Following the image of the wicked being blown away like chaff in the wind, a profound wonder arises regarding the noisy, turbulent uprising of the world's nations against God and His chosen people. Commentators note that this theme is intimately connected to the opening of the Book of Psalms. Many view the two as a single continuous piece exploring a shared idea [רד״ק, מאירי, אלשיך, מלבי״ם]. The arrangement of these texts, however, does not follow a strict historical timeline, as the Psalms were not compiled in the order that events occurred [רד״ק, מאירי].
The central question is identifying the target of this rebellion and the identities of the rebels themselves. The primary approach understands the events historically, pointing to the early days of King David's reign. When the Philistines heard of his anointment, they massed together to wage war, and the text was composed against the backdrop of David's victories over them [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי]. In contrast, other traditions view the events as a vision of the future. They point toward the messianic era and the ultimate war where nations will unite to fight God and His anointed king. This future conflict will be so terrifying that even converts will abandon their religious commandments out of sheer panic [תורה תמימה, רש״י, אבן עזרא]. Another perspective shifts the focus to the spiritual realm, suggesting the aim is to subdue the heavenly guardian angels of the nations, thereby striking fear into the earthly armies fighting below [חומת אנך].
Beyond the historical or future contexts, there is a deep philosophical and theological astonishment at human behavior. It is baffling why people who have achieved material success in this world use their prosperity to throw off the yoke of heaven and disrespect the wise and righteous individual [מאירי]. Furthermore, there is profound amazement at God's immense patience. He endlessly tolerates the nonsense and profanation of the nations gathering against Him [אלשיך]. Since the very existence of these nations depends entirely on serving God and accepting His rule, their rebellion is fundamentally senseless [מלבי״ם].
The uprising itself is characterized as a massive, loud, and stormy gathering [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ, מאירי]. The wonder lies in why these masses bother to assemble and exert such effort when it is obvious their actions will bring them no success or benefit [מצודת דוד]. While some commentators view the different groups involved simply as synonyms for various nations [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון], others identify a fundamental distinction in how they unite. One type of gathering is a political and national alliance rebelling against the government of the Davidic dynasty, while the other is an alliance based on shared religion, plotting against God's commandments [מלבי״ם]. Emboldened perhaps by past military victories, they speak with pride and arrogance [רד״ק]. Yet, all their internal plotting and spoken plans are completely empty. They scheme and mutter without any real substance, and in the end, their efforts will amount to nothing [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ, מאירי].