תהלים, פרק ס״ה, פסוק י״ג

The abundance of rain and blessing does not stop at the edges of settled land; it reaches into the most remote and desolate regions, sparking a transformation of life and joy. Nature responds deeply to this saturation, as the dry landscape suddenly takes on an appearance of vitality and prosperity. These distant areas refer to remote dwelling places [מצודת ציון], specifically the grazing grounds where shepherds and their flocks stay [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].

There are different ways to understand how this sudden fertility unfolds. The primary approach among commentators is that the heavens shower water onto the desert pastures exactly as they do on populated areas, causing grass to grow and providing food and drink for the animals [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי]. Another perspective suggests that the dry, desert places themselves drip with richness and fertility, producing abundant crops [מצודת דוד]. A third view offers that in a year of true blessing, these remote pastures no longer have to struggle to survive. Instead, their own waters overflow and stream outward to hydrate the arid desert surrounding them [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

As the landscape transforms, nature is painted in a highly metaphorical light, much like other biblical imagery where trees are seen clapping their hands [רד״ק, מאירי]. The hills are described as wrapping themselves in joy. This joy takes a physical form through the sudden, abundant appearance of grass, vegetation, and crops that blanket the earth [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This bright, living clothing of bloom and growth serves as a joyful replacement for the metaphorical sackcloth of mourning that the hills wore during times of harsh drought and dryness [רד״ק].