In the first part of the chapter, the Psalmist addressed the creations above - angels, the sun and moon, the heavens of the heavens, and the waters above the heavens. From here onward, he turns to the creations below, as the Radak puts it, and begins to ascend from the simple to the complex, from the inanimate to the speaking being (man). The Malbim portrays this entire progression as a circle: the divine influence descends from the upper realms down to the earth, which is the lowest, humblest extreme, and from there the compass begins to ascend upward again, until the circle returns to its exalted root.
הַלְלוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה מִן־הָאָרֶץ תַּנִּינִים וְכׇל־תְּהֹמוֹת׃ - Praise Hashem from the earth, sea monsters and all depths.
The Radak explains: now the Psalmist turns to the creations below to praise Hashem, and he begins specifically with water - "and all depths," meaning the waters beneath the earth and the waters upon the earth. He mentions water before dry land, just as it occurred in the order of Creation: first "and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters," and only afterward "and let the dry land appear." He likewise mentions the taninim (sea monsters), about whom it is said, "And God created the great sea monsters," which are larger than terrestrial animals.
One should know that these "great sea monsters" are not what we call crocodiles today, nor are the giant fish and the Leviathan necessarily the whales familiar to us. In Chazal, we find that the sea creatures were immense, to the extent that they taught that the Holy One, blessed be He, salted the female Leviathan, for had she survived and reproduced, the world could not have endured their immense size and multiplication. What exists today is, so to speak, a pocket edition. Similarly, it is related that King David once climbed what seemed to be a mountain, only to discover it was a giant re'em that suddenly stood up, leaving David suspended between heaven and earth. Scientists too discover in archaeological excavations creatures far larger than those known to us today.
The question arises: how does praise apply to sea monsters and depths, or to the sun and moon? The Radak explains across all these verses that it does not mean they themselves praise, but rather that discerning human beings offer praise: you, human beings, when you behold the earth, the sea monsters, the depths, the sun, and the moon - you should praise Hashem. This is one approach.
Yet there is another approach among the commentators: "let them praise" is not necessarily vocal song and praise as we know it. After all, we find "Then Yehoshua sang," and what song was sung there? The Sages teach that when Yehoshua asked the sun to stand still, it replied: "Behold, I am reciting song, and if you halt me, my song will cease." He answered: "I will sing in your stead." What does it mean that the sun "sings"? Rather, the sun's very function is a song, praise, and laudation of Hashem, blessed be He. Anyone who contemplates the sun's operation observes how Hashem commanded and the sun performs its task - rising in the morning, setting in the evening, carrying out all its functions - and all of this itself constitutes praise of the Creator. It is not speech in a human language, yet it is song and praise. According to this, "Praise Hashem from the earth, sea monsters and all depths" means that their very existence is an act of praise and glorification of Hashem, blessed be He.
Metzudat Tzion explains that taninim are a species of great sea fish. The Malbim writes: after descending through the circle of the formation of existence down to the earth, which is the lowest, humblest boundary, the compass begins to rise upward, and therefore he says, "Praise Hashem from the earth." He begins by enumerating the simplest entities, which are the four elements, and "sea monsters and all depths" represent the element of water.
We have already seen the Malbim's core principle: one begins from the highest, descends to the lowest, and from the lowest ascends upward once again. At first, Scripture spoke of the heavens, the waters above the heavens, and "He established them forever and ever," and suddenly it descends to the earth. The explanation lies in the metaphor of a wheel: once reaching the very top, the wheel turns, descends downward, and then climbs back up. The inner meaning corresponds to the concept of elevating Mayin Nukvin (feminine waters, awakened from below): we perform actions down here, and these deeds awaken love above and trigger the supernal union, through which Mayin Dechurin (masculine waters, divine blessing) descends. In other words, our actions below awaken the supernal will to bestow, and through the unification of the supernal attributes, divine abundance flows downward. Thus the wheel turns perpetually: Mayin Nukvin is elevated, Mayin Dechurin descends, and the descending abundance provides the strength to continue elevating Mayin Nukvin, in an endless cycle.
אֵשׁ וּבָרָד שֶׁלֶג וְקִיטוֹר רוּחַ סְעָרָה עֹשָׂה דְבָרוֹ׃ - Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling His word.
The Radak explains: Here, the verse mentions phenomena formed on earth, which are also considered "from the earth." Know that even the fire above, the hail that falls from aloft, and the snow - all of them are formed from the earth, and the natural scientists confirm this with conclusive evidence.
We find similarly in the words of Chazal. Rabbi Eliezer says: Everything that is in the earth, its creation is from the earth, and what is the source? From here: "Praise Hashem from the earth... fire and hail." Rav Huna says in the name of Rabbi Yose: Everything in the heavens and on earth was created only from the earth - meaning even what appears in the atmosphere and descends from it to the earth originates from the earth, as it is stated, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven": just as rain and snow, even though their descent is from heaven, originate only from the earth, so too everything in the heavens and on earth was created only from the earth.
And regarding the details of the verse: "Fire" refers to the fire of lightning, which consumes everything it strikes. "Hail" is the opposite of fire, as hail is cold while fire is hot. "Snow" is cold, and opposite it is "vapor" (kitor), which is hot - the air rising from the earth resembling smoke. The Radak defines it as hot and dry (even though we recognize moisture in vapor rising from the ground), moving because of the dry vapor rising from the earth, since it is the nature of a hot substance to rise upward. Ibn Ezra similarly states: kitor is vapor that rises like smoke, which is hot. "Stormy wind" is air in motion, and when it blows violently, it topples tall cedars, buildings, and ships at sea.
"Fulfilling His word" - to teach that this is not by chance; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, commands it to move, and by His word and His command it moves to punish those who deserve it. When Hashem wishes to punish a certain place, He brings upon it a stormy wind that wipes it out: typhoons, storms, and hurricanes, may Hashem have mercy, send cars and houses flying and leave nothing behind. A tremendous force that shatters mountains and smashes rocks - and all to fulfill the Divine will and punish those deserving of punishment. As it is written, "For He commanded, and raised the stormy wind," and in Yechezkel, "I will even cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury." We learn that all of these actions are from Him, blessed be He, in order to govern His world.
The Malbim explains that here the verse surveys the elements: fire is the element of Fire; hail and snow are derivatives of Water; vapor is a derivative of Fire; wind is the element of Air, and its derivative is "a stormy wind fulfilling His word," as the storm goes to fulfill His word to take retribution against the wicked.
הֶהָרִים וְכׇל־גְּבָעוֹת עֵץ פְּרִי וְכׇל־אֲרָזִים׃ - Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars.
What was missing was the element of Earth, the fourth element, and that is our verse. From here begins the ascent from below to above, from the simple to the complex: inanimate matter - "mountains and all hills"; above it, plant life - "fruit trees and all cedars," fruit-bearing trees and barren trees; and above that, animal life.
The holy Ari adds regarding "a stormy wind fulfilling His word": a stormy wind alludes to the evil inclination (yetzer hara), and it too fulfills His word. Meaning, even a person's temptation to sin is by Divine command - Hashem commanded the yetzer hara to go and tempt man, so that man may overcome his inclination and receive his reward.
It is told that a traditional Jew came to the Chazon Ish and said: Chazal say in Sukkah 52, "Whoever is greater than his fellow, his inclination is greater than his." According to the burning yetzer hara within me, I must be one of the Torah giants of the generation! The Chazon Ish smiled and said to him: How do you know the magnitude of the evil inclination in those who are truly great? To what may this be compared? In wrestling, one does not place a flyweight wrestler against a giant like Goliath; the weight classes are matched so they are equal. The Rambam's yetzer hara must be an inclination capable of tempting the Rambam, possessing the power to face him. If they matched him against a weak inclination, the match would end in a knockout in the very first move. A great person has an evil inclination designed in proportion to his greatness, his Torah, and everything he embodies.
The Radak adds: After mentioning the phenomena that take form in the air, he now mentions the things proximate to water - for from their power vapors ascend, producing rain and snow, and as we have already noted, whatever is in the heavens originates from the earth. Afterward, he mentions the dry land and all it contains: "Mountains and all hills," which are the enduring and permanent fixtures of earthly creation. Under the category of the inanimate, the Radak also includes metals, for when speaking of mountains, metals are also implied, as it is said, "A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper" (Devarim 8:9) - copper is hewn from the mountains. Following the inanimate, he turns to plant life: "Fruit trees" - trees that produce fruit, "and all cedars" - non-fruit-bearing trees, mentioning cedars specifically because they are the loftiest of trees.
הַחַיָּה וְכׇל־בְּהֵמָה רֶמֶשׂ וְצִפּוֹר כָּנָף׃ - Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds.
After plant life, he mentions non-speaking creatures. The wild beast (chayah), in contrast to the domestic animal (behemah), is of the wilderness, in the words of the Radak - animals that do not live among humans in their homes, but in forests and fields; whereas behemah refers to domesticated livestock: oxen, donkeys, sheep, and goats, both small and large livestock found in human settlements. Remes refers to the smaller creatures that creep upon the ground, and winged birds are the highest and loftiest among non-speaking creatures, spreading their wings and soaring in the air.
The Malbim explains that he first mentioned wild beasts and cattle, which were created on the sixth day, followed by creeping things and winged birds, which were created on the fifth day. Above all of them, he mentions the speaking being (medaber), who occupies the highest rank among all living creatures - and that is the subject of the next verse.
מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ וְכׇל־לְאֻמִּים שָׂרִים וְכׇל־שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ׃ - Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth.
בַּחוּרִים וְגַם־בְּתוּלוֹת זְקֵנִים עִם־נְעָרִים׃ - Young men and maidens as well, old men together with youths.
After mentioning non-speaking creatures, the Radak notes, he now turns to living, articulate human beings, who are the crown jewel of this lower world and its most elevated inhabitants. In the order of creation, too, man was formed last, for he is the ruler over all, and structurally the most complex and ultimate product of nature. The rationale is that since everything was created to serve mankind, man arrives at the end. This is comparable to a person who builds a home and wishes to move in - he does not enter while the raw materials are still scattered about, but only after it has been tiled, whitewashed, plastered, and built; beforehand, everything is filthy and in the middle of construction. Similarly, man was created last, and this is his preeminence: he is the ultimate completion, brought into being when the entire world was already fully prepared.
The verse mentions two types of standing: the distinction of honor and the distinction of days. The distinction of honor is represented by "kings of the earth, all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth," who are men of prestige. The distinction of days is represented by "young men and maidens as well," who are young and have their whole lives ahead of them, and "old men," whose distinction lies in their longevity. The message is that all should praise Hashem: the honored and the lowly, the small and the great, men and women. And when the verse says "and all peoples" - that they too will give thanks to Hashem - this refers to the coming of the Redeemer to Israel. At that time, all the nations, princes, and earthly judges will also sing praises, and for them too it will be a day of celebration.
Regarding "young men and maidens as well," the Radak comments: "as well" (vegam) carries the sense of "even." For it is not the usual way of young maidens to concern themselves with anything other than personal adornment, yet even they will turn their hearts to praise Hashem. "Old men together with youths" - the elders will teach the youths how to offer praise. Therefore it says "together with" (im), because youths on their own lack the understanding to praise Hashem properly, so they join with the elders who will instruct them.
The Malbim traces the order here from highest to lowest: kings - holders of sovereign power; le'umim (nations) - societies governed by religion and law, and the Malbim explains that nations possessing a structured legal code are the more distinguished nations. Even today we see that a place without an orderly state and rule of law - governed instead by militias where everyone does as they please - is not considered among the civilized nations. Le'umim are peoples with a framework of law and order. Beneath them are the princes, who possess governance, authority, and prominence, and the judges of the earth, whose stature derives from civic order and law. Following them are "young men and maidens as well" - males and females, and "old men together with youths" - the elderly and the young.
In Yosef Tehillot, the Chida makes a precise observation: it does not say "young men with maidens" but rather "young men and also maidens," whereas regarding the elders it says "old men together with youths." What is the difference? Young men could not possibly praise together with maidens, for there are prohibitions against yichud (seclusion) and kol be'ishah (listening to a woman singing); how could they praise together? But old men together with youths may praise together. Notice: the possibility of mixed dancing did not even enter his mind - the mere act of praising together already involves kol be'ishah. Therefore, "young men and also maidens" are separate, while "old men together with youths" are together.
יְהַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם יְהֹוָה כִּי־נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ לְבַדּוֹ הוֹדוֹ עַל־אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם׃ - Let them praise the Name of Hashem, for His Name alone is exalted; His splendor is above earth and heaven.
All creations in the lower world will praise the Name of Hashem - that is, the sentient beings among them will praise on behalf of all the rest, for the mountains, the hills, and everything we have seen. Radak explains that those endowed with intellect praise on account of all physical creations.
"For His Name alone is exalted" - regarding the celestial beings, this was not said, because the celestial beings are themselves lofty, yet even so, they acknowledge that He is exalted above them, since He created them. But among earthly beings there is none that is exalted; none possesses true stature, and their greatness has no endurance or permanence. Therefore, they certainly have no reason to boast or vaunt themselves, for in a short time their greatness will fade, cease, and perish, and they will acknowledge that exaltation and greatness belong only to Hashem alone. The celestial beings possess stature, yet even they acknowledge that Hashem is more exalted than they; as for earthly beings, how could one even speak of their elevation? They are lowly even in comparison to the heavens and the celestial beings, and all the more so in relation to Hashem, blessed be He.
Radak further explains that "His Name alone is exalted" is a kind of prayer for the future, at the arrival of the Redeemer: "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem shall be one and His Name one." Today there are still many powers in creation and many beliefs that people cling to - religions, vanity, and the attitude of "my power and the might of my hand" - and the truth is not yet apparent. But in the future, His Name alone will be exalted, and everyone will acknowledge that their greatness and pride were futile, as it is written: "Enter into the rock and hide in the dust, from before the terror of Hashem and from the glory of His majesty," and "The haughty eyes of man shall be humbled, and the loftiness of men shall be bowed down, and Hashem alone shall be exalted on that day." Then the Creator's Name will be magnified, and it will be obvious that there is none beside Him. Now, however, we live in a world governed by nature and by beliefs in various powers: this one is powerful, that one holds authority, these will help us, America will save us, let the IDF win, and so forth. But when His Name alone is exalted, it will become clear that everything comes from Him, blessed be He, and that "It is I Who waged wars," and that we have no one to rely upon or trust other than Hashem alone.
"His splendor is above earth and heaven" - all creations, both upper and lower, endure through His power, blessed be He, and His splendor rests upon them through the chain of causality (hishtalshelut hasibot). What the early sages meant by "the chain of causality" is this: we do not see with our own eyes that the Holy One, blessed be He, makes rain fall directly, but He created the water, warms it by the power of the sun, causing vapor to rise, cools it above and turns it into drops, and through this process the rain falls. Hashem does everything, but one thing leads to another and cause follows cause until it descends here to the earth. All creations are sustained by His splendor, and everything we have comes solely from Him.
The Malbim explains: they will praise the Name of Hashem because His Name alone is exalted - for although they possess free will, the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is exalted to them. Therefore, they will ascend from below upward to the top of the ladder to draw close to Hashem, and through this, "His splendor is above earth and heaven." For whereas in the previous order splendor descended from heaven to earth, in this order the splendor ascends as reflected light (or chozer) from earth to heaven, and the circle returns to its supernal root. As explained: the wheel that reached all the way down to the earth begins to turn back and ascend. This is the concept of reflected light: according to the Kabbalists, direct light (or yashar) is the light that flows from above downward, while reflected light is the light returning from below upward (and typically reflected light is an expression of dinim, judgments). In our context: there is a divine flow descending all the way down, and we here below perform spiritual actions to return everything to Him, blessed be He, and so forth in a cycle - the elevation of Mayin Nukvin (feminine waters) and the drawing down of Mayin Dechurin (masculine waters). This is the circle mentioned by the Malbim, the cycle that turns and revolves.
וַיָּרֶם קֶרֶן לְעַמּוֹ תְּהִלָּה לְכׇל־חֲסִידָיו לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קְרֹבוֹ הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃ - And He raised a horn for His people, praise for all His pious ones, for the Children of Israel, the people close to Him. Halleluyah!
And how will this come about? Hashem will raise a horn for His people: Israel rises up from the lowly world, ascending the mountain of Hashem to the top of the ladder and approaching Him, and thereby bringing "praise for all His pious ones." The pious ones who have drawn close, as they ascend the rungs of Hashem, will praise and say: "For the Children of Israel, the people close to Him." They will reach the very top of the circle, the apex of the wheel, until the praise of the pious rises and connects to the initial praise with which the psalm opened: "Praise Him in the heights." Through their holiness, their divine service, and their attachment, they ascend, as it were, to the heights, until they are "the people close to Him," returning and drawing near to Him, blessed be He - and that is the ultimate goal.
For this is the entire purpose of man's creation: the Holy One, blessed be He, placed man in the lowest and humblest place, and from there he is meant to reach the highest level, to be attached to God. This is the order of the world: bringing the world down to the lowest place in order to rectify it from there. And as we have mentioned, this is also the concept of the Shattering of the Vessels (Shevirat HaKeilim) - the Holy One, blessed be He, created the vessels, and the immense light poured into them caused the shattering, so the vessels descended into BYA (Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah), and from there they begin to be rectified, elevated, and to rectify the world, through which all the partzufim were formed, as is well known in Kabbalah. The concept is always the same: to reach the lowest place in order to ascend from there, rectify, and elevate, and through this one can attain spiritual levels and become sanctified in His service, blessed be He. For the Holy One, blessed be He, has plenty of angels, and, as it were, we would have accomplished nothing had we been created as angels. But when He placed us down here as corporeal human beings, and we struggle and serve the Holy One, blessed be He - that is "praise for all His pious ones," the greatest praise of all, to become "the people close to Him," close and attached to Him, blessed be He.
The Radak explains "He has raised a horn for His people": know that wherever the raising of a horn is mentioned, the horn is an expression for goring adversaries; when the verse wishes to convey that Yisrael gores their enemies and overcomes them, it says that Hashem raises their horn. The Holy One, blessed be He, elevates the horn of His people, and through this demonstrates to the entire world that everything is in His power: He brings them out of exile, gathers them from among the nations, and elevates their horn above all peoples. And this is what we pray, "may our horn be raised" - that our greatness be elevated. Through this, there is "praise for all His pious ones," for everyone will praise the Holy One, blessed be He, for this. And who are these pious ones offering praise? He immediately states: "For the Children of Israel, the people close to Him" - all will praise Yah, praising Hashem, may He be blessed.
In this part of the psalm, the Psalmist descends to the creations below and begins the ascent: from the waters and the depths to the four elements, from inanimate matter to plant life, from plant life to the animal kingdom, and from animals to speaking man - kings, princes, and judges, young men and maidens, elders and youth. The Radak teaches that beings endowed with intellect praise on behalf of all creations, and there are even those who explain that the very functioning of the creations is itself song. The Malbim presents the entire picture as a circle: majesty descends from heaven to earth, and as reflected light it rises from earth to heaven, returning to its supernal root. And the conclusion of the psalm reveals the ultimate purpose of everything: "He has raised a horn for His people" - that Yisrael, who were brought down to this lowly world, ascend and elevate themselves through their service until they become "the people close to Him," cleaving to their Creator, and through this comes praise for all His pious ones. Halleluyah.