A Prayer of David. Hear the right, O Hashem, attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer from lips without deceit.
verse value 4382
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "justice" (צֶ֗דֶק, 3 letters) and the longest is "attend" (הַקְשִׁ֥יבָה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "without" (בְּ֝לֹ֗א). The root תפלה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "without" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms). First appearance of the root רנה ("my·cry") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·prayer', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: תְּפִלָּ֗ה [prayer] (515) + לְדָ֫וִ֥ד [of·David] (44) + שִׁמְעָ֤ה [hear] (415) + יְהֹוָ֨ה [Hashem] (26) + צֶ֗דֶק [justice] (194) + הַקְשִׁ֥יבָה [attend] (422) + רִנָּתִ֗י [my·cry] (660) + הַאֲזִ֥ינָה [give·ear] (78) + תְפִלָּתִ֑י [my·prayer] (920) + בְּ֝לֹ֗א [without] (33) + שִׂפְתֵ֥י [the·lips·of] (790) + מִרְמָֽה [deceit] (285) = 4382.
Ibn Ezra
"A Prayer." "Hear, Hashem, righteousness" — hear that I speak righteousness, for God does not listen to falsehood. "My cry" — with a loud voice, as in (1 Kings 22:36) "and the cry went throughout the camp" — whereas "my prayer" is in a whisper.
Radak
"A Prayer of David. Hear the right, O Hashem, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips without deceit" — 'hear my prayer,' which is 'in righteousness'; 'hear' it, for my mouth and my heart are equal — this is 'righteousness,' and this is 'without lips of deceit.' The entire verse is the same idea doubled in different words. And 'my cry (rinati)' is like 'my outcry,' for one who prays sometimes cries out with a voice of ringing, and sometimes prays in a voice of stillness. And every use of the word 'rinah' is a term of outcry: some instances are for song and joy, some for proclamation, some for prayer and petition, and some for weeping and moaning; and each is to be interpreted according to its context.
Metzudat David
"The right" — my prayer, spoken in righteousness and with sincerity of heart. "Without" — spoken without lips of deceit.
Malbim
“A Prayer of David” — This prayer is divided into three parts. (Part one) He recounts his righteousness, how he was kept from all sin, whether in thought or in deed, and regarding this he says, “Hear the right, O Hashem.” (Part two) He complains about his enemies and their wickedness, and regarding this he says, “attend to my cry.” (Part three) He prays for his soul's happiness, and regarding this he says, “Give ear to my prayer.” And since it might appear that there is some pride and arrogance in him, he says that his prayer is “lips without deceit” — only with a whole heart, out of his trust in Hashem.
Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; Let Your eyes behold equity.
verse value 2010
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "let·come·forth" (יֵצֵ֑א, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·before·Your·face" (מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·behold" (תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·before·Your·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "my·judgment" (root משפט, 65x in Psalms); "Your·eyes" (root עין, 64x in Psalms). First appearance of the root יצא ("let·come·forth") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'let·come·forth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ [from·before·Your·face] (230) + מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י [my·judgment] (439) + יֵצֵ֑א [let·come·forth] (101) + עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָ [Your·eyes] (160) + תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה [let·behold] (480) + מֵישָׁרִֽים [uprightness] (600) = 2010.
Rashi
"May my judgment come forth from before You" — May the sins for which I deserve to be judged with torments, go forth from before You and not come before You in judgment. "may Your eyes see [my] upright acts" — If I have merits, may Your eyes see the upright acts.
Ibn Ezra
"From before You" — let my judgment go forth from before You, if Your eyes do not behold with equity.
Radak
"Let my judgment come forth from Your presence" — my lord, my father, of blessed memory, explained that this prayer concerns the incident with Bathsheba; and he pleaded before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: 'Let my judgment come forth from Your presence' — let this judgment come forth from You, that You not judge me for it. "Let Your eyes behold equity" — see the upright deeds that I have done, and do not gaze upon this sin, and judge me by the abundance of my merits and not by this sin. And he said:
Metzudat David
"Let my judgment come forth" — meaning to say: do not render against me the judgment that my guilt would warrant, but rather see the upright deeds that I have done, and judge me accordingly.
Malbim
“From Your presence” — He begins to recount his righteousness. He says: even though people cast upon me a twisted judgment, to judge me toward guilt, surely, “Let my judgment come forth from Your presence” — surely, “Let Your eyes behold equity,” and You will not bring forth against me an unfair judgment to convict me.
You have tried my heart, You have visited it in the night; You have tested me, and You find not That I had a thought which should not pass my mouth.
verse value 3415
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּ֨י, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·pass·my·mouth" (בַּל־יַעֲבׇר־פִּֽי, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·have·examined" (בָּ֘חַ֤נְתָּ), "You·have·visited" (פָּ֘קַ֤דְתָּ), "You·have·tested·me" (צְרַפְתַּ֥נִי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·heart" (root לב, 74x in Psalms); "not·pass·my·mouth" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms); "night" (root ליל, 27x in Psalms). First appearance of the root זמם ("I·planned") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·You·find', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: בָּ֘חַ֤נְתָּ [You·have·examined] (460) + לִבִּ֨י [my·heart] (42) + פָּ֘קַ֤דְתָּ [You·have·visited] (584) + לַּ֗יְלָה [night] (75) + צְרַפְתַּ֥נִי [You·have·tested·me] (830) + בַל־תִּמְצָ֑א [not·You·find] (563) + זַ֝מֹּתִ֗י [I·planned] (457) + בַּל־יַעֲבׇר־פִּֽי [not·pass·my·mouth] (404) = 3415.
Rashi
"You have tried my heart, etc." — I know that I am guilty of a transgression, and, if the judgment of its punishment comes before You, I will not be declared innocent in the judgment, for You have already tried my heart. "You have visited [upon me] at night" — at eventide for the iniquity of Bathsheba, concerning which it is stated (in II Sam. 11:2) “And it came to pass at the time of evening, that David arose, etc.” "You have refined me" — You have tested me. "and not found" — You have not found in me Your desire. "If I think, let it not pass my mouth" — If it enters my thoughts again to be tried before You, let it not pass my mouth to say again, “Try me, O Lord, and test me,” as I have already said, as is written (26:2) “Try me, O Lord, and test me,” for David asked the Holy One, blessed be He, “Why do they say, ‘the God of Abraham,’ yet they do not say, ‘the God of David’?” He replied, “I tested him with ten tests, and he was found perfect.” He [David] said, “Try me and test me,” as appears in tractate Shabbath (?).
Ibn Ezra
"You have tried my heart" — You know all my thoughts. The sense of "at night" is: when he is alone, apart from other people. "You will find not" — [You will find] no defect or blemish. "It should not pass my mouth" — like (Proverbs 8:29) "and the waters shall not pass His command" [lit. His mouth] — thus his thought is [reflected] in the words of his mouth, and is not the reverse.
Radak
"You have tried my heart, You have visited it in the night; You have tested me, and You find not" — on that night You tried and visited my heart and tested me, and did not find me innocent. And he said: "That I had a thought which should not pass my mouth" — that which I had thought to say, 'examine me, Hashem, and try me' (Psalm 26:2) — would that it had not passed my mouth, and that I had not said that thing in which I grew proud and by which I stumbled. And he said:
Metzudat David
"You have tried my heart" — to know my thoughts; and You visited me in the night, which is the time when a person's thinking is clear — You tested me. Like a smith who refines his silver to know whether it is good, so have You tested me, and You found in me no thought of wickedness. "My scheme" — my thoughts do not go beyond the words of my mouth; meaning to say: as my thoughts are, so are the words of my mouth.
Metzudat Zion
'Pakadta' — a term meaning remembrance and providence, as in 'and Hashem visited' (Genesis 21). 'Zamoti' — a term meaning thought/scheming.
Malbim
"You have tried" — regarding the fact that he did not sin even in thought, he says: You have tried my heart — which is the thinking of the heart — through the fact that "You have visited [me] at night," for the night is the time for thought, and You made certain that I would not entertain improper thoughts at night. Behold, "You have refined me and find nothing," for "I resolved" a matter "which should not pass my mouth" — meaning that a thought which is not fit to be brought forth by my mouth, I did not think even in my heart; a matter forbidden to say with the mouth, I was careful not to think even in the thought of my heart.
As for the doings of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept me from the ways of the violent.
verse value 3685
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָ֭דָם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·works·of" (לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·works·of" (לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת), "Your·lips" (שְׂפָתֶ֑יךָ), "the·violent" (פָּרִֽיץ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "by·the·word·of" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "I·have·kept" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms); "man" (root אדם, 67x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·lips', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת [to·the·works·of] (616) + אָ֭דָם [man] (45) + בִּדְבַ֣ר [by·the·word·of] (208) + שְׂפָתֶ֑יךָ [Your·lips] (810) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + שָׁ֝מַ֗רְתִּי [I·have·kept] (950) + אׇרְח֥וֹת [the·ways·of] (615) + פָּרִֽיץ [the·violent] (380) = 3685.
Rashi
"As for man’s deeds, because of the word of Your lips, etc. To support my feet, etc." — From then on, for every deed of man that I came to perform, I watched myself because of the word of Your lips; [I watched] the ways of the profligate, to turn away from them, so that I should not walk in them, but [would] support my feet constantly in Your paths, that my feet should not falter from them. Another explanation: "For the deeds of man according to the word of Your lips, etc." — Since a person must use his deeds according to the uprightness (decree - early editions) of the word of Your lips, as You said, “You shall not commit adultery,” I kept myself from the ways of the profligate although I behaved unseemly according to the good You have done.
Ibn Ezra
"As for the doings" — out of my great love that all should serve You, and this is the sense of "the doings of man": that men should do what You have commanded them. "I have kept myself from the paths of the violent" — the sense is: I set watch over his paths, so that they would not transgress by a word of the lips, since he is violent.
Radak
"As for the doings of men, by the word of Your lips" — by that which You commanded and forbade, "I have kept myself from the ways of the violent" — that is to say, I acted as the wicked and violent man acts. And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: 'Let my judgment come forth from Your presence' to mean that You should punish me if Your eyes do not behold equity [in me]; but all this seems far-fetched to me. What seems closer to the truth to me is that it is like 'for You have maintained my right and my cause' (Psalm 9:5), whose meaning is that You should take up my cause against my enemies; and so too here, 'let my judgment come forth from Your presence' means that You should judge on my behalf against my enemies. 'Let Your eyes behold equity' — You will see that equity is with me, and injustice and violence are with them. And indeed, most of the psalm concerns the enemies, as it says further on (verse 7), 'from those who rise up, by Your right hand,' and it says (verse 9), 'from the wicked who oppress me.' You see that the psalm speaks concerning his enemies, and it was for their sake that he sought mercy; and he asked that God see the uprightness of his deeds, and see that his enemies hate him without cause. And he said: 'You have tried my heart' — for You examine hearts and know whether my words are true. 'You have visited it in the night' — for at night, the time when a person thinks about various things, when he is free of the affairs of the world and has no other business, at night — and also in the time when he is awake — he thinks; and You have visited my heart and my thoughts and tested me, and found in me nothing but good. And from my thoughts nothing passed except in accordance with my heart, as he said: 'from lips without deceit'; and this is the meaning of 'I have resolved that it should not pass my mouth.' And just as I am careful with myself, so I caution others in what I observe. And this is what he means by saying: 'as for the doings of men, by the word of Your lips' — by that which You commanded and warned, I take note of the doings of men and restrain them from transgressions. And this is the meaning of: 'I have kept myself from the ways of the violent' — I have prevented a person from walking in the ways of the violent and the wicked. Similarly, 'to guard the way of the tree of life' (Genesis 3:24) means that none should walk in it; and likewise, 'keeper of the orchard' (Nehemiah 2:8). And he means that, having recounted before God the uprightness of his mouth, his heart, and his deeds, he pleaded before God that He support his steps so that they not slip before his enemies. And he said:
Metzudat David
"As for the doings, etc." — that which You commanded by the word of Your lips concerning the deeds of man, the deed one should do, is this: the path of the violent one — the breached and ruined path that nullifies the path of the commandments — behold, I have kept myself from it, giving no one occasion to walk in it and nullify the path of the commandments.
Malbim
"As for the doings [of men]" — the subjects of the first statement carry forward here as well, and this is its order: ("You have tried") "the doings of man" ("You have visited") "by the word of Your lips" ("You have refined me and find not") "I have kept myself from the ways of the violent." After he considered that he would not be found, upon examination, to have sinned in thought, he now says that likewise he did not sin in deed and action either. Thus: "You have tried the doings of man" — these are the deeds which You have visited and warned against "by the word of Your lips," namely the prohibitions and negative commandments which the Torah warned concerning. "You have refined me and find not" — for I have kept myself from walking "in the ways of the violent," from doing any forbidden thing such as the violent do, who breach boundaries.
My steps have held fast to Your paths, My feet have not slipped.
verse value 1895
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "have·held·fast" (תָּמֹ֣ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Your·paths" (בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "have·held·fast" (תָּמֹ֣ךְ), "in·Your·paths" (בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ), "not·have·slipped" (בַּל־נָמ֥וֹטּוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·steps" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "not·have·slipped" (root מוט, 27x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מעגל ("in·Your·paths") in Psalms. First appearance of the root פעם ("my·feet") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Your·paths', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: תָּמֹ֣ךְ [have·held·fast] (460) + אֲ֭שֻׁרַי [my·steps] (511) + בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ [in·Your·paths] (581) + בַּל־נָמ֥וֹטּוּ [not·have·slipped] (143) + פְעָמָֽי [my·feet] (200) = 1895.
Rashi
"To support my feet" — From then on, for every deed of man that I did improperly, may Your eyes see the upright deeds, but my judgment shall go forth from before you.
Ibn Ezra
"My steps have held fast" — rather, [the sense is]: as for me, my steps have always held fast in Your paths.
Radak
"Uphold" [tamokh] is an infinitive used in place of an imperative, like "Keep [shamor] the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:12); "go, and proclaim" [halokh ve-qara] (Jeremiah 2:2). And he says: "My steps are in Your paths" — that is, my steps, which walk in Your paths and in Your way — uphold them. "My feet have not slipped" [bal namotu fa'amai] — the word namotu is disputed as to its reading: some manuscripts have it with a dagesh in the tet (so it also appears in a very old manuscript labeled Mm. 5 27 (dated the year 4616), and likewise in a manuscript labeled Add. 652 (from the end of the thirteenth century or the beginning of the fourteenth century, by the standard reckoning), both of which are held in the Beit Eked HaSefarim (manuscript repository) of the Midrash HaChochmah here), in which case it belongs to the doubled [geminate] root class; and some manuscripts have it without a dagesh, in which case it belongs to the hollow [ayin-vav] root class.
Metzudat David
"Uphold" — support my feet to walk in Your paths, so that they not slip and fall.
Metzudat Zion
'Ashurai' — the feet that stride, and likewise 'his steps shall not slip' (below, Psalm 37). 'Bema'geloteicha' — [meaning] in Your paths. 'Nimotu' — a term meaning slipping and inclining to fall, as in 'at the time when their foot slips' (Deuteronomy 32:35). 'Pe'amai' — [meaning] my feet, as in 'How beautiful are your feet' (Song of Songs 7).
Malbim
"Hold fast my steps in Your paths" — the ma'agal (circuit) is the roundabout way, for sometimes one must turn aside from the straight path onto the circuitous route, by which one eventually arrives, through it, back at the straight path. For example, mercy is the straight path, and so are humility and modesty; but sometimes one must turn toward severity, pride, and boldness against the wicked, against those who anger Hashem, and against those who mock the servants of Hashem — or in a case where one must act by a temporary emergency ruling against a commandment of the Torah, as Elijah did on Mount Carmel. In such a case one needs divine help so as not to stray from the way after having turned from the straight path to the side. Regarding this he says that even at the time he needed to walk on the circuitous path, even then "hold fast my steps" — he was supported and sustained by Hashem — "so that my feet did not slip," and even then he did all his deeds for the sake of Heaven and did not swerve from the path of true happiness and perfection.
As for me, I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
verse value 2626
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2626 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֑ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·call·You" (אֲנִֽי־קְרָאתִ֣יךָ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·call·You" (אֲנִֽי־קְרָאתִ֣יךָ), "for·You·will·answer·me" (כִֽי־תַעֲנֵ֣נִי), "incline·Your·ear" (הַֽט־אׇזְנְךָ֥). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "hear" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms); "to·me" (root לי, 68x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נטה ("incline·Your·ear") in Psalms. First appearance of the root אמרה ("my·speech") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֲנִֽי־קְרָאתִ֣יךָ [I·call·You] (792) + כִֽי־תַעֲנֵ֣נִי [for·You·will·answer·me] (610) + אֵ֑ל [God] (31) + הַֽט־אׇזְנְךָ֥ [incline·Your·ear] (92) + לִ֝֗י [to·me] (40) + שְׁמַ֣ע [hear] (410) + אִמְרָתִֽי [my·speech] (651) = 2626.
Rashi
"because You shall answer me, O God" — Because I am confident that You will answer me.
Ibn Ezra
"As for me" — the sense of "God" [אל] is that He has power.
Radak
"As for me, I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God" — therefore I call upon You, for I trust in You that You will answer me, and that You are able to help me. And this is the reason for: "Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech."
Metzudat David
"For You will answer me" — for I know that You will answer me.
Malbim
"As for me" — now he begins the plea concerning the pursuit by his enemies. After having established his righteousness, he says: behold, "I call upon You," for I know "that You will answer me, O God"; and I ask that not only will You answer me by fulfilling my request, but also "incline Your ear to me, hear my speech" — in the manner of one who is beloved, for whom not only is his request fulfilled, but the quality of his words is also listened to in all their details.
Make passing great Your mercies, O You who save by Your right hand From assailants those who take refuge in You.
verse value 1620
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 1620 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "make·wonderful" (הַפְלֵ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·those·who·rise·up" (מִ֝מִּתְקוֹמְמִ֗ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "make·wonderful" (הַפְלֵ֣ה), "those·who·take·refuge" (חוֹסִ֑ים), "from·those·who·rise·up" (מִ֝מִּתְקוֹמְמִ֗ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·mercies" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "who·saves" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "from·those·who·rise·up" (root קום, 52x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'those·who·take·refuge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: הַפְלֵ֣ה [make·wonderful] (120) + חֲ֭סָדֶיךָ [Your·mercies] (102) + מוֹשִׁ֣יעַ [who·saves] (426) + חוֹסִ֑ים [those·who·take·refuge] (124) + מִ֝מִּתְקוֹמְמִ֗ים [from·those·who·rise·up] (716) + בִּֽימִינֶֽךָ [by·Your·right·hand] (132) = 1620.
Rashi
"Distinguish Your kind acts" — Heb. הפלה, esevre in Old French, to separate, as (in Exod. 33:16): “and I and my people will be distinguished (ונפלינו).” With Your right hand You save those who take refuge in You from those who rise up against them. (This does not appear in manuscripts or in most early editions.) [The literal meaning is:] Distinguish Your kind acts, You Who save those who take refuge, etc. This is a transposed verse, meaning: Distinguish Your kind acts to save with Your right hand those who take refuge, etc.
Ibn Ezra
"Make distinct Your mercies" — [the meaning is] clarify and set apart, as in (Genesis 18:14) "Is anything too wondrous for Hashem?" "And at Your right hand" — it is connected with "those who take refuge," for we do not find this grammatical form without a bet [the preposition "with/by"]. And some say that it is in construct with the word "savior."
Radak
"Make distinct" [hafleh] means "set apart," as in "And I will set apart [ve-hifleti] on that day" (Exodus 8:18); and "so that we may be distinguished [ve-niflinu], I and Your people, from all the people" (ibid. 33:16). "Your mercies, O You who save those who take refuge" — he says: You, who save those who take refuge, set apart and bestow Your mercies "from those who rise up, by Your right hand" — from those men who rise up against [me] by Your right hand; for they all know that the kingship is mine from You, and those who rebel against me rebel against You.
Metzudat David
"Make distinguished Your mercies, etc." — meaning to say: You who save those who take refuge in You, set apart Your mercies from those who rise up against Your right hand to act against Your will, so as not to do kindness to them; only to those who take refuge in You shall You do the kindness.
Metzudat Zion
"Make distinct" (hafleh) — an expression of separation/distinction. "From those who rise up against" (mimitkommemim) — [meaning] from those who rise up against You.
Malbim
"Make Your mercies wondrous" — You, the God "who saves those who take refuge" in You, need to make Your mercies wondrous toward them — that is, to show great mercies, distinct and elevated above nature — because of those who "rise up against [me] by Your right hand." That is to say, they present themselves as though they were righteous and were rising up against me with Your help, and they say that Your right hand will save them against me — just as the enemies of David said, "God has forsaken him, pursue [him]... there is no salvation for him in God," as though God had sent them to rise up against me and that His right hand would save them in this matter. Therefore You need to make Your mercies wondrous, to show that the truth is not with them.
Keep me as the apple of the eye, Hide me in the shadow of Your wings,
verse value 2951
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 2951 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·the·shadow·of" (בְּצֵ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "hide·me" (תַּסְתִּירֵֽנִי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "like·the·pupil·of" (כְּאִישׁ֣וֹן), "the·daughter·of·the·eye" (בַּת־עָ֑יִן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "keep·me" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms); "the·daughter·of·the·eye" (root עין, 64x in Psalms); "hide·me" (root סתר, 33x in Psalms). First appearance of the root צל ("in·the·shadow·of") in Psalms. First appearance of the root כנף ("Your·wings") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·daughter·of·the·eye', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שׇׁ֭מְרֵנִי [keep·me] (600) + כְּאִישׁ֣וֹן [like·the·pupil·of] (387) + בַּת־עָ֑יִן [the·daughter·of·the·eye] (532) + בְּצֵ֥ל [in·the·shadow·of] (122) + כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ [Your·wings] (180) + תַּסְתִּירֵֽנִי [hide·me] (1130) = 2951.
Rashi
"as the apple" — Heb. (כאישון). That is the pupil (lit. the black) of the eye, on which the vision depends. Because it is black, it is called אישון, an expression of darkness, and the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a guard for it, viz. the eyelids, which constantly cover it.
Radak
"Keep me as the pupil, the daughter of the eye" [ke-ishon bat ayin] — just as a person guards the pupil of his eye [ishon eino], which is the black part from which light [comes]; and it is called ishon because the image of a man [ish] is seen in it. The vav and the nun are diminutive [letters], because the image is small. Likewise the vav and nun of shabbaton indicate an added measure of holiness (see the Sefer HaShorashim (Book of Roots) by our master, entry ish, and what is written there in the name of his father regarding the word ishon). Likewise, the addition of the yod: ishon relates to bat, and the two are one and the same; bat is the noun — the orb of the eye from which light [comes] — and ishon is the descriptive term, because the image of a man is seen in it. "And in the shadow of Your wings hide me" (this is how it appears in our text).
Metzudat Zion
"Like the apple (ishon) of the eye" — this is the black [part of the eye], called "ishon" because the image of a small man (ish) appears in it, and the nun [suffix] indicates the smallness of the thing. And the noun [that follows], "bat ayin" ("daughter of the eye"), is the eyeball, from which light comes; and the matter is doubled using synonymous terms, like "dust of the ground" (admat afar) (Daniel 12).
Malbim
(8-9) "Keep me" — (the statements are parallel) — "Keep me as the apple of the eye from the wicked who despoil me." His enemies were of two kinds: (1) those who wanted to make him sin and turn him away from the fear of Hashem. He asks that Hashem keep him as the apple of the eye from the wicked "who despoil me" — meaning, they rob "this" (that is, the apple of the eye) from me, in that they wish to blind my eye, that is, to turn it from the way of light to darkness. Therefore he asks that just as Hashem placed many protections over the apple of the eye — since it is a pure and delicate part, full of wonders, and gives light to the whole body — so may my pure soul, a daughter of God, be kept from stumbling into sin. "And in the shadow of Your wings hide me from my enemies who surround me in soul [seeking my life]" — from those who come to kill me.
From the wicked that oppress, My deadly enemies, that compass me about.
verse value 1954
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "that" (ז֣וּ) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (ז֣וּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "wicked" (רְ֭שָׁעִים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "oppress·me" (שַׁדּ֑וּנִי), "surround" (יַקִּ֥יפוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "from·the·face·of" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "upon·me" (root על, 120x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שדד ("oppress·me") in Psalms. First appearance of the root נקף ("surround") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'oppress·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִפְּנֵ֣י [from·the·face·of] (180) + רְ֭שָׁעִים [wicked] (620) + ז֣וּ [that] (13) + שַׁדּ֑וּנִי [oppress·me] (370) + אֹיְבַ֥י [my·enemies] (23) + בְּ֝נֶ֗פֶשׁ [with·soul] (432) + יַקִּ֥יפוּ [surround] (206) + עָלָֽי [upon·me] (110) = 1954.
Rashi
"who have robbed me" — Because of this: my enemies, who encompass me to take my life, rob me.
Ibn Ezra
"From before, that" [זו] — like "these" [אלה]. "That oppress me" — like "that surround me." "In soul" — they surround me with the desire of the soul.
Radak
"From the wicked ones who despoiled me" — protect me from the enemies who plundered me. The word zu functions like asher ["who/that"]; likewise, "against whom [zu] we have sinned" (Isaiah 42:24). "My deadly enemies who surround me" — and protect me from my enemies who surround and encircle me be-nafshi ["for my life"], meaning: to take my life.
Metzudat David
"Who have despoiled me" — who have plundered me. "For my life" — for the sake of taking my soul, they surround and encircle me.
Their gross heart they have shut tight, With their mouth they speak proudly.
verse value 1115
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "their·fat" (חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "they·have·shut" (סָּגְר֑וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "their·fat" (חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·fat" (חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ), "they·have·shut" (סָּגְר֑וּ), "their·mouth" (פִּ֝֗ימוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·speak" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "their·mouth" (root פה, 46x in Psalms). First appearance of the root חלב ("their·fat") in Psalms. First appearance of the root סגר ("they·have·shut") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·have·shut', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ [their·fat] (86) + סָּגְר֑וּ [they·have·shut] (269) + פִּ֝֗ימוֹ [their·mouth] (136) + דִּבְּר֥וּ [they·speak] (212) + בְגֵאֽוּת [with·pride] (412) = 1115.
Rashi
"[With] their fat, they closed themselves up" — With their fat, they closed their heart and their eyes from looking at Your deeds, in fear of You.
Ibn Ezra
"Their fat" [חלבמו] — the letter bet is missing; [understand it as] "in their fat." "They have closed their mouth" — that is, with which they spoke in pride. Or, "their fat" — is sealed up within them, and "their mouth" speaks arrogance. But the first explanation is correct in my opinion, for it follows the pattern of (Job 15:27) "for he has covered his face with his fatness."
Radak
"Their fat has closed their mouth; they speak proudly" — the abundance of their fatness has closed their mouths, and therefore they speak proudly out of the excess of their indulgence.
Metzudat David
"Their fat" — because their fat has shut up their mouth, from the greatness of the fatness, from the abundance of everything; therefore they speak with pride.
Malbim
"Their fat" which "has closed" their "mouth" — they "have spoken with pride." He poetically depicts that their mouth is stopped up and closed from speaking, due to the abundance of fat, so that it appears as though the speech does not come out of the mouth itself but rather from the layers of fat surrounding it — and it is the fat that speaks these prideful words.
At our every step they have now encompassed us; They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.
verse value 2997
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "now" (עַתָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·steps" (אַ֭שֻּׁרֵינוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "they·have·surrounded·us" (סְבָב֑וּנוּ), "they·set" (יָ֝שִׁ֗יתוּ), "to·stretch·out" (לִנְט֥וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "our·steps" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "their·eyes" (root עין, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·have·surrounded·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
Rashi
"[By] our footsteps they surround us now" — By our footsteps, the enemies surround us now, and they set their eyes roaming over the land, to raid the land. It appears to me that David prayed this prayer after the incident of Uriah and Joab had happened to him, and the Israelites were in the land of the children of Ammon besieging Rabbah (II Sam. 11), and David feared that they would be defeated there because of the sin that he had committed, and the Philistines, Moab, Edom, and all the evil neighbors of Eretz Israel, who looked forward to the day of their misfortune, would hear and march against them.
Ibn Ezra
"Our steps" — the word "with" or "to the side of" is omitted, and thus the sense is: "they have surrounded us at the side of our steps"; and "their eyes they set," perhaps so that they might turn our steps aside to the ground, as in (Job 31:7) "if my step has turned aside from the way."
Radak
"Our steps" [ashureinu] — with a dagesh in the shin; likewise, "if my step [ashuri] has turned aside from the way" (Job 31:7). "Now they have surrounded us" [attah sevavunu / sevavuni] — the ketiv [written form] is with a yod (this is how it appears before us; in the manuscript before us the ketiv is with a vav), and the qeri [read form] is with a vav. It is plural in reference to him [David] and his companions, who gathered with him when he fled from Saul, and singular in reference to himself, since he is the primary [subject]. And he says: ashureinu ["our steps"] — when they learn the way that we are on, immediately now they surround us; at once they follow us and encircle us. "They set their eyes to spread [a net] on the ground" — they set their eyes upon our path, to spread their net for us on the ground, in order to trap us.
Metzudat David
"Our steps, etc." — they now surround our feet to trap us, and they set their eyes to turn about in the land here and there, to lie in ambush for us.
Metzudat Zion
"Our steps" (ashurenu) — [meaning] our feet.
Malbim
"Our steps" — our footsteps, which had been fortunate until now — "now their eyes have surrounded us": it is said of David and his men "that their eyes, which they set to roam the land, encircle our footsteps" — meaning, since they send their eyes over the whole land to survey everything, and to seize kingship and dominion in the land, these eyes, roaming the land, have encircled our footsteps. That is to say, Saul claimed that David was harmful to his kingdom and his good fortune, and that he eyes him with suspicion and hostility, seeking a pretext against him, [accusing him] of rebelling against him.
He is like a lion that is eager to tear in pieces, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
verse value 2241
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "sitting" (יֹשֵׁ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·secret·places" (בְּמִסְתָּרִֽים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·longs" (יִכְס֣וֹף), "and·like·a·young·lion" (וְ֝כִכְפִ֗יר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sitting" (root ישב, 58x in Psalms). First appearance of the root דמה ("his·likeness") in Psalms. First appearance of the root כפיר ("and·like·a·young·lion") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·tear', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: דִּמְיֹנ֗וֹ [his·likeness] (110) + כְּ֭אַרְיֵה [like·a·lion] (236) + יִכְס֣וֹף [he·longs] (176) + לִטְרֹ֑ף [to·tear] (319) + וְ֝כִכְפִ֗יר [and·like·a·young·lion] (336) + יֹשֵׁ֥ב [sitting] (312) + בְּמִסְתָּרִֽים [in·secret·places] (752) = 2241.
Rashi
"which yearns" — Heb. יכסף, yearns, as (in Gen. 31:30): “for you yearned (נכסף נכספתי).”
Ibn Ezra
"His likeness" — the likeness of each one of those who surround him.
Radak
"His likeness is like a lion eager to tear prey, and like a young lion lurking in hiding places" — damino is [in] the singular, referring to Saul. He speaks of him just as he spoke of him in the psalm concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite (7:3): "lest he tear my soul like a lion."
Metzudat David
"His likeness" — he is like a lion that craves to tear prey. "Sitting in hiding places" — he conceals himself to lie in wait, so that he not be seen.
Metzudat Zion
"He craves" (yichsof) — [meaning] he desires, as in "you have greatly longed" (nichsof nichsafta) (Genesis 31).
Malbim
"His likeness" — and by this means he wants to tear apart and kill me. It is known of the nature of the lion that while it is still a young lion (kefir), it does not yet go out after its prey, but rather lies in wait in its lair, ambushing in a hidden place, until it reaches the stage of a full-grown lion, at which point it goes out after its prey. On this basis he poetically depicts Saul as resembling both of these: both "the lion" who "longs to tear prey" and goes out into the open after its prey, and "like a young lion sitting in hiding places," tearing prey in its den. For indeed, at first Saul wanted to strike him in hiding, in his house, casting the spear at him several times; and afterward he pursued him in the wildernesses like an old lion going out after its prey.
Arise, O Hashem, confront him, cast him down; Deliver my soul from the wicked, by Your sword;
verse value 2192
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "arise" (קוּמָ֤ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "cast·him·down" (הַכְרִיעֵ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "confront" (קַדְּמָ֣ה), "cast·him·down" (הַכְרִיעֵ֑הוּ), "deliver" (פַּלְּטָ֥ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "his·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms). First appearance of the root קדם ("confront") in Psalms. First appearance of the root כרע ("cast·him·down") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cast·him·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: קוּמָ֤ה [arise] (151) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + קַדְּמָ֣ה [confront] (149) + פָ֭נָיו [his·face] (146) + הַכְרִיעֵ֑הוּ [cast·him·down] (316) + פַּלְּטָ֥ה [deliver] (124) + נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י [my·soul] (440) + מֵרָשָׁ֥ע [from·the·wicked] (610) + חַרְבֶּֽךָ [Your·sword] (230) = 2192.
Rashi
"confront him" — The enemy. "bring him down to his knees" — Beat his legs, and he will kneel and fall. "rescue my soul" — from every wicked man who is Your sword, for You give him the power to rule, to requite those who are bound to You.
Ibn Ezra
"Arise" — to show [Your] power. "Confront him" — when he comes to tear me apart, from the wicked one who is Your sword.
Radak
"Arise, Hashem" — when he comes to pursue me and tear me apart. "Confront him, bring him down" — so that he will have no strength to harm me. "Deliver my soul from the wicked one, by Your sword" — from the wicked one who is Your sword, as it is said (Isaiah 10:5): "Woe, Assyria, the rod of My anger," and so on; for the sword and the deliverance from it are both entirely from You, as it is written: "I wound and I heal" (Deuteronomy 32:39).
Metzudat David
"Confront his face" — before he traps him, go before him and cast him down, to make him bend upon his knees. "Deliver" — save my soul from the hand of the wicked one, who is Your sword.
Malbim
"Arise, Hashem" — here the prayer begins. He asks that Hashem arise and confront him before he tears [me] apart and destroys me. "Cast him down" — that he collapse in his place and be subdued, and not pursue after me. "Deliver my soul from the wicked one" who is "Your sword" — by means of which You punish Your creatures, putting to death through it those deserving of death.
From men, by Your hand, O Hashem, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; Who have children in plenty, And leave their abundance to their babes.
verse value 3976
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֡ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֡ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·men·by·Your·hand" (מִ֥מְתִֽים־יָדְךָ֨, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·men·by·Your·hand" (מִ֥מְתִֽים־יָדְךָ֨), "from·men" (מִֽמְתִ֬ים), "from·the·world" (מֵחֶ֗לֶד). The root מת appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "sons" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "in·the·life" (root חי, 43x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מת ("from·men·by·Your·hand") in Psalms. First appearance of the root חלד ("from·the·world") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
"Of those who die by Your hand" — I choose to be one of those who die by Your hand on their bed. "of those who die of old age" — Heb. מחלד. Of those who die of old age, after they have “rusted” (חלודה), rodijjl in Old French, [rouille in Modern French] rust, and of the righteous, whose share is in life. "and whose belly You will fill with Your hidden treasure" — And of those whose innards You will fill with Your good, which You have hidden for those who fear You. "their abundance" — Their property that they leave over when they die.
Ibn Ezra
"From men" — connected with the verse above, and the sense is: "deliver me from men by Your hand" — they are Your blow, since it comes by [Your] hand, as in (Exodus 9:3) "behold, the hand of Hashem is upon...." "From men, from the fleeting world" [מחלד] — for their whole desire is to be among the children of this world, for "cheled" [fleeting duration] is not an enduring thing; and the proof is (Psalm 39:6) "and my lifetime is as nothing before You," [and] (Psalm 49:2) "all the inhabitants of the fleeting world." And their entire request is that they should live many years, and that all the hidden good that You have, You should fill their belly with it in this world, so that they may delight in it; they rejoice and their children are satisfied, and they leave the remainder for their children's children.
Radak
"From men, by Your hand, Hashem" — deliver my soul from men who are Your hand, meaning: Your blow, as in "the hand of Hashem shall be [upon your cattle]" (Exodus 9:3). And just as he called them "Your sword," he calls them "Your hand." "From men, of the world" — men who belong to this world, whose every desire and wish is in this world. "Whose portion is in life, and [whose belly] You fill with Your treasure" (the qeri is u-tzefunekha) — their portion is in the life of this world, for they do not look forward to the world to come; rather, it is Your hidden treasure and Your goodness that fill their belly in this world. "They are sated with sons" — and their sons are sated with them, in their lifetime, together with them. "And leave their abundance to their babes" — after their death, referring to their children's children. And in the midrash (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 61b) the verse is expounded with reference to Rabbi Akiva and his companions, who were put to death by the government: the ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe — is this 'from men, by Your hand, Hashem,' [or] 'from men of the world'?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: "'Their portion is in life' — their portion is in the life of the world to come!"
Metzudat David
"From men" — [save me] that I not become one of those who die by Your hand. "From the fleeting world" — because their lifetime comes to an end through old age. "Their portion" — and of those whose portion is in the life of the World to Come, and whose belly You will fill from the abundance of the hidden good that no eye has seen. "Sated with children" — and of those who are sated with worthy children, and of those who leave the surplus of their wealth to their children to inherit after their death.
Metzudat Zion
"From cheled" — a term for a span of time, as in "what is my span" (mah cheled) (below, Psalm 89). "Their yeter" — [meaning] their surplus and abundance of wealth. "To their olalim" — [meaning] to their young children.
Malbim
"From men of Your hand" — the men who are Your hand, meaning that through them You act and conduct the settling of Your world. (In contrast to what was said above, "the wicked one is Your sword," he now says "men of Your hand" — as though Hashem conducts His world through people: the weak are His hand, and the tyrant is His sword. Through the weak He carries out the affairs of His world, for they are occupied with settling the world — sowing, plowing, and building — and they are the hand of Hashem occupied with settling the world; and through the wicked He kills with His sword and destroys the sinners.) "Men of the fleeting world" — from the men of the age who are occupied with worldly affairs and the settling of the world, who are the majority of mankind, "whose portion is in life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure" — meaning that they fill their bellies from the two portions prepared before them: from their portion in life in this world, and from their portion in Your hidden treasure in the World to Come, which is hidden — or alternatively, in the soul that is hidden from the eyes of all. That is to say, they do nothing for the happiness of their soul and for life in the World to Come, for all their occupation is to fill the belly (as it is said, "all of man's labor is for his mouth," Ecclesiastes 6:7), and they consume everything in this world — both their portion in this world and their portion for the World to Come, both the success of their body and the happiness of their hidden soul — they take it all only to fill the belly and for the needs of their body. And all their occupation is: (1) to eat and fill their bellies; (2) "that they be sated with sons" for the perpetuation of their kind, "and leave their abundance and wealth to their children" — for they do not worry about leaving anything for their eternal remnant and for the success of the soul; rather, they are satisfied in this world with food and with sons, and after their death nothing remains of them except what they leave of their wealth (and also their "abundance," which includes man's surplus over beast) — all of it they leave to their children, for they themselves will perish without survival or personal continuity.
As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Your likeness.
verse value 1939
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Your·likeness" (תְּמוּנָתֶֽךָ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·shall·behold" (אֶחֱזֶ֣ה), "I·shall·be·satisfied" (אֶשְׂבְּעָ֥ה), "when·I·awake" (בְ֝הָקִ֗יץ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "I" (root אני, 64x in Psalms); "in·justice" (root צדק, 49x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲנִ֗י [I] (61) + בְּ֭צֶדֶק [in·justice] (196) + אֶחֱזֶ֣ה [I·shall·behold] (21) + פָנֶ֑יךָ [Your·face] (160) + אֶשְׂבְּעָ֥ה [I·shall·be·satisfied] (378) + בְ֝הָקִ֗יץ [when·I·awake] (207) + תְּמוּנָתֶֽךָ [Your·likeness] (916) = 1939.
Rashi
"I will see Your face with righteousness" — In the future, take my judgment away from before You and grasp the righteous deeds that I have performed, and through them I will see Your face. "I will see Your face with righteousness" — in the future (Mid. Ps. 17:13), or "I will see Your face with righteousness" — Take my judgment away from before You and grasp the righteous deeds that I have performed, and through them I will see Your face. In other editions, this is one interpretation: "I will be satisfied with Your image upon the awakening" — I will be satisfied with the vision of Your image when the dead awaken from their sleep. In many editions, the following appears at this point: Another explanation: I will be satisfied from seeing Your face when the dead awaken from their sleep, for they are in the likeness of Your image, for so it is stated (in Gen. 9:6): “For in the image of God, He made man.”
Ibn Ezra
"As for me" — I have no desire but to behold Your face, for the righteousness that I kept was the cause of my delight in seeing Your face. And the sense is: to recognize the works of Hashem, for they are all comprehensive and made with wisdom and stand forever; and I am satisfied with the delight of Your image — not as they fill their bellies. And this is not in a dream but while awake; and this vision is not a vision of the eye, but a vision of the balanced intellect — these being true visions of God. And these matters are understood only by one who has studied the wisdom of the soul.
Radak
"As for me, in righteousness I shall behold Your face" — David says: the wicked have no desire for the world to come, but I am not so, for I look forward to and hope to behold Your face in the world to come. And as for what he says, "as for me, in righteousness" — I look forward to and hope to behold Your face in the world to come through the righteousness that I practice in this world, not in order to eat and indulge as they do. "I shall be satisfied" — he says "I shall be satisfied" in contrast to "they are sated with sons": they are sated in this world, and I shall be satisfied in the world to come. "When I awake" — for my soul will not die and sleep, the opposite of "and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep" (Jeremiah 51:39, 57). "Your likeness" — along the lines of "and beholds the likeness of Hashem" (Numbers 12:8), which is like "he saw the likeness of Hashem"; this is the apprehension of the intellect — from the glory of God, according to the capacity of the soul after its separation from the body. Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, attained this while still in bodily life, which was not so for the other prophets, for his intellect was an actualized intellect: when the instruments of the body were entirely nullified for him — he ate no bread and drank no water (Exodus 34:28) — then he beheld the likeness of Hashem. Not so Elijah, of whom it is said [that he relied] on the strength of that [particular] eating, as we explained in [the commentary on] I Kings (19:8). For the rest of the prophets, this [experience] comes to them only after death. Now the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained this verse [as referring] to this world; and thus he explained it: I have a desire to behold Your face, for the righteousness that I maintained was the cause of my delighting in seeing Your face. And the meaning is: to recognize and behold the works of Hashem, which are made according to universal wisdom and endure forever. And I am sated with the delight of Your image, not like the wicked who are "men of the world," who are sated when "You fill their belly"; and this is not in a dream, but "when I awake." And this vision is not through the visions of the eye, but through the visions of rational contemplation, which are truly the visions of God.
Metzudat David
"In righteousness" — on account of the righteousness that I have done, I shall merit to behold Your face, and I shall be satisfied with the vision of Your form, at the time when the moment of awakening — that is, the resurrection of the dead — comes, as it is written, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, etc." (Daniel 12).
Malbim
"As for me" — I shall be set apart from these "men of the world" [v. 14], for "in righteousness I shall behold Your face" — my concern is not with the needs of the body, which wastes away and perishes; rather, I behold Your face through the righteousness that I engage in, by which I perfect my soul, and through which I walk before Hashem to behold the light of His face and to cleave to Him. "I shall be satisfied when I awake with Your likeness" — I am not satisfied in this world, neither with the satisfaction of the belly nor the satisfaction of children, like the "men of the world" of whom it is said, "their belly is filled, they are satisfied with children" [v. 14]; only then [shall I be satisfied] — "I shall be satisfied when Your likeness awakens" — he poetically expresses that the likeness of Hashem is found in man, namely his divine soul, which is the image of God and His likeness, for it is a portion of the Divine, and in it the Divine and His likeness are depicted; except that the likeness of Hashem found in man is asleep as long as the body is alive, for it slumbers in the bosom of the body — like one who sleeps, who although alive, his faculties do not act and are not manifest at that time; so too its divine faculties and actions are hidden and asleep at that time. But after it sheds the body, then the divine likeness will awaken from its sleep, and the divine image and likeness, which is the soul, will be roused and will awaken, and then I shall be satisfied with eternal delight and with the fruit of the righteousness that I performed while I was alive, through which I behold Your face — and I am not like the "men of the world" who are satisfied in this world with what is stored up for them for the World to Come.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim