A Psalm of David. A cry for help that distinguishes the righteous from evildoers, turning to joyful thanksgiving for Hashem's strength and a blessing on His people and anointed king.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
[A Psalm] of David. To you, O Hashem, I call; My Rock, do not be deaf to me; Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down into the pit.
verse value 4185
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "pit" (בֽוֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·have·become·like" (וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: from·me, from·me. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "lest·You·be·silent" (פֶּן־תֶּחֱשֶׁ֥ה). The root מן appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "to·you" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms). First appearance of the root חשה ("lest·You·be·silent") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְדָוִ֡ד [of·David] (44) + אֵ֘לֶ֤יךָ [to·you] (61) + יְהֹוָ֨ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶקְרָ֗א [I·call] (302) + צוּרִי֮ [my·rock] (306) + אַֽל־תֶּחֱרַ֢שׁ [do·not·be·deaf] (939) + מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי [from·me] (140) + פֶּן־תֶּחֱשֶׁ֥ה [lest·You·be·silent] (843) + מִמֶּ֑נִּי [from·me] (140) + וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי [and·I·have·become·like] (836) + עִם־י֥וֹרְדֵי [with·those·who·go·down] (340) + בֽוֹר [pit] (208) = 4185.
Ibn Ezra
'Of David. To You, Hashem, I call' — this psalm, David composed it, or one of the singers/poets composed it about him. He said: 'my Rock' — [lest I become] 'like those who go down to the pit.' And the word 'תחרש' ('be deaf,' lit. 'be silent') is from the same root-class as 'דּוּמִיָּה' (stillness); and it is said [elsewhere], 'devise not evil against your neighbor' (using the same root, אל תחרש), to distinguish between the senses, for the root is one and the same.
Radak
"[A Psalm] of David. To you, O Hashem, I call" — this psalm, too, is on the same theme as the psalm before it, in that he calls to Hashem to grant his request: to give him rest from the affairs of the world and allow him to be free to occupy himself with the needs of the soul, which is the service of God; and by this his past sins will be atoned for and his soul will draw near to God. And he says: "My Rock, do not be deaf to me" — meaning, do not refrain from hearing my request, for I fear "Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down into the pit" — "lest" I become like the wicked who go down to Gehinnom, whose souls go to destruction at their death. And the word "be deaf" (techerash) is like "be silent," meaning that You make Yourself like a deaf man who does not hear and does not answer me in my prayer; and likewise "if You are silent" is like (Ecclesiastes 3:7): "a time to keep silence."
Metzudat David
"Lest You be silent" — lest, when You are silent toward me, I become like those who go down to the pit.
Metzudat Zion
"My Rock" — he means to say my strength. "Do not be deaf" — be silent; an expression of silence, as in "and Jacob held his peace" (there, 34), and as in "a time to be silent" (Ecclesiastes 3).
Malbim
"Of David" — This psalm was composed against workers of iniquity who spoke to him one thing with their mouth and another with their heart; they appeared to be men of his own counsel, but in secret dug [a pit of] evil against him, and afterward were caught and fell by the work of their own hands, for Hashem guarded him and also kept Israel from incurring bloodguilt. It is not made clear whether this was at the time the Ziphites plotted evil against him, or the men of Keilah, or against others among his enemies such as Sheba son of Bichri, for the prayer can be understood as directed against all these plotters of evil. "To You, Hashem, I call" — for against a hidden enemy it is harder to be on guard, and only Hashem, who knows hidden things, has the power to save against these plotters of evil in secret. Therefore, "my Rock, do not be deaf to me" — for "if You are silent to me," will I not "become like those who go down into the pit"? Therefore, "hear the voice of my supplications when I cry out to You" for salvation. And he adds that You should not wait at all until I am saved, but rather save at once, "when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary" — that as soon as I lift my hands in prayer, even before I cry aloud, You will hear and save.
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary.
verse value 2577
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "hear" (שְׁמַ֤ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "my·supplications" (תַּ֭חֲנוּנַי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "when·I·lift" (בְּנׇשְׂאִ֥י), "to·the·sanctuary·of" (אֶל־דְּבִ֥יר). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·you" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "my·hands" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "hear" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms). First appearance of the root תחנון ("my·supplications") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: שְׁמַ֤ע [hear] (410) + ק֣וֹל [the·voice·of] (136) + תַּ֭חֲנוּנַי [my·supplications] (524) + בְּשַׁוְּעִ֣י [when·I·cry] (388) + אֵלֶ֑יךָ [to·you] (61) + בְּנׇשְׂאִ֥י [when·I·lift] (363) + יָ֝דַ֗י [my·hands] (24) + אֶל־דְּבִ֥יר [to·the·sanctuary·of] (247) + קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ [your·holiness] (424) = 2577.
Ibn Ezra
'Hear... when I lift up [my hands]' — toward the place of the Ark, which they call the 'Devir' (inner sanctuary).
Radak
"Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy Sanctuary" — meaning, the House in which the Ark was, for the Glory is there. And the sense of "when I lift up my hands" is like one seeking help from another, to whom he extends his hand so that the other may take hold of him with his help. So too (1 Kings 5:54): "and his hands spread out to the heavens"; (Exodus 9:29): "I will spread out my hands to Hashem." And the lifting is upward, toward the heavens. The interpretation of "toward Your holy Sanctuary" may be: "into Your holy Sanctuary," as in (Exodus 25:16): "and you shall put into the ark the testimony that I will give you." Or the interpretation of "toward Your holy Sanctuary" may be according to its plain meaning: that he lifts his hands facing that place, just as [one would lift them] toward the heavens, for it is, by way of parable, like a ladder for prayer to ascend to the Throne of Glory. In this manner it says (2 Chronicles 30:27): "and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven." Or "Your holy Sanctuary" may mean the heavens, just as he called them "Palace" and "holy mountain," as we explained (Psalms 11:4; 15:1).
Metzudat David
"When I lift up my hands" — at the time of prayer.
Metzudat Zion
"When I cry" — when I cry out. "Sanctuary" — that is the Holy of Holies.
Do not draw me away with the wicked, And with the workers of iniquity; Who speak peace with their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts.
verse value 3328
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 3328 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "iniquity" (אָ֥וֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·draw·me" (אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "do·not·draw·me" (אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי), "with·the·wicked" (עִם־רְשָׁעִים֮), "and·with·the·workers·of" (וְעִם־פֹּ֢עֲלֵ֫י). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·speak" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "with·the·wicked" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms); "with·their·neighbors" (root רע, 53x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·neighbors', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי [do·not·draw·me] (851) + עִם־רְשָׁעִים֮ [with·the·wicked] (730) + וְעִם־פֹּ֢עֲלֵ֫י [and·with·the·workers·of] (306) + אָ֥וֶן [iniquity] (57) + דֹּבְרֵ֣י [who·speak] (216) + שָׁ֭לוֹם [peace] (376) + עִם־רֵעֵיהֶ֑ם [with·their·neighbors] (435) + וְ֝רָעָ֗ה [and·evil] (281) + בִּלְבָבָֽם [in·their·heart] (76) = 3328.
Rashi
"Do not cause me to be drawn" — Heb. תמשכני, do not draw me with the wicked; treras moy in Old French.
Ibn Ezra
'Do not' — [i.e., do not] bring about circumstances whereby I become mixed in with the wicked and drawn along with them.
Radak
"Do not draw me away with the wicked, And with the workers of iniquity" — meaning, that I should not die the death of the wicked, as he said (Psalms 26:9): "Do not gather my soul with sinners"; and likewise, in this same sense: "and after him all men are drawn" (Job 21:33), which means: he is drawn toward death. "Who speak peace with their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts" — for most of the wicked do not reveal themselves, but display peace with their neighbors while harboring evil in their hearts.
Metzudat David
"Do not draw me away" — to be with them and like them in receiving [their] recompense. "And evil is in their hearts" — they think in their hearts to do evil.
Malbim
"Do not" (he begins his prayer) — "do not draw me away," lest I be drawn into a snare by "the wicked," who are "those who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts" — for their danger is very great, since I do not know how to guard myself against them, and I could easily be drawn after them into the snare.
Give them according to their deeds, and according to the evil of their endeavors; Give them after the work of their hands; Render to them their desert.
verse value 2816
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "give" (תֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·deeds" (מַעַלְלֵ֫יהֶ֥ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "give·to·them" (תֶּן־לָהֶ֣ם), "like·their·deed" (כְּפׇעֳלָם֮), "and·like·the·evil·of" (וּכְרֹ֢עַ). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "give·to·them" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "their·hands" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "render" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מעלל ("their·deeds") in Psalms. First appearance of the root גמול ("their·recompense") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: תֶּן־לָהֶ֣ם [give·to·them] (525) + כְּפׇעֳלָם֮ [like·their·deed] (240) + וּכְרֹ֢עַ [and·like·the·evil·of] (296) + מַעַלְלֵ֫יהֶ֥ם [their·deeds] (225) + כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה [like·the·work·of] (435) + יְ֭דֵיהֶם [their·hands] (69) + תֵּ֣ן [give] (450) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + הָשֵׁ֖ב [render] (307) + גְּמוּלָ֣ם [their·recompense] (119) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 2816.
Ibn Ezra
'Give... according to their deeds' — corresponding to 'the workers of iniquity.'
Radak
"Give them according to their deeds, and according to the evil of their endeavors; Give them after the work of their hands; Render to them their desert" — for none knows their heart but You, for You know hidden things; therefore repay them according to their evil deeds, for You know their wickedness.
Metzudat David
"Give them" — to these wicked ones.
Malbim
(4-5) "Give them according to their deeds," etc., "for they do not understand the work of Hashem" — he asks that Hashem repay them measure for measure: just as they spoke to me one thing with their mouth and another with their heart, and wished to destroy me in a way that I would not know they were engaged in it, so may Hashem speak with them one thing with His mouth and another with His heart, in that they too "will not understand the works of Hashem and the deeds of His hands" — so that it will seem to them that Hashem is engaged in building them up, when in truth He is engaged "in tearing them down and not building them up." This is a punishment precisely fitted to their deeds and to the evil of their doings, that they too will not know how to guard themselves against Hashem, just as I did not know how to guard myself against them (and see there, in the AHA"M).
Because they give no heed to the works of Hashem, Nor to the operation of His hands; He will break them down and not build them up.
verse value 1712
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·the·work·of" (וְאֶל־מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, his·hands. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·works·of" (אֶל־פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת), "and·to·the·work·of" (וְאֶל־מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה), "he·will·tear·them·down" (יֶ֝הֶרְסֵ֗ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms). First appearance of the root בנה ("he·will·build·them") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·hands', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + לֹ֪א [not] (31) + יָבִ֡ינוּ [they·discern] (78) + אֶל־פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת [to·the·works·of] (611) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + וְאֶל־מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה [and·to·the·work·of] (452) + יָדָ֑יו [his·hands] (30) + יֶ֝הֶרְסֵ֗ם [he·will·tear·them·down] (315) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִבְנֵֽם [he·will·build·them] (102) = 1712.
Ibn Ezra
'Because' — the works of Hashem [are set] against their deeds. 'Nor the operation of His hands' — corresponding to 'like the work of their hands'; and the sense is: had they understood the works of Hashem, they would not be workers of iniquity, for they would know that Hashem will tear them down. And some say that this is a prayer, or spoken by way of prophecy, and the sense of 'and will not build them up' is that they will fall and not rise again.
Radak
"Because they give no heed to the works of Hashem, Nor to the operation of His hands" — they do not occupy themselves with the service of God, and they set their heart to understand nothing except the vanities of the world, in which they are shrewd and understanding, as the prophet said (Jeremiah 4:22): "They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." And understanding and reflecting upon "the works of Hashem" and "the operation of His hands" is part of the service of God — namely, to understand the wisdom of nature, and His works and the deeds of His hands in the heavens and on earth; and from this one perceives the power of God's work, that everything is from Him, and He is the First Cause. And so said our Sages, of blessed memory (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 75a), regarding "and they regard not the work of Hashem, neither have they seen the operation of His hands" (Isaiah 5:12): this refers to one who does not calculate the [astronomical] seasons and constellations. "He will break them down" — by way of prayer, as he said: "Give them according to their deeds." "and not build them up" — further, after "He will break them down." And the sense of "He will break them down" corresponds to "the works of Hashem": since they "give no heed to the works of Hashem," He will break down their deeds and the work of their hands.
Metzudat David
"Because they give no heed" — They do not set their heart to understand the work of Hashem, who repays the wicked according to their wickedness — He will tear them down. Therefore He will tear them down and not build them up again, to return them to their former state.
Blessed be Hashem, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications.
verse value 1354
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·voice·of" (ק֣וֹל, 3 letters) and the longest is "my·supplications" (תַּחֲנוּנָֽי, 6 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "blessed" (root ברך, 76x in Psalms); "for·He·has·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בָּר֥וּךְ [blessed] (228) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כִּי־שָׁ֝מַ֗ע [for·He·has·heard] (440) + ק֣וֹל [the·voice·of] (136) + תַּחֲנוּנָֽי [my·supplications] (524) = 1354.
Ibn Ezra
'Blessed' — spoken by way of prophecy, for my prayer has been heard, and He has heard the voice of my supplications, in the manner of 'let my prayer come before You.'
Radak
"Blessed be Hashem, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications" — by way of prophecy. He gives thanks to God for having heard his prayer; and so it was, for in his later days there was an occasion from Hashem when David was in danger with Ishbi-benob, until his men swore that he would no longer go out with them to battle (2 Samuel 21:16–17).
Metzudat David
"Because He has heard" — that which I asked, namely, that I not be among these wicked ones at the time of receiving retribution.
Malbim
(6-7) "Blessed" — he gives thanks that Hashem heard his prayer, for Hashem was "my strength and my shield" against them, and I had no need for war at all — rather, through "in Him my heart trusted," thereby "I was helped." And also "my heart exults, and with my song I will praise Him," as if I had won a victory through war and armed force.
Hashem is my strength and my shield, In Him my heart has trusted, And I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
verse value 1837
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·Him" (בּ֤וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·am·helped" (וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 42: my·heart, my·heart. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·I·am·helped" (וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי), "and·rejoices" (וַיַּעֲלֹ֥ז), "and·with·my·song" (וּֽמִשִּׁירִ֥י). The root לב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·heart" (root לב, 74x in Psalms); "and·with·my·song" (root שיר, 68x in Psalms). First appearance of the root עלז ("and·rejoices") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + עֻזִּ֥י [my·strength] (87) + וּמָגִנִּי֮ [and·my·shield] (109) + בּ֤וֹ [in·Him] (8) + בָטַ֥ח [has·trusted] (19) + לִבִּ֗י [my·heart] (42) + וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי [and·I·am·helped] (743) + וַיַּעֲלֹ֥ז [and·rejoices] (123) + לִבִּ֑י [my·heart] (42) + וּֽמִשִּׁירִ֥י [and·with·my·song] (566) + אֲהוֹדֶֽנּוּ [I·will·praise·Him] (72) = 1837.
Rashi
"and I will thank Him with my song" — Now what is the thanks?..."The Lord is strength to them" — to those who rely on Him, viz. the entire house of Israel, at the time that He is the stronghold of the salvations of His anointed.
Ibn Ezra
'Hashem' — in my opinion: in Him alone have I trusted, and many have helped me, for He commanded them [to help]. 'And with my song' (וּמִשִּׁירִי) — is like 'בְּשִׁירִי,' the reverse of the usage in 'and that which remains of the flesh and of the bread.' And Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said: 'more than this song I will praise Him.'
Radak
"Hashem is my strength" [Hashem ozi] — with the ayin vocalized as a shuruk. (Note: In the manuscript before us, and in other precise texts, the ayin has a kubbutz of the lips, and the zayin has a dagesh.) And he speaks in this manner by way of praise and thanksgiving: "And my shield" — [Hashem] who saved him from Yishbi-benob, who said he would strike down David. "In Him my heart has trusted" — that He would help me against him, even though I was in great danger. "And I am helped" — as it is written (2 Samuel 21:17): "And Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him." "And my heart greatly rejoices" — there is no need to say that if he was saved from death he rejoiced; rather, the meaning of "and my heart greatly rejoices" is: my intellect [rejoiced], because on that occasion my men swore that I would no longer go out to war, and the intellect rejoiced that it was set free from worldly affairs, and that I would now have leisure to occupy myself with the ways of God. "And with my song I will praise Him" — therefore I will give Him thanks. And with what will I give Him thanks? "With my song I will praise Him" — with my songs and my melodies.
Metzudat David
"My heart greatly rejoices" — because of the help. "And with my song" — I will thank Him with a song from among the songs that I have composed.
Hashem is a strength to them; And He is a stronghold of salvation to His anointed.
verse value 1476
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1476 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "He" (הֽוּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·salvation·of" (יְשׁוּע֖וֹת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "strength·to·them" (עֹֽז־לָ֑מוֹ), "and·the·stronghold·of" (וּמָ֘ע֤וֹז). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "the·salvation·of" (root ישועה, 44x in Psalms); "He" (root הוא, 42x in Psalms). First appearance of the root למו ("strength·to·them") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strength·to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + עֹֽז־לָ֑מוֹ [strength·to·them] (153) + וּמָ֘ע֤וֹז [and·the·stronghold·of] (129) + יְשׁוּע֖וֹת [the·salvation·of] (792) + מְשִׁיח֣וֹ [his·anointed] (364) + הֽוּא [He] (12) = 1476.
Ibn Ezra
'Hashem is strength' — the sense of 'to them' (לָמוֹ) is 'to My helpers,' for Hashem is strength to the helpers and a stronghold to the one who is helped, and he [the one helped] is His anointed, David. And R. Moshe said that 'strength to them' (עֹז לָמוֹ) is like 'strength to him' (עֹז לוֹ), and similarly, 'a plague befell him' (נֶגַע לָמוֹ). But this is not correct, for 'לָמוֹ' refers back to 'the servant of Hashem' and to 'His people.'
Radak
"Hashem is a strength to them" — since he [David] would remain in the House of Hashem, he prayed on behalf of Israel that they would have strength when they went out to war, so that their hearts would not grow faint when he was not with them in battle. And that Hashem would give them strength in their battle, and that they would overcome their enemies. "And He is a stronghold of salvation to His anointed" — "His anointed": he speaks of himself, that he is "the anointed of Hashem," just as he also said of himself elsewhere (2 Samuel 23:1): "the anointed of the God of Jacob." He said: Hashem will be "a strength to them," to Israel, just as He was my strength when I went out with them to war. And the vav of "and a stronghold" [u-ma'oz] has the meaning of "as" [ka'asher], like (Psalms 59:16): "if they are not satisfied, they will stay the night"; and likewise (ibid. 63:6): "and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips."
Metzudat David
"To them" — to all those of blameless way, all of them together. "And a stronghold" — and the strength of the salvations of His anointed.
Malbim
"Hashem" — he says this after [establishing] that David's salvation is bound up with the salvation of Israel, since Hashem appointed him king over them. So he says: is it not that "Hashem is a strength to them," to Israel, and therefore He is "a stronghold of the salvations of His anointed" — for by the merit of Israel He must save His anointed. Accordingly I ask, "save Your people," that You do this for the sake of Israel, to save them; and also "bless them" with an added blessing, insofar as they are "Your inheritance" — for the term "inheritance" indicates that He chose them as an inheritance for Himself for all generations, and therefore they are holy and set apart for their God, and He must bless them with an extra blessing; "and tend them" also insofar as they are Your people, "and carry them" even more insofar as they are Your inheritance, and this shall be "forever."
Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; And tend them, and carry them for ever.
verse value 3002
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "and·bless" (וּבָרֵ֥ךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "your·inheritance" (אֶת־נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "your·people" (אֶת־עַמֶּ֗ךָ), "and·bless" (וּבָרֵ֥ךְ), "your·inheritance" (אֶת־נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "forever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "your·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "and·bless" (root ברך, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·inheritance', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הוֹשִׁ֤יעָה [save] (396) + אֶת־עַמֶּ֗ךָ [your·people] (531) + וּבָרֵ֥ךְ [and·bless] (228) + אֶת־נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ [your·inheritance] (909) + וּֽרְעֵ֥ם [and·tend·them] (316) + וְ֝נַשְּׂאֵ֗ם [and·carry·them] (397) + עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם [forever] (225) = 3002.
Rashi
"and tend them" — Heb. ורעם, an expression of pasture (מרעה).
Ibn Ezra
'Save' — because he had mentioned that Hashem was his strength and his heart rejoiced, he prayed that He would shepherd Israel; therefore: 'save, and bless' — that Hashem would add to them and guard them like a shepherd; therefore: 'and tend them, and carry them' — meaning that they dwell in a high place where wild animals cannot harm them. And Rabbi Moshe said that 'and carry them' means that He will supply their needs, in the manner in which the men of his place carry/support him.
Radak
"Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance" — save them from their enemies, and bless them in the work of their hands. "And tend them" [ve-ra'em] — its meaning is like "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd" (Isaiah 40:11). "And carry them" — above the [other] nations. "Forever" — my prayer is for them, whether in the days of my life or after my death, all the days of eternity. And the meaning of "forever" [ad ha-olam] is: until the end of the world.
Metzudat David
"Your inheritance" — Israel, whom You took for Yourself as an inheritance. "And tend them" — shepherd them with good pasture and give them exaltation forever.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim