כֹּ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֡ה עִמְדוּ֩ עַל־דְּרָכִ֨ים וּרְא֜וּ וְשַׁאֲל֣וּ ׀ לִנְתִב֣וֹת עוֹלָ֗ם אֵי־זֶ֨ה דֶ֤רֶךְ הַטּוֹב֙ וּלְכוּ־בָ֔הּ וּמִצְא֥וּ מַרְגּ֖וֹעַ לְנַפְשְׁכֶ֑ם וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹ֥א נֵלֵֽךְ׃
Beginilah firman Yang Mahakekal: “Berdirilah di persimpangan jalan-jalan dan lihatlah, tanyakanlah jalan-jalan yang dahulu kala, di manakah jalan yang baik itu, dan tempuhlah jalan itu, maka kamu akan mendapatkan ketenangan bagi jiwamu.” Tetapi mereka berkata: “Kami tidak mau menempuhnya.”
Tze'enah Ure'enah
With the crown that a living man of great deeds,1II Samuel, 23:20; I Chronicles, 11:22. has crowned you with this wondrous work.2This is a paraphrase of the following verse in the Song of Songs. “O maidens of Zion, go forth and gaze upon King Solomon wearing the crown that his mother gave him on his wedding day, on the day of bliss” [Song of Songs, 3:11]. He has gleaned among the sheaves behind the reapers3Ruth, 2:7. of grain, and collected after the gatherers, once up once down,4II Kings, 4:35. one here and one there in the Midrashim, in the aggadot, in the words of Rashi, Ramban, Rabbenu Bahya, Hizkuni, Zeror ha-Mor, Toldot Yitzhak, and the other commentaries in every Torah portion, all of their words that are closest to the plain meaning of the text and brought them into this work in the language of Ashkenaz. Since the usefulness of this work for men and women who will find tranquility for themselves,5Jeremiah, 6:16. a place of rest for their souls in order to understand the words of the living God,6Jeremiah, 23:36. exceeding in rank and exceeding in honor,7Genesis, 49:3. in the shameful language.
Ibn Ezra
רגע Who stilleth.16A. V., Who divided. Some say that גער ═ רגע who rebuketh, by metathesis; others compare it with מרגוע rest (Jer. 6:17), and render it who giveth rest; I approve of this latter explanation. 17These words are not directly mentioned in the text; and the remark on it seems to belong to the explanation of the word רגע; but indirectly I. E. intended by the words אחר שהמו גליו to paraphrase the words ויהמו גליו and to indicate that, although placed after רגע they do not express the effect, but rather the cause.ויהמו גליו Whose waves roared, that is, whose waves have been roaring. The meaning of the verse might also be the following: I am he who stilleth the sea, but I am also he who commandeth that its waves shall roar. Sea and waves are figurative expressions for the oppressors.