Psalms · Psalm 16

"A michtam of David" — Our Sages said (Sotah 10b, Mid. Ps. 16:1): Of David, who was poor (מך) and perfect (ותם), whose wound (מכתו) was perfect (תמה), for he was born circumcised. However, the sequence of the verse here does not lend itself to be interpreted according to the Midrash. There are psalms prefaced by the title לדוד מכתם, which may be interpreted: This song is David’s, who was poor and perfect, but here, where it is stated מכתם לדוד, it cannot be interpreted in this manner. I therefore say that it is one of the names of the various types of melodies and the variations in the music. Another explanation: מכתם is an expression of a crown, like כתם, meaning that David was accustomed to say, “O God, guard me for I have taken refuge in You.” And this was to him as a crown, as it is stated (5:13): “You shall crown him with will.”

"Michtam" — an honored psalm, like "fine gold" [ketem paz] (Song of Songs 5:11), or a pleasant poem whose opening word is "michtam." "Keep me, O God" — and the sense of "keep me" is: because I have taken refuge in You, "keep me" — for You are Hashem; and the meaning [of the divine name] is: mighty, so that You are able to save me.

'Michtam of David' — We have already written, in the psalm 'When I call, answer me' (Psalm 4), the meaning of 'michtam.' 'Keep me' — the shin [of 'shomreni'] is prolonged with a ga'ya (a secondary accent mark). 'O God' — You, Hashem, are 'God,' and able. Therefore I call to You, that You should keep me. 'For I have taken refuge in You' — and not in anyone besides You.

'Michtam' — from the language of ketem (fine gold); he means to say that this psalm was as precious to him as fine gold.

"A Michtam of David" — he speaks against the idol-worshippers who were in his time, and makes known the difference between one who serves Hashem and keeps His Torah, and those who go after vanity and become vain (hevel/yehbalu), and he gives thanks for his portion, that [Hashem] set him apart from those who err. "Keep me" — first he asks of Hashem that God alone keep him, for he takes refuge in nothing else among the powers on high, but only "for I have taken refuge in You."

"You should say to the Lord, “You are my Master, etc.”" — David addresses the Congregation of Israel. “It is your duty to say to the Lord, ‘You are the Master, and You have the upper hand in all that befalls me.’” Another explanation: You should say to the Lord, “You are my Master.” He [David] was saying this to his soul. Similarly, we find on this order (in II Sam. 13:39): “And David longed,” which means: And the soul of David longed. Here too, “You, my soul, have said to the Lord,” you my soul, should say to the Holy One, blessed be He. (The second interpretation appears in very few early editions.) "my good is not incumbent upon You." — The benefits that You do for meit is not incumbent upon You to bestow [them] upon me, because You do not benefit me on account of my righteousness.

"You have said" [amart] — he says to his soul: You have already acknowledged that Hashem is your Lord, and that you are obligated to serve Him even if it does not go well for you — in the manner of "do not be like servants [who serve for reward]" (cf. Mishnah Avot 1:3). And Rabbi Shlomo ha-Sefaradi said, in his prayers: "Behold, this is for You, not for me; I stand before You for the sake of Your honor, not for the reward of my labor." Rabbi Moshe said: "My goodness is not an obligation upon You, for I am not worthy of it — like 'the holy ones who are in the land.'" But in my opinion, he is asking mercy from Hashem, that He deal well with "the holy ones who are in the earth" — and it was necessary to say "who are in the earth," because "the holy ones," [otherwise], refers to the angels, as in "and all the holy ones are with You" (Zechariah 14:5); and there is much sorrow for those who do not serve You but serve others instead, so their sorrow increases for the holy ones. Thus: "my goodness is not incumbent upon You; rather, give the good to the holy ones and the mighty ones of the earth, in whom is all my delight" — meaning: all my desire is to be like them. And whoever explains "the holy ones" as referring to the Patriarchs is not correct, according to the theme of the psalm.

'I have said to Hashem, You are my Lord' — He is speaking to his own soul, and says: 'You have said' and acknowledged to Hashem that He is your God 'and your Lord,' and thus you are obligated accordingly; and you shall also say to Him: 'I have no good but in You' — Rashi and Rabbi Moshe HaKohen Gikatilla explained it thus: the good that You do for me is not incumbent upon You to do, for I am not worthy of it, but it is all a kindness from You. And my father and lord, of blessed memory, explained: the good that I do does not reach You — that is, it does not attain to You, for it is not possible, nor of benefit, nor does it give You anything, but rather —

"You have said" — you, my soul, have said of Hashem that He is Lord of all, and you have submitted to Him. "My good" — the good that You do for me is not incumbent upon You, for it is all a matter of kindness.

"You have said" [אמרת] — now he speaks, addressing directly a nation that worships other gods and thinks to find refuge in its idols. Now it was the view of the masters of the Sabians, worshippers of images, that Hashem is the Cause of causes and the First Cause of all that exists, and they called Him "the God of gods." But they held that from Him there issues no providence or governance in the lower world, neither good nor evil; rather, their idols were appointed over this, and they had set apart places for them to dwell — on the high mountains and at known [sacred] sites. And they would say that these idols were appointed, each one over a particular kind of the good and evil that come into the world — one over life, one over favor, one over wealth, and so on. Therefore he says, concerning the nation that worships idols: "You have said to Hashem," [as follows]: I know that "You are my God" — that is, that You are the God of gods and the First Cause of all — but "my good does not depend on You"; the good things that come to me are not caused to flow from You, and it is not Your role to bring me good; rather, "[it comes] to the holy ones who are in the land" — the good things I receive are attributed to the holy ones, that is, to the holy idols, which are not in heaven but dwell in the land, on every mount of assembly (har mo'ed) and lofty hill — for it is these holy ones who cause the good to flow. "And the mighty ones — all my desire is in them" — that is, in them, in these holy ones, are also found the mighty ones of all my desire, the mighty ones who rule over all my desires. For the idol-worshippers used to attribute all the powers of the soul and all of a person's desires — his lusts and his character traits — to the idols, saying that such-and-such an idol is appointed over love, and another over strife, quarrels, and war, and so on for every power and desire of man — they would say there is a power appointed over it among these gods. And they would say that man is not free in his deeds and his desires — that any desire that arises in his heart, for example to love or to hate, to be cruel or to be merciful, and so forth, comes about through the idol appointed over that particular desire — these being the mighty ones who rule over all his desires, so that he cannot desire anything without their permission — as is known from the vanities of the poetry of the idol-worshippers, who attributed every desire, will, lust, and character trait to the idols, and would worship each one of them in order to draw from it the will for that particular desire.

"For the holy ones who are in the earth" — For the sake of the holy ones who are buried in the earth, who walked before You with sincerity. "and the mighty ones in whom is all my delight" — They are the mighty ones in whom is all my delight and for whose sake all my necessities are accomplished.

'As for the holy who are in the earth' — This comes in the manner of, 'to a man like yourself, your wickedness,' etc. (Job 35:8). And because I love You, I love them, for they are 'holy,' and I do good to them. 'They are the excellent in whom is all my delight' — [referring] to those who are 'excellent' of heart above all people, and better than them; 'I delight in them,' to do good to them, because they keep and perform Your commandments. For this reason he calls them 'holy' and 'excellent.' By the first explanation, they explain 'to the holy' thus: I am not worthy of Your goodness, but it is to the 'holy' that Your goodness would be fitting. But in my opinion, the sense of 'to the holy' is connected to 'I have said to Hashem' — that is, after you say 'to Hashem' that He is 'your Lord,' you should also say, 'as for the holy who are in the earth,' meaning that you should submit before them, grant them precedence over yourself, and learn from their deeds — all with the aim that you should learn love of God. In this vein our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 22b): '[the verse] "Hashem your God shall you fear" (Deuteronomy 6:13) comes to include the disciples of the wise.' And he says 'who are in the earth,' meaning: the holy ones whom you find on your way — go after their footsteps and learn from their deeds. 'Excellent' [addirei] is not, in my opinion, a construct form, for words of this pattern are found elsewhere [as absolute forms], such as 'windows of fixed lattice-work' (I Kings 6:4); 'plants of pleasantness' (Isaiah 17:10), and the like. And the meaning is: 'holy and excellent,' that 'all my delight is in them' — to love them and to walk in their ways. 'As for the holy who are in the earth' — the way of the 'holy,' the worshippers of God, I love; and the way of others, who worship another god, I hate; and I say:

"To the holy ones" — submit yourself also to the holy people who are in the land, and to the mighty ones in the fear of Hashem, for all my desire comes to me through their merit.

"May the sorrows...increase" — All this you should say to the Lord, “May the sorrows of those who do not believe in You increase,” viz. those who hasten and scurry to idolatry. Another explanation: מהרו is an expression of מֹהַר, dowry, douaire in French. "I will not pour their libations of blood" — I will not be like them, to sprinkle blood for pagan deities, neither will I take up the name of pagan deities upon my lips.

"Let the sorrows of those who hastened after another [god] be multiplied" [acharu maharu] — that is, after "another" they hastened/betrothed themselves; and this [maharu] is from the same root as "he shall surely pay the bride-price for her" (Exodus 22:16) — [meaning] those who bind themselves to another people. "Only I will not pour out their drink-offerings" — for these are mixed with the blood of their sacrifices; and I will not even mention their names with my lips.

'Let their sorrows be multiplied who hasten after another' — [referring to] those people who hasten after 'another' god. 'Hastened' [maharu] — this word alone is in the simple (kal) conjugation, from the meaning of 'speed'; though it is possible that it is of the meaning of 'dowry and gift' (Genesis 34:12), like 'he shall surely pay the dowry for her' (Exodus 22:15). Or the meaning of 'who hasten after another' is: I shall cling to the 'holy' and the 'excellent,' and the sorrows shall multiply of those people — the sorrow of those who hasten after others, to walk in other ways that are not the ways of Hashem — and this is the correct [explanation]. 'Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer' — far be it from me that I should 'pour out their drink-offerings,' which are 'of blood'; in the manner of, 'and you have brought that which was taken by violence' (Malachi 1:13) — meaning: their drink-offerings are not wine but 'blood'; for burnt-offerings and drink-offerings performed alongside evil deeds are of no avail and do not save, but rather do harm, as it is said, 'The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination' (Proverbs 21:27). 'Nor take their names upon my lips' — I will not even bring the 'names' of these people 'upon my lips.'

"They hastened after another" — meaning: but the people who increase their bridal-price [i.e., spare no expense] to offer sacrifices to idols — You will multiply their sorrow at Your hand, for You will pursue them to grieve their heart; and I will not submit to them. "I will not pour out" — I will not sprinkle blood to idols as they do, nor will I even mention their names with my lips.

'Maharu' — a term meaning payment, as in 'according to the dowry of virgins' (Exodus 22). 'Asich niskeihem' — a term meaning pouring/sprinkling.

"Let [the idols] be multiplied" [ירבו] — he says: behold, those who "hasten after another [god]" — who hurry to the worship of another god — "their idols/sorrows" (atzabam) of the aforementioned holy ones shall multiply, for they would make for themselves images (atzabim) to depict their [gods'] character and to receive from them, through the images fashioned for them, an influence. But as for me, "I will not pour out their libations of blood" — I will not learn from their deeds to pour out before the holy ones and their images libations of blood, and I will also not take their names upon my lips, for it is forbidden to mention the name of an idol; rather, I will cause their name to perish from under the heavens. Instead, "Hashem is the portion of my share and my cup" — I am not subject to the constellations and the powers of nature. And there is a difference between "share" (chelek) and "cup" (kos): the cup is only the portion that a person prepares for himself by his own preparation, whereas the share and the cup would otherwise be equal, and by lot (goral) the portions sometimes fall out unequal, according to whatever the lot brings up. Every person has a share and an inheritance in Hashem from birth, for his soul is a portion of the Divine — and this is called "share" (chelek); concerning this it says, "Hashem is the portion of my share." Second, he can merit additional holiness according to his own preparation, in keeping with his deeds, and this is called "cup" (kos); concerning this it says, "Hashem is my cup." Third, he receives from Hashem a gift beyond that of his fellows, according to the will of Hashem, after having first merited it through his own deeds, as it says, "I have known you by name," and also, "You have found favor in My eyes" — and this is called "lot" (goral); concerning this it says, "You maintain my lot." This is in contrast to the star-worshippers, who deny [divine] providence and have no share in Hashem — whose providence, [they hold,] pertains only to the host of heaven — not through preparation by their own deeds, since they deny free will (bechirah), and not through a lot, for through my own portion, I inherit their portion — that itself is their lot. Therefore he says that these three — his portion, his cup, and his lot — are from Hashem alone.

"The Lord is my allotted portion and my cup" — All my benefit is from Him. Another explanation: כוסי means “my share,” as (in Exod. 12:4): “you shall make your count (תכסו) on the lamb.” This is how Menachem (p. 107) associated it. "You guide my destiny" — It is You Who placed my hand on the good share, as it is stated (in Deut. 30:19): “I have set life and death before you...Choose life...” as a man who loves one of his sons and lays his hand on the better share, saying, “Choose this one for yourself.” "guide" — Heb. תומיך. You lowered my hand onto the portion, an expression of (Ecc. 10: 18): “the rafter sinks (ימך),” is lowered. In this manner it is expounded upon in Sifrei (Deut. 11:26, 27). It can also be interpreted as an expression of support, according to the Midrash Aggadah, as (in Gen. 48:17) “he supported (ויתמך) his father’s hand.”

"And my cup" [ve-khosi] — [meaning] like "my portion," from the root of "takosu al ha-seh" ("you shall reckon for the lamb," Exodus 12:4), and similarly above, "the portion of their cup" (Psalm 11:6). As for its being [understood] as an actual drink, like "my cup overflows" (Psalm 23:5) — this is not correct [here]. And the word "tomikh" ["You maintain"] is like "ve-tomekh shevet" ("and he who holds the scepter," Amos 1:5); for [the form] "motze ru'ach" is like "motzi," and for it to be of the pattern of "moshiv" is very far-fetched.

"Hashem is the portion of my inheritance and my cup" — I have no other portion besides Him, unlike those men whose portion and share are silver, gold, and the trinkets of the world; but as for me, "Hashem is the portion of my inheritance and my cup." The portion (menah), the share (chelek), the cup (kos), and the lot (goral) are all one and the same — it is simply the same idea doubled in different words, to reinforce the matter, as is the way of the language; that is: in all my affairs and in all my dealings, He is my portion, and to Him is my intent. And the explanation of "You maintain (tomikh) my lot" — You have helped me choose this portion for myself, as they said (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 38b): 'One who comes to purify himself is helped.' And the word tomikh is vocalized with a chirik in place of a tzere; and similarly, 'Behold, I will add to your days' (hin'ni yosif, Isaiah 38:5); 'Behold, I will again do a marvelous work' (hin'ni yosif lehafli, Isaiah 29:14) — both with a chirik in place of a tzere.

"Hashem is the portion of my share" — He is the portion given as my share, meaning: in Him I believe. "And my cup" — He is the portion placed within my cup; and the matter is repeated in different words. "You maintain [my lot]" — You supported my hand to place it upon that lot, meaning: You aroused my heart to believe in You; and he speaks by way of a parable, in the manner of a father who supports the hand of his beloved son and places it upon the fine portion, saying, "This one is [meant] for you."

"Portions have fallen to me in pleasant places" — When the lot fell to me to be in Your portion, it is a pleasant portion. Also, such an inheritance is pleasing to me.

"Lines" [חבלים] is a term meaning "portions," as in (Ezekiel 47:13) "Joseph shall receive two portions." "And pleasant" is an adjective, like (2 Samuel 1:23) "the beloved and the pleasant" — with the word "places" omitted, this being a figurative usage. Rabbi Moshe said: that "indeed a heritage" [אף נחלת] is like "my heritage" [נחלתי]. And I will further explain my view under the phrase "my strength and song is Hashem" (Exodus 15:2). But what is correct in my opinion is that it ["heritage"] is in construct with Hashem, in the manner of "with bowls of wine" (Amos 6:6).

"The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places" — the portions that fell to me, fell to me in pleasant places, and with good and correct beliefs. "Indeed (af), I have a goodly heritage" — the tav [in shafrah] stands in place of a heh, and it is not in the construct state; and so too, 'my strength and song (zimrat) is Yah' (Exodus 15:2; Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 118:14); 'give us help (ezrat) against the adversary' (Psalm 60:13); 'how is the city of praise (tehillat) not forsaken' (Jeremiah 49:25), and others like these. And the meaning of 'indeed (af)': the way of the people of the world is that, when they divide [property] among themselves, each one envies his fellow's portion and imagines that his fellow's portion is better than his own; but not so I — indeed, my heritage and my portion pleases me, and I do not envy another's portion, for the good portion is with me.

"The lines" — the regions that fell to my portion are those distinguished by pleasant things, meaning: the God whom I have chosen is the unique God. "Indeed the heritage" — the heritage that I chose is beautiful in my eyes; and the matter is repeated in different words.

'Chavalim' — thus regions are called, as in 'from the district [chevel] of the children of Judah' (Joshua 19:9), because an inheritance was divided by the measuring line (chevel). 'Shafrah' — a term meaning beauty, as in 'goodly words' (Genesis 49).

“The lines” — There is a difference between myself and the idol-worshippers, both with respect to the happiness of the soul and with respect to the success of the body. With respect to the happiness of the soul, “the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places” — he calls the spiritual pleasures that the soul attains by the name “pleasant things,” for through this many lines and portions have fallen to me in the spiritual Eden and its radiance, which the idol-worshippers do not have — happiness of the soul and eternal existence. And as opposed to that, the success of the body and everything dependent on it he calls “heritage,” for such successes are bequeathed by fathers to their sons, as it is said, “House and wealth are the heritage of fathers.” I have “a goodly heritage” — not like the idol-worshippers, whose heritage is not goodly in their eyes, for they seek excess and are not happy with their portion, as it is said: “What is the difference between the disciples of Abraham our father and the disciples of the wicked Balaam?... they eat in this world...” etc.

"I will bless the Lord" — Until here, David prophesied concerning the Congregation of Israel, that she would say this, and now he says, “I, too, will bless the Lord, Who counseled me to choose life and to go in His ways.” "even at night my conscience instructs me" — to fear Him and to love Him. Our Sages though, (Mid. Ps. 16:7) explained it as referring to our father Abraham, who learned Torah by himself before the Torah was given, but we must reconcile the verses according to their sequence.

"I will bless" — this counsel was from Him from the start, for He is the One who teaches man knowledge. The sense of "in the nights" is: when he is solitary, apart from the affairs of the world. "My reins" alludes to the faculties of procreation, which are hidden, like the kidneys. The sense of "instruct me" is that he considered in his heart all the things that happen to those who depart from this world, and therefore he was disciplined. "I have set" — counsel and moral discipline led him to place Hashem before him day and night, so that his soul cleaves to its Creator even before it separates from his body; and because "I have set Hashem before me," therefore "at my right hand, I shall not be moved" — that is, I shall not turn aside from the straight path.

"I will bless Hashem, who has given me counsel" — as we explained regarding 'You maintain my lot.' "Indeed, in the nights" — this was, first of all, from Hashem, who counseled me and assisted me in choosing this good portion for myself; and likewise, I myself, every day, "my reins instruct me" — so that I should not abandon this path, but hold fast to it with all my strength. And he says 'nights,' because at night a person withdraws from the affairs of the world and finds his heart free. And he says 'my reins,' because they are the counselors, as they said (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 61a): 'The kidneys counsel, the heart understands.'

"Who has counseled me" — because He counseled me to accept Him as God. "Even in the nights" — just as He counseled me, so too my kidneys [inner conscience] admonish and counsel me about this in the nights, which is the time when the heart is free from distracting thought.

“I will bless” — Even though, according to the view of the Torah, man is free in his actions, nevertheless Hashem did not abandon man by leaving him prone to stumble through the evil inclination and desire; for Hashem stands beside me as a counselor, so that I not be drawn after the counsel of the evil inclination. These are the ways of the Torah that He gave us, which are counsels that Hashem gives us for how to guard against the snare of desire and its traps. “Indeed, in the night seasons my reins instruct me” — and also, Hashem planted within the soul of man a feeling of conscience, to the point that his own soul chastises him from walking in the way of evil, and he feels within his soul a moral sense that restrains him from the evil way. And this is what he means: that even at night my kidneys chastise me from walking in the way of evil. [As I wrote in my commentary on Job, regarding the phrase, “and He seals their instruction.”]

"I have placed the Lord before me constantly" — In all my deeds, I have placed His fear before my eyes. Why? Because He is always at my right hand to help me so that I should not falter. Another explanation: I have placed the Lord before me constantly. [This alludes to] the sefer Torah [that] was with him [for him] to read all the days of his life [as in Deut. 17:19]. This is what he states: “from my right hand I will not falter,” meaning that because of the Torah in which I am engaged, which was given with His right hand, I will not falter. (This interpretation does not appear in any manuscript. It does, however, appear in several early printed editions.) Rashi to Sanhedrin explains that the “right hand” alludes to the Torah scroll that the king would carry suspended from his arm. David is confident that in the merit of that scroll, he will not falter.

"I have set Hashem always before me" — in all my ways I remember Him. Just as a thing that is always in front of a person does not depart from his eyes or his heart, so have I set the glory of God always before me, for I know that He is at my right hand and my help; therefore I shall not be moved, wherever I walk and go forth. And the Rav, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, of blessed memory, explained (Guide of the Perplexed 3:51): "Surely He is at my right hand" — as if He were my own right hand, which a person does not forget for even the blink of an eye, because of how readily it moves; and for this reason, "I shall not be moved" — that is to say, I shall not fall.

"I have set Hashem" — I continually imagine, as it were, that Hashem stands opposite me and sees my deeds. "Surely at my right hand" — for on account of this He will stand at my right hand to help me, so that I shall not be inclined to fall.

'Shiviti' — meaning, I have placed, as in 'He makes my feet like a hind's' (below, Psalm 18).

“I have set” — Through the counsels of the Torah and the feeling of conscience, “I have set Hashem before me” — meaning, even though the desires of the body and its cravings incite me to turn away from following Hashem, I set Hashem opposite them, for the precepts of Hashem and His commandments stand against the desires of my body, commanding the opposite of what I want on the side of my body and my inclination; and I have weighed the value of the two against each other, concluding that it is certainly proper that I nullify my will and my desire before Hashem and His commandments. And the matter is this: in the soul of man there are two paths. The body and its powers always counsel it to go toward snakes and incline it toward self-love, to the point that even the good he does, he does out of self-love — out of hope of reward and fear of punishment, or some other ulterior motive. However, there is found in man a faculty, which is the practical intellect, that sets before him a rule to do good only because it is good; and its root is from the universal, unlimited intellect, which is Hashem, blessed be He — such that Hashem counsels him against the body and against its desires. And one who listens to the counsel of Hashem sets Hashem opposite himself — meaning, he weighs the two claims in the scales, the claim of the body and the claim of the soul. And these two paths are called “right” and “left” in the Holy Scriptures, for one who walks by the counsel of his body and its desire walks in the way of the left, for “a fool's heart is to his left.” But after I have set Hashem before me and nullified my will before His will, He is “at my right hand, I shall not be moved” — I go and travel southward, to the right side, toward purity and holiness. “Therefore” — through this I have three virtues. First, “my heart is glad” — the heart signifies the ruling power within the soul; a man enslaved to his desires, his heart is not glad, for the wicked are full of regret, and the heart is always at inner war with itself; but one who rules over his spirit and subdues his desires, his heart is glad, for he has won the war. Second, with respect to the divine soul, which is called by the name “glory” in the Holy Scriptures — it “rejoices” with a new joy, for it desires to remain in its spirituality and not be defiled by the body's rich food and the wine of its feasts. Third, with respect to the body itself: as long as it listens to the counsel of desire, “his flesh wastes away, that it cannot be seen,” and all the powers of desire disturb his flesh and consume it — “envy is rot to the bones” — and desire consumes his flesh and his body. But through my having quieted the rage of desire and its tumult, “my flesh also dwells in safety.”

"Therefore, my heart rejoiced, etc." — because I am confident that You will not forsake my soul to the grave. Since, concerning the iniquity of a grave transgression which I committed, You sent me the tidings (in II Sam. 12:13): “Also the Lord has removed your sin,” certainly from now on You will not forsake me [to cause me] to turn away from You.

"Therefore, my heart" — this is the intellect of knowledge [the rational faculty]. "And my glory" — the soul. "Also my flesh" — the body. And the sense is: since it [the soul] is bound to the supernal power, his soul rejoices, and the power of its attachment to Him will preserve it from the afflictions that come with the future change, and therefore his body dwells securely in this world.

"Therefore my heart is glad" — because I set You always before me, my heart is glad. "and my glory rejoices" — that is, the soul, which is the glory of the body, for I am confident that when it separates from the body it will cling to its Creator. "my flesh also" — while I am still alive, "dwells in safety" — that You will save me from all harm. And according to the midrash (Shocher Tov; and Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 17a): after death, [it means] that neither worm nor maggot had power over him.

"My heart is glad" — for it attains its desire. "And my glory rejoices" — this is the soul, which is the glory of the body. "Dwells" — after death, in the grave.

"For" — he mentions the reason for the soul's rejoicing: that it will not die and perish.

"For You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld; neither will You suffer Your godly one [a marginal note in the Masorah between the columns reads 'ḥ. l.', indicating a unique defective spelling; this is how it appears in the manuscript before us] to see the pit" — for I know that as long as I hold fast to life — and that is the straight path I am on, and this is what is meant by 'Your godly one' — I know that 'You will not abandon my soul' to descend to the netherworld together with the body, but will raise it up to Your glory. And according to the midrash (Shocher Tov): anyone who hears himself cursed and remains silent deserves to be called 'godly' (chasid). 'You will not suffer' is the same idea doubled in different words.

"For You will not abandon my soul" — my soul will not perish in the grave together with the body. "Neither will You suffer, etc." — this is said of the soul, and the matter is repeated in different words.

“For” — he explains, corresponding to what he said, “my glory rejoices,” which is his spiritual soul — that therefore, “You will not abandon my soul to the nether-world” — for even though the body must inevitably die and descend to Sheol, which is the grave, my spiritual soul will not descend to Sheol, for it will live forever in eternal pleasantness. And corresponding to what he said, “my flesh also dwells in safety,” he explains: “You will not suffer Your godly one to see the pit” — that the body which conducted itself with piety will not be destroyed so as to die before its time; for because it did not follow its desire, the flesh of the body will dwell in tranquility and health, and will live long.

"You shall let me know the way of life" — This is the future tense, not an expression of prayer. "the fullness of joys" — Endless joy. That is the joy of the future. (Found only in certain manuscripts.) "in Your presence" — Joys that are before You, in a company that is near You.

"You will make known to me" — for when the body dies, then You will make known to me the path of life. And the sense is: the path by which I will ascend to the heavens, to be with the supernal angels. The sense of "fullness of joys is with Your presence" is that he will delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence. The sense of "You will make known to me" is that then the soul will be strengthened, freed from the affairs of the world, and will see the truth eye to eye. The sense of "pleasures at Your right hand" is that it will delight in Hashem. The sense of "at Your right hand" is like one who gives pleasant gifts to his beloved with his right hand. The sense of "forever" is that His gifts will never cease. And behold, the reward of the righteous is set forth explicitly in this psalm.

"You make me to know the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, in Your right hand bliss forevermore" — by way of prayer, that God should make known to him the way by which he will merit the life of the World to Come; that is, that He should give him the wisdom and understanding of that way, so that his soul will live on when it separates from the body and will merit 'fullness of joy in Your presence' and 'bliss in Your right hand'; that those joys and that bliss will be forever, unto everlasting ages, with no end to them — and this is the delight of the soul. And the meaning of 'in Your presence' and 'in Your right hand': the face and the right hand represent honor, as in, 'the upright shall dwell in Your presence' (Psalm 140:14); and likewise, regarding the right hand it is written (Psalm 110:1), 'sit at My right hand.'

"You make me to know" — grant me knowledge to walk in the path that brings eternal life, so that I be sated with joys in that I shall see Your face; as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, that the righteous delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence. "Bliss" — and to be satisfied forever with the pleasantness placed at Your right hand, which are the delights of the World to Come, the beloved and pleasant things.

'Ne'imot' — a term meaning sweetness and pleasantness.

“You make me to know the path of life” — Temporal life is only an illusory life, and true life is the life of the soul, at the time when it sheds its bodily garments and returns to the bundle of life. And as long as it is clothed in the material frame, it is on its way to draw near to the lands of the living — but this only if it walks on a straight path, in the way of Hashem, through which it reaches its desired destination. And he asks of Hashem that He make known to him the path by which he will attain eternal life, for this way is not known of itself, only from the mouth of Hashem. And he explains that there are two differences between the true life of the soul and the illusory life. First, that the joy a person attains in temporal life is never satisfied with joy, “for its end” is joy turning to sorrow; but in the life of the soul there is a fullness of joys, “in Your presence” — from the radiance of the Divine Presence. Second, that physical pleasure ceases and is not eternal, but the pleasantness found “in Your right hand” is an eternal pleasantness, which is everlasting.