A Song of Ascents, attributed to David, expressing joy at going up to the house of Hashem in Jerusalem, and a heartfelt prayer for the peace and prosperity of the holy city.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
A Song of Ascents; of David. I rejoiced when they said to me: 'Let us go to the house of Hashem.'
verse value 2734
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·the·ascents" (הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "when·they·said" (בְּאֹמְרִ֣ים), "let·us·go" (נֵלֵֽךְ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "when·they·said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׁ֥יר [a·song] (510) + הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת [of·the·ascents] (551) + לְדָ֫וִ֥ד [of·David] (44) + שָׂ֭מַחְתִּי [I·rejoiced] (758) + בְּאֹמְרִ֣ים [when·they·said] (293) + לִ֑י [to·me] (40) + בֵּ֖ית [the·house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + נֵלֵֽךְ [let·us·go] (100) = 2734.
Rashi
"I rejoiced when they said to me" — I heard people saying, “When will that old man die, and his son Solomon reign and build the Temple, and we shall go up on the festival pilgrimages?” And I am happy.
Ibn Ezra
"A Song of Ascents;... I rejoiced when they said [to me]" — Rabbi Moshe said: that David composed this song to be recited along with the psalms in the house of Hashem, at the time the House would be built. And Rabbi Yeshua said: that this concerns the house David established for himself in Zion. And some say: it concerns the Third [Temple], when every one of Israel will say, "I rejoiced when they said [to me]" — they are the pilgrims [who ascend for the festivals].
Radak
"A song" — It is possible that the rest of the Songs of Ascents, in which "of David" is not mentioned, were composed by other psalmists, and the names of the composers were not recorded; but those in which it says "of David," David composed. And this psalm is spoken by the children of the exile, and out of their great longing for the building of the Temple, they recall Israel's going up for the pilgrimage festivals, and they speak in the language of the forefathers who lived in the time of the Temple; and it says each one declares, "I rejoiced."
Metzudat David
"I rejoiced" — This is the statement of the children of the exile, who say: Indeed, of old I rejoiced when they would say to me, "Let us go to the house of Hashem," at the time of the festival.
Malbim
"A Song of Ascents; of David" — speaks in praise of Jerusalem. [The psalmist] pictures the nation as a whole as a single body composed of various individual limbs, and Jerusalem is the city to which the individual limbs are joined together, so as to form a complete body in which the spirit of life, the rational soul, and the divine soul may rest. Now, the House of Hashem found within it is the vessel that prepares the general body [of the nation] for the resting of the Divine Presence and the divine soul within it. The city itself, however, is like the heart and brain within the body, which prepare it to receive the soul of life and the rational soul. Accordingly, [the psalmist] says: Behold, "I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the House of Hashem" — inasmuch as Hashem's Name dwells there, and it is the dwelling-place of the Divine Presence and of the Godhead in holiness. However...
Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem;
verse value 2028
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 2028 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "were" (הָי֣וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·feet" (רַגְלֵ֑ינוּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "standing" (עֹ֭מְדוֹת), "in·your·gates" (בִּ֝שְׁעָרַ֗יִךְ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "standing" (root עמד, 36x in Psalms); "our·feet" (root רגל, 31x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·feet', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: עֹ֭מְדוֹת [standing] (520) + הָי֣וּ [were] (21) + רַגְלֵ֑ינוּ [our·feet] (299) + בִּ֝שְׁעָרַ֗יִךְ [in·your·gates] (602) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2028.
Rashi
"Our feet were standing" — in battle everywhere because of the gates of Jerusalem, where they were engaged in Torah.
Ibn Ezra
"standing" — the meaning is: we stood to gaze upon the structures of the walls and the beauty of the gates. But the correct [interpretation] is: that it [Jerusalem] was full of people, and we would be pressed together at the gates, unable to enter because of the multitude of people coming and going.
Radak
"Are standing" — the people of former times would stand in the gates, waiting for those coming after them. "Jerusalem" — The children of the exile say: When Jerusalem was built and the Divine Presence (Shechinah) was within it, how praised you were! And where could one find a city like it, to which the congregation of Israel would join together three times a year? Who has seen a city like it?
Metzudat David
"Standing" — Because of the great crowds of people coming and going, we would be delayed and stand at the gates for some time until we could enter it.
Malbim
"Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem" — even before we came to the House of Hashem to gaze upon the radiant images of the divine light shining forth from there upon the body of Israel as a whole — even at the time our feet were stepping within the gates of Jerusalem, our feet were already standing [firm], for we found there a standing and a station by which the [national] body stands upon its feet, to be a living and complete body. And [the psalmist] then explains that...
Jerusalem, that are built as a city that is compact together;
verse value 1542
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "like·a·city" (כְּ֝עִ֗יר, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·is·joined·to·her" (שֶׁחֻבְּרָה־לָּ֥הּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "that·is·built" (הַבְּנוּיָ֑ה), "like·a·city" (כְּ֝עִ֗יר), "that·is·joined·to·her" (שֶׁחֻבְּרָה־לָּ֥הּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "together" (root יחד, 27x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that·is·built', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְרוּשָׁלִַ֥ם [Jerusalem] (586) + הַבְּנוּיָ֑ה [that·is·built] (78) + כְּ֝עִ֗יר [like·a·city] (300) + שֶׁחֻבְּרָה־לָּ֥הּ [that·is·joined·to·her] (550) + יַחְדָּֽו [together] (28) = 1542.
Rashi
"The built-up Jerusalem" — When my son Solomon builds the Temple within it [Jerusalem], it will be built with the Shechinah, the Temple, the Ark, and the altar. "is like a city that was joined together within itself" — Like Shiloh, for Scripture compared them to one another, as it is said (Deut. 12:9): “to the rest and to the inheritance.” The rest is Shiloh. The inheritance is Jerusalem (see Sifrei Re’eh 66). And our Rabbis said (Ta’an. 5a): There is a Jerusalem in heaven, and the Jerusalem on earth is destined to be like it.
Ibn Ezra
"Jerusalem" — it was, on the three pilgrimage festivals, like a capital city to which all its surrounding towns attached themselves at a time of danger.
Metzudat David
"Jerusalem" — This is Jerusalem, which is built with every kind of splendor, like a city to which all the builders joined together, to complete it with every kind of splendor and beauty.
Malbim
"Jerusalem" — is "built like a city that is joined together as one," in that to it, and for its sake, the individual limbs of the general body join together as one, to become a single body.
Where the tribes went up, even the tribes of Hashem, as a testimony to Israel, to give thanks to the name of Hashem.
verse value 3335
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "where" (שֶׁשָּׁ֨ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "tribes·of·Hashem" (שִׁבְטֵי־יָ֭הּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "where" (שֶׁשָּׁ֨ם), "went·up" (עָל֪וּ), "tribes" (שְׁבָטִ֡ים). The root שבט appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "where" (root שם, 119x in Psalms); "to·give·thanks" (root ידה, 68x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: שֶׁשָּׁ֨ם [where] (640) + עָל֪וּ [went·up] (106) + שְׁבָטִ֡ים [tribes] (361) + שִׁבְטֵי־יָ֭הּ [tribes·of·Hashem] (336) + עֵד֣וּת [testimony] (480) + לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [to·Israel] (571) + לְ֝הֹד֗וֹת [to·give·thanks] (445) + לְשֵׁ֣ם [to·the·name·of] (370) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3335.
Rashi
"There ascended the tribes" — For there in Shiloh the tribes ascended when they went up from Egypt, and the Tabernacle was established in its midst. "the tribes of God" — Heb. יָ-הּ, which is testimony to Israel, for the heathens were talking about them when they left Egypt, and they would say about them that they were the offspring of adulterous unions. If the Egyptians ruled over their own bodies, surely [they ruled] over their wives. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “I attest that they are the sons of their fathers.” He bestowed His name upon them: the Reubenites (הראובני), the Simeonites (השמעוני) (Num. 26). He added the letters of the name, one on this side and one on that side. The result is that this name יָ-הּ is testimony to Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"Where the tribes went up" — "the tribes" means the tribes of Hashem; it is a testimony, a statute, and a commandment to come up three times [a year], and they would give thanks to Hashem when they saw the kingdom of David enduring. And if this psalm concerns Solomon, then the thrones [mentioned] belong to Solomon and his brothers; but if it concerns the future, they belong to the Messiah and his descendants.
Radak
"For there" — for there the twelve tribes would go up, who were the tribes of Hashem, keepers of His commandments; and Jerusalem contained them all — this was a testimony for Israel that God, may He be blessed, had chosen them to give thanks to the name of Hashem for the miracles that He showed them, and this was one of them. And there was an even greater miracle than this: that they would all gather in the Temple court, standing crowded together, yet bowing down with ample space. Or the meaning of "a testimony to Israel" is this: that the tribes' going up there was itself the testimony, and it was a commandment for Israel that they should go up to give thanks to the name of Hashem.
Metzudat David
"Where" — where the tribes went up, which are the tribes of Yah, that is to say, the people of Hashem. "A testimony to Israel" — This going up was a testimony to Israel that the Divine Presence dwelt there, because of the greatness of the miracle that occurred then, for it contained this entire multitude, and the place was not too cramped for them. "To give thanks to the name of Hashem" — And it was fitting to give thanks to Hashem for that matter.
Malbim
"For there" — for "there the tribes went up, the tribes of Hashem," and they all joined together through this city, to the point that it is "a testimony to Israel" that they are a single nation, united — in that they all gather there during the three festivals of the year for a single purpose: "to give thanks to the Name of Hashem." Indeed, this purpose — to give thanks to the Name of Hashem — is the inner force that binds the individual limbs together, and it is the life of the general body [of the nation]. And the city where they gather is like the heart, in which the spirit of life that animates the body resides, drawing together the scattered bones, bone to its bone.
For there were set thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
verse value 2582
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "thrones" (כִסְא֣וֹת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 487: thrones, thrones. The root כסא appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "there" (root שם, 119x in Psalms); "David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + שָׁ֨מָּה [there] (345) + יָשְׁב֣וּ [sat] (318) + כִסְא֣וֹת [thrones] (487) + לְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט [for·judgment] (459) + כִּ֝סְא֗וֹת [thrones] (487) + לְבֵ֣ית [of·the·house·of] (442) + דָּוִֽד [David] (14) = 2582.
Rashi
"For there were set thrones, etc." — For also in Jerusalem the Shechinah will rest, and thrones will sit there upon which to judge the nations, and the royal thrones of the house of David.
Radak
"Thrones" — the plural form: one for the Divine Presence (Shechinah) and one for the kingship of the house of David. "the thrones of the house of David" — they were there, and they will be there again.
Metzudat David
"For there" — That is to say, the resting of the Divine Presence there was fitting, for there many thrones sat to render judgment, these being the thrones of the Sanhedrin; and there too were thrones for the house of David, who judged true judgment.
Malbim
"For there" — [Jerusalem] is also, so to speak, like the rational soul (nefesh ha-medaberet, lit. 'the speaking soul') within the body: "for there thrones were set for judgment" — these are the Sanhedrin and the judges of Israel, from whom Torah, religion, and law go forth; and there, "thrones were set for the house of David," from whom the general governance for all the individual members of the nation goes forth.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper who love you.
verse value 1693
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "ask" (שַׁ֭אֲלוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "ask" (שַׁ֭אֲלוּ), "may·they·prosper" (יִ֝שְׁלָ֗יוּ), "who·love·you" (אֹהֲבָֽיִךְ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·love·you" (root אהב, 40x in Psalms); "peace·of" (root שלום, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: שַׁ֭אֲלוּ [ask] (337) + שְׁל֣וֹם [peace·of] (376) + יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [Jerusalem] (586) + יִ֝שְׁלָ֗יוּ [may·they·prosper] (356) + אֹהֲבָֽיִךְ [who·love·you] (38) = 1693.
Rashi
"Request the welfare of Jerusalem" — and say to her, “May those who love you enjoy tranquility, and let there be peace in your wall.”
Ibn Ezra
"Pray" — a verb in the past-tense form [used as an imperative]. People perpetually pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for then they will make pilgrimage to it and pray, speaking in direct address: "May those who love you be at ease" — that is, us, or those who dwell there permanently.
Radak
"Pray for" — the exiles say: pray to God, blessed be He, for the peace of Jerusalem; and her peace is the ingathering of the exiles, for until that time she will have no peace, since many nations wage war against them. Afterward he says, addressing Jerusalem, "may those who love you prosper" — and these are Israel in exile, who mourn over her destruction.
Metzudat David
"Pray" — Therefore, ask of Hashem for the peace of Jerusalem, that it be built as it was before. "May those who love you prosper" — As if he speaks to Jerusalem, saying: those who love you, too, will be at ease.
Metzudat Zion
"May they prosper" (yishlayu) — from the language of "shalvah" (tranquility).
Malbim
"Pray" — after having explained that Jerusalem is what establishes the union of the general body [of the nation] and its unity, [the psalmist] says: Just as, if one were to ask about the welfare of an individual body, we would answer that its welfare depends on whether the limbs and powers within the body are bound together and at peace with one another — for when a division arises among them, death follows — so too, if one asks about the peace of Jerusalem, the answer is that its peace depends on whether "those who love you are tranquil." If those who love Jerusalem have inner tranquility among themselves, upon this the peace of Jerusalem depends, since the essential matter of Jerusalem is the unity of the nation. And so, if strife, quarrels, and division of hearts arise among its individuals, the peace of Jerusalem is not found — for the essence of its peace lies in its being like a city joined together as one, not in its people being divided. Now, there is a difference between "peace" [shalom] and "tranquility" [shalvah]: shalom is external peace, and shalvah is inner tranquility. [The psalmist] says that it is through Israel having inner tranquility — which is why it says "those who love you," that there be love among them — that, even if they do not have peace with their external enemies, this will bring about the external peace of Jerusalem. And then, through...
Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.
verse value 1541
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "quietness" (שַׁ֝לְוָ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·your·palaces" (בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָֽיִךְ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·there·be·peace" (יְהִי־שָׁל֥וֹם), "quietness" (שַׁ֝לְוָ֗ה), "in·your·palaces" (בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָֽיִךְ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·your·rampart" (root חיל, 29x in Psalms); "let·there·be·peace" (root שלום, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·rampart', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְהִי־שָׁל֥וֹם [let·there·be·peace] (401) + בְּחֵילֵ֑ךְ [in·your·rampart] (70) + שַׁ֝לְוָ֗ה [quietness] (341) + בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָֽיִךְ [in·your·palaces] (729) = 1541.
Ibn Ezra
"Peace be... within your rampart" — this refers to what surrounds [the city] outside the wall; "within your palaces" refers to what is inside the wall.
Radak
"within your ramparts [becheilekh]" — the trench that surrounds the wall is called a "cheil." He says, "let there be peace" — that Israel will return to you, and there will no longer be war within your ramparts. "and your palaces" — these are the fortified buildings within the city.
Metzudat David
"May there be peace, etc." — That is to say, may the enemy not besiege it, and may he not tear down the palaces.
Metzudat Zion
"Within your rampart" (be-cheylekh) — that is the low wall which is outside the high wall; likewise "rampart and wall have mourned together" (Lamentations 2:8). "In your palaces" — an expression of "heikhalot" (halls) and "palatin" (palaces).
Malbim
"...there will be peace within your rampart" — the outer [peace], at the wall surrounding Jerusalem, through the tribes dwelling around Jerusalem uniting, so that there will be no strife or quarrels around its wall between one tribe and another. Through this there will also be "tranquility within your palaces" — the inner [tranquility].
For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say: 'Peace be within you.'
verse value 1156
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1156 = 34². The shortest word is "within·you" (בָּֽךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "let·me·speak·now" (אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּ֖א, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "my·brothers" (אַחַ֣י), "let·me·speak·now" (אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּ֖א). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "let·me·speak·now" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "for·the·sake·of" (root מען, 32x in Psalms); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·my·companions', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְ֭מַעַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + אַחַ֣י [my·brothers] (19) + וְרֵעָ֑י [and·my·companions] (286) + אֲדַבְּרָה־נָּ֖א [let·me·speak·now] (263) + שָׁל֣וֹם [peace] (376) + בָּֽךְ [within·you] (22) = 1156.
Rashi
"For the sake of" — Israel, my brethren and my companions "I shall now speak" — I, King David, [shall now speak] of peace in you.
Ibn Ezra
"For the sake of" — [I say this] to seek your peace, for the sake of our honored brothers — the priests, the Levites, and the pious of Israel — who dwell in Jerusalem.
Radak
"For the sake of" — each of the exiles says: for the sake of my brethren Israel who were exiled from you, for their sake I will now speak of peace within you, that they may return to dwell as neighbors within you.
Metzudat David
"For the sake of my brethren and companions" — As if each one of the children of the exile says: Not for my own sake alone do I pray for the peace of the city, but also for the sake of my brethren and companions, who are all the children of Israel.
Malbim
"For the sake of my brethren and companions" — [the psalmist] says: Behold, regarding what pertains to the benefits of communal gathering for the good of my brethren and companions, "I will now say: peace be within you" — this benefit depends on the peace found within you, for through this is found that which is beneficial to national success. However...
For the sake of the house of Hashem our God I will seek your good.
verse value 1205
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָֽךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·Hashem" (בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֣ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "the·house·of·Hashem" (בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֣ה), "let·me·seek" (אֲבַקְשָׁ֖ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "our·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "good" (root טוב, 63x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְ֭מַעַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֣ה [the·house·of·Hashem] (438) + אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ [our·God] (102) + אֲבַקְשָׁ֖ה [let·me·seek] (408) + ט֣וֹב [good] (17) + לָֽךְ [to·you] (50) = 1205.
Ibn Ezra
"For the sake of" — and we seek your peace and the peace of our brothers; for the sake of the house of Hashem I seek that it be good for you.
Radak
And further, "for the sake of the house of our God" — which lies in ruins, I will seek good for you from Hashem, blessed be He.
Metzudat David
"For the sake of the house of Hashem" — And for the sake of the Temple that will be built in it, I will seek your good.
Malbim
"For the sake of the house of our God" — that which pertains to the house of God for the sake of the good of the soul and the spiritual happiness that comes from holiness, prophecy, and the Divine Presence — "I will seek your good" — this depends on the good that one does through the commandments and good deeds. However, he clarifies here that the political benefit obtained from Jerusalem is something evident, and there is no need to seek it out like buried treasures, for it is a self-evident matter, and I can speak of it and explain it at once. But the good obtained from the house of God is something hidden, which one must seek and search after, for matters of God are attained only after inquiry and search.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim