A profound vision of the future reveals a time when the nations of the world will be filled with joy and break into song in response to God's just leadership. The primary approach among commentators is that this points to the Messianic era and the future redemption [רד״ק, אלשיך, חומת אנך]. During this time, global unity and peace will be achieved through righteous judgment and direct divine guidance. The nations will experience a genuine inner gladness and will actively praise God [מאירי].
The primary approach among commentators regarding the source of this joy is that the nations will witness God's perfect justice, where every person and nation receives an exact reward based on their actions [אלשיך, מצודת דוד]. By recognizing His active involvement in the world [מלבי״ם], humanity will finally be able to live in lasting peace, quiet, and security [מצודת דוד]. Justice will act as a straight path where everyone finds their rightful place without war or conflict [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון, רש״י].
However, there are different perspectives on the exact nature of this joy. One approach suggests that the nations will rejoice specifically because of the goodness God chooses to bestow upon the Israelites [אבן עזרא]. Another view proposes that the rejoicing actually belongs to the Israelites themselves, who will feel gladness when they see God bring justice upon the empires that previously harmed them [מאירי].
The way God guides the world in this future era is also understood in two distinct ways. The first is a positive, gentle leadership, where God directs the nations on an upright path, showing each people its proper goals [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He will manage them with great kindness, much like a king honoring his favored servants [אלשיך]. In contrast, a second approach connects this guidance to the final conflicts at the end of days. In this view, God will lead the nations into the Land of Israel to face ultimate judgment for their actions, such as during the war of Gog and Magog. Only after this strict justice is carried out will the surviving nations be able to truly rejoice [רד״ק, מאירי], bringing a complete and absolute close to the conflicts of history [מלבי״ם].