Hallelujah. A confession of Israel's repeated rebellion in the wilderness and beyond, set against Hashem's enduring mercy, closing with a plea for gathering and redemption.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Hallelujah. O give thanks to Hashem; for He is good; for His mercy endures for ever.
verse value 494
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "praise·Hashem" (הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 494 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "praise·Hashem" (הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "for·ever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·He·is·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ [praise·Hashem] (86) + הוֹד֣וּ [give·thanks] (21) + לַיהֹוָ֣ה [to·Hashem] (56) + כִּי־ט֑וֹב [for·He·is·good] (47) + כִּ֖י [for] (30) + לְעוֹלָ֣ם [for·ever] (176) + חַסְדּֽוֹ [His·mercy] (78) = 494.
Ibn Ezra
‘Hallelujah,’ ‘Who can express’ — he did not mention the name of the psalmist, and he says to the wise/enlightened: ‘Praise Hashem,’ and give thanks to Him for the many mercies He performed for our fathers.
Radak
"Hallelujah" — the psalmist speaks to Israel who were in his generation, and to their children who would come after them, that they should praise Yah for the good things He did for their fathers: "Praise Yah."
Metzudat David
"For He is good" — for He is good, and from Him no evil goes forth, for His mercy endures forever.
Malbim
"Give thanks to Hashem" — This psalm continues from the psalm above, which mentioned how Hashem kept the covenant, brought them out of Egypt, and gave them the land, but skipped over the rest of the miracles that He performed for them after the exodus from Egypt, such as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the splitting of the Jordan, and the like. Therefore it says that they must give thanks to Hashem, for the kindness that He began to do for them, He continued to do even after they sinned, as it says in verse 45, 'and He remembered for them His covenant, and relented according to the abundance of His mercies' — for Hashem is good to His people and His mercy is forever; only they did not recognize His mercies, and rebelled and provoked Him in every generation, in the manner of, 'for Yours, Hashem, is the righteousness, and ours is the shame of face.'
Who can express the mighty acts of Hashem, or make all His praise to be heard?
verse value 2124
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2124 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·His·praise" (כׇּל־תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "declares" (יְ֭מַלֵּל), "mighty·acts·of" (גְּבוּר֣וֹת), "make·heard" (יַ֝שְׁמִ֗יעַ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "make·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms); "all·His·praise" (root תהלה, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִ֗י [who?] (50) + יְ֭מַלֵּל [declares] (110) + גְּבוּר֣וֹת [mighty·acts·of] (617) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + יַ֝שְׁמִ֗יעַ [make·heard] (430) + כׇּל־תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ [all·His·praise] (891) = 2124.
Ibn Ezra
‘Who’ — the meaning is: give thanks to Hashem — even though a person lacks the ability to praise His mighty acts and make heard all His praise, but only a part of it.
Radak
"Who" — in the psalm above this one he mentioned the matter of the fathers, together with what He did in Egypt; and in this psalm he mentions further what He did for them from when they left Egypt, all the time they journeyed in the wilderness, and also from when they entered the land. And he says: if we set out to tell the mighty acts of Hashem and to make all His praises heard — meaning all the miracles He performed for our fathers and for us, whom we are obligated to praise Him along with them — who could make all His praises heard? "The mighty acts of Hashem" — these are what He did to them in Egypt, in their land and at the sea. And what he means here is that no person is able to recount all His praises. Yet in the ninth psalm he said, "I will recount all Your praise" — David said "I will recount all Your praise" concerning all the troubles that passed over him from his enemies; he said he would give praise and thanks to God who saved him, for those [deliverances] were revealed to him. But when he comes to recount the miracles that were done for Israel in the wilderness and in their land, generation after generation, he says, "who can make all His praise heard?" So too regarding an individual alone — the good things and kindnesses that the Holy One, blessed be He, does for him every single day cannot be recounted, for many times the blessed God performs a miracle for a person and he does not know it and does not sense it until afterward, when he reflects upon it. And when David said "all Your praise," [he meant] concerning the revealed miracles that were done for him, [miracles] known to all, in the wars against his enemies. "Make heard" — the meaning is: "and who can make heard"; the word "who" that he mentioned once stands in place of two [occurrences, applying to both clauses]. And before the psalmist began his account, he said [this introductory verse].
Metzudat David
"Who can express" — who can recount all the mighty acts of Hashem, and who can make all His praise heard?
Metzudat Zion
“Can express” — from the term for word and speech.
Malbim
"Who can express the mighty acts of Hashem" — meaning, there is no need to make known all the miracles in detail, for two reasons. First, that even to tell of a single miracle we have no speech and no words to recount the mighty acts of Hashem — and so it says 'who can express (yemallel),' meaning that there is no word in the language to express His mighty acts. Second, 'or make all His praise to be heard' — that His praises have no measure and are without limit. And the meaning is that they should give thanks to Hashem because He is good and His mercy is forever, not on His own account, for it is impossible to recount His mighty acts as they are in themselves.
Happy are those who keep justice, who do righteousness at all times.
verse value 2586
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "who·does" (עֹשֵׂ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "at·all·times" (בְכׇל־עֵֽת, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "who·keep" (שֹׁמְרֵ֣י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·does" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms); "happy" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "at·all·times" (root כל, 82x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'justice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֭שְׁרֵי [happy] (511) + שֹׁמְרֵ֣י [who·keep] (550) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [justice] (429) + עֹשֵׂ֖ה [who·does] (375) + צְדָקָ֣ה [righteousness] (199) + בְכׇל־עֵֽת [at·all·times] (522) = 2586.
Ibn Ezra
‘Happy are’ — the meaning is: that those who keep justice are the ones who express a portion of His mighty acts. And he mentioned the mighty acts of Hashem on account of His mighty acts at the Sea of Reeds. And the reason for mentioning ‘justice’ is on account of the iniquities of Israel, for Hashem judged them according to their deeds.
Radak
"Happy" — meaning: happy would Israel be, if they kept the judgments of God that He commanded them; for whenever they did the will of the Omnipresent, how many good things He did for them! Even in the wilderness He bore with them for a long time, [hoping] perhaps they would return to the good [path]. And if they kept His judgments and did righteousness at all times — meaning continually — how much more so would He have done righteousness with them, and they would never have been exiled from their land. For the psalmist foresaw, by the holy spirit, that they were destined to be exiled from their land because of their sins. Therefore, after this verse, he says, "Remember me, Hashem, when You favor Your people." "Does righteousness at all times" — for Israel would sometimes do good, but most of the time their deeds were evil; therefore he says "at all times" — happy would they be if they always did good.
Metzudat David
"Happy are those who keep justice" — happy are those who keep the ordinances of the Torah and do righteousness at all times, for this is counted as praise to the Omnipresent, since one who pursues the Torah thereby demonstrates the greatness of the One who gave the Torah.
Malbim
"Happy" — meaning, the mercies of Hashem are good forever, only that everything depends on the readiness of the recipient, since He gave them the land of Israel only on condition that they keep His statutes and observe His commandments. Therefore, 'happy are those who keep justice' — these are the commandments between man and his fellow — 'and does righteousness' — these are the commandments between man and the Omnipresent — good and happiness are theirs 'at all times.' There is no difference between former times and later times, for the mercies of Hashem have not changed, and those who keep His Torah — happiness is theirs even in this time.
Remember me, O Hashem, when You favor Your people; O think of me at Your salvation;
verse value 1843
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Your·people" (עַמֶּ֑ךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Your·salvation" (בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "remember·me" (זׇכְרֵ֣נִי), "in·the·favor·of" (בִּרְצ֣וֹן), "think·of·me" (פׇּ֝קְדֵ֗נִי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "Your·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "remember·me" (root זכר, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: זׇכְרֵ֣נִי [remember·me] (287) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + בִּרְצ֣וֹן [in·the·favor·of] (348) + עַמֶּ֑ךָ [Your·people] (130) + פׇּ֝קְדֵ֗נִי [think·of·me] (244) + בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ [in·Your·salvation] (808) = 1843.
Rashi
"when You favor Your people" — When You show goodwill to Your people.
Ibn Ezra
‘Remember me’ — this psalmist prays to Hashem: perhaps he will see the time of salvation, when You show favor to Your people and the time of Your salvation arrives.
Radak
"Remember me" — If the psalmist said this verse about himself, he was asking God that he arise from his grave along with the dead who will live at the time of our redemption, and likewise in the verse following this one. Or he said the verse in the voice of the exiles, for each one asks God that he merit to see the redemption, saying: Remember me, Hashem, at the time when You favor Your people, and bring them out of their exile — remember me, and be pleased with me too, that I may live until the time of the redemption.
Metzudat David
"Remember me" — David prayed for himself and said: remember me too when You are pleased with Your people, and be mindful of me for good at the time Your salvation comes.
Metzudat Zion
“Remember me” — a term for providence and remembrance.
Malbim
"Remember me" — Because he is about to begin telling how Israel sinned, and how through this they were given into the hand of their adversaries, he asked that Hashem not remember him either among the sinners or among those punished. There is a difference between 'remembering' and 'taking note': remembering is only that one bears the matter in mind, whereas 'taking note' is when one is roused to act, to render to him some recompense, whether good or bad. And he asked, 'remember me, Hashem, when You favor Your people' — that You should not remember me together with the time when You were angry at them, but only together with [the time of] favor, the time when You favored them because their deeds were good; 'and think of me at Your salvation' — that You should not take note of me to punish me together with those who are punished, but only at the time when You save and do good and kindness.
That I may behold the prosperity of Your chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.
verse value 3591
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "to·rejoice" (לִ֭שְׂמֹחַ, 4 letters) and the longest is "with·Your·inheritance" (עִם־נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·the·goodness·of" (בְּט֘וֹבַ֤ת), "Your·chosen" (בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ), "to·rejoice" (לִ֭שְׂמֹחַ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·see" (root ראה, 100x in Psalms); "to·glory" (root הלל, 94x in Psalms); "in·the·goodness·of" (root טוב, 63x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·nation', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִרְא֤וֹת [to·see] (637) + בְּט֘וֹבַ֤ת [in·the·goodness·of] (419) + בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ [Your·chosen] (250) + לִ֭שְׂמֹחַ [to·rejoice] (378) + בְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת [in·the·gladness·of] (750) + גּוֹיֶ֑ךָ [Your·nation] (39) + לְ֝הִתְהַלֵּ֗ל [to·glory] (500) + עִם־נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ [with·Your·inheritance] (618) = 3591.
Ibn Ezra
‘That I may behold the prosperity of Your chosen’ — as they themselves will see it.
Radak
"That I may see" — that I may merit to see the people chosen by You, that they will merit the redemption, to rejoice in the joy of Your nation. The matter is repeated three times to reinforce it with different words, as is customary. "Your inheritance" — this is Israel. And the meaning of "that I may glory" — some explain it as meaning "that I may rejoice," and there is no need to remove it from the sense of praise, for at the joy of a wedding a person praises the groom and the bride; therefore they called the wedding house "beit hilula" (house of praise). And the meaning of "that I may glory with Your inheritance" is that in their joy, when they go out, they will be praised above every people, for Hashem chose them.
Metzudat David
"That I may glory" — that I may be praised together with Israel Your inheritance, to say: see, that Hashem has chosen us.
Malbim
"That I may behold" — Corresponding to what he said, 'remember me, Hashem, when You favor Your people,' he explains, 'that I may behold the prosperity of Your chosen' — that You should remember me together with the chosen of Hashem, the righteous, to behold their prosperity on account of their good deeds. And corresponding to what he said, 'think of me at Your salvation,' he explains, 'that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation' — to rejoice with them over their happiness and success. And on account of these two, I shall merit 'to glory with Your inheritance' — for in that they become an inheritance for You — which indicates their holiness and Hashem's attachment to them forever — I shall glory together with them, whether in [their] good deeds or in their success and joy.
We have sinned with our fathers, we have done iniquitously, we have dealt wickedly.
verse value 1437
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "we·have·sinned" (חָטָ֥אנוּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "with·our·fathers" (עִם־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "we·have·sinned" (חָטָ֥אנוּ), "with·our·fathers" (עִם־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ), "we·have·done·iniquity" (הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "we·have·dealt·wickedly" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms); "we·have·sinned" (root חטא, 21x in Psalms). Full calculation: חָטָ֥אנוּ [we·have·sinned] (74) + עִם־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ [with·our·fathers] (585) + הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ [we·have·done·iniquity] (147) + הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ [we·have·dealt·wickedly] (631) = 1437.
Ibn Ezra
‘We have sinned’ — and behold, this is the beginning of the repentance of this psalm, in that he confesses his sin and the sin of his people; therefore: ‘we have sinned with our fathers,’ in the manner of ‘and they shall confess their iniquity.’ ‘we have dealt wickedly’ — corresponding to ‘our transgressions.’ As for the object of ‘we have committed iniquity’ — ‘our way’ or ‘our soul’ is missing [to be supplied]; and likewise for ‘we have dealt wickedly’ — or perhaps it is an intransitive verb.
Radak
"We have sinned" — he speaks in the voice of the exile. "With our fathers" — just as our fathers sinned, so have we sinned.
Metzudat David
"We have sinned with our fathers" — just as our fathers sinned, so too have we sinned.
Malbim
"We have sinned" — for in truth, 'we have sinned with our fathers,' for we took hold of the deeds of our fathers in our hands, and we sinned as they did. However, we added to the deeds of our fathers: they sinned out of desire or inadvertence, which is the definition of sin (chet), whereas we 'have done iniquitously' — out of the perversion of the intellect and heresy — 'and have dealt wickedly' — deliberately.
Our fathers in Egypt gave no heed to Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies; but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
verse value 3435
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·they·gave·heed" (לֹא־הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·they·gave·heed" (לֹא־הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ), "the·multitude·of" (אֶת־רֹ֣ב), "at·the·sea" (עַל־יָ֣ם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "Your·mercies" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "the·multitude·of" (root רב, 67x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·mercies', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲב֘וֹתֵ֤ינוּ [our·fathers] (475) + בְמִצְרַ֨יִם [in·Egypt] (382) + לֹא־הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ [not·they·gave·heed] (402) + נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֗יךָ [Your·wonders] (597) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + זָ֭כְרוּ [they·remembered] (233) + אֶת־רֹ֣ב [the·multitude·of] (603) + חֲסָדֶ֑יךָ [Your·mercies] (102) + וַיַּמְר֖וּ [and·they·rebelled] (262) + עַל־יָ֣ם [at·the·sea] (150) + בְּיַם־סֽוּף [in·the·Sea·of·Reeds] (198) = 3435.
Rashi
"and they were rebellious by the sea" — They had little faith; they said, “Just as we ascend from here, from this side, the Egyptians also are ascending from another side, and they will come after us,” until the Holy One, blessed be He, hinted to the sea, and it vomited them out onto the dry land. Then (Exod. 14:30) “Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.” Therefore (ibid. verse 31) “they believed in the Lord,” but in the beginning, they did not believe. I found this.
Ibn Ezra
‘Our fathers’ — ‘did not understand Your wonders’ — the signs and wonders that You performed in Egypt. ‘the multitude of Your mercies’ — with Israel: in the plague of swarms, and pestilence, and hail, and darkness, and the plague of the firstborn. ‘but were rebellious at the sea’ — for they said, ‘Is not this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt?’ — or they refused to cross the sea.
Radak
"Our fathers" — when they went out of Egypt. "Gave no heed to Your wonders" — that You did in Egypt; "and did not remember the multitude of Your mercies" — for the mercies and wonders that You did for them when You brought them out of the house of bondage with a strong hand, and with the plagues that You brought upon the Egyptians, You made a distinction between them and the Egyptians — for the plague was sent throughout the whole land, yet they were set apart from it. And after they went out, when the Egyptians pursued them, they said, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt..." "Gave no heed and did not remember" — for the One who did the wonders for them in Egypt would surely save them from the hand of the Egyptians pursuing them; instead they rebelled against God, blessed be He, and thought that He would not be able to save them — this is [the meaning of] "but were rebellious at the sea, at the Red Sea."
Metzudat David
"In Egypt" — [meaning] when they went out of Egypt. "They gave no heed" — they did not set their heart to understand the wonders that You did in Egypt. "At the Sea of Reeds" — while they were still at the Sea of Reeds, they rebelled against Hashem and said: just as we are coming up on this side, so too are the Egyptians coming up on the other side, and they will pursue us.
Metzudat Zion
“But were rebellious” — they rebelled and refused.
Malbim
"Our fathers" — He explains the sin of their fathers, that even while they were still in Egypt they sinned. Now there they had the opportunity to grasp the greatness of Hashem and His power from the wonders He performed before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of all Egypt, and to serve Him out of awe of His majesty; but they 'gave no heed to Your wonders' — they had doubts about them and did not have complete faith, for they thought they had been done by stealth and trickery. And in any case they should have remembered the mercies of Hashem and served Him out of recognition of the good and fear of reward and punishment, but they 'did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,' as it says in Ezekiel 8, 'And I said to them, Let every man cast away the detestable things of his eyes, and they were not willing to listen' — until, therefore, 'but were rebellious at the sea, even at the Sea of Reeds,' for they had doubts about His power and denied His goodness, as it says, 'Is not this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' And it adds 'at the Sea of Reeds,' [to indicate] that even within the sea itself they rebelled, according to the tradition of our Sages that the idol of Micah crossed with them through the sea.
Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known.
verse value 2121
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "His·name" (שְׁמ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "His·might" (אֶת־גְּבוּרָתֽוֹ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "His·might" (אֶת־גְּבוּרָתֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·name" (root שם, 119x in Psalms); "to·make·known" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms); "and·He·saved·them" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽ֭יּוֹשִׁיעֵם [and·He·saved·them] (442) + לְמַ֣עַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + שְׁמ֑וֹ [His·name] (346) + לְ֝הוֹדִ֗יעַ [to·make·known] (125) + אֶת־גְּבוּרָתֽוֹ [His·might] (1018) = 2121.
Ibn Ezra
'And He saved them' — because His name was called upon them: 'the God of the Hebrews.'
Radak
"Nevertheless He saved them" — He saved them from the Egyptians who were pursuing them. "For His name's sake" — that is, even though they rebelled against God and diminished their trust in Him, He acted for His name's sake, that it be known among the nations. "That He might make His mighty power to be known" — as He said, "And I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen."
Metzudat David
"For His name's sake" — so that it not be profaned, lest they say, "It was for lack of ability," etc.
Malbim
"And He saved them" — Nevertheless He saved them for two reasons. First, 'for His name's sake' — so that there would be no desecration of the Name, as it says in Ezekiel 20, 'and I acted for My name's sake, that it not be profaned.' Second, 'that He might make His mighty power known' — so that they themselves would thereby come to recognize His mighty power.
And He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up; and He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.
verse value 1954
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·He·rebuked" (וַיִּגְעַ֣ר, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·He·led·them" (וַיּוֹלִיכֵ֥ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·He·rebuked" (וַיִּגְעַ֣ר), "and·it·dried·up" (וַֽיֶּחֱרָ֑ב), "and·He·led·them" (וַיּוֹלִיכֵ֥ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·He·led·them" (root הלך, 68x in Psalms); "and·it·dried·up" (root חרב, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·it·dried·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְעַ֣ר [and·He·rebuked] (289) + בְּיַם־ס֭וּף [at·the·Sea·of·Reeds] (198) + וַֽיֶּחֱרָ֑ב [and·it·dried·up] (226) + וַיּוֹלִיכֵ֥ם [and·He·led·them] (122) + בַּ֝תְּהֹמ֗וֹת [in·the·depths] (853) + כַּמִּדְבָּֽר [like·the·wilderness] (266) = 1954.
Rashi
"and He led them in the depths in the desert" — The Sea of Reeds was in the desert, for it is written (Exod. 14:13): “the desert has closed upon them, etc.”; (Exod. 3:18): “three days’ journey in the desert.”
Ibn Ezra
'And He rebuked' — he likened the east wind to a rebuke. 'In the depths' — low-lying places. 'As through a wilderness' — where there was no water, for the waters stood for them like a wall.
Radak
"And He rebuked" — the rebuke is the wind by which He drove back the sea until He turned it into dry land. "And He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness" — He led Israel through the depths on dry land, just as if they were walking through a wilderness.
Metzudat David
"Through the depths" — in the depth of the sea; He led them on dry land, as in a desert place without water.
Metzudat Zion
“And it was dried up” — a term for dryness.
Malbim
"And He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it was dried up" — and more than this, 'and He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness' — and this is as I explained in my commentary on the Torah, that further miracles were performed: that the floor of the deep became dry like firm ground, and that the floor of the sea rose upward so that it became a level road — for in the depth of the sea there is a great chasm, such that it is impossible to go down there and come up from there. So it says that He led them as through a wilderness, as it says (Isaiah 63:13), 'that led them through the depths, as a horse in the wilderness' — see what is written there.
And He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
verse value 1016
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "from·the·hand·of" (מִיַּ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·He·saved·them" (וַֽ֭יּוֹשִׁיעֵם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 54: from·the·hand·of, from·the·hand·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·He·redeemed·them" (וַ֝יִּגְאָלֵ֗ם). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·hand·of" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "and·He·saved·them" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "enemy" (root איב, 71x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·one·who·hated', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַֽ֭יּוֹשִׁיעֵם [and·He·saved·them] (442) + מִיַּ֣ד [from·the·hand·of] (54) + שׂוֹנֵ֑א [the·one·who·hated] (357) + וַ֝יִּגְאָלֵ֗ם [and·He·redeemed·them] (90) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·the·hand·of] (54) + אוֹיֵֽב [enemy] (19) = 1016.
Ibn Ezra
'And He saved them,' 'the one who hated them' — that is Pharaoh.
Metzudat David
"And He saved them" — through this He saved them from the hand of Egypt.
Malbim
"And He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them" — and it adds, 'and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy' — for the hostility of the 'enemy' is more openly displayed than that of the one who 'hates,' and he actively seeks his harm. It also adds that He not only saved them for the moment, but also redeemed them from his domain forever — that is, in that He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
And the waters covered their adversaries; There was not one of them left.
verse value 1322
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֥ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·covered·waters" (וַיְכַסּוּ־מַ֥יִם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·covered·waters" (וַיְכַסּוּ־מַ֥יִם), "remained" (נוֹתָֽר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "from·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "their·adversaries" (root צר, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·adversaries', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְכַסּוּ־מַ֥יִם [and·covered·waters] (192) + צָרֵיהֶ֑ם [their·adversaries] (345) + אֶחָ֥ד [one] (13) + מֵ֝הֶ֗ם [from·them] (85) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + נוֹתָֽר [remained] (656) = 1322.
Ibn Ezra
'And the waters covered... their adversaries' — Pharaoh and his army; and so it is written: 'and He shook off Pharaoh and his army.'
Malbim
"And the waters covered their adversaries" — and the 'adversaries,' who are greater [in hostility] than the 'enemy,' for the adversary makes war and actually causes distress, and these are the Egyptians who pursued after them — the waters covered them, until 'there was not one of them left.'
Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.
verse value 1714
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "they·sang" (יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·they·believed" (וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·believed" (וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ), "in·His·words" (בִדְבָרָ֑יו), "they·sang" (יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·His·words" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "they·sang" (root שיר, 68x in Psalms); "His·praise" (root תהלה, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·His·words', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ [and·they·believed] (123) + בִדְבָרָ֑יו [in·His·words] (224) + יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ [they·sang] (526) + תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ [His·praise] (841) = 1714.
Ibn Ezra
'Then they believed' — in Hashem. 'They sang' — as in: 'Then Moses sang.'
Metzudat David
"Then they believed" — then they believed in the word of Hashem, and they sang the Song of the Sea when they saw Egypt dead on the shore of the sea.
Malbim
"Then they believed" — and then 'they believed His words,' as it says, 'and they believed in Hashem'; 'they sang His praise,' as it says, 'Then Moses and the children of Israel sang.'
They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel;
verse value 1672
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "they·hastened" (מִ֭הֲרוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "His·works" (מַעֲשָׂ֑יו, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·they·waited" (לֹא־חִ֝כּ֗וּ), "for·His·counsel" (לַעֲצָתֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·works" (root מעשה, 39x in Psalms); "they·forgot" (root שכח, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·works', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִ֭הֲרוּ [they·hastened] (251) + שָׁכְח֣וּ [they·forgot] (334) + מַעֲשָׂ֑יו [His·works] (426) + לֹא־חִ֝כּ֗וּ [not·they·waited] (65) + לַעֲצָתֽוֹ [for·His·counsel] (596) = 1672.
Rashi
"they did not await His counsel" — They did not hope for Him.
Ibn Ezra
'They soon' — the meaning is: they did not wait, for Hashem's counsel was good for them, that they should not eat meat out of craving.
Radak
"They soon forgot" — after the three days that they journeyed from the Red Sea and came to Marah, and the people walked on, they had already forgotten all the wonders He had done for them. Had they remembered His deeds, they would not have thought in their hearts that He had not done all these wonders for them, and had not brought them through the sea, only in order to kill them with thirst. They should have waited and looked to see what God, blessed be He, would do for them, as He had done for them until that day; but they did not wait for His counsel, and they murmured. Yet His counsel was good for them, and He performed a great wonder for them with the waters that were bitter, and He sweetened them.
Metzudat David
"They soon" — in a short time they forgot the work of Hashem and complained at Marah about the bitterness of the water. "They did not wait" — they did not wait until they would hear what the counsel of Hashem was, [namely] that He would in truth sweeten the water for them.
Metzudat Zion
“Wait” — a term for waiting, as in “therefore wait for Me” (Zephaniah 3:8).
Malbim
"They soon forgot His works" — for they forgot His works quickly; 'they did not wait for His counsel' — and this has already been explained in Psalm 78: that at first He gave them quail and manna, and when they came to Rephidim the quail ceased and He gave them water; and on account of this they thought that Hashem did not have the power to give three things together, and that once He had given bread and water, it was impossible that He would also give them meat. And on this was the complaint at Kivrot HaTaavah (the Graves of Craving) — that they did not believe in the power of Hashem, and this is what is meant by 'they soon forgot His works.' And in truth, the reason He did not give them meat continually like bread is explained in what is written, 'and He afflicted you, and made you hungry, and fed you the manna, in order to afflict you' — that He did not give them meat, in order to afflict them and to know what was in their heart, and this was by the counsel of Hashem, to subdue their materiality and their desire. But they did not wait for this counsel of His, and instead 'craved a craving in the wilderness' — the opposite of what Hashem's intent was, that they should not crave a craving; 'and tested God in the desolate place' — this is what they tested, whether He could also give meat, as I explained there, and this was a doubting of the power of Hashem.
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tried God in the desert.
verse value 1670
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "desire" (תַ֭אֲוָה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·tested·God" (וַיְנַסּוּ־אֵ֝֗ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·lusted" (וַיִּתְאַוּ֣וּ), "desire" (תַ֭אֲוָה). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְאַוּ֣וּ [and·they·lusted] (429) + תַ֭אֲוָה [desire] (412) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + וַיְנַסּוּ־אֵ֝֗ל [and·they·tested·God] (163) + בִּישִׁימֽוֹן [in·the·desert] (418) = 1670.
Rashi
"They craved a lust" — (Num. 11:4) “Who will give us meat to eat?”
Ibn Ezra
'But they lusted exceedingly'... 'and tried God' — because they were in a desolate land, [wondering] from where the meat would come.
Radak
"But lusted exceedingly" — and this was a test [to see] whether He could give meat in the wilderness and in the desert.
Metzudat David
"But lusted a lust" — this refers to what they said, "Who will feed us meat?" "And tried" — [tested] whether He could fulfill their request.
And He gave them their request; But sent leanness into their soul.
verse value 2401
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 2401 = 49². The shortest word is "to·them" (לָ֭הֶם, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·request" (שֶׁאֱלָתָ֑ם, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·request" (שֶׁאֱלָתָ֑ם), "leanness" (רָז֣וֹן), "into·their·soul" (בְּנַפְשָֽׁם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "into·their·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "and·He·gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·request', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֣ן [and·He·gave] (466) + לָ֭הֶם [to·them] (75) + שֶׁאֱלָתָ֑ם [their·request] (771) + וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח [and·He·sent] (354) + רָז֣וֹן [leanness] (263) + בְּנַפְשָֽׁם [into·their·soul] (472) = 2401.
Rashi
"but He sent emaciation into their soul" — (Num. 11:33) “and the Lord’s wrath was kindled against the people.”
Ibn Ezra
'And He gave them'... 'leanness' — the death of those who craved.
Radak
"Leanness into their soul" — its meaning is the death of those who craved; and he used the term "leanness" because they thought to satisfy their craving soul and fatten it, and the matter turned out for them the opposite [of what they intended].
Metzudat David
"And He gave..." — He brought down the quail for them. "But sent leanness" — they did not become fat from eating the quail; on the contrary, they became even more lean and emaciated, and this refers to all the punishment that came upon them because of this.
Metzudat Zion
“Leanness” — from the term for feebleness and emaciation.
Malbim
"And He gave" — In that they craved a craving, "He gave them their request"; and in that they tested [Him], "He sent leanness into their soul." This is what I explained in Psalm 78: that if they wanted meat only out of craving, they would have separated from it immediately once they achieved their craving. But because there was in this denial and heresy, not craving alone — as it says, "and they tested God in the desert" — meaning it was not because of craving but only to test Hashem's power and capability — therefore they did not repent, and so they died at Kivrot HaTaavah (the Graves of Craving), and "He sent leanness into their soul."
They were jealous also of Moses in the camp, And of Aaron the holy one of Hashem.
verse value 1375
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "of·Moses" (לְ֭מֹשֶׁה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·were·jealous" (וַיְקַנְא֣וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·were·jealous" (וַיְקַנְא֣וּ), "in·the·camp" (בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה), "of·Aaron" (לְ֝אַהֲרֹ֗ן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְקַנְא֣וּ [and·they·were·jealous] (173) + לְ֭מֹשֶׁה [of·Moses] (375) + בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה [in·the·camp] (105) + לְ֝אַהֲרֹ֗ן [of·Aaron] (286) + קְד֣וֹשׁ [the·holy·one·of] (410) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1375.
Rashi
"They angered Moses" — Heb. ויקנאו. In the desert they angered him, like (Deut. 32:21): “They angered Me (קנאוני) with a no-god.” I found this.
Ibn Ezra
'And they were jealous' — this is what they said to Moses: 'that you make yourself a prince over us.' 'Of Aaron' — because of the Levites: 'In the morning Hashem will make known who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Him' — therefore they called him 'the holy one of Hashem.'
Radak
"They were jealous also of Moses" (le-Moshe) — like "against Moses" (be-Moshe); for when "jealousy" is joined with the letter lamed it is used for good, but with the letter bet it is used for evil. Likewise, the lamed of "and of Aaron" stands in place of a bet. And this jealousy refers to the dispute of Korah, and he attributes it to all of Israel, because they did not protest against them; and also among them were men from the descendants of Reuben, and men from the children of Israel — two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation. And the meaning of "the holy one of Hashem" — for so they themselves said, that the whole congregation, all of them, were holy; and Moses said, "whom Hashem will choose, he is the holy one" — and behold, Aaron is "the holy one of Hashem."
Metzudat David
"They were jealous" — they angered Moses in the camp publicly, in great publicity — these were Korah and his congregation, who were jealous of Moses and Aaron.
Metzudat Zion
“Were jealous” — a term for anger, as in “they have provoked Me to jealousy” (Deuteronomy 32).
Malbim
(16-17) "And they were jealous" — According to the order stated here, it is evident, following the view of those who hold that the dispute of Korah preceded the incident of the spies, [and came] after the incident at Kivrot HaTaavah. (And according to the opinion that it was after the incident of the spies, one must say that [the psalm] reckons according to the severity of the sin and its punishment, and therefore it juxtaposes the [golden] calf and the spies together after the incident of Korah, because their sin was all the greater.) Now in the assembly of Korah there were two factions: Dathan and Abiram, and the two hundred fifty heads of the Sanhedrins, who were opposing the seventy elders whom Moses had chosen — because they [Korah's company] were "summoned to the assembly, men of renown," and it angered them that the spirit did not rest upon them. And so it says, "And they were jealous of Moses in the camp" — that they were jealous on account of Moses, of what he did in the camp, as it is written, "And Moses gathered to the camp, he and the elders of Israel." And Korah was disputing against the Sanhedrin of twenty-three, in opposition to Aaron, and so it says, "and of Aaron, the holy one of Hashem." And there were three kinds of punishment among them: Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up, and so it says, "the earth opened"; and Dathan was swallowed alone, while Abiram had a congregation of sons and daughters numbering ten, and so it says, "and covered the congregation of Abiram."
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram.
verse value 3454
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "Dathan" (דָּתָ֑ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "opened·earth" (תִּפְתַּח־אֶ֭רֶץ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "opened·earth" (תִּפְתַּח־אֶ֭רֶץ), "and·swallowed" (וַתִּבְלַ֣ע), "Dathan" (דָּתָ֑ן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·the·company·of" (root עדה, 27x in Psalms); "opened·earth" (root פתח, 20x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Dathan', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תִּפְתַּח־אֶ֭רֶץ [opened·earth] (1179) + וַתִּבְלַ֣ע [and·swallowed] (508) + דָּתָ֑ן [Dathan] (454) + וַ֝תְּכַ֗ס [and·covered] (486) + עַל־עֲדַ֥ת [over·the·company·of] (574) + אֲבִירָֽם [Abiram] (253) = 3454.
Rashi
"The earth opened up, etc." — It appears that [the Psalmist] bestowed honor upon the sons of Korah [by refraining] from mentioning their father. He attributed the sin to Dathan and Abiram.
Ibn Ezra
'It opened' — [is expressed] in the manner of the present tense. 'The company of Abiram' — they, their wives, their little ones, and the men who belonged to Korah.
Radak
"Opened" (tiftach) — future tense in place of past. And he did not mention Korah, because it is known that he was the head of the dispute; or [alternatively,] he mentioned the helpers, because the helpers of a wicked man are [themselves counted as] wicked, since if he could not find helpers he would not carry out his wickedness. And On the son of Peleth helped at the beginning of the dispute, but afterward relented and withdrew in silence from the dispute.
And a fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.
verse value 2601
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 2601 = 51². The shortest word is "flame" (לֶ֝הָבָ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·burned·fire" (וַתִּבְעַר־אֵ֥שׁ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·burned·fire" (וַתִּבְעַר־אֵ֥שׁ), "in·their·company" (בַּעֲדָתָ֑ם), "flame" (לֶ֝הָבָ֗ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms); "in·their·company" (root עדה, 27x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·company', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתִּבְעַר־אֵ֥שׁ [and·burned·fire] (979) + בַּעֲדָתָ֑ם [in·their·company] (516) + לֶ֝הָבָ֗ה [flame] (42) + תְּלַהֵ֥ט [burned·up] (444) + רְשָׁעִֽים [wicked] (620) = 2601.
Rashi
"And fire burned" — (Num. 16:35) “and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who burnt the incense. “
Ibn Ezra
'And a fire was kindled' [against] 'Korah and his company' — and this was the harshest of all these [punishments].
Radak
"And a fire was kindled" — among the two hundred and fifty of the children of Israel. "The flame burned up" — the verse repeats the matter in different words.
Metzudat David
"In their company" — they are the two hundred and fifty men who offered the incense. "The flame..." — the matter is repeated in what is written [next].
Metzudat Zion
“Burned up” — a term for a flame.
Malbim
"And it burned" — The second punishment was the fire that burned the two hundred fifty men, and so it says, "and a fire burned in their assembly." And afterward the plague began, which is the third punishment, and so it says, "the flame set the wicked ablaze" — as if a flame separated from the fire and blazed from afar, which is the plague. And Korah is not included [in this count], for he was judged with both being swallowed up and burned, according to the words of our Sages.
They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped a molten image.
verse value 1592
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "in·Horeb" (בְּחֹרֵ֑ב, 4 letters) and the longest is "they·made·a·calf" (יַעֲשׂוּ־עֵ֥גֶל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "they·made·a·calf" (יַעֲשׂוּ־עֵ֥גֶל), "to·a·molten·image" (לְמַסֵּכָֽה). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·made·a·calf" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms); "in·Horeb" (root חרב, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Horeb', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: יַעֲשׂוּ־עֵ֥גֶל [they·made·a·calf] (489) + בְּחֹרֵ֑ב [in·Horeb] (212) + וַ֝יִּשְׁתַּחֲו֗וּ [and·they·bowed·down] (736) + לְמַסֵּכָֽה [to·a·molten·image] (155) = 1592.
Ibn Ezra
'They made' — the meaning of 'in Horeb' is: in the place where they heard the voice of Hashem.
Radak
"They made" (ya'asu) — future tense in place of past. And behold, they made a calf at Horeb, the very place where they received the Torah, where their own ears heard the Ten Commandments, and it was said to them, "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness."
Metzudat David
"At Horeb" — in the place where they received the Torah.
Metzudat Zion
“A molten image” — something cast from molten metal, as in “molten gods” (Exodus 34).
Malbim
(19-20) "They made a calf" — The [incident of the golden] calf actually happened earlier but is placed later [in the order of the psalm] in order to magnify the sin of Korah. For their [Korah's] dispute against Moses was in saying that there was no need for an intermediary between them and Hashem, as it is written, "For all the congregation are holy, all of them, and Hashem is in their midst." And this was the opposite of what they had said earlier — that when Moses delayed, they made the calf, because they said they needed an intermediary between them and Hashem; and since Moses, who had been the intermediary between them, did not come, they made themselves a god that would go before them. And then they exchanged their glory — that is, the guidance of Moses, which corresponded to the right side, the face of a man — for the form of an ox. Now the matter of idol worship was that they thought Hashem had handed over the governance [of the world] to the [heavenly] system and the forces of nature, and accordingly they sought stratagems to elicit favor from the forces of nature, just as they had learned this from the Egyptians. And so it says, "they forgot God their savior" — Him whom they had seen govern them through Hashem, who is the cause of all causes — from what "He did great things in Egypt," for "great" indicates that He is the cause of all things, and this He showed in Egypt, as it says, "By this you shall know that I am Hashem."
Thus they exchanged their glory For the likeness of an ox that eats grass.
verse value 2538
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 2538 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "ox" (שׁ֝֗וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·glory" (אֶת־כְּבוֹדָ֑ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·exchanged" (וַיָּמִ֥ירוּ), "their·glory" (אֶת־כְּבוֹדָ֑ם), "for·the·likeness·of" (בְּתַבְנִ֥ית). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·glory" (root כבוד, 52x in Psalms); "eating" (root אכל, 35x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·glory', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּמִ֥ירוּ [and·they·exchanged] (272) + אֶת־כְּבוֹדָ֑ם [their·glory] (473) + בְּתַבְנִ֥ית [for·the·likeness·of] (864) + שׁ֝֗וֹר [ox] (506) + אֹכֵ֥ל [eating] (51) + עֵֽשֶׂב [herb] (372) = 2538.
Rashi
"eating grass" — There is nothing as disgusting and repugnant as an ox. When it eats grass, it emits much dung, with which it sullies itself. Other books read: its saliva.
Ibn Ezra
'Thus they exchanged their glory' — 'their glory' is a euphemism for the glory of Hashem, in the manner of 'for he has utterly spurned' — and this euphemism, used with regard to King David, was employed out of propriety, and it did not say of him directly: 'for he has spurned Hashem's [glory]' — [so that] they would mock them. And the meaning of 'one who eats grass' — [is used] in a manner of scorn and disgrace.
Radak
"Thus they exchanged" — God, blessed be He, whose glory they had seen on Mount Sinai, for [the likeness of] an ox that eats grass — he speaks of the ox itself, not of its mere form.
Metzudat David
"Thus they exchanged" — they exchanged the glory of the Omnipresent for the likeness of an ox. "Their glory" — [meaning] the glory of the Omnipresent, but Scripture euphemistically wrote it [as "their glory"]. "That eats grass" — it mentions this to its discredit, that it soils the grass with its saliva and [then] eats it.
Metzudat Zion
"Exchanged" — from the language of substitution and exchange.
They forgot God their savior, Who had done great things in Egypt;
verse value 2031
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·savior" (מוֹשִׁיעָ֑ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·savior" (מוֹשִׁיעָ֑ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "Who·did" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms); "their·savior" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·savior', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שָׁ֭כְחוּ [they·forgot] (334) + אֵ֣ל [God] (31) + מוֹשִׁיעָ֑ם [their·savior] (466) + עֹשֶׂ֖ה [Who·did] (375) + גְדֹל֣וֹת [great·things] (443) + בְּמִצְרָֽיִם [in·Egypt] (382) = 2031.
Ibn Ezra
'They forgot their savior' — at the Sea of Reeds, because the time was close to their leaving Egypt; therefore [it continues]: 'wondrous works in the land of Ham.'
Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Terrible things by the Red Sea.
verse value 1867
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "Ham" (חָ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "by·the·Sea·of·Reeds" (עַל־יַם־סֽוּף, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "by·the·Sea·of·Reeds" (עַל־יַם־סֽוּף). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "terrible·things" (root ירא, 77x in Psalms); "wondrous·works" (root פלא, 38x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ham', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: נִ֭פְלָאוֹת [wondrous·works] (567) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·the·land·of] (293) + חָ֑ם [Ham] (48) + נ֝וֹרָא֗וֹת [terrible·things] (663) + עַל־יַם־סֽוּף [by·the·Sea·of·Reeds] (296) = 1867.
Ibn Ezra
['They forgot their savior — at the Sea of Reeds, because the time was close to their leaving Egypt; therefore] — wondrous works in the land of Ham.
Radak
"Ham" — he is the father of Egypt, and he is mentioned here to [Egypt's] discredit; and the matter is repeated in different words. And furthermore, He did for them "terrible things by the Red Sea" — he calls the wondrous deeds and the overturning of nature "terrible things" (nora'ot), because through them God, blessed be He, becomes feared (nora) by mankind, and on their account people fear Him and acknowledge that He is Lord of all, who overturns the natural order by His will.
Malbim
"Wondrous works" — And so He showed them that He overturns nature and performs wondrous works, and this extended throughout the whole land of Ham, for the plagues spread throughout everything within the border of Egypt. And He also showed "terrible things at the Sea of Reeds," where they feared before Him, as it says, "and the people feared Hashem." And this corresponds to [the description] "the great, the mighty, and the terrible [God]" — "great things, wondrous works, terrible things" — where "the terrible" indicates that He alone directs particular providence, and there is none besides Him. And there were three things in Egypt that He showed them: first, "by this you shall know that I am Hashem" — and this is "great things"; second, "that I, Hashem, am in the midst of the land" — and this is "wondrous works"; third, "that there is none like Me in all the earth" — and this is "terrible things." As I have written in my commentary on the Torah.
Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, To turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy them.
verse value 3559
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹ֘שֶׁ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·destroy·them" (לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·destroy·them" (לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם), "His·chosen" (בְחִיר֗וֹ), "in·the·breach" (בַּפֶּ֣רֶץ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·Him" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "and·He·said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "to·turn·back" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·He·said] (257) + לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם [to·destroy·them] (429) + לוּלֵ֡י [unless] (76) + מֹ֘שֶׁ֤ה [Moses] (345) + בְחִיר֗וֹ [His·chosen] (226) + עָמַ֣ד [stood] (114) + בַּפֶּ֣רֶץ [in·the·breach] (372) + לְפָנָ֑יו [before·Him] (176) + לְהָשִׁ֥יב [to·turn·back] (347) + חֲ֝מָת֗וֹ [His·wrath] (454) + מֵהַשְׁחִֽית [from·destroying] (763) = 3559.
Ibn Ezra
'And He said' — this is [referring to]: 'Let Me alone.'
Radak
"In the breach" — in that very breach that Hashem broke open, Moses stood before God, blessed be He, and repaired it.
Metzudat David
"Therefore He said" — Hashem intended to destroy them. "Had not Moses..." — had Moses not stood in the breach, etc. Scripture uses the metaphor of one standing in the gap of a broken fence so as not to allow [anyone] to pass through it; meaning, through his prayer he nullified the wrath, and had it not been for him, He would have destroyed them.
Malbim
"And He said He would destroy them" — Then destruction was decreed upon them. And it may be explained to mean, "and He said He would destroy them, were it not for Moses" — that is, He said that were it not for Moses, He would destroy them, as it says, "Let Me alone, that I may destroy them," from which Moses knew that the matter depended on him. And therefore, "he stood in the breach before Him, to turn back His wrath" — for although the [divine] anger had already gone forth and they died in the plague, the anger was not mingled with inner wrath (for this is the difference between "anger" [af] and "wrath" [cheimah]: [what had gone forth] was only external anger), not the inner wrath that destroys.
Moreover, they scorned the desirable land, They did not believe His word;
verse value 858
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 858 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·land·of" (בְּאֶ֣רֶץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "not·they·believed" (לֹא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·rejected" (וַֽ֭יִּמְאֲסוּ), "what·is·desirable" (חֶמְדָּ֑ה), "not·they·believed" (לֹא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "in·His·word" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "not·they·believed" (root אמן, 22x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'what·is·desirable', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽ֭יִּמְאֲסוּ [and·they·rejected] (123) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·the·land·of] (293) + חֶמְדָּ֑ה [what·is·desirable] (57) + לֹא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ [not·they·believed] (143) + לִדְבָרֽוֹ [in·His·word] (242) = 858.
Rashi
"They rejected the desirable land" — when the spies were sent out, and they brought calumny on the land (Num. 13:32).
Ibn Ezra
'And they despised' — when they journeyed from Horeb, and it was said to them, 'Go up, take possession,' but they did not believe.
Metzudat David
"They scorned" — through the complaints of the spies. "His word" — which He had promised, that they would inherit it.
Malbim
"And they scorned" — Now he mentions the sin of the spies, and there were two aspects to it. First, as it is written (Deuteronomy 1:25), "and they said, 'The land is good,' yet you were not willing to go up, and you rebelled against the word of Hashem" — that is, they said that the land was bad and devoured its inhabitants. And so it says, "and they scorned the desirable land, and did not believe His word" — that He had said it was a good land.
And they murmured in their tents, They did not hearken to the voice of Hashem.
verse value 979
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·their·tents" (בְאׇהֳלֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·murmured" (וַיֵּרָגְנ֥וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "hearkened" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·tents', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּרָגְנ֥וּ [and·murmured] (275) + בְאׇהֳלֵיהֶ֑ם [in·their·tents] (93) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ [hearkened] (416) + בְּק֣וֹל [to·the·voice·of] (138) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 979.
Ibn Ezra
'And they murmured' — like the deed of a grumbler (nirgan).
Metzudat David
"They did not hearken" — they did not believe the voice of His word.
Metzudat Zion
"Murmured" — an expression of complaint and grumbling, as in "the words of a murmurer" (Proverbs 18).
Malbim
"And they murmured" — This is the second [aspect], from what is stated there: "and you murmured in your tents, and said, 'Because Hashem hated us, He brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us,'" and "I said to you, 'Do not be terrified.'" And so it says, "and they murmured in their tents, and did not hearken to the voice of Hashem" — for they said this was due to [Hashem's] inability [to bring them into the land].
Therefore He swore concerning them, That He would overthrow them in the wilderness;
verse value 1262
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "His·hand" (יָד֣וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·overthrow" (לְהַפִּ֥יל, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·He·lifted" (וַיִּשָּׂ֣א). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "and·He·lifted" (root נשא, 52x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֣א [and·He·lifted] (317) + יָד֣וֹ [His·hand] (20) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + לְהַפִּ֥יל [to·overthrow] (155) + א֝וֹתָ֗ם [them] (447) + בַּמִּדְבָּֽר [in·the·wilderness] (248) = 1262.
Rashi
"He raised His hand" — with an oath.
Ibn Ezra
'Therefore He swore' — [lit. 'lifted'] an oath, in the manner of people, who lift their hand toward the heavens.
Radak
"Therefore He swore" (vayisa) — He swore. And the meaning of "concerning them" (lahem) — on their account. "That He would overthrow them" — all who murmured.
Metzudat David
"Therefore He swore" [lit. "And He raised His hand"] — He raised His hand in an oath concerning them, to cast them down, etc.
Malbim
"And He lifted up His hand to them" — Corresponding to the two sins, He swore to punish them with two punishments. First, "to cause them to fall in the wilderness" — that they themselves would not come into the desirable land that they had scorned.
And that He would cast out their seed among the nations, And scatter them in the lands.
verse value 1927
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "their·seed" (זַ֭רְעָם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·scatter·them" (וּ֝לְזָרוֹתָ֗ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·to·overthrow" (וּלְהַפִּ֣יל), "their·seed" (זַ֭רְעָם), "and·to·scatter·them" (וּ֝לְזָרוֹתָ֗ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·lands" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "in·the·nations" (root גוי, 59x in Psalms); "and·to·overthrow" (root נפל, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּלְהַפִּ֣יל [and·to·overthrow] (161) + זַ֭רְעָם [their·seed] (317) + בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם [in·the·nations] (61) + וּ֝לְזָרוֹתָ֗ם [and·to·scatter·them] (689) + בָּאֲרָצֽוֹת [in·the·lands] (699) = 1927.
Rashi
"And to cast their seed among the nations" — From that time, the destruction of the Temple was decreed upon them, for on the night of the ninth of Ab they went, and the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “They wept for nothing, and I shall establish for them weeping for generations.”
Ibn Ezra
'And to cast down' — if they were rebellious like them, as is written in the second covenant that Moses made with the Children of Israel.
Radak
"And that He would cast out" — this we do not find stated explicitly in the Torah, that He said [there] that He would cast out their seed among the nations and scatter them in the lands; and likewise it is said in Ezekiel, "Also I lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries." And it seems to me that this refers to what is stated: "then the Amalekite and the Canaanite who dwelt on that hill came down and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah"; and likewise what is stated: "And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard... and took some of them captive" — this is [the meaning of] "and scatter them in the lands."
Metzudat David
"And that He would cast out..." — for then the exile was decreed upon them, and weeping was established for [all] generations. "In the lands" — meaning, in the lands of the nations.
Metzudat Zion
"Scatter them" — to disperse them, as in "you shall scatter them to the wind" (Ezekiel 5).
Malbim
Second, "to cast down their seed among the nations" — for through this, exile and subjugation were decreed for the generations to come, as is also explained in Ezekiel 20:23, and as our Sages said, "You wept a weeping for nothing." "And they joined themselves" — It is written: "And Israel dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to whore after the daughters of Moab; and they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods... and Israel joined himself to Baal Peor." He [the psalmist] relates that their joining themselves to Baal Peor was not for its own sake nor out of heresy, but rather that they came to it through lustful desire for the daughters of Moab; and through this, [the daughters of Moab] called them to the sacrifices of their gods, and through this they joined themselves to Baal Peor. And since the root cause was the desire for licentiousness, therefore when Phinehas killed Zimri, the fierce anger of Hashem turned away from Israel. And here [the psalm] relates [the events] from the later to the earlier: "and they joined themselves to Baal Peor" — this came about through their eating sacrifices of the dead; and this came about through (29-31) "they angered Him with their deeds" — that they whored after the daughters of Moab. And this brought about everything, and through this a plague broke out among them. And therefore, when Phinehas arose, interceded, and executed judgment against Zimri, the plague was stopped, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, as it is written, "and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood."
They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
verse value 1234
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "to·Baal" (לְבַ֣עַל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·joined·themselves" (וַ֭יִּצָּ֣מְדוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·joined·themselves" (וַ֭יִּצָּ֣מְדוּ), "to·Baal" (לְבַ֣עַל), "Peor" (פְּע֑וֹר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·ate" (root אכל, 35x in Psalms); "the·dead" (root מות, 33x in Psalms); "sacrifices·of" (root זבח, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Peor', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּצָּ֣מְדוּ [and·joined·themselves] (156) + לְבַ֣עַל [to·Baal] (132) + פְּע֑וֹר [Peor] (356) + וַ֝יֹּאכְל֗וּ [and·ate] (73) + זִבְחֵ֥י [sacrifices·of] (27) + מֵתִֽים [the·dead] (490) = 1234.
Ibn Ezra
'And they joined themselves' — from the root of 'tzamid' [a bracelet/joining], on account of the women. 'Sacrifices of the dead' — [that is] sacrifices to their gods.
Radak
"They joined themselves" — as it is written, "And Israel joined himself to Baal-peor." "And ate the sacrifices of the dead" — their gods are "the dead."
Metzudat David
"They joined themselves" — they attached themselves to Baal Peor and ate sacrifices of idol worship, which is something with no life in it, like a dead thing.
Metzudat Zion
"Joined themselves" — an expression of attachment and joining, as in "a cover fastened down" (Numbers 9).
Thus they provoked Him with their doings, And the plague broke in upon them.
verse value 1355
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "plague" (מַגֵּפָֽה, 4 letters) and the longest is "with·their·deeds" (בְּמַ֥עַלְלֵיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·provoked" (וַ֭יַּכְעִיסוּ), "and·broke·in·upon·them" (וַתִּפְרׇץ־בָּ֝֗ם), "plague" (מַגֵּפָֽה). 4 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·deeds', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יַּכְעִיסוּ [and·provoked] (182) + בְּמַ֥עַלְלֵיהֶ֑ם [with·their·deeds] (227) + וַתִּפְרׇץ־בָּ֝֗ם [and·broke·in·upon·them] (818) + מַגֵּפָֽה [plague] (128) = 1355.
Ibn Ezra
'Thus they provoked Him'... 'and the plague broke out' — for half the tribe of Simeon died, and the proof is in its number and its prince, for the women are mentioned elsewhere.
Radak
"Thus they provoked" — they provoked God with their doings, in that they joined themselves to Baal-peor, and fornicated with the women, and worshipped idols; therefore a plague broke out among them. And he says "broke in" — meaning a great plague.
Metzudat David
"And it broke out" — the plague grew strong among them, for many died.
Metzudat Zion
"Broke in" — an expression of strengthening, as in "what a breach you have made" (Genesis 38).
Then Phinehas stood up, and wrought judgment, And so the plague was stayed.
verse value 1393
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "Phinehas" (פִּֽ֭ינְחָס), "and·wrought·judgment" (וַיְפַלֵּ֑ל), "and·was·stayed" (וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·stood" (root עמד, 36x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·wrought·judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲמֹ֣ד [and·stood] (130) + פִּֽ֭ינְחָס [Phinehas] (208) + וַיְפַלֵּ֑ל [and·wrought·judgment] (156) + וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר [and·was·stayed] (766) + הַמַּגֵּפָֽה [the·plague] (133) = 1393.
Ibn Ezra
'Then he stood up'... 'and wrought judgment' — he executed judgment, like [the word 'pelili' in] 'a criminal iniquity.'
Radak
"Then he executed judgment" (vayefallel) — he executed judgment upon the fornicators. "Then he executed judgment" (vayefallel) — from the same root as "and he shall pay as the judges (pelilim) determine."
Metzudat David
"Then he stood up" — he rose up from amid the congregation and executed judgment against Zimri, and through this the plague was halted.
Metzudat Zion
"Wrought judgment" — an expression of judgment and justice, as in "he shall be fined as the judges determine" (Exodus 21). "Was stayed" — an expression of restraint.
And that was counted to him for righteousness, To all generations for ever.
verse value 1645
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֭וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֭וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "unto·forever" (עַד־עוֹלָֽם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·was·counted" (וַתֵּחָ֣שֶׁב), "for·righteousness" (לִצְדָקָ֑ה). The root דור appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "unto·forever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "to·generation" (root דור, 58x in Psalms); "for·righteousness" (root צדקה, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·righteousness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֵּחָ֣שֶׁב [and·was·counted] (716) + ל֭וֹ [to·him] (36) + לִצְדָקָ֑ה [for·righteousness] (229) + לְדֹ֥ר [to·generation] (234) + וָ֝דֹ֗ר [and·generation] (210) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [unto·forever] (220) = 1645.
Ibn Ezra
'And it was counted' — the meaning of 'for righteousness' is: 'and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood.'
Metzudat David
"And it was counted" — this judgment was counted to him as a merit and as righteousness, to be kept forever, for because of this he was made a priest, as it is written, "and it shall be... an eternal priesthood" (Numbers 25).
They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah, And it went ill with Moses because of them;
verse value 1690
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 1690 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "at·the·waters·of" (עַל־מֵ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·angered" (וַ֭יַּקְצִיפוּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·angered" (וַ֭יַּקְצִיפוּ), "and·it·went·ill" (וַיֵּ֥רַע), "because·of·them" (בַּעֲבוּרָֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "at·the·waters·of" (root מים, 38x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Meribah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יַּקְצִיפוּ [and·angered] (302) + עַל־מֵ֥י [at·the·waters·of] (150) + מְרִיבָ֑ה [Meribah] (257) + וַיֵּ֥רַע [and·it·went·ill] (286) + לְ֝מֹשֶׁ֗ה [to·Moses] (375) + בַּעֲבוּרָֽם [because·of·them] (320) = 1690.
Ibn Ezra
'They angered [Him]' — [this refers to] the waters of Meribath-kadesh. 'And it went ill with Moses' — as he said: 'Hashem was angry with me also.'
Radak
"They angered Him" — they angered God until harm came to Moses on their account, for God, blessed be He, told him that he would not enter the land.
Metzudat David
"They angered Him" — afterward they angered Hashem at the waters of Meribah, and because of them harm came to Moses, [namely] to die in the wilderness.
Metzudat Zion
"Angered" — from the language of "wrath" (ketzef).
Malbim
(32-33) "And they angered [Him]" — through the fact that "they angered [Him] at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill for Moses," and this was "on their account," and because of them — "for they rebelled against his spirit." For the sin at the waters of Meribah consisted in this: that they did not speak to the rock; and that he said, "Hear now, you rebels"; and that he spoke in a language of doubt, "shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock"; and that he spoke in the language "we bring forth," as if the matter depended on him — as the commentators explained, each according to his own approach. All of this was the cause of this, [stemming] from the fact that they rebelled against the spirit of Moses, so that as a result "he spoke rashly with his lips" — harsh words, and words that were not fitting — and because of this he was unable to speak to the rock, for his speech would not have made an impression at that time, since he was angry; and therefore he spoke in a language of doubt. So that, according to all the reasons that the commentators wrote regarding this sin, its cause was that they rebelled against his spirit.
For they embittered his spirit, And he spoke rashly with his lips.
verse value 1728
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. Verse gematria: 1728 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·spoke·rashly" (וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗א, 5 letters) and the longest is "for·they·rebelled" (כִּי־הִמְר֥וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "his·spirit" (אֶת־רוּח֑וֹ), "and·spoke·rashly" (וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗א), "with·his·lips" (בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·spirit" (root רוח, 31x in Psalms); "with·his·lips" (root שפה, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·spirit', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: כִּי־הִמְר֥וּ [for·they·rebelled] (281) + אֶת־רוּח֑וֹ [his·spirit] (621) + וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗א [and·spoke·rashly] (28) + בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו [with·his·lips] (798) = 1728.
Rashi
"For they rebelled" — Moses and Aaron. "against His spirit" — with (Num. 20:10) “Hear now, you rebels!” "and He uttered with His lips" — an oath (Num. 20:12): “Therefore you shall not bring this community, etc.”
Ibn Ezra
'For they embittered his spirit' — [the pronoun] refers back to Hashem, as in: 'but they rebelled, and grieved His holy spirit.' And the meaning of 'and he spoke rashly' — concerns Hashem, who decreed regarding Moses that he would not enter the land, and it was an inadvertent sin on Moses's part on account of his anger, as I explained in its place. And it is possible that 'his spirit' is the spirit of Moses, and he spoke rashly in that he said to Israel, 'rebels,' and forgot to [merely] speak [to the rock], and struck it instead, and it would have been proper that this word not leave his mouth, until he had carried out the command of Hashem.
Radak
"For" (ki) — for they embittered the spirit of Moses, and he spoke rashly with his lips; and this was the trespass that he, and Aaron with him, committed, in that they said, "Shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" And the meaning of "for they embittered" (hamru) — for they rebelled against the spirit of Moses by pressing him until he said, "Shall we bring forth [water] out of this rock?" And the root of "hamru" is מרה (m-r-h), and "marah" (defy) and "marad" (rebel) are of the same meaning. And one may also explain "ki hamru" in the sense of "mar" (bitter), which refers to changing the commandment and altering the matter, meaning: "for Moses and Aaron altered the spirit of Heaven." "And he spoke" — for He had told them, "and you shall speak to the rock," but they struck it. "And he spoke rashly with his lips" — God, blessed be He, [decreed] that they would not enter the land because of this sin.
Metzudat David
"For they embittered" — for Israel rebelled against the word of Hashem. "And he spoke rashly" — Moses spoke with his lips to call them rebels, and said, "Hear now, you rebels" (ibid. 25), and because of this he was punished.
Metzudat Zion
"Embittered" — [meaning] they rebelled and were defiant. "His spirit" — an expression of speech, as in "and with the breath of his lips" (Isaiah 11). "Spoke rashly" — an expression of speaking, as in "to utter with the lips" (Leviticus 5).
They did not destroy the peoples, As Hashem commanded them;
verse value 1805
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "as" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·they·destroyed" (לֹֽא־הִ֭שְׁמִידוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·they·destroyed" (לֹֽא־הִ֭שְׁמִידוּ), "the·peoples" (אֶת־הָעַמִּ֑ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "the·peoples" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹֽא־הִ֭שְׁמִידוּ [not·they·destroyed] (396) + אֶת־הָעַמִּ֑ים [the·peoples] (566) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (501) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 1805.
Rashi
"They did not destroy" — in the days of Joshua. "the peoples whom the Lord had told them" — (Deut. 20:16): “You shall not allow a soul to remain alive”; (Exod. 23:33), “They shall not remain as residents in your land,” but they allowed them to dwell in their midst, paying tribute.
Ibn Ezra
'They did not [destroy them]'... 'as Hashem had told them' — [namely] to destroy them.
Radak
"They did not destroy the peoples, as Hashem had commanded them" — as is explained in the Torah.
Metzudat David
"They did not destroy" — and when they came to the land they did not destroy the peoples whom Hashem commanded them to destroy.
Malbim
(34-38) "They did not" — afterward, when they came to the land, "they did not destroy the peoples," and because of this "they mingled with the nations" (goyim, a term for [nations] lesser than "peoples" [amim]), "and learned their deeds," until they served "their idols, and they became a snare to them," as it is written (Exodus 23:33) — until they sacrificed to demons, and shed innocent blood, until the land was polluted with blood, as it is written, "for blood, it pollutes the land."
But mingled themselves with the nations, And learned their works;
verse value 1316
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "among·the·nations" (בַגּוֹיִ֑ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·mingled·themselves" (וַיִּתְעָרְב֥וּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·mingled·themselves" (וַיִּתְעָרְב֥וּ), "and·learned" (וַֽ֝יִּלְמְד֗וּ), "their·works" (מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "among·the·nations" (root גוי, 59x in Psalms); "their·works" (root מעשה, 39x in Psalms); "and·learned" (root למד, 27x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְעָרְב֥וּ [and·mingled·themselves] (694) + בַגּוֹיִ֑ם [among·the·nations] (61) + וַֽ֝יִּלְמְד֗וּ [and·learned] (96) + מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם [their·works] (465) = 1316.
Ibn Ezra
'But they mingled themselves' — until they learned from them, though He had warned them.
Radak
"But mingled" — for they were dwelling among them, therefore they learned their deeds.
Metzudat Zion
"Mingled themselves" — from the language of "mixture" (ta'aruvot).
And they served their idols, Which became a snare to them;
verse value 1304
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·idols" (אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·served" (וַיַּעַבְד֥וּ), "their·idols" (אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם), "and·became" (וַיִּהְי֖וּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·became" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "and·served" (root עבד, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·idols', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעַבְד֥וּ [and·served] (98) + אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם [their·idols] (618) + וַיִּהְי֖וּ [and·became] (37) + לָהֶ֣ם [to·them] (75) + לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ [for·a·snare] (476) = 1304.
Ibn Ezra
'And they served' — he called them 'atzabim' [idols] in a manner of scorn.
Radak
"And they served" — this is the evil part of their deeds, that they served idolatry.
Metzudat David
"And they became" — those idol-worshippers became a snare to them, for they caused them to stumble by inciting them to the worship of idols.
Metzudat Zion
"Their idols" — this is what the idols (gilulim) are called, because it grieves the heart of their worshippers, [who] cry out to it and are not answered.
Indeed, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons,
verse value 1851
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·demons" (לַשֵּׁדִֽים, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·sons" (אֶת־בְּ֭נֵיהֶם), "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם), "to·the·demons" (לַשֵּׁדִֽים). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·sons" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "and·sacrificed" (root זבח, 21x in Psalms). Full calculation: וַיִּזְבְּח֣וּ [and·sacrificed] (39) + אֶת־בְּ֭נֵיהֶם [their·sons] (508) + וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם [and·their·daughters] (920) + לַשֵּׁדִֽים [to·the·demons] (384) = 1851.
Ibn Ezra
'And they sacrificed to demons' — like their own imagination, as in the case of Hananiah the prophet. And some say: 'to demons' [shedim] — because they plunder (from the same root as 'shod') the mind, as in: 'the destruction (yashud) that wastes at noonday.'
Radak
"And they sacrificed" — this too is the evil part of the services rendered to idolatry.
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.
verse value 3148
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "blood" (דָ֪ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וּֽבְנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·shed" (וַיִּ֥שְׁפְּכ֨וּ), "blood" (דָ֪ם), "blood·of·their·sons" (דַּם־בְּנֵ֘יהֶ֤ם). The root דם appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "whom" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "blood" (root דם, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Canaan', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֥שְׁפְּכ֨וּ [and·shed] (422) + דָ֪ם [blood] (44) + נָקִ֡י [innocent] (160) + דַּם־בְּנֵ֘יהֶ֤ם [blood·of·their·sons] (151) + וּֽבְנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם [and·their·daughters] (519) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [whom] (501) + זִ֭בְּחוּ [they·sacrificed] (23) + לַעֲצַבֵּ֣י [to·the·idols·of] (202) + כְנָ֑עַן [Canaan] (190) + וַתֶּחֱנַ֥ף [and·was·polluted] (544) + הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ [the·land] (296) + בַּדָּמִֽים [with·the·blood] (96) = 3148.
Ibn Ezra
'And they shed' — out of the abundance of their love for the idols of Canaan, for they poured out the blood of their sons and daughters to them.
Radak
"And shed" — aside from the sin of idolatry, they have in this a great sin, that they shed innocent blood — the blood of their sons and their daughters. "With blood" — written with the definite article, meaning: with this blood just mentioned.
Metzudat David
"And the land was polluted" — the inhabitants of the land became guilty because of the abundance of blood that was shed in it for the worship of idols.
Metzudat Zion
"Was polluted" — [meaning] it becomes guilty and is condemned; so too its Targum [renders]; and likewise "he shall pollute the land" (Numbers 32).
Thus they were defiled with their works, And went astray in their doings.
verse value 845
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 845 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·went·astray" (וַ֝יִּזְנ֗וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "in·their·doings" (בְּמַ֥עַלְלֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·were·defiled" (וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ), "with·their·works" (בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם), "and·went·astray" (וַ֝יִּזְנ֗וּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·their·works" (root מעשה, 39x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·works', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ [and·were·defiled] (72) + בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם [with·their·works] (467) + וַ֝יִּזְנ֗וּ [and·went·astray] (79) + בְּמַ֥עַלְלֵיהֶֽם [in·their·doings] (227) = 845.
Ibn Ezra
'Thus they were defiled' — for they had been holy.
Radak
"And they committed harlotry" — this is the sin of sexual immorality.
Metzudat David
"Thus they went astray" — they turned away from Hashem through the evil of their deeds.
Metzudat Zion
"Were defiled" — an expression of turning aside; and for this reason an adulteress is called a "zonah" (harlot), because she has turned away from the ways of modesty.
Malbim
"Thus they were defiled by their deeds, and went astray through their doings" — "doings" (ma'alalim) are actions that stem from psychological traits; for afterward they did not repent from these deeds, until character traits and dispositions formed in their souls, inclining them toward promiscuity, murder, and every evil trait, until the root of these deeds became for them a fixture in their souls — which is worse.
Therefore the wrath of Hashem was kindled against His people, And He abhorred His inheritance.
verse value 1832
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "His·inheritance" (אֶת־נַחֲלָתֽוֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·burned·the·wrath·of" (וַיִּחַר־אַ֣ף), "and·He·abhorred" (וַ֝יְתָעֵ֗ב), "His·inheritance" (אֶת־נַחֲלָתֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "against·His·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "His·inheritance" (root נחלה, 22x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·His·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּחַר־אַ֣ף [and·burned·the·wrath·of] (305) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּעַמּ֑וֹ [against·His·people] (118) + וַ֝יְתָעֵ֗ב [and·He·abhorred] (488) + אֶת־נַחֲלָתֽוֹ [His·inheritance] (895) = 1832.
Ibn Ezra
'Therefore [His] wrath was kindled, and He abhorred' — because they had gone astray.
Metzudat Zion
"Abhorred" — from the language of "abomination" (to'evah).
Malbim
"And the wrath of Hashem was kindled against His people" — to punish them — "and He abhorred His inheritance." The term "inheritance" (nachalah) signifies the bond of love that He has with them by virtue of their holiness, and its opposite is "abomination" (to'evah).
And He gave them into the hand of the nations; And those who hated them ruled over them.
verse value 1426
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "over·them" (בָ֝הֶ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "into·the·hand·of·nations" (בְּיַד־גּוֹיִ֑ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·He·gave·them" (וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם), "into·the·hand·of·nations" (בְּיַד־גּוֹיִ֑ם), "and·ruled" (וַֽיִּמְשְׁל֥וּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·He·gave·them" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "over·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "into·the·hand·of·nations" (root גוי, 59x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·the·hand·of·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם [and·He·gave·them] (506) + בְּיַד־גּוֹיִ֑ם [into·the·hand·of·nations] (75) + וַֽיִּמְשְׁל֥וּ [and·ruled] (392) + בָ֝הֶ֗ם [over·them] (47) + שֹׂנְאֵיהֶֽם [those·who·hate·them] (406) = 1426.
Rashi
"And He delivered them into the hands of nations" — in the days of the Judges between one judge and another, e.g. Eglon, Cushan-rishathaim, Sisera, the Philistines, and Midian. (I found.)
Ibn Ezra
'And He gave them' — in the days of the Judges.
Metzudat David
"And He gave them into the hand of the nations" — in the days of the Judges.
Malbim
(41-42) "And He gave them into the hand of the nations" — in the days when the judges judged; and at first "those who hated them ruled over them," and afterward "and they oppressed them," which is more than mere rule, [and then] "and their enemies" — who are worse than "those who hate," and matters reached the point "that they were subdued under their hand."
Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were subdued under their hand.
verse value 1288
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֣חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·oppressed·them" (וַיִּלְחָצ֥וּם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·oppressed·them" (וַיִּלְחָצ֥וּם), "and·were·subdued" (וַ֝יִּכָּנְע֗וּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "their·enemies" (root איב, 71x in Psalms); "under" (root תחת, 23x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·enemies', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּלְחָצ֥וּם [and·oppressed·them] (190) + אוֹיְבֵיהֶ֑ם [their·enemies] (74) + וַ֝יִּכָּנְע֗וּ [and·were·subdued] (162) + תַּ֣חַת [under] (808) + יָדָֽם [their·hand] (54) = 1288.
Ibn Ezra
'And [their enemies] oppressed them, and they were subdued' — the meaning is doubled, or 'and they were subdued' is in the sense of 'then he was subdued'; therefore, following it — ['Many times [He delivered them], yet they rebelled' — after they had been subdued, and He had saved them.]
Radak
"And oppressed them" — in their own land they oppressed them, and they were subdued under their hand.
Metzudat David
"And they were subdued" — they were subdued under the hand of their enemies.
Metzudat Zion
"Oppressed them" — from the language of "pressure" and "distress."
Many times He delivered them; But they were rebellious in their counsel, And sank low through their iniquity.
verse value 2192
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "many" (רַבּ֗וֹת, 4 letters) and the longest is "times" (פְּעָמִ֥ים, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "times" (פְּעָמִ֥ים), "rebelled" (יַמְר֣וּ), "in·their·counsel" (בַעֲצָתָ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "many" (root רב, 67x in Psalms); "He·delivered·them" (root נצל, 44x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·counsel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: פְּעָמִ֥ים [times] (240) + רַבּ֗וֹת [many] (608) + יַצִּ֫ילֵ֥ם [He·delivered·them] (180) + וְ֭הֵמָּה [and·they] (56) + יַמְר֣וּ [rebelled] (256) + בַעֲצָתָ֑ם [in·their·counsel] (602) + וַ֝יָּמֹ֗כּוּ [and·sank·low] (82) + בַּעֲוֺנָֽם [through·their·iniquity] (168) = 2192.
Rashi
"Many times He saved them" — Many times they provoked Him; yet He was slow to anger and saved them. "and they were humbled because of their iniquity" — Heb. וימכו, and they were humbled because of their iniquity.
Ibn Ezra
'Many times'... 'yet they rebelled' — after they had been subdued, and He had saved them. 'And they sank low' [vayamoku] — like [the word] 'and your brother becomes poor (u-makh)' — on account of the [letter] mem.
Radak
"Many times" — and yet each time they would rebel through their own evil counsel. "They rebelled" — [against] the blessed God. "And sank low through their iniquity" — until they became beaten down and impoverished because of their iniquity, that is, they were exiled from their land.
Metzudat David
"Many times..." — through the Judges, as it is written, "And Hashem was with the judge," etc. (Judges 2). "They were rebellious" — when the judge died, they rebelled against Hashem through their evil counsel, as it is written, "and it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly" (Judges 2). "And sank low through their iniquity" — because of their iniquity they became low and poor.
Metzudat Zion
"Were rebellious" — [meaning] they rebelled and were defiant. "Sank low" — an expression of poverty and lowliness, as in "but if he is too poor" (Leviticus 27).
Malbim
"Many times" — this came about because "He delivered them many times," and afterward they returned to doing evil, as is written at length in Judges 2. "But they were rebellious in their counsel" — for their rebellion was not caused by [mere] desire, but came through counsel and deliberate thought, through heretical thinking; therefore "and they were brought low through their iniquity" — because the sin lay in a perversion of the intellect, they became utterly beaten down and crushed.
Nevertheless He looked upon their distress, When He heard their cry;
verse value 2093
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 21 letters. Verse gematria: 2093 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·the·distress" (בַּצַּ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·cry" (אֶת־רִנָּתָֽם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·He·saw" (וַ֭יַּרְא), "when·He·heard" (בְּ֝שׇׁמְע֗וֹ), "their·cry" (אֶת־רִנָּתָֽם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·He·saw" (root ראה, 100x in Psalms); "when·He·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms); "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יַּרְא [and·He·saw] (217) + בַּצַּ֣ר [in·the·distress] (292) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + בְּ֝שׇׁמְע֗וֹ [when·He·heard] (418) + אֶת־רִנָּתָֽם [their·cry] (1091) = 2093.
Rashi
"But He looked upon their distress" — On account of prayer. "when He heard their cries" — On account of the merit of the Patriarchs.
Ibn Ezra
'And He saw'... 'their cry' — their outcry, like [the phrase]: 'and the cry passed [through].'
Radak
"And He saw when they were in distress" — in their exile, He heard their cry and their outcry.
Metzudat David
"He saw" — He saw their distress at the time He heard their prayer.
Malbim
(44-46) "And He saw" — and therefore, also "when He saw" afterward "their distress," and although "He remembered His covenant" with the patriarchs, and although "He relented according to the abundance of His mercies," nevertheless He did not save them again with the might of the salvation of His right hand, above nature, so as to redeem them completely; rather, only insofar "that He gave them [to find] compassion before those who held them captive," as it is written (I Kings 8): "and their captors carry them away captive... and they plead with You... and grant them compassion before those who hold them captive."
And He remembered for them His covenant, And repented according to the multitude of His mercies.
verse value 1350
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 1350 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "for·them" (לָהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·He·remembered" (וַיִּזְכֹּ֣ר, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·mercies" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "for·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "according·to·the·multitude·of" (root רב, 67x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּזְכֹּ֣ר [and·He·remembered] (243) + לָהֶ֣ם [for·them] (75) + בְּרִית֑וֹ [His·covenant] (618) + וַ֝יִּנָּחֵ֗ם [and·He·repented] (114) + כְּרֹ֣ב [according·to·the·multitude·of] (222) + חֲסָדָֽו [His·mercies] (78) = 1350.
Rashi
"And He remembered His covenant" — On account of repentance. "and He relented in accordance with His abundant kindness" — On account of the end, when He heard, “Save us, etc.” Moses, too, included them in one verse (Deut. 4:30): “In this distress that will befall you etc.”
Ibn Ezra
'And He remembered' — the covenant of Abraham. But what is correct in my opinion is: the covenant of Sinai, for there it is written: 'and I will remember for them the covenant of the former ones,' and they are the ones who came out of Egypt; and so it is written: 'whom I brought out,' and it calls them 'the former ones' — for they are our first forefathers, who received the Torah at Mount Sinai; for [Scripture] had already mentioned in that passage the covenant of the three patriarchs. 'And He relented' — by way of figurative expression.
Radak
"And He remembered for them His covenant" — His covenant with the fathers (the patriarchs). "And He relented" — concerning the evil.
Metzudat David
"His covenant" — Which He made with our forefathers, when He said, "And yet for all that, when they are..." [etc.], "to destroy them utterly, to break My covenant" (Leviticus 26:44). "And He relented" — Concerning the evil [He had planned]. "According to the abundance of His mercies" — And not according to their deeds.
He made them also to be pitied Of all those who carried them captive.
verse value 1824
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "and·He·gave" (וַיִּתֵּ֣ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·their·captors" (כׇּל־שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "for·compassion" (לְרַחֲמִ֑ים), "all·their·captors" (כׇּל־שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "and·He·gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·compassion', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֣ן [and·He·gave] (466) + אוֹתָ֣ם [them] (447) + לְרַחֲמִ֑ים [for·compassion] (328) + לִ֝פְנֵ֗י [before] (170) + כׇּל־שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם [all·their·captors] (413) = 1824.
Ibn Ezra
'And He gave' — this is an explanation of 'and to cast their seed among the nations, and to scatter them through the lands' — the meaning is: in a land not their own.
Radak
"And He caused them to be pitied" — that their captors had mercy on them during their captivity.
Metzudat David
"To pity" — That their captors would show compassion upon them, so that they would not make the yoke heavy.
Metzudat Zion
"Those who carried them captive" — from the language of "captivity" (shevi'ah). (With the vav) "their distresses" — from the language of "distress" and "trouble."
Save us, O Hashem our God, And gather us from among the nations, That we may give thanks to Your holy name, That we may triumph in Your praise.
verse value 3824
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֘הֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·the·name·of" (לְשֵׁ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "save·us" (הֽוֹשִׁיעֵ֨נוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "save·us" (הֽוֹשִׁיעֵ֨נוּ), "and·gather·us" (וְקַבְּצֵנוּ֮), "from·the·nations" (מִֽן־הַגּ֫וֹיִ֥ם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "our·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "save·us" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·holiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: הֽוֹשִׁיעֵ֨נוּ [save·us] (447) + יְ֘הֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ [our·God] (102) + וְקַבְּצֵנוּ֮ [and·gather·us] (254) + מִֽן־הַגּ֫וֹיִ֥ם [from·the·nations] (154) + לְ֭הֹדוֹת [to·give·thanks] (445) + לְשֵׁ֣ם [to·the·name·of] (370) + קׇדְשֶׁ֑ךָ [Your·holiness] (424) + לְ֝הִשְׁתַּבֵּ֗חַ [to·triumph] (745) + בִּתְהִלָּתֶֽךָ [in·Your·praise] (857) = 3824.
Rashi
"save us" — now also, O Lord, our God.
Ibn Ezra
'Save us' — one of the sages of Egypt said that this psalmist lived in the days of the Judges, before a king reigned over Israel; therefore he says, 'and gather us from among the nations.' And another sage said that this psalmist lived in Babylon. But what is correct in my opinion is: that this psalmist spoke by the holy spirit, and he speaks in the language of the children of our exile — 'Save us' — just as Isaiah spoke in the language of the enlightened: 'Why do You make us stray, Hashem, from Your ways?'
Radak
"Save us" — the psalmist says this in the voice of the exiles: "and when You gather us, we will give thanks to Your holy name." "To triumph in Your praise" — and the praise of Hashem consists of the kindnesses He has done with us, for which we praise Him.
Metzudat David
"Save us" — That is to say: just as You delivered us to compassion through Your great kindness, so too save us and gather us to our land, to give thanks there to Your holy name. "That we may triumph in Your praise" — To praise ourselves through Your praise, for according to the abundance of the praise that is in You, so will our praise increase, in that You chose us.
Malbim
"Save us" — regarding this he asked that He magnify His kindness "to save them" completely, "and gather them from the nations," as it is written, "and Hashem will return... and He will return and gather you from all the peoples..." (Deuteronomy 32), "to give thanks to Your holy name" — for the thanksgiving in exile is for Your name, not for Your holy name; for "Your holy name" indicates that [Hashem] is raised above nature and the ordinary conduct [of the world] to a conduct ordered according to holiness, which is also bound up with the holiness of Israel, who are described as walking in holiness corresponding to the holiness of Hashem, as it is written, "and He will return and gather you... and Hashem your God will circumcise your heart..." And therefore it says "to glory in Your praise," for the word "glory" (shevach) always indicates a rising above one's previous standing, or above the standing of another person; meaning that through this we go from strength to strength and are elevated through Your praise, in that we direct our way in accordance with Your way — "just as He is merciful, so must you be merciful..." etc.
Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting, and let all the people say: 'Amen.' Hallelujah.
verse value 1902
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "praise·Hashem" (הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·unto" (וְעַ֬ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "blessed·be·Hashem" (בָּ֤רֽוּךְ־יְהֹוָ֨ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "blessed·be·Hashem" (בָּ֤רֽוּךְ־יְהֹוָ֨ה), "from·the·everlasting" (מִן־הָ֤עוֹלָ֨ם), "all·the·people" (כׇּל־הָעָ֥ם). The root עולם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God·of" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "from·the·everlasting" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "and·shall·say" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms). Full calculation: בָּ֤רֽוּךְ־יְהֹוָ֨ה [blessed·be·Hashem] (254) + אֱלֹהֵ֪י [God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל [Israel] (541) + מִן־הָ֤עוֹלָ֨ם [from·the·everlasting] (241) + וְעַ֬ד [and·unto] (80) + הָעוֹלָ֗ם [the·everlasting] (151) + וְאָמַ֖ר [and·shall·say] (247) + כׇּל־הָעָ֥ם [all·the·people] (165) + אָמֵ֗ן [Amen] (91) + הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ [praise·Hashem] (86) = 1902.
Rashi
"from world to world" — From this world to the world to come.
Ibn Ezra
'Blessed' — the words of the psalmist spoken in prophecy, for [after] the prayer 'Save us,' Hashem heard, and blessed him concerning the salvation of Israel; then he called Hashem 'the God of Israel.' But what is correct in my opinion is that it is connected with [the intent] to give praise — then we would all say, 'Blessed [is Hashem] from world to world, He is blessed.' And the word 'Amen' — from the root of 'emunah' [faith/faithfulness]; and he sealed the psalm as he had begun it, and that is the word 'Hallelujah.'
Radak
"Blessed" — and then it shall be said: "Blessed be Hashem" — the wise will praise Him according to their understanding, and all the people will say "Amen," and they will say to one another, "Hallelujah." And the meaning of "from everlasting even to everlasting" is: from the first time to the last time, that is to say, all the days.
Metzudat David
"Blessed, etc." — That is to say: it is said in thanksgiving, "Blessed be Hashem," etc. "From everlasting" — From the beginning of the world to the end of the world. "And let all the people say" — That is to say: all the people who do not know how to bless will answer and say "Amen" — that is, [affirming] that it is true that He is blessed. And therefore they say "Hallelujah," as if to say: if we do not know how to praise, you who do know, praise Hashem.
Malbim
"Blessed be Hashem" — and since he knew that there is a day when Hashem will gather the scattered ones and renew His world, and that because of this He is always "the God of Israel," watching over them and bound to them in love, he says that the name "God of Israel" is "blessed from the world" — that is, from this world, in which He conducts [affairs] through hidden miracles and concealed providence — "to the world" [to come] — the future [world], in which His holy name will be revealed through open miracles. "And let all the people say, Amen" — and let them believe and trust — "and praise" "Hashem."
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim