תהלים, פרק ק״ד, פסוק ח׳

The retreat of the earth's waters into their designated boundaries was a dramatic and unnatural event. The waters moved toward their permanent home with rapid, unusual speed across the land. The primary approach among commentators is that during this flow, the waters moved against their natural tendencies. They rose up and traveled over mountains, and from there, they flowed down into valleys. Normally, water pools and remains in low-lying areas, but in this instance, the waters did not stop in the valleys. Instead, they continued to flow onward [מצודת דוד, המאירי].

Their ultimate destination was the specific place that God established for them. This refers to the sea, which serves as the permanent boundary defined by Him [ביאור שטיינזלץ, המאירי].

There are two main perspectives regarding the historical timing of this dramatic retreat. One approach traces this process back to the days of Creation, when the earth was entirely covered in water. According to God's will, the wind pushed the waters aside to reveal the dry land, and He established a permanent boundary that the waters would never cross again [אבן עזרא]. Alternatively, this event occurred later in history, during the generation of Enosh, when the sea flooded a third of the world. Because God did not want this destruction to be permanent, He placed a clear boundary for the waters, ensuring that this massive flood remained a one-time event [אלשיך].