His deeds Heb. עלילותיו, His deeds.

Boast of His holy name Boast of the stronghold of His holy name that you have a patron like Him. התהללוּ is “porvontez vous” in Old French, [vantez vous in modern French, boast].

the word He had commanded to the thousandth generation The Torah, which He commanded to make known in the world after a thousand generations, but He saw that the world could not exist without Torah, so he skipped 974 generations of them. It may also be interpreted according to its simple meaning: He remembered for Israel His covenant, which He commanded and promised to keep for them for a thousand generations, as the matter of (Deut. 7:9): “Who keeps the covenant and the kindness for those who love Him and who keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.”

Saying, “To you I shall give, etc.” That is the covenant that He made for them.

And they walked from nation to nation Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines, in Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, and so Isaac, and so Jacobthey all were exiled from one strange place to another strange place.

and He reproved kings on their account (Gen. 12:17): “And the Lord plagued Pharaoh”; (ibid. 20:18), “For the Lord had closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech.”

My anointed ones My great ones. Every [expression of] anointing is an expression of rulership and greatness.

He called a famine in order to exile them to Egypt (I found).

He sent a man before them (Gen. 45:5): “And God sent me before you.” Now who was the man? Joseph, who was sold.

his soul was placed in irons Said Rav Huna the son of Idi: She [Potiphar’s wife] made him a “shirtua” under his beard, so that if he bent his face over, the “shirtua” would wound him. שרתוע means a forked, suspended spear.

Until His word came [The word] of the Holy One, blessed be He, to fulfill His decree that the matter should “roll” and Israel should descend to Egypt.

the saying of the Lord purified him It tried Joseph, for he was tested and he overcame the temptation [to sin] with his master’s wife, and he was tortured because of her and purified with tortures to place him in the dungeon.

A king sent and released him Pharaoh, king of Egypt, sent his messengers and released him. A ruler of peoples, viz. Pharaoh, [sent] and loosed his bonds.

To bind up his princes with his soul This is an expression of endearment, as (I Sam. 18:1): “that Jonathan’s soul had become attached to David’s soul.” When he interpreted the dream, they all loved him. Said Rabbi Idi: It is written שָׂרוֹ, his prince. This was Potiphar.

And He made...fruitful The Holy One, blessed be He, [made] His people [fruitful]. He made them fruitful and caused them to multiply.

And they did not disobey His word The plagues, that He commanded upon them, came according to His commandments and did not deviate from His word.

Their land swarmed with frogs Said Rabbi Johanan: Wherever water would lie, frogs would lie.

They asked, and He brought quails Israel asked for meat, and the Holy One, blessed be He, brought them quails.

in the deserts ran rivers Rivers flowed from the well in an arid land.

For He remembered The Holy One, blessed be He, [remembered] His holy word, which was with Abraham His servant, which He promised him (Gen. 15:14, 17): “and afterwards they will go out with many possessions...and a fourth generation will return here.”