מִי־שָׂ֣ם מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ כִּ֣י תֵדָ֑ע א֤וֹ מִֽי־נָטָ֖ה עָלֶ֣יהָ קָּֽו׃
Sino ang nagtakda ng mga sukat nito, kung alam mo? O sino ang nag-unat ng panukat na lubid sa ibabaw nito?
Malbim
Malbim regards these verses as referring to God's institution of the gravitational force that holds the universe together and determines the motions of the stars and planets. He writes: 'How far the Earth is from each star is determined by the universal attractive force that the spheres exert on one another, for they all attract the Earth such that it is left hanging between them in its place, as is known from astronomy. But the construction of the Earth itself was done by God Himself.'8
According to Rosenblum, Malbim's knowledge of modern astronomy most probably came from The Book of the Covenant (ספר הברית) by Pinchas Eliyahu Horwitz (1795). This popular book had been widely approved by contemporary orthodox rabbis. In order to avoid religious controversy, its author had adopted Tycho Brahe's (1546-1601) model of the universe. In this ingenious amalgam of the Ptolemaic and Copernican models, the sun revolves around the earth whilst all the other planets revolve around the sun. The eclecticism of Brahe's model was perfectly suited to Malbim.
According to Rosenblum, Malbim's knowledge of modern astronomy most probably came from The Book of the Covenant (ספר הברית) by Pinchas Eliyahu Horwitz (1795). This popular book had been widely approved by contemporary orthodox rabbis. In order to avoid religious controversy, its author had adopted Tycho Brahe's (1546-1601) model of the universe. In this ingenious amalgam of the Ptolemaic and Copernican models, the sun revolves around the earth whilst all the other planets revolve around the sun. The eclecticism of Brahe's model was perfectly suited to Malbim.