What is the meaning of "Mah she'Hayah Kevar Hu"?
Rav Sadya Gaon: The law of the past is the law of the present.
Rashi: What happened in the days before us, it was already done; we saw or heard it.
Ibn Ezra: Hashem's deeds are in one way (it does not change).
Rashbam: People will say, just like times changed in the past, also now.
Rid: Hashem does not change His world. Therefore, one cannot say 'even though there was no gain to those before us [from their toil], we will have gain.
Seforno: What is now, it already was from when Hashem changed nature [at the time of the flood].
Metzudas David: What already was, was; it cannot be retracted. If one pursued his colleague and did evil to him, it was done.
What is the meaning of "va'Asher Lihyos Kevar Hayah"?
Rav Sadya Gaon: The law of the future was already established in the past.
Rashi: What will be in the future is similar to what was in the past. Hashem does not change His Midos.
Ri Kara: From what already happened, you can learn what will be. It already was in all generations that passed.
Seforno: What will be in the days of the future redemption of Yisrael - "ha'Shamayim ha'Chadashim veha'Aretz ha'Chadashah Asher Ani Oseh" (Yeshayah 66:22), it already was before the Mabul.
Metzudas David: If one will pursue his colleague to do evil to him, it was already decreed beforehand that he will be able to do his desire.
How is "veha'Elokim Yevakesh Es Nirdaf" connected the beginning of the verse?
Rav Sadya Gaon: In both of these times (past and future), Hashem seeks (helps) the pursued and downtrodden. Ri Kara - therefore, one must be careful not to be a pursuer.
Rashi: We can testify that Hashem seeks the pursued. Yakov was pursued and Esav chased - "va'Ohav Es Yakov; v'Es Esav Saneisi" (Mal'achi 1:2-3). The Egyptians pursued Yisrael - they drowned in the sea. Hashem always seeks the pursued to punish the pursuer. Therefore, the evildoer will not gain from his toil (9); he will be paid (punished for his evil).
Ibn Ezra: "Nirdaf" is the present. The future will become past. The present is like the center of a rotating sphere. It has no start or end.
Rashbam: Just like in the past, Hashem took money that pursuer toiled for it, and gives it to the pursued, so He will in the future.
Rid: Hashem seeks to bring to the world what already was, and not a new matter.
Seforno: When He will do this (revert the world) like already was, so He will seek His nation that the other nations pursued it - "v'Atem Teluketu" (Yeshayah 27:12). And so He will seek the intellectual Nefesh that attained perfection in investigation and in deed. All other human powers, which are physical, pursued it. Hashem will place a Sefer Torah in His bosom, and say 'one who engaged in this, come and take his reward' (Avodah Zarah 2a).
Metzudas David: [Even though it was already decreed that the pursuer will be able to harm his victim], Elokim will seek the pursued and punish the pursuer.
