Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa 2 Samuel 7:23

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord. The reason Moses did not sing immediately upon leaving Egypt was because Moses knew that the Israelites were still uncertain in their faith until he saw at the sea that they believed in the Lord and in Moses His servant, then he sang. He began with az [then], which is alef [the numerical equivalent of which is one] riding on zayin [the numerical equivalent of which is seven], hinting at crowning the Blessed One over the seven planets, as it says for He is highly exalted — that He is exalted above all who are exalted. And concerning why this song is expressed in feminine form, our Sages said (Exodus Rabbah 23:11) that all songs of this world are expressed in feminine form because they are followed by pain, like females who experience the pain of childbirth. Furthermore, females only take a tenth portion of the inheritance in this world, just as the Lord gave Israel seven nations out of 70. But regarding the future, it says Sing to the Lord a new song [in masculine form], because then they will be like males who do not give birth, and then they will inherit all 70 nations like a male who inherits everything. Perhaps for this reason he began with az — alef riding on zayin — to hint that in this world Israel is “one nation on earth” whom the Lord will cause to ride on the heights of the earth of only seven nations, like females.

A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Shelach 14): just as a father is obligated to train his son in five aspects of successful living, i.e. to circumcise him, to teach him Torah, to redeem him from a priest if he is a firstborn, to teach him an honest trade, and to arrange for him to marry a suitable woman, so G’d provided similarly for the Jewish people (His firstborn son). He circumcised them employing Joshua as the Mohel performing the ritual as recorded in Joshua 5,2. G’d “redeemed” Israel as we know from Samuel II 7,23: “and who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth whom G’d went and redeemed as His people, etc.” He taught the Israelites the Torah as He said: “you shall teach them (the words of the Torah) to your children,” [employing the fathers as the teachers. Ed.]. It is also written that G’d personally taught the Torah, as stated in Isaiah 48,17: ”I the Lord am your G’d, instructing you for your own benefit.” G'd taught the people a useful trade by teaching them the commandments, as we know from Leviticus 27,34 “These are the commandments which G’d instructed, etc.” Finally, He arranged for the people to have suitable marriage partners when he blessed them saying: “Be fruitful and multiply.”
Just like a father feeds his family, anoints them with oil and washes them (arranges for all this) so G’d does the same for Israel as we know from Ezekiel 16,9-10: “I bathed you in water, and washed the blood off you, and anointed you with oil. (verse 19) and the food which I had given you, the choice flour, the oil and the honey, which I had provided for you to eat, etc.” In Numbers 21,11 we find the Israelites addressing the well of water provided for them by G’d with the words: “spring up O well-sing to it,” Just as when the father gives properties to his children the children offer gifts to the father as symbols of their gratitude, so G’d here told the Israelites to offer certain libations to express their gratitude when they would arrive in the land of Israel.

And there they became a ‘great’ nation - This teaches us that Israel became distinctive there: Like its English counterpart, the word “Gadol” ‘great,’ has two meanings; it can mean “large” in a physical sense or it can also mean “great” in a qualitative and spiritual sense. In this verse it is not clear in which sense “Gadol’ is being used. Did Israel become physically great by increasing in number or did they become a great nation by vitrue of the character and integrity? The Maggid understands ‘great’ in the second sense of the word but it is not clear how he arrives at this conclusion. Rabbi Epstein explains that the Maggid arrives at this interpretation based on the use of the word “Am” instead of the word “Goy” for nation. Although these two words mean nation they have different connotations. The word “Am” implies a large nation and is often used in a disparaging way in the Bible. (See Rashi, Numbers 11:1.) When Israel is referred to as a “Goy,” it is usually used in a more complimentary way, such as Samuel 11, 7:23, “Israel is a unique nation on earth,” and Genesis 25:23, “There are two nations in your womb,” implying that the two sons to which Rebecca would give birth would each be the father of a great nation. The fact that the verse calls Israel a “Goy Gadol” implies that they are a great nation and not just a large nation....

כאשר התעו WHEN GOD (CAUSED ME TO WANDER — The verb is in the plural. Do not be surprised at this for in many passages words denoting Godship or denoting Authority are grammatically treated as plural, e. g., (2 Samuel 7:23) “Whom God went (הלכו plural) to redeem”; (Deuteronomy 5:23) “the living (חיים adjective, plural) God”; (Joshua 24:19) “a Holy (קדושים adjective, plural) God”. So, too, the idea of Authority is expressed by the plural form, as (39:20) “And the master of (אדני construct plural) Joseph took him” and as (Deuteronomy 10:17) “Lord of (אדני) lords (האדנים)”, and (42:30) “the lord of (אדני) the land”; as well as (Exodus 22:14) “if its owner (בעליו) be with it”, and (Exodus 21:29) “and warning has been given to its master (בעליו)”. If you ask why does it here use the term התעו, I reply, anyone who is exiled from his home and has no settled abode may be styled תועה a wanderer (or “one moving about aimlessly”), as (21:14) “And she, Hagar, went and strayed about (ותתע) in the wilderness”; (Psalms 119:176) “I have gone astray (תעיתי) like a lost sheep”, and (Job 38:41) “they wander (יתעו) through lack of food”, i.e. they go out and wander about to seek their food.