זְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דּוֹר־וָד֑וֹר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹ֥אמְרוּ לָֽךְ׃

Moses reminds Israel of God’s kindness: Remember the days of yore; examine the events of the years of each generation, the earlier generations in particular. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will say to you. Moses is about to recount events that are well-known to his audience. This song, however, is not addressed only to the people standing before Moses, but to all generations. Moses therefore stresses: In the distant future, when some of these matters will have been forgotten, ask your parents and your elders to recount them for you.

בְּהַנְחֵ֤ל עֶלְיוֹן֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם בְּהַפְרִיד֖וֹ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֑ם יַצֵּב֙ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֔ים לְמִסְפַּ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

When the Most High bequeathed the various lands and characteristics to the nations, when He separated the children of man into tribes and nations, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. God divided mankind into seventy nations; seventy is also the number of individuals who descended with Jacob to Egypt. Other commentaries explain that Canaan and his sons, who inhabited the land of Canaan, numbered twelve, corresponding to the sons of Jacob.

כִּ֛י חֵ֥לֶק יְהֹוָ֖ה עַמּ֑וֹ יַעֲקֹ֖ב חֶ֥בֶל נַחֲלָתֽוֹ׃

For the portion of the Lord is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

יִמְצָאֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔הוּ יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן עֵינֽוֹ׃

He would find him, Jacob, in a wilderness land, and in emptiness, a howling wasteland. Although it was God who led the people to the wilderness, it was there that He adopted them as His portion and inheritance. He would encircle him protectively, He would grant him understanding, He preserved him like the pupil of His eye, as it were. God’s protection of Israel is compared to the most important, most constant, and most natural form of protection.

כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ׃

Like an eagle that would rouse its nest, over its fledglings it would hover. Due to its size, the eagle does not rest upon its fledglings; rather, it circles them from above. When it finally approaches the nest, it situates itself adjacent to and above the nest, and thereby avoids landing inside the nest. It would spread its wings and take it, meaning the fledglings, and it would carry it on its pinions. God carried Israel through the wilderness in this manner.

יְהוָ֖ה בָּדָ֣ד יַנְחֶ֑נּוּ וְאֵ֥ין עִמּ֖וֹ אֵ֥ל נֵכָֽר׃

The Lord alone would lead him. Alternatively, God led Israel when Israel was alone; the people relied on God and did not need assistance from others. And there was no foreign god with Him.