לְכוּ נְרַנְּנָה לַיהֹוָה Come, let us sing to Adonoy;
נָרִֽיעָה let us sound the shofar
לְצוּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ: to the Rock of our deliverance.1Israel will say these words in the days of the Messiah, when Jews will inspire each other to sing to Almighty God Who delivered them.—Radak
נְקַדְּמָה פָנָיו Let us greet His Presence
בְּתוֹדָה with thanksgiving,2Expressions of thanksgiving are considered of the highest virtue, as it is said, ‘As for myself, with expressions of thanksgiving I sacrifice to you.’—Jonah 2
בִּזְמִרוֹת נָרִֽיעַ לוֹ: with hymns let us raise our voices unto Him.
כִּי אֵל גָּדוֹל יְהֹוָה For a great Almighty is Adonoy
וּמֶֽלֶךְ גָּדוֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִים: and a great King over all gods.3‘Are there any other gods?’ asks the Midrash, and answers by citing verse 5 of the next Psalm, ‘All the gods of the nations are idols.’
אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָֽרֶץ For in His hands are the depths4Metsudas Dovid offers another translation: ‘In His hands are the hidden things of the earth,’ referring to things which require much study and thought in order to be understood. of the earth,
וְתוֹעֲפוֹת הָרִים לוֹ: and the heights of the mountains are His;
אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ הַיָּם וְהוּא עָשָֽׂהוּ For the sea is His, and He made it,
וְיַבֶּֽשֶׁת יָדָיו יָצָֽרוּ: and the dry land, His hands formed.
בֹּֽאוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנִכְרָֽעָה Come, let us prostrate ourselves and bow;
נִבְרְכָה let us kneel
לִפְנֵי־יְהֹוָה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ: before Adonoy, our Maker.
כִּי הוּא אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ For He is our God
וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ עַם מַרְעִיתוֹ and we are the people of His pasture,
וְצֹאן יָדוֹ and the flock of His hand,
הַיּוֹם אִם־בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ: [even] today5It is possible for us to reach this high level and to be accepted as His flock even this very day, if we would hearken to His voice.—Dover Sholom if you will heed His voice.
אַל־תַּקְשׁוּ לְבַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָה Do not harden your heart as at Merivah,
כְּיוֹם מַסָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר: as on the day of Massah6The Jews complained and murmured at the lack of water during their wanderings in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1-17; Numbers 20:1-13). in the desert.
אֲשֶׁר נִסּֽוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם When your fathers tested Me,7The words from here till the end of the Psalm, are the actual words of the Divine Presence that emanated from the throat of Moses, שְׁכִינָה מְדַבֶּרֶת מִתּוֹךְ גְרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה — Eyun Tfiloh
בְּחָנֽוּנִי they tried Me,
גַּם־רָאוּ פָעֳלִי: though they had seen My work.
אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה אָקוּט בְּדוֹר Forty years I quarreled with that generation;
וָאֹמַר and I said,
עַם תֹּעֵי לֵבָב הֵם “They are a people of erring hearts,
וְהֵם לֹא־יָדְעוּ דְרָכָי: and they did not know my ways.”
אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּֽעְתִּי בְאַפִּי Therefore I swore in My anger,
אִם־יְבֹאוּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִי: “They shall not enter My resting place.”8The Holy Land is described as the land of rest (Deuteronomy 12:9).