Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 68:2

a fiery law i.e., the Torah, which had been given among fire and lightning. Sa‘adya Gaon said further that God came on Sinai is an invocation, as if to say: “O, You Who descended upon Sinai, and bequeathed the Torah, may Reuven live etc. ”. But this is all farfetched, because in that case it would have to employ the second person masculine singular imperative, “grant life” and “do not kill”. Those who lack belief have said that Seir denotes the religion of Edom, while Paran denotes the religion of Ishmael. But these people are befuddled. Did they not see that he set out to bless Israel alone? — as it is written, “which Moshe, the man of God, bestowed upon the Children of Israel” [: 1], and then continues with shone to them from Seir . The correct interpretation, in my opinion, is that this section is a general benediction, covering all Israel, followed by the specific blessings for each individual tribe, after which he once again includes them all (in the passage, “Jeshurun, there is none like God” [: 26]). We find elsewhere that Deborah said, “God , when you came forth from Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom” [Judges 5: 4], where clearly “the field of Edom” does not denote a mountain, although Sa‘adya Gaon claims that our verse describes three mountains that adjoin one another, or that face one another. Also, from the book of Psalms: “God, when You went forth before Your nation, when You marched through the wilderness” [Psalms 68: 8], following which we have “the earth shook” [Psalms 68: 9]; and the abovementioned “march of the Divine Presence through the wilderness” did not occur on the day of the giving of the Torah, for they entered the desert upon leaving the wilderness of Paran. Moreover, Habakkuk said, “God came from Teyman ” [Habakkuk 3: 3] (the latter being one of the descendants of Edom — see “Teyman, Omer, …” [Genesis 36: 11]) meaning the same as “from the field of Edom” [Judges 5: 4]. These verses all speak about wars, as evidenced by “let God arise, let His enemies be scattered” [Psalms 68: 2]. Scripture likens God ’s rescuing of His servants to help “descending” from God , and to the earth trembling, and to mountains melting, and to the heavens clamoring. Further evidence can be found in the song of David: “the earth shook and trembled” [Psalms 18: 8]. I have explained “Sinai itself” [Psalms 68: 9] in its place [comment on Psalms 68: 9], but I shall repeat myself here: “God came” — denotes the entry of the Glory among Israel Sinai was the beginning of that entry. shone from Seir — during all the years that Israel was in the wilderness, God did not display His might among the nations, until Israel came to the field of Edom. From the verse “their Mount Seir, as far as El-Paran” [Genesis 14: 6] we see that Seir was near Paran. Clearly, then, the meaning of our verse is: from the place of Seir (i.e., from the time that Israel arrived at Seir), at that point the Glory shone upon Israel. appeared from Mount Paran — this is a parallelism, repeating the idea that here was the point at which He displayed His splendor.

אף חובב עמים, also members of the gentile nations, such as the mixed multitude whom Moses had accepted as converts at the time of the Exodus, and who had done so in order to receive the Torah, G’d became fond of and accepted them so that they too were included in the camp which His shechinah, benevolent presence, rested over the people. We have more direct confirmation of this in Psalms 68,4. “but the righteous shall rejoice, etc.”

קום נא שבה, “rise up please and sit.” Esau by contrast ordered his father to rise by saying: “may my father rise” (verse 32). He did not ask him to be seated. Bereshit Rabbah 65,18, addressing this difference between how the two sons spoke to their father, writes as follows: “seeing that Yaakov had addressed his father with sensitivity and respect G’d returned the compliment in a similar manner when Moses, Yaakov’s descendant used similar language when addressing G’d in Numbers 10,35 and 10,36 with the words קומה ה’ ויפוצו אויביך..... שובה ה’ רבבות אלפי ישראל, “Arise Hashem and let Your foes be scattered;....Reside tranquilly, Hashem, among the myriad thousands of Israel.” Esau, on the other hand, who had spoken in a gross and haughty manner to his father will be paid back (to his descendants) as we know from Psalms 68,2 יקום אלוקים יפוצו אויביו, “when Elokim arises, His enemies scatter.” [The meaning of this strange sounding comparison seems to be that whereas when G’d deals with the descendants of Esau He employs the attribute of Justice, when He does so at the behest of the Jewish people there will not be a negative fallout for those who implored Him to take vengeance on His enemies, seeing not only the expression קומה is used by Moses, but he referred only to the attribute of Mercy, Hashem, being involved. Ed.]