He blessed them and they multiplied greatly, and He did not let their cattle decrease.
The Radak explains: they sowed fields and planted vineyards and met with success, and "fruitful harvest" (peri tevu'ah) means both fruit and grain, expressing the same idea with different words. The Malbim, by contrast, explains that "peri tevu'ah" denotes produce that has fully ripened, for tevu'ah implies that the produce has reached completion. If one says only "fruit," it might still be unripe; but "peri tevu'ah" is produce that has reached its full development.
"He blessed them and they multiplied greatly" - He blessed them in their wealth, and "they multiplied" in children; "and He did not let their cattle decrease" - none among their herds suffered miscarriage or barrenness, and all the more so among their wives. Thus they enjoyed abundance in both wealth and offspring. The Malbim points out that these elements correspond to one another: corresponding to "They sowed fields," the fields were exceptionally successful - "yielding a fruitful harvest"; and corresponding to "and established an inhabited city" - "He blessed them and they multiplied greatly," blessing them with possessions and causing them to multiply in sons and daughters, and He also did not let their cattle decrease.
וַיִּמְעֲטוּ וַיָּשֹׁחוּ מֵעֹצֶר רָעָה וְיָגוֹן׃ - Then they are diminished and brought low through oppression, misfortune, and sorrow.
A difficulty arises here: after describing such a complete idyll, why suddenly "Then they are diminished and brought low"? Rashi resolves this by explaining that it refers retroactively: originally they were brought low and diminished from oppression, misfortune, and sorrow, and then all the described bounty came upon them; it does not mean that they were diminished now.
The Radak, by contrast, explains that this is indeed chronological: to teach us that everything is from Him, blessed be He - if He wills, He enriches them, and if He wills, He impoverishes them. Indeed, after "He blessed them and they multiplied greatly" comes "Then they are diminished and brought low," for when God so desires, their situation reverses. And why? Because of their sins, for they grew arrogant from their vast bounty - "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked," feeling "my power and the might of my hand." This is just as we saw earlier, "for the wickedness of those who dwell therein": following their evil deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, diminishes them. "They are diminished" is the opposite of "they multiplied," and "brought low" is the opposite of walking upright - now they are downcast and bent over, with bowed posture.
And what is the meaning of "through oppression, misfortune, and sorrow" (me'otzer ra'ah veyagon)? It is like "from oppression and misfortune." Otzer (oppression/restraint), the Radak explains, refers to the rule of others over them, bowing beneath foreign subjugation, as in "From restraint and judgment he was taken" in Yeshayahu - referring to the nations ruling over them. This is also the meaning of yoresh etzer (crown prince/heir to rule): one who rules over the nation and has assumed the monarchy, for a king is called an otzer over the people. That gentile dominion brings them misfortune and sorrow: misfortune refers to bodily harm and financial loss; sorrow is grief in their hearts. The Radak cites another explanation in the name of the Ibn Ezra: that otzer is like "restraining the womb," meaning barrenness - the opposite of "they multiplied greatly," where they had abundant offspring, whereas now their wombs are restrained and they are not granted children.
The Malbim explains: sometimes they are diminished by an otzer ra'ah, an oppressive regime that conquers them, through which "they are diminished" - many of them are killed, and those who remain "are brought low" on account of their grief.
שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז עַל־נְדִיבִים וַיַּתְעֵם בְּתֹהוּ לֹא־דָרֶךְ׃ - He pours contempt upon nobles, and causes them to wander in a trackless wasteland.
The "nobles" (*nedivim*) are the wealthy and distinguished, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, overturns their honor into contempt and disgrace. "He pours contempt" - an abundance of scorn and humiliation, pouring it upon them in heaped measure. "And causes them to wander in a trackless wasteland" - they have no counsel or stratagem to escape the misfortune He has brought upon them; they walk in darkness, bewildered, not knowing where to go or which path will save them. The verse comes to describe a reality in which a person grows haughty, and the Holy One, blessed be He, humbles him.
וַיְשַׂגֵּב אֶבְיוֹן מֵעוֹנִי וַיָּשֶׂם כַּצֹּאן מִשְׁפָּחוֹת׃ - Yet He lifts the destitute out of affliction, and makes their families like a flock.
In contrast, it is specifically the destitute that Hashem elevates and rescues from the affliction in which he languished, related to the expression of lifting high and raising up - the opposite of "they are brought low" (*veyashochu*). The wealthy and arrogant He humbles, while the needy and humble He raises up and delivers. "And makes their families like a flock" - the opposite of what was said of the nobles, that their numbers dwindle; here, among the poor, their families become as numerous as flocks of sheep.
Some explain this regarding the wealthy: they have plenty of money but few children, whereas the poor have many children and little money. Furthermore, when a person becomes wealthy, his family suddenly expands. As long as his financial standing is low, a relative is in no rush to mention the connection, feeling uncomfortable having it known that they are related. But if he attains greatness and wealth, immediately it is, "He is my grandmother's third cousin!" He approaches him and says, "We are family!" And why? Until today you did not acknowledge me, but today, baruch Hashem, you have money, so it is worth your while to get to know me. As the verse says, "The friends of the rich are many" - when a person is wealthy, everyone loves him.
This is similar to what is written: "It shall be a Jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his holding, and each of you shall return to his family." Everyone asks: returning "each of you to his holding" is understandable, since the land one sold reverts in the Jubilee year - but "each of you to his family"? Did a person sell his family? Rather, the answer is: do not worry, once you return to your estate and property, you will suddenly discover what a large family you have! Countless acquaintances whose names you did not even know will call to ask how you are doing, suddenly showing an interest in your welfare and coming to visit. That is the meaning of "He lifts the destitute out of affliction" and then "and makes their families like a flock" - suddenly, a family as vast as sheep grazing in the field is revealed to him.
יִרְאוּ יְשָׁרִים וְיִשְׂמָחוּ וְכׇל־עַוְלָה קָפְצָה פִּיהָ׃ - The upright shall see it and rejoice, and all iniquity shall close its mouth.
The upright see retribution taken upon the wicked and rejoice, for they witness the providence and direction of Hashem. "And all iniquity shall close its mouth" - every corrupt individual closes his mouth and is ashamed to speak, seeing the ways of Hashem and His divine guidance: if you commit an injustice, retribution is exacted from Heaven. The Malbim explains similarly: the upright are those who walk in the path of integrity, and they rejoice because through this they see Hashem's governance of the world; and all iniquity closes its mouth when people witness divine reward and retribution.
מִי־חָכָם וְיִשְׁמׇר־אֵלֶּה וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ חַסְדֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - Whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and let them contemplate the lovingkindness of Hashem.
The Radak explains: Only one who is wise will guard himself from all the tribulations seen in this psalm - by keeping them in his heart and recognizing that everything comes from Him, blessed be He. Then one does not need to experience them firsthand; one does not need to endure all the afflictions to repent, but rather repents beforehand.
"And they will understand the kindnesses of Hashem" - you can contemplate the lovingkindness of Hashem, how the Holy One, blessed be He, performs acts of kindness for those who fulfill His will. And even though a person sometimes sees those who do His will suffering and questions arise, the verse tells you: Contemplate the ways of the world, and you will see that fundamentally "He is a God of faithfulness, and there is no iniquity," "giving to each man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds." Even if injustice seems present, it is at the extremes, but in the final analysis we see that Hashem does good to the good, and not to the others.
And even if this is not immediately apparent - a historical perspective will always show that those who did evil were ultimately obliterated, while those who did good endured. In the Jewish people, this is seen clearly: "And you who cleave to Hashem your God are alive, every one of you today." From all the sects - the Essenes, the Sadducees, the Boethusians, the Karaites - nothing remained. The Reform movement as well has already run its course in the United States, which is why they come to fight here. In perspective, those who endure are solely those who serve Hashem: those who cleave to Hashem your God are alive, every one of you today.
The Malbim concludes: Who is wise - one who has accepted the principles of wisdom - he will guard these, and from them he will learn of Hashem's governance. Through this, "they will understand the kindnesses of Hashem," seeing that the world is not abandoned to chance, but rather everything operates through Hashem's lovingkindness and divine providence.
In this part of the psalm, we saw those who go down to the sea in ships - descending into the belly of the vessel and into the heart of the sea, seafarers whose wisdom and stratagems are swallowed up during a tempest, until they have no recourse but to cry out to Hashem. The Holy One, blessed be He, transforms the storm into a hush with sharp polarity, showing that Hashem's hand accomplished this, and guides them to their desired haven - for Hashem makes a way in the sea, knowing how to direct even seemingly contradictory situations. From there, the psalm turned to general providence: turning rivers into a wilderness and a wilderness into pools of water, inhabited land laid waste due to the wickedness of its dwellers, and a desolate wasteland built up for the hungry; nobles upon whom contempt is poured, and the destitute whom Hashem raises high above affliction. And the conclusion: "Whoever is wise, let him observe these things" - the wise person learns from all this and does not need to endure the suffering firsthand; rather, he contemplates and sees that everything is directed by the providence and lovingkindness of the Holy One, blessed be He. May Hashem grant us the merit to perceive this.