תהלים, פרק ט׳, פסוק ט׳

God's rule over the world is absolute and constant, shaping both the laws of nature and the course of human societies. Divine judgment is never random; it is a highly precise system that carefully balances fixed law, fairness, and mercy. The primary approach among commentators is that God constantly judges all nations with complete justice, meaning every historical event, such as one nation conquering another, is a direct expression of His judgment [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

Within this system, there is a clear distinction between the physical inhabited lands of the earth and the people who live in them [רד״ק]. God guides the physical world according to the permanent, orderly laws of nature established at the beginning of creation. However, because nations possess free will, God uses a different standard when evaluating them. He carefully investigates their claims and actions, sometimes altering the fixed natural order to treat them with exceptional fairness and compassion, acting beyond the strict letter of the law [מלבי״ם].

This divine mercy is highly active during the judgment process. God intentionally looks for the good deeds and positive traits within the nations. To lighten their sentence, He even chooses to judge them at night while they are asleep, a time when they are peaceful and not actively committing sins [רש״י].

Offering a contrasting historical perspective, another approach focuses on humanity's state of unity versus division. According to this view, when the entire human race is united as a single global entity, as seen during the generation of the dispersion, God judges them with charity and deep forgiveness. Because of this leniency, that early generation was spared from destruction. Yet, once humanity separates into distinct and divided nations, God's method of judgment shifts. He then evaluates them with strict, exact fairness, applying the law rigorously without any concessions [אלשיך].