Before Hashem, for He arrives, for He arrives to judge the earth.
At first glance, the words ki va, for He arrives, are redundant. Rabbeinu Bachya explains the repetition as defining the dual purpose of Hashem's arrival. First, He will redeem His nation from the exile they have been in for over two thousand years; He will then punish the nations who persecuted and tormented them. The Malbim explains that Hashem will first “introduce” Himself as the One Who has been guiding what we mortals refer to as “nature.” Nature does not exist; rather, Hashem conceals Himself behind the façade that we call nature. Second, Hashem will (now) be perceived as the One Who judges the deeds of mankind.
In his Baruch She’Amar, Horav Baruch Epstein, zl, explains the repetition practically. The second ki va explains the first ki Va. Az yernenu kol atze ya’ar ki Va – all the trees of the forest will sing joyously before Hashem, for He arrives. The pasuk goes on to explain why and for what purpose He arrives – ki Va lishpot ha’aretz; He arrives to judge the earth.
Indeed, the cantillation marks (trop/taamei ha’mikra) seem to support this. The first ki Va has a revii beneath it. This mark indicates a stop/comma in the verse. The second one has a meircha which indicates forward movement. Thus, the pasuk should be broken up and the two ki Va’s separated.
