(א) מִזְמוֹר שִׁירוּ לַה‘ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה הוֹשִׁיעָה לּוֹ יְמִינוֹ וּזְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ:
(1) A mizmor. Sing a new song to Hashem for He has worked wonders. His right hand and His holy arm have brought Him the deliverance.
NOTE: For a PDF of this mizmor, please click here. This will enable you to print out the entire text of the article. [Rev. 2]
Key Concepts of Mizmor 098 (Celebrating the Wonders)
This is the ninth in the series of 11 mizmorim that were originally composed by Moshe Rabbeinu and subsequently incorporated into Tehilim by David. Like the previous mizmorim, the mizmor paints a picture of a promised future, when the patience of the righteous will have been vindicated.
The mizmor celebrates the anticipated wonders to be performed in the course of the great yeshuah (deliverance) of the Jewish people and the world. The celebration is carried forward through the sounds of musical instruments and human voices. These are coordinated with the symbolic procession accompanying the arrival of Hashem, the King, in the Bais Hamikdash. The celebration then becomes universal, incorporating and shared by all of nature as Hashem demonstrates his just and merciful rule.
Exploring the Mizmor
PART 1. REVELATION OF THE WONDERS. The mizmor is a celebration of the anticipated Geulah. The celebration is marked by a new song to show that the tragic events of the bitter Galus have finally ended and that Hashem is now recognized by all of mankind. The first three pesukim call upon the Jewish people to celebrate the wonders that Hashem has performed and to thank Him for what he has done.
(א) מִזְמוֹר שִׁירוּ לַה‘ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה הוֹשִׁיעָה לּוֹ יְמִינוֹ וּזְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ: (ב) הוֹדִיעַ ה‘ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם גִּלָּה צִדְקָתוֹ: (ג) זָכַר חַסְדּוֹ וֶאֱמוּנָתוֹ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאוּ כָל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ אֵת יְשׁוּעַת אֱלֹקֵינוּ:
(1) A mizmor. Sing a new song to Hashem for He has worked wonders. His right hand and His holy arm have brought Him the deliverance. (2) Hashem has made known His yeshuah. He has revealed His merciful justice in full view of the nations. He has remembered His kindness and His loyalty to the House of Yisrael. (3) All the ends of the earth have seen the yeshuah of our G-d.
PART 2. CELEBRATION THROUGH SOUND. The next three pesukim emphasize the role of joyful sounds in making a public celebration. The sources for these inspiring sounds are the human voice and various musical instruments including the lyre, the trumpet, and the shofar. The sounds are orchestrated and balanced to create a pleasing effect and to send a message of happiness and forgiveness.
(ד) הָרִיעוּ לַה‘ כָּל הָאָרֶץ פִּצְחוּ וְרַנְּנוּ וְזַמֵּרוּ: (ה) זַמְּרוּ לַה‘ בְּכִנּוֹר בְּכִנּוֹר וְקוֹל זִמְרָה: (ו) בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר הָרִיעוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ ה‘:
(4) Shout out to Hashem, all the earth. Break into joyous song and make music. (5) Make music to Hashem on the lyre, the lyre with melodious song. (6) With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, make a joyful sound before the King, Hashem.
PART 3. CELEBRATION IN NATURE. The last three pesukim demonstrate the universal character of the celebration by invoking all of nature to participate in symbolically sharing the joy.
(ז) יִרְעַם הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֹ תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ: (ח) נְהָרוֹת יִמְחֲאוּ כָף יַחַד הָרִים יְרַנֵּנוּ: (ט) לִפְנֵי ה‘ כִּי בָא לִשְׁפֹּט הָאָרֶץ יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק וְעַמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים:
(7) Let the sea and all within it thunder, the world and all who live in it. (8) Let rivers clap hands. Let mountains exult together… (9) before Hashem, for He will have arrived to rule the earth. He will rule the world justly and its peoples with fairness.
Learning the Mizmor
PART 1. REVELATION OF THE WONDERS.
(א) מִזְמוֹר
שִׁירוּ לַה‘ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה
שִׁירוּ לַה‘ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה
This is a mizmor — מִזְמוֹר composed by Moshe Rabbeinu to celebrate the Geulah that has at last occurred. O people of Yisrael, I call upon you to sing a new song to Hashem— שִׁירוּ לַה‘ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ for He has worked new wonders — כִּי נִפְלָאוֹת עָשָׂה to free you from your oppressors. With these public wonders that He has personally directed, all of mankind is enabled to recognize His direct intervention into the course of world events.
הוֹשִׁיעָה לּוֹ יְמִינוֹ וּזְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ:
He has no need of external assistance and He is not governed by the laws of nature for His own right hand and His own holy arm have achieved for Him the deliverance of His people — הוֹשִׁיעָה לּוֹ יְמִינוֹ וּזְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ . His right hand symbolizes His care for the Jewish people and His holy arm symbolizes the destruction of adversaries wherever they are.
(ב) הוֹדִיעַ ה‘ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ
לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם גִּלָּה צִדְקָתוֹ:
לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם גִּלָּה צִדְקָתוֹ:
Hashem on high has made known His yeshuah — הוֹדִיעַ ה‘ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ and has presented it to the lowly world of mankind. He has revealed His merciful justice in full view of the nations — לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם גִּלָּה צִדְקָתוֹ . He has demonstrated that His wish is to save the downtrodden.
(ג) זָכַר חַסְדּוֹ וֶאֱמוּנָתוֹ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל
He has remembered His promised acts of kindness — זָכַר חַסְדּוֹ and thereby demonstrated His loyalty to the House of Yisrael — וֶאֱמוּנָתוֹ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל . He has recalled His faithful promise to redeem them from the Galus and has then fulfilled it for all the world to see.
רָאוּ כָל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ
אֵת יְשׁוּעַת אֱלֹקֵינוּ:
אֵת יְשׁוּעַת אֱלֹקֵינוּ:
All the ends of the earth wherever the Jews are dispersed have seen the yeshuah of our G-d — רָאוּ כָל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ אֵת יְשׁוּעַת אֱלֹקֵינוּ and no one will be able to attribute it to natural causes.
PART 2. CELEBRATION THROUGH SOUND.
(ד) הָרִיעוּ לַה‘ כָּל הָאָרֶץ
פִּצְחוּ וְרַנְּנוּ וְזַמֵּרוּ:
פִּצְחוּ וְרַנְּנוּ וְזַמֵּרוּ:
Shout out to Hashem in joy, all the earth — הָרִיעוּ לַה‘ כָּל הָאָרֶץ because the everlasting yeshuah of Yisrael signifies the end of war. Open your mouths and break into joyous song and make music — פִּצְחוּ וְרַנְּנוּ וְזַמֵּרוּ in universal recognition of the glory of Hashem in the world.
(ה) זַמְּרוּ לַה‘ בְּכִנּוֹר
בְּכִנּוֹר וְקוֹל זִמְרָה:
בְּכִנּוֹר וְקוֹל זִמְרָה:
Make music to Hashem on the lyre — זַמְּרוּ לַה‘ בְּכִנּוֹר , a soft-voiced stringed instrument. Then you may gradually increase the volume by accompanying the lyre with melodious song — בְּכִנּוֹר וְקוֹל זִמְרָה . When your praise of Hashem is accompanied by music it gives you an enhanced sense of His presence.
(ו) בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר
הָרִיעוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ ה‘:
הָרִיעוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ ה‘:
With trumpets — בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת announcing the arrival of the King and with the sound of the shofar — וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר calling for teshuvah and devotion before the Divine Presence, make a joyful sound in the Bais Hamikdash before the King, Hashem — הָרִיעוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ ה‘ . The sound of the shofar, which tempers G-d’s justice with mercy, will be heard long after the sound of the trumpet has ceased. It signifies that your sins have been forgiven and you are loved by Hashem.
PART 3. CELEBRATION IN NATURE.
(ז) יִרְעַם הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֹ
תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ:
תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ:
Let the sea and all within it thunder — יִרְעַם הַיָּם וּמְלֹאוֹ in celebration, including the world and all who live in it — תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ . Let there be celebration everywhere — on the sea and the land. Let the waters of the sea be converted to rain which will rejuvenate the land so that it will yield its fruits and mankind will rejoice in the bounty.
(ח) נְהָרוֹת יִמְחֲאוּ כָף
יַחַד הָרִים יְרַנֵּנוּ:
יַחַד הָרִים יְרַנֵּנוּ:
Let rivers representing the peoples of the world figuratively clap their hands — נְהָרוֹת יִמְחֲאוּ כָף because of the great joy that fills the earth. Similarly let mountains representing the kings and leaders of the nations exult together — יַחַד הָרִים יְרַנֵּנוּ .
(ט) לִפְנֵי ה‘
כִּי בָא לִשְׁפֹּט הָאָרֶץ
יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק וְעַמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים:
כִּי בָא לִשְׁפֹּט הָאָרֶץ
יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק וְעַמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים:
Let all this happen before Hashem — לִפְנֵי ה‘ the merciful G-d, for He has arrived to rule the earth — כִּי בָא לִשְׁפֹּט הָאָרֶץ . He will rule the world justly and its peoples with fairness — יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק וְעַמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים taking into account each individual and ensuring that what is right will also appear to be right.
Sources
The primary sources used in the interpretation of the verses in this mizmor are listed below.
א – מצודות, אלשיך, מלבי”ם, אבן יחייא, נר לרגלי
ב – רד”ק, המאירי, רשר”ה
ג – רד”ק, מצודות, מלבי”ם, נר לרגלי
ד – רד”ק, נר לרגלי
ה – רד”ק, מצודות, אלשיך, נר לרגלי
ו – אבן עזרא, רד”ק, מלבי”ם, אלשיך, נר לרגלי
ז – אבן יחייא, נר לרגלי
ח – רש”י, מצודות, ספורנו
ט – מצודות, אלשיך