A Song of Ascents, of David, a psalm of thanksgiving acknowledging that had Hashem not been on Israel's side, the nation would have been swallowed alive by its enemies; blessed is our Deliverer.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
A Song of Ascents; of David. 'If it had not been Hashem who was for us', Let Israel now say;
verse value 2456
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·song" (שִׁ֥יר, 3 letters) and the longest is "of·the·ascents" (הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "let·say·now" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "who·was" (root היה, 97x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: שִׁ֥יר [a·song] (510) + הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת [of·the·ascents] (551) + לְדָ֫וִ֥ד [of·David] (44) + לוּלֵ֣י [unless] (76) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + שֶׁהָ֣יָה [who·was] (320) + לָ֑נוּ [to·us] (86) + יֹאמַר־נָ֝֗א [let·say·now] (302) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2456.
Ibn Ezra
"A Song of Ascents; of David. 'If it had not been Hashem'" — this song, too, is like the theme of the psalm above. "'Who was for us'" — like [the phrase] "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:13). "'Let... now say'" — [means] now, like every instance of "na" in Scripture.
Radak
"let Israel now say" — while in exile; and what is it [that he says]?
Metzudat David
"If not for Hashem" — If Hashem, who was with us, [had not been with us]. "Let... say, etc." — The verse is in transposed order; [the meaning is]: "Let Israel now say: If not for Hashem, etc."
Malbim
"A Song of Ascents" — he relates how the kindness of Hashem saved them from two kinds of enemies: enemies of the body and enemies of the soul. "Were it not for Hashem" — that is to say, we had two things as our stronghold: (1) that we belonged to Hashem, and (2) that Hashem was for us. That is, the first condition for our salvation was that we relied with our whole heart upon Hashem and did not forget His name and His Torah. This is why it says, "Were it not for Hashem who was for us, let Israel now say" — were it not for the fact that we declared that Hashem was ours and we trusted in Him. (2) The second condition is that, as a result of this, Hashem was in truth for us. This is why it says —
'If it had not been Hashem who was for us, When men rose up against us,
verse value 867
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·us" (לָ֑נוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "against·us" (עָלֵ֣ינוּ, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "when·rising" (בְּק֖וּם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "against·us" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "who·was" (root היה, 97x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: לוּלֵ֣י [unless] (76) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + שֶׁהָ֣יָה [who·was] (320) + לָ֑נוּ [to·us] (86) + בְּק֖וּם [when·rising] (148) + עָלֵ֣ינוּ [against·us] (166) + אָדָֽם [man] (45) = 867.
Ibn Ezra
"'If it had not been'" — this occurred time after time [i.e., the clause is repeated for emphasis]. "'Men'" — is a plural expression, and there is proof of this.
Radak
"when men rose up against us" — when enemies rose against us in exile to destroy us. "if it had not been Hashem" — "for us" [lanu], like "with us" [imanu].
Metzudat David
"When rose up" — At the time when men rose up against us to kill and destroy.
Malbim
"Were it not for Hashem who was for us" in truth "when men rose up against us" — for because we trusted in Him, He likewise became our savior. And were it not for these two things, we would have perished, both in body and in soul. Against the loss of the body, he says —
Then they had swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
verse value 1045
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "then" (אֲ֭זַי) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "then" (אֲ֭זַי, 3 letters) and the longest is "swallowed·us" (בְּלָע֑וּנוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "swallowed·us" (בְּלָע֑וּנוּ), "when·burned" (בַּחֲר֖וֹת), "their·nose" (אַפָּ֣ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·us" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "alive" (root חי, 43x in Psalms); "their·nose" (root אף, 40x in Psalms). First appearance of the root אזי ("then") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'swallowed·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲ֭זַי [then] (18) + חַיִּ֣ים [alive] (68) + בְּלָע֑וּנוּ [swallowed·us] (164) + בַּחֲר֖וֹת [when·burned] (616) + אַפָּ֣ם [their·nose] (121) + בָּֽנוּ [against·us] (58) = 1045.
Rashi
"when their anger was kindled against us" — Heb. בחרות, “when their anger was kindled against us,” is the same form as בעשות, “when he made.”
Ibn Ezra
"'Then'" — he likened the enemy to a flooding torrent. The word "nachlah" occurs in three different ways, and all of them differ: (1) as in "an heritage [nachalah] to Israel His servant" (Psalm 136:22) — there the chet has a chataf-patach, and the heh is a feminine marker, following the pattern of the noun "nachalah." (2) as in "your wound is grievous [nachlah]" (cf. Jeremiah 30:12) — this is a past-tense verb of the passive [nif'al] pattern, and under the chet there is a simple sheva alone, and the word is accented on the last syllable. (3) [as in our verse] — the chet has a sheva and the word is accented on the second-to-last syllable, because the accent falls on the nun, and the heh is a mere addition, like the heh of "laylah" ["night"]; therefore it is phrased as though it were a past-tense form, and the sense is doubled [repeated for emphasis]. And the meaning of "alive" — it refers back to the speakers, as if he said, "they swallowed us, and we [were] alive," [compare] "and they went down alive into Sheol" (Numbers 16:30).
Radak
"then [azay]" — the yod is added, and it is [equivalent to] "az" (then). "They had swallowed us up alive," he speaks by way of a metaphor in saying "swallowed us up alive," for it is not a person's way to eat meat except cooked; but they, out of the intensity of their desire to swallow us, would have swallowed us alive. "when their wrath was kindled against us" — [this would have happened] were it not for God, who was with us.
Metzudat David
"Then" — If Hashem had not been with us, then they would have swallowed us alive; and this is a figure of speech, for one who craves to eat does not wait until the food is cooked, but eats it raw. And it is as though he says: out of their great desire to swallow me up, they would hasten to swallow me alive. "When was kindled" — At the time when their anger was kindled against us.
Malbim
"Then they had swallowed us up alive when their wrath was kindled against us" — for then, when men rose up against us with their wrath kindled against us to destroy us, they would have swallowed us alive. And against the loss of the soul, he says —
Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul;
verse value 1515
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "then" (אֲ֭זַי) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "then" (אֲ֭זַי, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·our·soul" (עַל־נַפְשֵֽׁנוּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "swept·us·away" (שְׁטָפ֑וּנוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·our·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "the·waters" (root מים, 38x in Psalms); "passed" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'swept·us·away', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲ֭זַי [then] (18) + הַמַּ֣יִם [the·waters] (95) + שְׁטָפ֑וּנוּ [swept·us·away] (451) + נַ֝֗חְלָה [stream] (93) + עָבַ֥ר [passed] (272) + עַל־נַפְשֵֽׁנוּ [over·our·soul] (586) = 1515.
Rashi
"illness" — Heb. נחלה, expression of illness (חלי).
Radak
"then" — the waters are a metaphor for troubles. "the stream had gone over our soul" — a rushing stream. And the word is read with the stress on the penultimate syllable (mil'eil), the accent on the nun, with a heh added, and the chet has a shva alone.
Metzudat David
"The waters" — He likened the multitude of the enemies to the flooding of many waters. "A stream" — A stream of water passed over our soul.
Malbim
"Then the waters had overwhelmed us" — for then, at a time when their wrath was not kindled against us to destroy us, but on the contrary they wished to draw us near to become one people with them, then the waters would have overwhelmed us. And he explains that this "stream of water" "had gone over our soul" — not over the body, only over the soul. And he further explains that —
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "then" (אֲ֭זַי) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "then" (אֲ֭זַי, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·proud" (הַזֵּידוֹנִֽים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "the·proud" (הַזֵּידוֹנִֽים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·our·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "the·waters" (root מים, 38x in Psalms); "passed" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·our·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֲ֭זַי [then] (18) + עָבַ֣ר [passed] (272) + עַל־נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ [over·our·soul] (586) + הַ֝מַּ֗יִם [the·waters] (95) + הַזֵּידוֹנִֽים [the·proud] (132) = 1103.
Ibn Ezra
"'Then... had gone'" — the sense is doubled [repeated for emphasis], and "nachlah" ["torrent," in the previous verse] serves in place of "nachal" ["stream"], on account of the other phrase here, "the proud waters."
Radak
"then...had gone over" — he says "had gone over" [in the singular] although he had said "the waters" — similar to "lo zorak alav" (it was not sprinkled upon him). Or, "had gone over" refers back to the "stream" mentioned [earlier], meaning "the streams of the proud waters." And the meaning of "the proud" (ha-zeidonim) is that they surge with wickedness and insolence (zadon).
Metzudat David
"The proud [waters]" — Those that flood with willfulness and wickedness; and the matter is repeated two and three times for emphasis, as is the way of figurative speech everywhere.
Malbim
"Then over our" holy "soul would have gone" "the proud waters" — for by these figurative "waters" he intended willful sin and apostasy from the faith. And these matters correspond precisely to what was said: were it not for Hashem being for us — in that we did not forget His name — they would have destroyed the soul through apostasy from the faith; and were it not for Hashem being for us to save us, they would have destroyed the body.
Blessed be Hashem, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
verse value 1865
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who·not" (שֶׁלֹּ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·teeth" (לְשִׁנֵּיהֶֽם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "has·given·us" (נְתָנָ֥נוּ), "to·their·teeth" (לְשִׁנֵּיהֶֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "who·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "has·given·us" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: בָּר֥וּךְ [blessed] (228) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + שֶׁלֹּ֥א [who·not] (331) + נְתָנָ֥נוּ [has·given·us] (556) + טֶ֝֗רֶף [prey] (289) + לְשִׁנֵּיהֶֽם [to·their·teeth] (435) = 1865.
Ibn Ezra
"Blessed... who has not given us" — refers back to "swallowed us alive" [verse 3].
Radak
"Blessed" — that He did not leave us in their hands to tear us apart, as they intended.
Metzudat David
"Blessed be Hashem" — But blessed be Hashem, who did not abandon us to be prey for their teeth.
Malbim
"Blessed be Hashem" — regarding the fact that He saved them from the loss of the body, he says, "Blessed be Hashem, who has not given us as prey to their teeth," and he explains that the reason He saved them from the loss of the body was that Hashem was for them and they held fast to His faith and His Torah. Through this — "our soul, like a bird, escaped from the snare of the fowlers" — for inasmuch as they wished to hunt our soul into apostasy from the faith, we were like a bird before which all kinds of food are spread out in order to trap it by means of a snare; and our soul escaped and did not enter the snare, and we withstood the trial. Therefore "the snare was broken" — the enemies were broken and destroyed — "and we escaped" from their hand. And he explains that —
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we are escaped.
verse value 2561
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 2561 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "from·the·snare·of" (מִפַּ֢ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "fowlers" (י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "has·escaped" (נִמְלְטָה֮), "fowlers" (י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים), "the·snare" (הַפַּ֥ח). The root מלט appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "our·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "is·broken" (root שבר, 26x in Psalms). Full calculation: נַפְשֵׁ֗נוּ [our·soul] (486) + כְּצִפּ֥וֹר [like·a·bird] (396) + נִמְלְטָה֮ [has·escaped] (134) + מִפַּ֢ח [from·the·snare·of] (128) + י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים [fowlers] (466) + הַפַּ֥ח [the·snare] (93) + נִשְׁבָּ֗ר [is·broken] (552) + וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ [and·we] (121) + נִמְלָֽטְנוּ [we·have·escaped] (185) = 2561.
Rashi
"Our soul escaped like a bird" — [It escaped] from them like a bird that escaped from the hunter’s snare.
Ibn Ezra
"Our soul is like a bird" — the sense is that we had no power to escape, for we were like a bird; only we escaped through the name of Hashem alone, who does all things — and who can stand before Him? Therefore —
Radak
"Our soul" — for it [the bird] cannot escape unless the snare in which it is caught is broken; so too are we, surrounded by the nations among whom we dwell — with the help of God, who will help us, we shall escape from their hand.
Metzudat David
"As a bird" — Like the bird that escaped from the net of the trap set to catch it. "The snare is broken" — That is to say, the wicked fell, and through this we escaped from their hand; and since he compared us to a bird, he used the language appropriate to the rescue of a bird.
Our help is in the name of Hashem, Who made heaven and earth.
verse value 1763
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·name·of" (בְּשֵׁ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·help" (עֶ֭זְרֵנוּ, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "and·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "in·the·name·of" (root שם, 119x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֶ֭זְרֵנוּ [our·help] (333) + בְּשֵׁ֣ם [in·the·name·of] (342) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה [Who·made] (375) + שָׁמַ֥יִם [heaven] (390) + וָאָֽרֶץ [and·earth] (297) = 1763.
Ibn Ezra
"Our help" — for in His hand are the upper [beings] and the lower [beings].
Radak
"Our help" — for He makes heaven and earth, and He has power over the upper realms and the lower realms, and He is able to help us and bring us out of the snare, which is the exile.
Metzudat David
"Our help" — Our help came through the mention of the name of Hashem, who made heaven and earth, and the help did not come through the strength of our own hands.
Malbim
"Our help is in the name of Hashem" — the fact that we trust in Hashem and hold fast to Him is our help, on account of the fact that "He made the heavens and the earth" — that is, He governs [both] nature and that which is above it, and therefore our help was providential and miraculous, not natural.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim