A Psalm of David, a song for the Dedication of the House. A psalm of thanksgiving for recovery from mortal peril, where mourning is turned into dancing.
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A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David.
verse value 1742
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 20 letters. Verse gematria: 1742 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·house" (הַבַּ֣יִת, 4 letters) and the longest is "song·of·dedication·of" (שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּ֖ת, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "song·of·dedication·of" (שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּ֖ת). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms); "a·psalm" (root מזמור, 57x in Psalms); "the·house" (root בית, 48x in Psalms). Full calculation: מִזְמ֡וֹר [a·psalm] (293) + שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּ֖ת [song·of·dedication·of] (988) + הַבַּ֣יִת [the·house] (417) + לְדָוִֽד [of·David] (44) = 1742.
Rashi
"A song of dedication of the House" — which the Levites will say at the dedication of the House in the days of Solomon.
Ibn Ezra
'A psalm; the dedication of the House' — Some say that David commanded the singers to chant this psalm at the dedication of the First Temple. And some say [it was for] the dedication of the Second or Third Temple, for he likened the days of exile to the days of illness, as I will explain. What seems most likely to me is that David composed this psalm at the dedication of his own house, the House of Cedars, for the text does not mention 'the house of Hashem' — and similarly [we find]: 'the blind and the lame shall not come into the house,' as I explained in its place — and at that time David fell ill and then recovered from his illness. Rabbi Moshe said that David mourned when Nathan told him that he would not build the House for Hashem's name; and when [Nathan] told him that Solomon his son would build the House, he then girded himself with joy in place of his mourning, because his son was like him, and the enemy would not taunt him. And he said that anguish of soul is comparable to a genuine illness, and is even more severe, in the manner of [the verse]: 'The spirit of a man will sustain him in his illness.'
Radak
"A Psalm, a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David" — David composed it so that it would be recited at the dedication of the Temple. And even though this psalm makes no mention of "the House," he mentions in it the forgiveness of his transgressions, for his enemies thought that the kingship would not endure for him and for his offspring after him, as punishment for that sin. And even though it had been told to him by a prophet that his son who would reign after him would build "the House," they did not believe that it could be that a son born to him from that woman would be king and would build the Temple of Hashem, which would be a place of forgiveness and atonement. And when Adonijah rebelled at the end of David's days and sought to become king of his own accord, without permission, they thought that Solomon would not become king. And once he was made king, and they saw that the matter had succeeded — for those who conspired with Adonijah did not persist in their rebellion, but fled, each man to his tent — all Israel recognized that Solomon's kingship was from Hashem. And since God willed that the son born to him from that woman should be king over all Israel, they knew in truth that David had been forgiven that sin, a complete and perfect forgiveness. And He showed Solomon the form of "the House" before the eyes of all Israel, and he himself contributed willingly to the building of "the House," and the children of Israel contributed willingly to it in his presence. Therefore he composed "A Psalm, a Song at the Dedication of the House" in this manner, mentioning in it the forgiveness of his sins, which is the healing of his soul, for through this matter the forgiveness became known to every person.
Metzudat David
"Dedication of the House" — this psalm was instituted to be recited at the time of the dedication of the Temple (Beit HaMikdash).
Metzudat Zion
"Dedication" — the beginning of a thing that is destined to endure is called "chanukah" (dedication) in the language of Scripture.
Malbim
"A song of the dedication of the house" — the whole psalm is founded on giving thanks for having fallen ill and then recovering from his illness, yet no matter concerning the dedication of the Temple is found in it? It is explained that the "house" mentioned here is the figurative house — it is the body, which is a dwelling for the soul and a house for the inner man who resides and dwells within it. For the soul is truly the man, and the material body is only a house of clay for it to dwell in for all the days it is confined within it, (as it is written: "how much more they that dwell in houses of clay" — "on the day when the keepers of the house tremble"). And at the time he fell ill, the pillars of the house and its foundations were shaken; and after he was healed, the house was rebuilt on its mound and he returned to the days of his youth. Therefore he titled the song "The dedication of the house, of David" — meaning, the house of David himself, the dwelling-place of his soul, which was rededicated when it was healed.
I will extol You, O Hashem, for You have raised me up, and have not suffered my enemies to rejoice over me.
verse value 1715
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·You·have·gladdened" (וְלֹֽא־שִׂמַּ֖חְתָּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·have·drawn·me·up" (דִלִּיתָ֑נִי), "and·not·You·have·gladdened" (וְלֹֽא־שִׂמַּ֖חְתָּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "my·enemies" (root איב, 71x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·have·drawn·me·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲרוֹמִמְךָ֣ [I·will·extol·You] (307) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + דִלִּיתָ֑נִי [You·have·drawn·me·up] (504) + וְלֹֽא־שִׂמַּ֖חְתָּ [and·not·You·have·gladdened] (785) + אֹיְבַ֣י [my·enemies] (23) + לִֽי [to·me] (40) = 1715.
Rashi
"I will exalt You, O Lord, for You have raised me up" — Heb. דליתני, You have lifted me on high. "and You have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me" — Heb. לי, like עלי, over me, for they would say, “David has no share in the world to come,” but when they saw that the doors opened for the Ark because of me, then they knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had forgiven me for that sin, and the faces of David’s enemies became as black as the bottom of a pot.
Ibn Ezra
'I will extol You' — corresponds to 'You have drawn me up'; in my opinion, [this is] because he was [as good as] dead. And the meaning of 'and have not let [my enemies] rejoice' is as it is written in the psalm: 'Happy is he who considers the poor,' for the two follow the same pattern.
Radak
"I will extol You, Hashem, for You have drawn me up" — for I had sunk into the pit of sin, and You raised me up out of it. "and have not let my enemies rejoice over me" — for had You not raised me up and forgiven me, You would have made them rejoice on my account, but now You have not made them rejoice, but rather grieved them.
Metzudat David
"You have raised me up" — You exalted me in that my son Solomon, who came from Bathsheba, built the Temple; for by this everyone knew that You had forgiven me for the sin concerning Bathsheba. "My enemies" — who say that this sin is still held against me.
Metzudat Zion
"You have raised me up" — You have exalted me, as in "my eyes are raised on high" (Isaiah 38:14).
Malbim
"I will extol You" — first he speaks in general terms, that because of his illness his enemies rejoiced and thought he would not live after his fall (as he says in Psalm 38 and in Psalm 41), "yet You drew me up" from the illness, "and did not let my enemies rejoice over me."
O Hashem my God, I cried to You, and You healed me;
verse value 1666
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·You·healed·me" (וַתִּרְפָּאֵֽנִי, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·You·healed·me" (וַתִּרְפָּאֵֽנִי). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "to·You" (root אל, 112x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָ֑י [my·God] (46) + שִׁוַּ֥עְתִּי [I·cried·out] (786) + אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ [to·You] (61) + וַתִּרְפָּאֵֽנִי [and·You·healed·me] (747) = 1666.
Rashi
"and You have healed me" — That is the forgiving of iniquity, as (in Isa. 6:10), “and he repent and be healed.”
Ibn Ezra
'Hashem' — the meaning of 'I cried out to You' is: to You alone, and not to a physician — 'and You healed me.'
Radak
"O Hashem my God, I cried to You" — that You would forgive me, and so You did. And this is [the meaning of] "and You healed me" — that You healed me from the sickness of the soul. For even though You punished me in this world, it is all good in my eyes, since You healed my soul so that it should not descend to Gehinnom.
Metzudat David
"I cried" — I prayed concerning this sin. "And You healed me" — this is the forgiveness of the sin, which is the healing of the soul; and so it says, "and return, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10).
Malbim
"Hashem my God" — he says: first, my healing did not come through nature; rather, "I cried out to You" and You "healed me" — not through balm or physicians.
O Hashem, You brought up my soul from the nether-world; You kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
verse value 2638
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְֽהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְֽהֹוָ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·my·going·down·to·the·pit" (מִיׇּֽרְדִי־בֽוֹר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·brought·up" (הֶעֱלִ֣יתָ), "from·the·netherworld" (מִן־שְׁא֣וֹל), "from·my·going·down·to·the·pit" (מִיׇּֽרְדִי־בֽוֹר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "You·brought·up" (root עלה, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words.
Rashi
"from my descent into the Pit, etc." — Heb. מירדי, like מִיְרִדָתִי, from my descent into the Pit, that I should not descend into Gehinnom.
Ibn Ezra
'Hashem' — the meaning is that he had almost gone down to the grave; and we find [the phrase] 'those who go down to the pit' used in its complete form, like [the phrase] 'in return for pursuing good.'
Radak
"Hashem, You brought up my soul from Sheol; You kept me alive, that I should not go down [Note: the vav is superfluous] to the pit" — "Sheol" and "pit" mean: Gehinnom, and it is the punishment of the wicked. "Mi-yordei" is the ketiv (written form) — like "and I shall be compared with those who go down to the pit" (Psalms 25:1; ibid. 143:7); and the qere (read form) is "mi-rdei," which is an infinitive construct; and the kamatz is drawn out in place of the yod, as in (ibid. 38:21): "instead of my pursuit of good." And "You kept me alive" means: You set me apart from them.
Metzudat David
"You brought up" — You saved me from death through the forgiveness of the sin. "From [those who go down to] the pit" — from my going down into the pit; the matter is repeated in other words.
Malbim
"Hashem" — (this is the second point) — the cause of my illness was through my sins and the sicknesses of the soul; for since the soul became sick and inclined toward death — the death of my soul — because of my sins, the body too became ill through this. And through "that You brought up my soul from the netherworld" — because my sin was atoned for, my spiritual soul did not go down to the netherworld and destruction — through this, "You kept me alive, that I should not go down to those who descend into the pit"; through this I also attained bodily life as well, as it says further on, Psalm 103: "Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases."
Sing praise to Hashem, O you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.
verse value 1101
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sing" (זַמְּר֣וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "His·faithful·ones" (חֲסִידָ֑יו, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "and·give·thanks" (root ידה, 68x in Psalms); "to·the·remembrance·of" (root זכר, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·faithful·ones', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: זַמְּר֣וּ [sing] (253) + לַיהֹוָ֣ה [to·Hashem] (56) + חֲסִידָ֑יו [His·faithful·ones] (98) + וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ [and·give·thanks] (27) + לְזֵ֣כֶר [to·the·remembrance·of] (257) + קׇדְשֽׁוֹ [His·holiness] (410) = 1101.
Rashi
"Sing to the Lord, His pious ones" — about what He did for me, because you can take refuge in Him, and He will benefit you; and even if you are experiencing pain, have no fear.
Ibn Ezra
'Sing praise' — because David was a hasid (pious one), as it is written: 'You will not allow Your hasid [to see the pit]' — 'the mercies of David' — he brings good tidings to the pious ones: that if what happened to him should happen to them, Hashem will save them.
Radak
"Sing praise to Hashem, His godly ones" — it is fitting for all the godly ones to sing praise and give thanks to God for this, for He forgives those who return to Him, so that the godly one is not lost through his sin even once, even if the sin be great, but rather he returns to God with a whole heart and He accepts him. "and give thanks to His holy name" [lit. "the remembrance of His holiness"] — this is like "and give thanks" to His name, for His name is "the remembrance of His holiness," for by this we call Him to mind; for His true essence we do not know.
Metzudat David
"Sing praise, etc." — when you see the greatness of Hashem's kindnesses.
Malbim
"Sing praise" — accordingly he says that "the godly ones of Hashem shall sing praise to Hashem," to tell of His praise in and of Himself, and also "give thanks" (for thanksgiving is for the good things He has done, which is a relative praise) "to His holy name," for through the good things He has done, they remember the deeds of Hashem and give thanks to His name.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a life-time; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
verse value 1813
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·His·favor" (בִּרְצ֫וֹנ֥וֹ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·His·favor" (בִּרְצ֫וֹנ֥וֹ), "in·the·evening" (בָּ֭עֶרֶב), "lodges" (יָלִ֥ין). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "life" (root חי, 43x in Psalms); "in·His·anger" (root אף, 40x in Psalms). First appearance of the root ערב ("in·the·evening") in Psalms. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + רֶ֨גַע [a·moment] (273) + בְּאַפּוֹ֮ [in·His·anger] (89) + חַיִּ֢ים [life] (68) + בִּרְצ֫וֹנ֥וֹ [in·His·favor] (354) + בָּ֭עֶרֶב [in·the·evening] (274) + יָלִ֥ין [lodges] (100) + בֶּ֗כִי [weeping] (32) + וְלַבֹּ֥קֶר [and·to·the·morning] (338) + רִנָּֽה [ringing·cry] (255) = 1813.
Rashi
"For...but a moment" — [For] His wrath lasts but a short [moment]; "life results from His favor" — , there is long life in appeasing and placating Him.
Ibn Ezra
'For' — the meaning of 'life' [here] is long life, like [the expression] 'men of great stature.' And by way of figure of speech he says that 'weeping will lodge' — or else the verb is elided, as in [the phrase] 'whom she bore.' And the meaning of 'in the evening it lodges' is: the one who lodges in weeping; 'but in the morning, joy' — for the omission of the word 'house' occurs often throughout Scripture, as in [the phrase] 'he who is found in the house of Hashem.'
Radak
"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a life" — for if He becomes angry with a person, it is only for "a moment" — a brief span of time will His anger last; but His "favor": with His favor there will be a long time and a long "life". And so, of the thirteen attributes enumerated concerning Him, may He be blessed (Exodus 34:6-7), all of them are for good except one attribute, which is: "He visits the iniquity of the fathers" — and that is for three generations or four, while the kindness is for thousands of generations. And on account of all this a person is obligated to give thanks to His name; therefore it says: "Sing to Hashem, His faithful ones," for the measure of good from Him is greater than the measure of punishment (Sifra, Dibbura DeChovah, parashah 12:10; Babylonian Talmud Yoma 76a; Sotah 11a; Sanhedrin 100b; Avot d'Rabbi Natan chapter 30). "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning" — if "in the evening" a person "lodges" in "weeping", "in the morning" he will be given good news "with joy". He likened the time of "weeping" and sorrow to "evening", which is darkness, and the time of salvation and good to "morning", which is light and joy. And so David said: the "anger" that He showed me on account of my sin — that is, the punishment with which He punished me in this world — was in my eyes like "a moment", while His "favor" and His good tidings of forgiveness for the sin are "a long life", which is the life of the World to Come.
Metzudat David
"For [it is] but a moment" — only for a moment did He become angry with me in His wrath. "Life in His favor" — at the time He became favorable to me, He promised me life. Meaning to say: such has always been His way — when a person sins, he spends the night weeping in the evening because of the punishment that comes; and when he turns back from his way, [Hashem] immediately becomes appeased toward him — by morning He sends His help to bring him joy.
Malbim
"For His anger is but for a moment" — the time of His anger does not last long, only a moment; and this is the second point, that even at the time of anger, "life is in His favor" — it was His will that I should live; the anger was not in order to kill me, but only so that through it, through the sufferings, my sins would be forgiven and He would then bring me back to life, to the point that He set the time so that only "in the evening weeping tarries for the night, and in the morning" comes "joy" — for their duration was only from evening until morning.
Now I had said in my security: 'I shall never be moved.'
verse value 1330
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "and·I" (וַ֭אֲנִי, 4 letters) and the longest is "I·shall·not·be·moved" (בַּל־אֶמּ֥וֹט, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·my·security" (בְשַׁלְוִ֑י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "forever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "I·said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "and·I" (root אני, 64x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שלו ("in·my·security") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·security', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַ֭אֲנִי [and·I] (67) + אָמַ֣רְתִּי [I·said] (651) + בְשַׁלְוִ֑י [in·my·security] (348) + בַּל־אֶמּ֥וֹט [I·shall·not·be·moved] (88) + לְעוֹלָֽם [forever] (176) = 1330.
Rashi
"And I said in my tranquility" — In my tranquility, I thought that I would never falter. However, the matter is not in my power, but in the power of the Holy One, blessed be He. With His will, He set up my mountain, my greatness to be [my] mightbut when He hid His countenance from me, I was immediately frightened.
Ibn Ezra
'And I' — Rabbi Moshe said that this is the meaning of 'And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house,' when Nathan answered him, 'All that is in your heart, do.' But this is far-fetched. And the correct [interpretation] is: as happens to one who is healthy and strong in body, who thinks it will always be so, and that no illness will come upon him to weaken his strength.
Radak
"Now I had said in my security, I shall never be moved" — when I was "secure" and tranquil, so that the evil inclination did not rule over me, I thought to myself that I would never "be moved" and would never sin, "ever"; for I thought that the evil inclination would have no power to turn me from the good path, since my intellect was overpowering my [physical] nature. And I took pride in this within myself, until I recognized that it was Your help that had sustained me. And all the time that it was "Your favor" [to be] with me, "You established my mountain as a stronghold". And this is what he says [next]:
Metzudat David
"In my security" — when I was in tranquility, I said, I shall never be inclined to fall.
Malbim
"Now I" — I had thought that life and health were natural, such that as long as the body is healthy, nature dictates that I would not fall ill; and so he says, "I said in my security" — meaning, as long as I remained at ease in my body, and no ruin was found within me through the conflict of the elements and the composition and dissolution of the body's humors — "I shall never be moved." But now it has become known to me that life is a matter of providence, dependent on the desire and will of Hashem, for only "by Your favor You made my mountain of strength stand firm" — the strength on which my mountain (that is, my bodily life) stood firm upon its foundation was due to Your will; upon Your will the lofty mountain stood. And at the time that "You hid Your face, I was terrified," for the mountain began to collapse, for its foundations and footings gave way — to the point that the illness came not through a providential punishment for deeds, but only through the hiding of [His] face and the withdrawal of providence.
You had established, O Hashem, in Your favor my mountain as a stronghold— You hid Your face; I was affrighted.
verse value 3187
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְֽהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְֽהֹוָ֗ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·my·mountain·of·strength" (לְֽהַרְרִ֫י־עֹ֥ז, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·established" (הֶעֱמַ֢דְתָּה), "to·my·mountain·of·strength" (לְֽהַרְרִ֫י־עֹ֥ז), "You·hid" (הִסְתַּ֥רְתָּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "Your·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "I·was" (root היה, 97x in Psalms). First appearance of the root הרר ("to·my·mountain·of·strength") in Psalms. Full calculation: יְֽהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּרְצוֹנְךָ֮ [in·Your·favor] (368) + הֶעֱמַ֢דְתָּה [You·established] (524) + לְֽהַרְרִ֫י־עֹ֥ז [to·my·mountain·of·strength] (522) + הִסְתַּ֥רְתָּ [You·hid] (1065) + פָנֶ֗יךָ [Your·face] (160) + הָיִ֥יתִי [I·was] (435) + נִבְהָֽל [dismayed] (87) = 3187.
Ibn Ezra
'Hashem' — now I know that my strength was from You during my health, for at the time You hid Your face I was terrified. Rabbi Moshe said that [as for] 'You had established' — the meaning is 'You established me as a mountain of strength,' like 'so that glory may sing praise to You,' which means 'my glory.' And others said that the yod of 'le-horarai' is the sign of the first person, and the meaning is to treat it like [the singular] 'mountain' [i.e., 'my mountain']. And Rabbi Yehuda Halevi said that 'le-horarai' is like [the form] 'harerai ba-sadeh' ('my mountain in the field'), for the patterns of nouns vary.
Radak
"Hashem, You had established in Your favor my mountain as a stronghold; You hid Your face, I was affrighted" — "my mountain" [le-harari] means: my intellect, which was "my mountain"; "You established" [it] with Your help "in strength" [oz], so that I did not stumble when I relied upon it, and the evil inclination had no power to take it from my hand, for it was in a place of strength. But when "You hid" "Your face" from me for a moment, "I was affrighted", and I stumbled in my thinking, and my [evil] inclination overpowered my intellect. Therefore David prayed and said (Psalms 19:14): "Keep back Your servant also from willful sins; let them not have dominion over me," as we have explained. And "strength" [oz] — we explained it there [too]: it is lacking the letter bet of instrumentality, [i.e., it should be understood as] "be-oz" ("with strength"). And it is possible that it is an adjective, on the pattern of "lechem cham" ("warm bread") (I Samuel 21:7); [or like] "ma'oz la-tam" (Proverbs 10:29).
Metzudat David
"Hashem, in Your favor" — now I see that everything is from You: when You were favorable toward me, You established strength for my mountain, that is, for my greatness, so that strength should be in it; and when You hid Your face from me because of the sin, I was terrified and trembled because of the troubles that came.
To You, O Hashem, I called, And to Hashem I made supplication:
verse value 1000
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1000 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·You" (אֵלֶ֣יךָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·my·Lord" (וְאֶל־אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·to·my·Lord" (וְאֶל־אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "to·You" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "and·to·my·Lord" (root אדון, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·called', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֵלֶ֣יךָ [to·You] (61) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶקְרָ֑א [I·called] (302) + וְאֶל־אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י [and·to·my·Lord] (102) + אֶתְחַנָּֽן [I·made·supplication] (509) = 1000.
Rashi
"To You, O Lord, I would call" — I would call to You and supplicate constantly, saying before You: “What gain is there in my blood, etc.,” and You heard my voice and turned my lament into dancing for me.
Ibn Ezra
'To You' — he relates that he found nothing to do but to cry out and plead and say: 'What profit is there in my death?' For the blood is the life, and it is written: '[you shall not make] gashes for the dead.'
Radak
"To You, Hashem, I called, and to Hashem I made supplication" — and when sin overpowered me, what did I do? "I called to You", for I knew that I had no remedy apart from You. And I knew that I was liable to death in Gehinnom, and "I made supplication to You" and said:
Malbim
"To You, Hashem, I call" — my prayer is only to You and to no other; and also "I make supplication to Hashem" — the prayer was for the sake of Hashem and the honor of His name, meaning, I did not pray for life for my own sake, but only so that I could give thanks to You and serve You; and this, for me, was the very purpose for which I desired to live, for such was the wording of my prayer: "What profit is there in my blood" — behold, in my life there is profit and benefit to You from me, in that I give thanks and praise to You; but in my blood, that is, in my silence and the cessation of my movement, what profit would there be to You? And likewise, "what profit" would there be to You "in my going down to the pit"? For, first, as long as I live I give thanks for Your good deeds, but "shall the dust praise You?" Second, as long as I live I proclaim the truths of Hashem's glory, His providence, and His wonders, but in my death, "shall it declare Your truth?" Therefore, "hear, Hashem, and be gracious to me," to raise me up from my illness, "and Hashem, be my helper," so that I may give thanks to You.
'What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? shall it declare Your truth?
verse value 2506
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "dust" (עָפָ֑ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "what·profit" (מַה־בֶּ֥צַע, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "what·profit" (מַה־בֶּ֥צַע), "in·my·blood" (בְּדָמִי֮), "when·I·go·down" (בְּרִדְתִּ֢י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "does·it·praise·You" (root ידה, 68x in Psalms); "does·it·declare" (root נגד, 55x in Psalms); "Your·truth" (root אמת, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'dust', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: מַה־בֶּ֥צַע [what·profit] (207) + בְּדָמִי֮ [in·my·blood] (56) + בְּרִדְתִּ֢י [when·I·go·down] (616) + אֶ֫ל־שָׁ֥חַת [to·the·pit] (739) + הֲיוֹדְךָ֥ [does·it·praise·You] (45) + עָפָ֑ר [dust] (350) + הֲיַגִּ֥יד [does·it·declare] (32) + אֲמִתֶּֽךָ [Your·truth] (461) = 2506.
Ibn Ezra
'Shall the dust praise You' — as it is written: 'and the dust returns to the earth.'
Radak
"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it declare Your truth?" — "my blood" [be-dami] is my soul, for the blood is the soul, and the soul is the natural life-force. And because it is the intelligent, eternal soul that he had in view, he called it by its name and said: "what profit" is there in my life if I go down "to the pit"? If my end is Gehinnom and I go down at my death there, why do I need life, and why did You bring me into the world, if not to acquire the World to Come! For sinners, at their death, nothing living remains after them; rather, everything goes down to dust, as it says (Ecclesiastes 12:7): "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." And "the dust" does not "praise You" nor "declare Your truth" — rather it is the spirit that returns to God who gave it. And if it has not merited [reward] in life, it does not return to God. But if You forgive me, I will praise You in life and in death. And so I explained (II Samuel 12:13): "Also Hashem has removed your sin; you shall not die" — [meaning] the death of the soul. And there are those who explain "you shall not die" as the death of the body; and likewise here, "what profit is there in my blood."
Metzudat David
"What profit" — what benefit is there when my blood is shed. "Shall the dust praise You" — when a person returns to being dust, will he then praise You? Will he declare Your truth? Is it not better to keep him alive — "and return, and heal him" — and then he will give thanks to You?
Metzudat Zion
"What profit" — what benefit and gain, as in "and what profit [is there]" (Malachi 3).
Hear, O Hashem, and be gracious to me; Hashem, be my helper.'
verse value 923
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 923 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·me" (לִֽי, 2 letters) and the longest is "hear·Hashem" (שְׁמַע־יְהֹוָ֥ה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "be·a·helper" (הֱֽיֵה־עֹזֵ֥ר). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hear·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "be·a·helper" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "to·me" (root לי, 68x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·be·gracious·to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: שְׁמַע־יְהֹוָ֥ה [hear·Hashem] (436) + וְחׇנֵּ֑נִי [and·be·gracious·to·me] (124) + יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + הֱֽיֵה־עֹזֵ֥ר [be·a·helper] (297) + לִֽי [to·me] (40) = 923.
Radak
"Hear, Hashem, and be gracious to me; Hashem, be my helper" — I called to You and said: "Hear, Hashem, and be gracious to me"; and if my foot slips, "be my helper" — raise me up and forgive me.
You turned for me my mourning into dancing; You loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
verse value 3178
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "for·me" (לִ֥֫י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·You·girded·me" (וַֽתְּאַזְּרֵ֥נִי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "my·wailing" (מִסְפְּדִי֮), "to·dancing" (לְמָח֢וֹל), "my·sackcloth" (שַׂקִּ֑י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·me" (root לי, 68x in Psalms); "You·loosed" (root פתח, 20x in Psalms). First appearance of the root הפך ("You·turned") in Psalms. First appearance of the root מחול ("to·dancing") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·sackcloth', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: הָפַ֣כְתָּ [You·turned] (505) + מִסְפְּדִי֮ [my·wailing] (194) + לְמָח֢וֹל [to·dancing] (114) + לִ֥֫י [for·me] (40) + פִּתַּ֥חְתָּ [You·loosed] (888) + שַׂקִּ֑י [my·sackcloth] (410) + וַֽתְּאַזְּרֵ֥נִי [and·You·girded·me] (674) + שִׂמְחָֽה [joy] (353) = 3178.
Rashi
"You loosened" — Heb. פתחת, alachas in Old French, to release, like (Gen. 24:32): “and he untied (ויפתח) the camels.” Our Sages, however, explained the entire psalm as referring to Mordecai, Esther, and Haman, in Pesikta Zuta. "and I said in my tranquility" — Haman said this. "To You, O Lord, I would call" — Esther said this etc. until “be my helper.” "You turned my lament into dancing for me" — Mordecai and all Israel said this.
Ibn Ezra
'You turned' — he rejoices that he will live until his soul is complete, to serve his Creator and to know His works, for it was for this that he was created. And the meaning of 'You loosed my sackcloth' — [is spoken] by way of metaphor, of one who mourns for his own life. And the meaning of 'and girded me' — with strength.
Radak
"You turned for me my mourning into dancing" — for I was mourning over my soul, lest it be lost; and You gave me good news and said to me through Your prophet: "Also Hashem has removed your sin; you shall not die" (ibid.) — behold, "You turned for me my mourning into dancing." "You loosed my sackcloth" — which I had girded on and with which I had afflicted myself over my sin; "You loosed" it with Your good tidings. "And girded me with gladness" — in place of the sackcloth.
Metzudat David
"You turned" — have You not many times turned my mourning into dancing, and the sackcloth that I put upon my loins because of mourning and grief — have You not loosened it from me and girded me with joy? Therefore, now too, be gracious to me.
Metzudat Zion
"Into dancing" — from the term denoting dances and dancing. "You loosed" — an expression of untying a knot, as in "You have loosed my bonds" (below, 116).
Malbim
"You turned" — behold, I saw that You too heard my prayer for this very purpose, for the fact "that You turned my mourning into dancing for me" was with the intention "that glory may sing praise to You." And he depicts that the whole people had already gathered to eulogize him, for they thought he had died, and suddenly the soul returned to him, so that the assembly that had come to eulogize him and stood around his bed began to dance in dance and dances. And not only that, but "You also loosed my sackcloth" — for until now he had worn sackcloth because of his sin, and now he removed his sackcloth because he knew his sin had been forgiven, "and girded me with gladness" in place of the sackcloth. And all of this You did "that glory may sing praise to You" — so that the soul within me, which is called by the name "glory," could sing praise to You, "and not be silent" and be cut off by death from being the sweet singer of Israel. And so, since the essential purpose for which You gave me life was so that I would sing praise to You, I too will therefore do so: "and Hashem my God, forever I will give thanks to You."
So that my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent; O Hashem my God, I will give thanks to You for ever.
verse value 869
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "may·sing·to·You" (יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "may·sing·to·You" (יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'is·silent', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֤עַן [so·that] (190) + יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣ [may·sing·to·You] (277) + כָ֭בוֹד [glory] (32) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִדֹּ֑ם [is·silent] (54) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י [my·God] (46) + לְעוֹלָ֥ם [forever] (176) + אוֹדֶֽךָּ [I·will·thank·You] (31) = 869.
Ibn Ezra
'So that' — the meaning is: 'I will thank You' [applies] all my days, so that [my glory] may thank You continually. '[Glory] may sing praise to You' — [refers to] every person who possesses honor (kavod). And the meaning [of 'kavod' here] is a wise soul, since the wise/discerning are few. He said 'kavod' (glory) — and not 'all glory.'
Radak
"So that my glory may sing praise to You" — this is the soul, corresponding to what he said: "shall the dust praise You?"; but "the glory" — [the soul] — "will sing praise to You" and give You thanks. "And not be silent" — he mentions that "the glory" has no silence or cessation; therefore he says: "Hashem my God, I will give thanks to You forever" — all the days of my life I will give thanks to You for this, that You have forgiven me. And I know that my glory will remain after me, and "my glory will sing praise to You forever and not be silent." And in the midrash (Shocher Tov, with some variations): whoever intends to do a good deed, the Holy One, blessed be He, writes it down as though he had done it; know that this is so, for behold, David, who intended to build the Temple, it was written in his name, as it says: "A psalm, a song for the dedication of the House, of David."
Metzudat David
"So that [my glory] may sing praise to You" — and because of this, the soul will sing praise to You and will not be silent from praise, and I will thank You forever.
Metzudat Zion
"My glory" — that is the soul, which is the glory of the body.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim