עַל־מָ֭ה אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ הָטְבָּ֑עוּ א֥וֹ מִֽי־יָ֝רָ֗ה אֶ֣בֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃
Di atas apakah alas-alasnya dibenamkan? Atau siapakah yang meletakkan batu penjurunya?
Rashi
רמה means HE HATH CAST. Similar is (Daniel 3:21) “and they were cast (ורמיו) into the midst of the fiery furnace”. And an Agadic explanation is: One verse says רמה, which involves the idea of raising (רום), and another verse (v. 4) says, ירה which implies casting from a height (cf. Rashi on ירה יירה 19:13)! This teaches us that they first went up on high and then went down into the depths (i. e. they were tossed up and down). The meaning of ירה here is the same as in (Job. 38:6) “Who laid (ירה) the corner-stone thereof?” — implying laying from above to below (Mekhilta).
Malbim
The first, that he laid the corner-stone (Job 38:6) to prove from the suffering of the righteous that personal jurisdiction is not administered by the righteous Lord (Exodus 9:27), for He has handed Governance over to the Cosmos. He had based this conviction on the following argument:
, Since no injustice or deficiency can be attributed to God, and the undeserved suffering of a righteous person is either unjust or improper, it cannot originate from God but from the ruler He has appointed to govern the world: to rule by the laws of Nature which do not distinguish between righteous and wicked persons. And this does not constitute an injustice, since as a consequence of the natural governance of the becoming and demising world, individuals must perish. Even were the Earth to be wiped out, this would not be an evil on the scale of the existence of the Universe, relative to which the Earth is like a grain of sand, as we explained at length in the introduction to the Fifth Oration.
, Since no injustice or deficiency can be attributed to God, and the undeserved suffering of a righteous person is either unjust or improper, it cannot originate from God but from the ruler He has appointed to govern the world: to rule by the laws of Nature which do not distinguish between righteous and wicked persons. And this does not constitute an injustice, since as a consequence of the natural governance of the becoming and demising world, individuals must perish. Even were the Earth to be wiped out, this would not be an evil on the scale of the existence of the Universe, relative to which the Earth is like a grain of sand, as we explained at length in the introduction to the Fifth Oration.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A kabbalistic approach sees in the vowel kametz in the word א-דני a combination of two of the Holy Names of G’d both comprising four letters. The one name symbolizes both G’d’s preceding any phenomenon in the universe as well as His Oneness and uniqueness in the world. The second name of G’d in that expression teaches the Nobility of G’d, that He transcends even the highest of the ten emanations. This is why the word א-דני commences with the letter א and concludes with the letter י. The letters דנ in the middle represent the attribute of Justice. You ought to realise that the three names of G’d which are comprised of four letters each are all alluded to in a single verse in Exodus 35,17 את קלעי החצר, את עמודיו ואת אדניה, “the curtains of the Courtyard represent the all encompassing name of G’d, the name א-היה which testifies to His being Eternal and unchanging.” The word את עמודיו represent the Ineffable name י-ה-ו-ה; finally, the words ואת אדניה are comprised of the letters in the word א-דני and symbolise His relationship as Master of the universe, i.e. the influence of what is above on what is below. Another verse reflecting a similar message is found in Job 38,6 [where these words have been put in the mouth of G’d Himself. Ed.] על מה אדניה הטבעו? או מי ירה אבן פנתה? “Onto what were its bases sunk? Who sets its cornerstone?” The subject of the verse is the Holy Temple (Holy Tabernacle) and G’d compares its construction to the creation of the universe which He personally had undertaken. The fourth four-lettered name of G’d is alluded to in connection with Rivkah’s reply (24,19) that she as a three-year old would draw water for the ten (or more) camels of Eliezer, contains an allusion to divine assistance based on another less well known name of G’d comprising the letters א-ג-ל-א. This will be discussed in greater detail when we examine that verse.