תהלים, פרק ק״ד, פסוק ז׳

God's immense power is vividly revealed through His absolute control over the forces of nature. Water, a seemingly untamable element, responds to His command with immediate awe and speed. The primary approach among commentators is that this dynamic interaction describes the process of the world's creation, specifically the third day when God commanded the waters to gather. Although the actions are described as if they will happen in the future, they actually refer to these dramatic events of the past [רד״ק]. God’s will and instruction acted upon the waters like a mighty thunderclap or the sharp rebuke of a master to a servant. Terrified by this command, the waters retreated from their original place, moving with intense speed and haste [מצודת ציון, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ], and rushed to gather in their designated boundaries without a single moment of delay [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מאירי].

While the primary view anchors these events in the dawn of creation, another perspective sees a direct reference to the splitting of the Red Sea. According to this approach, God made a condition with the waters at the very beginning of time that they would eventually split. The idea of God's rebuke points to the moment the sea fled from before the Israelites. Following this, the sound of His thunder represents the moment the waters hurried back to crash over the Egyptians, displaying God's ultimate might [אלשיך]. In contrast to these historical miracles, a more naturalistic approach understands this as a description of routine, everyday phenomena. It captures the raw power of the ocean, where waves storm and crash violently in response to heavy winds and roaring thunder from above [אבן עזרא].

A closer look at the specific actions of the water reveals a profound distinction between retreating out of necessity and rushing forward with purpose. A forced retreat implies an unnatural movement, while rushing implies a quick, willing motion. This careful distinction beautifully illustrates the natural water cycle. First, water evaporates and rises into the clouds. Since moving upward goes against the natural weight and flow of water, it does so as if it is forced to flee because of God's rebuke. Later, when the sound of thunder bursts the clouds, the water pours back down to the earth as rain. Because flowing downward matches the basic nature of water, this descent is done willingly, joyfully, and with great haste as the rain rushes back to its natural resting place [מלבי״ם].