Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and weighed the heavens with his palm? who hath poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Ibn Ezra
Who hath measured, etc. There are some that ask, How is it possible that such a thing shall happen? The answer is that the same Supreme Being will cause it to pass, who has created the whole universe, who knows the quantity of the water in the sea, as if He had measured it with His hand. בשעלו In the hollow of His hand. Comp. כשעלי for handfuls (Ez. 13:19). And meted out heaven with the span. He knows the measure of heaven, which He has stretched out like a curtain; He has created it with His omnipotence, according to His wisdom, as if He had measured it with the span. The words of the text are an anthropomorphism. וכל And measured. Comp. וכלו, the Chaldean translation of וימדו and they measured (Ex. 16:18). בשליש In a measure. שליש is very likely derived from שלש three, but we do not know at present the capacities of ancient measures. Comp. בשליש in great measure (Ps. Ixxx. 6). three measures. בפלס In a balance. It is called in Arabic Kriston and consists of one long arm. The word פֶלֶס is of the same root as פַלֵּס weigh (Prov. 4:26). וגבעות במאזנים And hills in scales. He places two hills in the two scales and weighs them against each other. All this is said figuratively.
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.