God's absolute power over the forces of nature is vividly displayed through His control over water. This single element can bring about extreme drought or catastrophic destruction, entirely dependent on the will of the Creator. Following a reflection on divine authority over human life, the focus expands to God's unquestioned command over the natural order.
When God holds back the water, He stops the springs from flowing and prevents the rain from falling [מצודת ציון, תקות אנוש]. Without this moisture, rivers and streams simply dry up from the heat. Commentators debate the exact impact of this severe drought. While some explain that the extreme dryness causes the seeds buried in the ground to wither and die [רמב״ן], others maintain that the focus remains strictly on the depletion of the water sources themselves, without needing to involve the fate of the crops [תקות אנוש].
On the opposite extreme, when God releases the waters, He unleashes them in vast amounts [רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Fierce currents and heavy floods wash over the surface of the earth, completely overturning it. The sheer force of the water digs deep into the ground, uproots the land from its foundations, and destroys the structures built upon it [מצודת דוד, רמב״ן, תקות אנוש].
A deeper look reveals that these two extremes are actually connected through a cycle of cause and effect. The withholding of water and its evaporation in one location creates vapors that rise into clouds. These heavy clouds are then carried away and unleashed with devastating force in another location, overturning the land there. This continuous cycle proves that mankind has absolutely no control over nature; every natural system is necessarily guided by God [מלבי״ם].
On a historical level, these natural forces hint at foundational events from the dawn of the world. At the beginning of creation, God gathered the waters to cover only one third of the earth, leaving the rest of the land dry while keeping the gathered waters ready for His command. Generations later, during the sinful era of Enosh, God sent those very same waters to flood and overturn a third of the world. This historical pattern proves that God's decrees are prepared in advance and carried out by His exclusive power, without requiring the agreement or involvement of any other force [רש״י, אלשיך].