Introduction
In this part of Chapter 42, we examine the great call for a new song. The prophet describes the proclamation of the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, in the future redemption - a proclamation that comes specifically from the ends of the earth inward - Hashem going forth as a warrior against His enemies, the end of Hashem's long restraint, and the way He will lead Israel to redemption. We will follow the order of the pesukim, with the explanations of Rashi, Radak, and the Malbim.
A New Song Beginning from the End of the Earth
שִׁירוּ לַה' שִׁיר חָדָשׁ תְּהִלָּתוֹ מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֹ אִיִּים וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶם׃ - Sing to Hashem a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea and all that fills it, the islands and their inhabitants.
Rashi explains: "His praise from the end of the earth" - against their will. When they see My mighty deeds on behalf of Israel, all the nations will admit that I am God and that I am the Master of power, and they will recognize that only Hashem, blessed be He, can perform such things. And everyone - including "those who go down to the sea," those who set sail in ships.
And what is "and all that fills it" (u'melo'o)? Here Rashi offers a novel interpretation: people who are permanently situated in the sea, not on islands, but literally within the water. They pour earth, each one enough for a house, build there, and travel from house to house by boat - such as the city of Venice in Italy. Even today, we see cities built directly on the water. That is to say, not only those who travel the sea in ships, but those who fill the sea and dwell within it.
Radak interprets "and all that fills it" as referring to the fish of the sea, which fill the sea. But will the fish sing a new song? Rather, it is like the verse, "and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" - trees do not literally clap hands; it is a poetic metaphor expressing that all of creation will praise and laud its Creator. So too with the fish of the sea; this should not be taken literally.
The Malbim establishes here a fundamental distinction between the wonders that have already occurred and the wonders of which the prophet forewarns in advance ("and new things do I declare; before they spring forth"). In the past, when Hashem revealed Himself, the revelation took place in the midst of civilization - in Egypt and in the Land of Israel - and from there the renown spread to all ends of the earth. In the future to come, it will be the reverse: the miracles will be revealed all at once at the edge of the earth, and from the edge of the earth the news will spread toward the center. From the desert, from the sea, from the islands - into settled civilization.
And this is understandable: when something emerges from within civilization, it easily spreads to the ends of the earth. But when something begins at the edge of the world, in sparsely populated places where the majority of humanity does not dwell, yet nevertheless spreads to the center of civilization - this demonstrates an immense impact, that even the few at the ends of the earth are able to publicize it until it reaches the center. For this reason, "Sing to Hashem a new song" - such a song never existed before. The Song of the Sea (Shirat HaYam) and all the songs we have uttered were based on a natural dissemination, from the center of civilization outward to the ends of the earth; but here the proclamation comes from the end of the world inward to the center of civilization. This is a wonder in its own right, and therefore it is a "new song" rather than the usual one.
And where will His praise begin? From "those who go down to the sea and all that fills it" - the ships traveling upon the sea. And lest you say that these ships came from settled lands and that is where the news originated, the verse adds "the islands and their inhabitants" - those who dwell on islands are completely detached from mainland civilization, and it is from them and from there that they will come forth and His praises will become known.
Desert, Villages, Sela - Everyone Sings
יִשְׂאוּ מִדְבָּר וְעָרָיו חֲצֵרִים תֵּשֵׁב קֵדָר יָרֹנּוּ יֹשְׁבֵי סֶלַע מֵרֹאשׁ הָרִים יִצְוָחוּ׃ - Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages inhabited by Kedar; let the dwellers of Sela sing, let them shout from the mountaintops.
This new song, which everyone will sing to praise Hashem for the miracles and wonders He will perform for us in the future redemption, will be taken up: "Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice" - the desert and the mountains within it, once again places far removed from civilization. And not only the cities in the desert, which still contain a concentration and multitude of people, but also "the villages that Kedar inhabits" - the people of Kedar, the tents of Kedar who dwell in open hamlets. Chatzerim means an open, unwalled place in the desert that is not an established city, isolated groups of nomads - they too will sing Hashem's song.
And lest you say that there is still some gathering of people there, the prophet adds: "Let the inhabitants of Sela sing" - each individual alone, people who dwell by themselves in the rocks and caves, they too will sing and praise the blessed Creator. "Let them shout from the top of the mountains" - from the summits of the high mountains they will cry out to those below, recounting the signs and wonders that Hashem has performed. In simple terms: we are speaking of signs and wonders that are extraordinary and atypical. Not signs that emanate from a central place and are publicized to the whole world, but signs and wonders reported from every remote corner of the earth, from where the news will reach the centers of civilization.
Rashi explains that "the inhabitants of Sela" here refers to the dead who will be revived - those who were buried in the rock and will suddenly arise. "Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains" - those who arise at the resurrection of the dead will lift their voices from the mountain peaks.
They Shall Give Glory to Hashem
יָשִׂימוּ לַה' כָּבוֹד וּתְהִלָּתוֹ בָּאִיִּים יַגִּידוּ׃ - They shall give glory to Hashem, and declare His praise in the islands.
"They shall give glory to Hashem" - through this, the renewal of the world and Hashem's Divine Providence will become evident. Then "and declare His praise in the islands": everyone, even in the far-off islands, will recognize the oneness of Hashem and realize that Hashem overturns the natural order. This is what was stated above: "And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to idols." That is what is reiterated here: everyone will recognize that there is none besides Him, and that Hashem alone is God.
Hashem Goes Forth Like a Mighty Man
ה' כַּגִּבּוֹר יֵצֵא כְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת יָעִיר קִנְאָה יָרִיעַ אַף יַצְרִיחַ עַל אֹיְבָיו יִתְגַּבָּר׃ - Hashem will go forth like a mighty warrior; like a man of war He will stir up zeal; He will shout, yea, roar; He will prevail against His enemies.
This is a verse we all know from the High Holidays. The Malbim asks: What is the difference between a "mighty warrior" (gibor) and a "man of war who stirs up zeal"? A mighty warrior's strength is in his own body; he enters battle himself and possesses immense personal power. In contrast, a man of war is not necessarily a physical warrior; rather, he is versed in the art of war, skilled, and familiar with all tactics. A man of war might not fight with his own hands at all, but is a strategist: he knows how to deploy the army for battle, devise plans, and determine where to strike. Such a person commands the army, and this is "like a man of war He will stir up zeal" - he rouses and inspires his soldiers, igniting their passion against the enemy to march out and fight, and marshals them in proper order.
And the analogy: Just as a mighty warrior fights on his own, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal Himself by overturning nature and the cosmic order, meaning through supernatural acts by His own direct power. And just as a master strategist has complete command over his troops to arrange them as he wishes for battle, so too Hashem will orchestrate nature and circumstances so that everything, as it were, aligns and cooperates with His actions against the enemies - for Hashem has mastery over all the hidden forces of nature.
"He will shout" - a warrior sounds battle cries and blasts, thereby strengthening his battalions. It is well known that when an army advances against the enemy, they raise a roar, sounding horns, trumpets, and drums. This creates terror and dread in the enemy: suddenly they hear a tremendous uproar, which gives the impression of ten times the actual force, as if an overwhelming horde is advancing. Therefore, it is customary for men of war to shout. Rashi similarly explains the Torah's warning not to fear the enemy - what is one not to fear? All the horns. Imagine hundreds of shofars sounding simultaneously, what dread that inspires. The Torah says: Do not fear all the horns, all the battle cries, and all the intimidation the enemy attempts to terrify you with.
So too here: when Hashem advances against the nations, "He will shout, yea, roar." And what is the meaning of yatzri'ach ("roar")? It is a causative form - He will cause others to shriek. Hashem will cause the enemies to shriek with cries of despair, terrifying them with His maneuvers, so that their hearts will melt with fear and dismay, and then "He will prevail against His enemies."
I Have Long Kept Silent - The End of Restraint
הֶחֱשֵׁיתִי מֵעוֹלָם אַחֲרִישׁ אֶתְאַפָּק כַּיּוֹלֵדָה אֶפְעֶה אֶשֹּׁם וְאֶשְׁאַף יָחַד׃ - I have long kept silent, I have been still and held Myself back; like a woman in labor I will cry out, I will gasp and pant together.
Rashi explains: "I have long kept silent" - for many days I have remained quiet over the destruction of My Temple, and I have constantly kept silent. "I restrained Myself" - until now I held Myself back, and when a person holds back, something distresses him internally: "until now my spirit has constrained me." But Hashem says: it will not remain so forever. From now on, "like a woman in labor I will cry out," and not only that, but "I will gasp and pant together." Just like a woman in labor who screams and cries out at the moment of birth, so too at the birth of the redemption - to destroy all My enemies together.
And what Scripture is telling us here is: know that even when everything looks dark now, as though the exile is dragging on and as though redemption will never come - look back at history. For I spoke in advance and announced beforehand regarding the exile in Egypt, and I announced the redemption, and I fulfilled it accordingly. So too, what I announce now, I am destined to fulfill. And if you see that "I have long kept silent," do not draw conclusions from this about the future, for a stage will arrive when this silence will cease, and then: "like a woman in labor I will cry out, I will gasp and pant together."
The Malbim explains that the verse is phrased as a rhetorical question: "Have I kept silent forever?" Did I remain quiet from time immemorial, that you now think I will be still and restrain Myself? Just as I have never kept silent forever, but rather exacted vengeance upon those who provoke Me, so too now I will not keep silent. Just as I punished Pharaoh, the wicked Nevuchadnezzar, Titus, and all the enemies who rose against the Jewish people, and did not keep silent - so you need not worry that My present silence will continue indefinitely.
And what is the meaning of "like a woman in labor I will cry out, I will gasp and pant together"? The Malbim describes that the anger accumulated within Hashem, as it were, is like a pregnant woman whose time to give birth has arrived and she cries out aloud. She then breathes with great rapidity during childbirth, to the point that "eshaf" - the air one breathes in, and "ashom" - the breath one expels, happen rapidly as one. When a person pants in agitation, it is as though inhalation and exhalation occur at the same time. This is "I will gasp and pant together" - out of the great urgency to punish the enemies, from the internal racing pulse within My heart, as it were, I will cry out aloud, gasping and panting together to come and exact retribution from the enemies.
The Difference Between "Hechesheiti" and "Acharish"
Let us notice that in a single verse, two verbs appear: "hechesheiti" and "acharish." What is the difference between them? The Malbim explains: the verb "lehachashot" (to keep silent) denotes the silence of someone who simply does not speak - he could have spoken, but he holds his peace. Whereas "macharish" describes someone who was asked a question and does not reply; "hachrashah" is always in response to a question or challenge. The one who is "macharish" should have answered yet remains silent, while the one who is "machsheh" should have spoken yet holds back. Thus, "Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; all day and all night they shall never keep silent (lo yecheshu)" - no one asked them anything, yet they will not cease speaking. In contrast, "And the people remained silent (vayacharishu) and answered him not a word" - when a question is asked and one does not answer, the term "hachrashah" is used.
The Malbim adds further: the verb "lehachashot" also refers to someone who ought to take action but refrains from doing so. As was said to the disciples of the prophets when Eliyahu was about to ascend to heaven in a whirlwind: "Do you know that today Hashem will take your master from over your head?" - "and yet you remain inactive (ve'atem machashim)," meaning you take no action. Why is it called this? Because it is the inverse of the word "chish" (swiftly), which denotes haste and agility; someone who is "machsheh" is the opposite of swift, abandoning action and failing to act. Similarly, one who should speak and does not speak also abandons the act of speech. Likewise, when describing the sea calming from its fury, Scripture says, "and its waves were stilled (vayechashu galeihem)" - they ceased their action and stopped crashing against the shore. Thus, "lehachashot" means abandoning an action, whether the action of speech, physical deed, or the churning of the sea. By contrast, "lehacharish" relates to deafness (cheiresh), acting as though one does not hear: people spoke to him, asked him, and he does not answer.
And this is what is being said here: Did I ever "keep silent forever" (hechesheiti me'olam)? Routine silence, which is not even an answer to a question, is something I never practiced even in matters that do not touch upon My honor. And now, when the matter directly touches upon My honor, when they desecrate and demean the Name of Heaven - which is already like a direct challenge leveled at Him - shall I indeed "be still" (acharish)? Will I not answer and respond to this? And not only that, shall I "restrain Myself" (etapek)? Holding the power of silence inside My belly and not letting it out? Hashem says: No. Rather, "like a woman in labor I will cry out, I will gasp and pant together."
I Will Lay Waste Mountains - The Volcano of Wrath
אַחֲרִיב הָרִים וּגְבָעוֹת וְכָל עֶשְׂבָּם אוֹבִישׁ וְשַׂמְתִּי נְהָרוֹת לָאִיִּים וַאֲגַמִּים אוֹבִישׁ׃ - I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands, and dry up the pools.
Until now, Scripture gave us the parable of a woman in labor, sitting on the birthstool and crying out bitterly. So it is, as it were, with the Holy One, blessed be He: something is brewing inside; the child has been within for many months, developing and preparing for its emergence. Then comes the stage where Hashem will no longer remain silent, but will raise His voice and exact retribution from the enemies. This is the expression of childbirth.
And what is this birth in the nimshal, the actual reality being depicted? The Malbim explains that Scripture is describing an earthquake and an erupting volcano. Notice: the woman in labor is the mashal (parable), and the volcano is the nimshal (the underlying event). For what exactly happens in a volcano? Gases and boiling lava build up deep within the earth. Often, months before an eruption, powerful tremors and explosive sounds are detected beneath the surface. This is what is meant by "brewing inside" - like a woman in labor whose unborn child grows until it is ready to burst forth. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: At a certain point, I will cry out like a woman in labor, and then those volcanoes will burst forth and erupt.
The phrase "I will gasp and pant together" (ashom ve'eshaf yachad) is also explained in light of this dynamic. Just as a birthing mother pants with short, rapid breaths - exhaling and inhaling almost simultaneously due to the intensity - so too with a volcano: vast amounts of lava erupt outward, while air is simultaneously drawn inward into the resulting vacuum. The moment a massive rush of lava begins to pour out, it mirrors that very action of "gasping and panting" - expelling boiling lava and toxic gases, while sucking in air. The same phenomenon seen in a volcano will unfold when the wrath of Hashem, blessed be He, is revealed.
"I will lay waste mountains and hills" - through this, the mountain itself will be ruined. And what will happen to everything on it? "And dry up all their vegetation." Any place touched by lava dries up completely. Anyone who has visited Teveria sees abundant basalt rock, which forms from cooled lava; wherever lava flows, a layer of molten rock hardens, and afterward nothing can grow there. This is "and dry up all their vegetation" - the greenery will wither from the heat of the lava and the toxic fumes.
Because the mountain is shattered and collapses into the valley below, "I will turn rivers into islands." The boiling lava will reach the river flowing down below, and a massive flow of rock and stone from the mountain will pile up within it, turning into an island of hardened earth, while the river dries up.
And what is "and dry up pools of water" (va'agamim ovish)? The Malbim explains the distinction between a river (nahar) and a pool (agam): a river flows, related to the expression "and all the nations shall stream to it" (venaharu) - nahar denotes flowing motion. A pool, on the other hand, is water collected in one place; if small, it is a puddle, and if large, a lake or pool. Once "I turn rivers into islands," the once-flowing water gets dammed up into a stagnant body of water - a pool. And even this pool will be dried up: "and dry up pools of water." All of this will transpire when Hashem reveals His fierce wrath against the nations.
"And I Will Lead the Blind by a Way They Did Not Know"
וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עִוְרִים בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא יָדָעוּ בִּנְתִיבוֹת לֹא יָדְעוּ אַדְרִיכֵם אָשִׂים מַחְשָׁךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם לָאוֹר וּמַעֲקַשִּׁים לְמִישׁוֹר אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים עֲשִׂיתִם וְלֹא עֲזַבְתִּים׃ - "And I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; in paths they did not know I will guide them. I will make darkness before them into light, and crooked places into a plain. These things I have done for them, and I have not forsaken them."
At that time, the redemption of Israel will arrive. Who are these "blind" people? This refers to the people of Israel, who until now did not look to Hashem and did not walk in the path of good, making them akin to the blind. Rashi explains: I will lead these blind people on a way they did not know, guide them along paths unfamiliar to them, turn the darkness before them into light, and remove every obstacle to bring them to the complete redemption.
The Malbim connects this to the previous verse: after Hashem flattens the mountains and hills, He removes the physical barriers that obstruct traveling along a straight path. As we saw earlier regarding "Every valley shall be raised," when the exiles wish to return to the Land, there are valleys and mountains that are difficult to cross; therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise the valleys and level the mountains, turning the landscape into a plain so they can journey smoothly to Eretz Yisrael. Once the mountains are removed, even a blind person can navigate the way. When a road is rough and treacherous, a blind person cannot traverse it; but if it is smooth and paved, and the blind person knows the route, he can walk even without seeing.
Here, however, it will be even more extraordinary. Hashem says: "I will lead them on a way they did not know." Not only are they unfamiliar with the main highway (derech), but also with the smaller side paths that branch off from it, known as netivot - "in paths they did not know I will guide them." And if He guides them along the intricate side paths, all the more so on the major thoroughfare that they do not know.
Why does the verse say "I will guide them" (adrichem) rather than "I will lead them" (olrichem)? What does it mean to guide or instruct (lehadrich)? If there is a machine you do not know how to operate, someone trains you how to use it, and from that moment on you no longer need them - you can operate it on your own. Thus the Malbim explains: "I will guide them" means I will instruct them so that they can walk on their own, without needing someone to constantly direct their steps.
The Malbim adds: Three reasons can cause a person to fail to find the right path. The first - that he is blind and cannot see, regarding which it is said, "And I will lead the blind along a path." The second - that he is not blind and sees well, but darkness, night, and obscurity prevail, rendering him unable to see; regarding this it is said, "I will turn darkness before them into light." And the third - that there is light and he sees well, but the road is crooked and he gets lost; regarding this it is said, "and rugged places into a plain."
And how does the darkness itself become the cause of the light? The Malbim explains: Recall what took place during the Exodus from Egypt. There, the very darkness that enveloped the Egyptians was the cause of light for Israel: that very same pillar of cloud that gave light to us brought darkness upon the Egyptians. Thus, there is a reality in which darkness for the nations serves as light for the Children of Israel. So too with "and rugged places into a plain" - if the road is rugged (*akushah*), meaning crooked and uneven, as in the phrase "his teeth are crooked" (*akkushot*), I will turn even the rugged places into a plain for them, so that the road will be level and they can walk upon it in safety.
And finally, "These things I have done, and I have not forsaken them." This refers back to what was said above: "Have I been silent forever?" - Did I remain silent in the past, that I should remain silent now? Indeed, these things I have already performed, and we experienced all of them during the Exodus from Egypt. For there was a cloud that leveled the path before them, and Hashem led them, going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. "And I will lead the blind along a path they knew not" we have already witnessed; "in paths they knew not I will lead them" we have already witnessed; "I will turn darkness before them into light" and "rugged places into a plain" we have already witnessed. Therefore Hashem says: Just as I did not forsake them then, so too will I not forsake them now.
In summary:
In this part of the chapter, the full picture of the future Redemption is revealed. The new song is a "new song" precisely because the proclamation of Hashem's Name will begin this time from the fringes - from those who go down to the sea, from the islands, from the desert, from the hamlets, and from the inhabitants of the crag - and reach the heart of civilization, which in itself is a tremendous miracle. Hashem will go forth as a warrior who fights Himself and as a man of war who orchestrates the entire battle; He will shout and make His enemies scream until their resolve falters. The prolonged silence is no indication of the future: "Have I been silent forever?" - I have never remained silent, and now like a woman in labor I will gasp, and the fierce wrath will erupt like a volcano laying waste to mountains and parching vegetation, rivers, and pools. Out of all this, the path for the redemption of Israel will be forged: Hashem will guide Israel, who were like the blind, along a path they did not know; He will turn darkness into light and rugged terrain into a plain, reminding us that all these things were already accomplished during the Exodus from Egypt - "These things I have done, and I have not forsaken them" - and just as He did not forsake them then, He will not forsake them now.