A Psalm of David. A cry of trust from the depths of affliction and betrayal, committing his spirit into Hashem's hand, and closing in confidence that Hashem preserves the faithful.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Verse structure: 3 words, 14 letters. The shortest word is "of·David" (לְדָוִֽד, 4 letters) and the longest is "for·the·leader" (לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ, 5 letters). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms); "for·the·leader" (root נצח, 73x in Psalms); "a·psalm" (root מזמור, 57x in Psalms). Full calculation: לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ [for·the·leader] (218) + מִזְמ֥וֹר [a·psalm] (293) + לְדָוִֽד [of·David] (44) = 555.
Radak
"For the Leader. A psalm of David" — David composed this psalm when he was fleeing from Saul.
Malbim
"For the leader" — This psalm was founded upon the following: through the prophecy of Gad, David was to return to the land of Judah, and through the answer of the Urim and Tummim, he was to go to Keilah to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. He was shut up in Keilah (I Samuel 22), and then Saul pursued him, and Hashem informed him, through the Urim and Tummim, that the men of Keilah would not remain faithful to him and would hand him over to Saul. So he left there and dwelt in the wilderness among strongholds, and dwelt in the wilderness of Ziph. From there the Ziphites went up and informed on him to Saul, and Saul and his men surrounded David, and Hashem delivered him from his hand.
In you, O Hashem, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
verse value 1852
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "I·have·sought·refuge" (חָ֭סִיתִי, 5 letters) and the longest is "not·let·me·be·ashamed" (אַל־אֵב֣וֹשָׁה, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·You·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "forever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "not·let·me·be·ashamed" (root בוש, 36x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'forever', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּךָֽ־יְהֹוָ֣ה [in·You·Hashem] (48) + חָ֭סִיתִי [I·have·sought·refuge] (488) + אַל־אֵב֣וֹשָׁה [not·let·me·be·ashamed] (345) + לְעוֹלָ֑ם [forever] (176) + בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ [in·Your·righteousness] (616) + פַלְּטֵֽנִי [deliver·me] (179) = 1852.
Ibn Ezra
'For the leader; in You, Hashem, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed' — this psalm was given to one of the singers to perform. 'In You' — the meaning is that my enemies are men of violence against me without cause.
Radak
"In You, Hashem, have I taken refuge" — and since "I have taken refuge in You," "let me never be ashamed" "Deliver me in Your righteousness" — and not in my own righteousness.
Metzudat David
"Let me never be ashamed" — therefore it is fitting that I never be ashamed, even though I have no merit — so save me through Your righteousness.
Malbim
"In You, Hashem, have I taken refuge" — for the fact that he returned to the land of Judah was by the word of Hashem; therefore, "let me never be ashamed." And even if I am not worthy according to my deeds, "in Your righteousness deliver me."
Incline Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; Be You to me a rock of refuge, even a fortress of defense, to save me.
verse value 2561
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 2561 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֨י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·a·rock·of·refuge" (לְֽצוּר־מָ֭עוֹז, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·a·rock·of·refuge" (לְֽצוּר־מָ֭עוֹז), "strongholds" (מְצוּד֗וֹת). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·me" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "be" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "to·save·me" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מהרה ("haste") in Psalms. Full calculation: הַטֵּ֤ה [incline] (19) + אֵלַ֨י [to·me] (41) + אׇזְנְךָ֮ [your·ear] (78) + מְהֵרָ֢ה [haste] (250) + הַצִּ֫ילֵ֥נִי [deliver·me] (195) + הֱיֵ֤ה [be] (20) + לִ֨י [to·me] (40) + לְֽצוּר־מָ֭עוֹז [to·a·rock·of·refuge] (449) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·a·house·of] (442) + מְצוּד֗וֹת [strongholds] (546) + לְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי [to·save·me] (481) = 2561.
Rashi
"a stronghold" — Pleysiz in Old French, a fortress.
Ibn Ezra
'Incline' — the Torah speaks in the language of men, for He who plants the ear hears without [needing] an ear. 'A house of strongholds' — a high place where one need not fear the enemy.
Radak
"Incline Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be a rock of refuge to me" — from before my pursuers, so that they do not overtake me, and so that I may take refuge in You, just as a person takes refuge on a high rock. "A house of defense, to save me" — a strong tower, as in (I Chronicles 11:16): "And David was then in the stronghold"; and likewise: "my rock and my fortress" (II Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:3; below, verse 4; Psalm 71:3).
Metzudat David
"Incline to me" — to hear my prayer. "A rock" — resembling a strong rock and a house of fortresses, which is a strong stronghold.
Malbim
"Incline Your ear to me" — that You should hear my prayer at once, and also "deliver me speedily." And although I am now leaving a fortified city, "be" You "to me a rock of refuge," and although I will also need to leave the strongholds in the wilderness, "be" You "to me a house of strongholds to save me."
For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore for Your name's sake lead me and guide me.
verse value 2787
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "You" (אָ֑תָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·my·fortress" (וּמְצוּדָתִ֣י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·for·the·sake·of" (וּלְמַ֥עַן), "and·guide·me" (וּֽתְנַהֲלֵֽנִי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·name" (root שם, 119x in Psalms); "You" (root אתה, 115x in Psalms); "and·for·the·sake·of" (root מען, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־סַלְעִ֣י [for·my·rock] (200) + וּמְצוּדָתִ֣י [and·my·fortress] (556) + אָ֑תָּה [You] (406) + וּלְמַ֥עַן [and·for·the·sake·of] (196) + שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ [Your·name] (360) + תַּֽנְחֵ֥נִי [lead·me] (518) + וּֽתְנַהֲלֵֽנִי [and·guide·me] (551) = 2787.
Rashi
"You shall lead me" — Heb. תנחני, mene moi in French, lead me, as (in Exod. 32:34): “go lead (נחה) the people.”
Ibn Ezra
'For You are my rock' — corresponds to 'rock of refuge.' 'And my fortress' — corresponds to 'a house of strongholds.' And the meaning of 'lead me' — because walking on a mountain, on account of its height, is difficult. And the meaning of 'guide me' — gently, at my own pace.
Radak
"For You are my rock and my fortress" — for You have been my rock and my fortress; "And for Your name's sake lead me and guide me" — and from here on, likewise: "for Your name's sake" — not for my own sake — "lead me and guide me."
Metzudat David
"For Your name's sake" — which indicates mercy. "Guide me" — in a straight path.
Metzudat Zion
"And guide me" — and lead me.
Malbim
(4-5) "For" — it is not on the fortress that I rely, but rather "You are my rock and my fortress." And although I will be wandering in the wilderness, "for Your name's sake" ("for You are my stronghold") "lead me and guide me and bring me out of this net that they have hidden for me" — since Your name is called upon me, that You are my stronghold, therefore You will act for the sake of Your honor, both in that You will lead me in the wilderness to places where Saul's hand will not find me there, and in that You will bring me out of the net that the men of Keilah or the Ziphites have hidden.
Bring me forth out of the net that they have hidden for me; For You are my stronghold.
verse value 2234
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "that" (ז֭וּ) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (ז֭וּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "bring·me·out" (תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "bring·me·out" (תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·You" (root אתה, 115x in Psalms); "for·me" (root לי, 68x in Psalms); "bring·me·out" (root יצא, 35x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי [bring·me·out] (567) + מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת [from·a·net] (940) + ז֭וּ [that] (13) + טָ֣מְנוּ [they·have·hidden] (105) + לִ֑י [for·me] (40) + כִּי־אַ֝תָּ֗ה [for·You] (436) + מָעוּזִּֽי [my·stronghold] (133) = 2234.
Ibn Ezra
'Bring me forth from the net' — that they have hidden for me. And some say that [the word] 'that' (zu) is like 'this' (zot).
Radak
"Bring me out of this net that they have hidden for me" — Now, in fact he had not been caught in the net that they had hidden for him; rather, he says "bring me out" according to their own thinking, for they think that they have already caught him and that he cannot escape from their hand, as the Ziphites said (1 Samuel 23:20): "and we will deliver him into the king's hand." And the meaning of "this net" is according to its plain sense, for their net was known to all. And some explain "this" (zu) as equivalent to "which" (asher). "For You are my stronghold" (ma'uzi) — it is written with a vav and with a dagesh. [Editor's note: The reading found in the printed edition that I have is: ma'uzzi, with a dagesh and without a vav; and so it is in the manuscript marked Ee. 5, 9; and in the manuscript marked Mm. 5.27: me'uzi, with a vav and without a dagesh. However, in the manuscript marked Add. 652, and especially in the manuscript before us, which is extremely precise and marked Add. 465, the reading is as it stood before Rabbeinu David [Radak], who was very exacting in his grammatical statements.]
Metzudat David
"They have hidden for me" — they concealed it against me, so that I would fall into it.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Hashem, You God of truth.
verse value 1864
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "in·Your·hand" (בְּיָדְךָ֮) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "God·of" (אֵ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·commit" (אַפְקִ֢יד, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·commit" (אַפְקִ֢יד), "me" (אוֹתִ֥י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "God·of" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "in·Your·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms). Full calculation: בְּיָדְךָ֮ [in·Your·hand] (36) + אַפְקִ֢יד [I·commit] (195) + ר֫וּחִ֥י [my·spirit] (224) + פָּדִ֖יתָ [You·have·redeemed] (494) + אוֹתִ֥י [me] (417) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + אֵ֣ל [God·of] (31) + אֱמֶֽת [truth] (441) = 1864.
Rashi
"I entrust" — Heb. אפקיד, komondere in Old French, I will entrust. I always entrust my spirit because You redeemed me from trouble.
Ibn Ezra
'Into Your hand' — the meaning is that the enemy will not be able to take it; and since it was given over as a pledge, he mentions 'Hashem, God of truth,' because of the pledge. And the meaning of 'Hashem' — that no man of power will be able to seize it by force.
Radak
"Into Your hand I commit my spirit" — They lie in wait for my life, and I commit it into Your hand, for I know that You will redeem me. "You have redeemed me" — a past tense used in place of a future tense. "Hashem, God of truth" — for You are 'God' (El), which means 'strong,' and it is in Your power to redeem me; and You are 'truth' (emet), in that You will fulfill Your word that You spoke, that I will reign. If so, I know that You will redeem me from their hand.
Metzudat David
"Into Your hand" — as a deposit I give my spirit into Your hand, and it is upon You to guard it. "You have redeemed" — past tense used in place of future, meaning to say: I know that You will redeem me from death, for You are a God of truth who returns the deposit.
Malbim
"Into Your hand" — although what I first entrusted, all that was mine, into the hand of the men of Keilah, trusting in them, proved false, for they wished to hand me over into his hand, since they are not men of truth — but "my spirit I have entrusted into Your hand," not into theirs, and You "have redeemed me" from the hand of my pursuers, "for You are a God of truth."
I hate those who regard lying vanities; But I trust in Hashem.
verse value 2263
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·I" (וַ֝אֲנִ֗י, 4 letters) and the longest is "breaths·of·emptiness" (הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "those·who·keep" (הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים), "breaths·of·emptiness" (הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "those·who·keep" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms); "and·I" (root אני, 64x in Psalms). First appearance of the root הבל ("breaths·of·emptiness") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'breaths·of·emptiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שָׂנֵ֗אתִי [I·hate] (761) + הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים [those·who·keep] (595) + הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא [breaths·of·emptiness] (354) + וַ֝אֲנִ֗י [and·I] (67) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֥ה [to·Hashem] (57) + בָּטָֽחְתִּי [I·trust] (429) = 2263.
Rashi
"those who await worthless vanities" — Who await the salvation of pagan deities.
Ibn Ezra
'I hate those who regard' — [namely,] divination and sorcery [that determine] which day to go out to war, for his trust is in Hashem alone.
Radak
"I hate those who regard lying vanities" — for I did not go to consult diviners. For in my fleeing from Saul I did not inquire of soothsayers or astrologers about my wanderings, but rather I trusted in Hashem alone; for those diviners I hated, for they are 'those who regard lying vanities.' "But I trust in Hashem" — 'in Hashem' (el Hashem) is like 'upon Hashem' (al Hashem), for the language of trust comes joined with the word 'el,' as in (Proverbs 3:5): 'Trust in Hashem with all your heart.'
Metzudat David
"Those who regard" — those who wait for the salvation of idols.
Metzudat Zion
"Those who regard" — those who watch [for], as in "and his father kept the matter [in mind]" (Genesis 37:11).
Malbim
"I hate those who regard lying vanities" — those who trust in men, whose promise is empty and vain, as was the case with the men of Keilah, "but I trust in Hashem."
I will be glad and rejoice in Your lovingkindness; For You have seen my affliction, You have taken cognizance of the troubles of my soul,
verse value 3778
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "because" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·me·be·glad" (וְאֶשְׂמְחָ֗ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·let·me·be·glad" (וְאֶשְׂמְחָ֗ה), "You·have·seen" (רָ֭אִיתָ), "my·affliction" (אֶת־עׇנְיִ֑י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "in·Your·lovingkindness" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "because" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·affliction', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָגִ֥ילָה [let·me·rejoice] (49) + וְאֶשְׂמְחָ֗ה [and·let·me·be·glad] (360) + בְּחַ֫סְדֶּ֥ךָ [in·Your·lovingkindness] (94) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [because] (501) + רָ֭אִיתָ [You·have·seen] (611) + אֶת־עׇנְיִ֑י [my·affliction] (541) + יָ֝דַ֗עְתָּ [You·have·known] (484) + בְּצָר֥וֹת [in·distresses·of] (698) + נַפְשִֽׁי [my·soul] (440) = 3778.
Ibn Ezra
'I will be glad' — and behold, even if my hand prevails, I will not rejoice except in Your kindness.
Radak
"I will be glad and rejoice in Your lovingkindness" — after You deal with me in lovingkindness and save me from their hand, so that I need no longer fear them, 'I will be glad and rejoice in Your lovingkindness,' and I will give thanks to You for this. "For You have seen my affliction, You have taken cognizance of the troubles of my soul" — the meaning of 'You have seen' and 'You have known': 'You have seen' means that You turned toward me to bring me out of the affliction I was in, and did not hide Your eyes from me, as in (Exodus 3:7): 'I have surely seen the affliction of My people'; and likewise 'You have known' means that when my soul was in distress, You recognized it and watched over it to do good for it; and likewise (ibid.): 'For I have known his sufferings'; (Psalms 144:3): 'What is man, that You take knowledge of him'; (Deuteronomy 34:10): 'Whom Hashem knew'; (Psalms 1:6): 'For Hashem knows the way of the righteous.'
Metzudat David
"For You have seen" — You set Your heart to see my affliction and knew the troubles of my soul.
Malbim
(8-9) "I will be glad and rejoice in Your lovingkindness" that You have done with me — and the clauses are parallel: "for You have seen my affliction and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy" — that is, that they did not hand him over into Saul's hand while he was in Keilah; "You have taken cognizance of the troubles of my soul, You have set my feet in a broad place" — for at the time when Saul and his men surrounded him, and David went along one side of the mountain and Saul along the other side of the mountain, the place was so narrow that he could not flee, because the mountain hemmed him in, and he was then in great distress; and You took cognizance of the troubles of my soul, and a messenger came to Saul, and through this You set my feet in a broad place.
And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a broad place.
verse value 1814
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "You·have·given·me·over" (הִ֭סְגַּרְתַּנִי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·have·given·me·over" (הִ֭סְגַּרְתַּנִי), "into·the·hand·of·the·enemy" (בְּיַד־אוֹיֵ֑ב), "You·have·set" (הֶעֱמַ֖דְתָּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "into·the·hand·of·the·enemy" (root איב, 71x in Psalms); "You·have·set" (root עמד, 36x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·the·hand·of·the·enemy', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + הִ֭סְגַּרְתַּנִי [You·have·given·me·over] (728) + בְּיַד־אוֹיֵ֑ב [into·the·hand·of·the·enemy] (35) + הֶעֱמַ֖דְתָּ [You·have·set] (519) + בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב [in·the·broad·place] (252) + רַגְלָֽי [my·feet] (243) = 1814.
Rashi
"deliver me" — Heb. הסגרתני, livras moi in French, but Menachem (p. 125) associated it as an expression of closing, and likewise every expression of סגר.
Ibn Ezra
'And You have not shut me up' — from the derivation of 'closing,' like a person who is shut in, confined to his bonds. 'My feet in a broad place' — that he may go to a place that he loves, the opposite of 'You have shut me up.'
Radak
"And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy" — this is Saul, of whom the Ziphites said that they would deliver me into his hand. And since it was not Your will to give me over — 'and You have not given me over' — into his hand, they had no power or ability to deliver me into his hand. "You have set my feet in a broad place" — from the narrow strait they were in, You set them [Editor's note: It appears that, as with most of the commentators and copyists, the reading before Rabbeinu David was 'raglai' (my feet, plural); whereas in our text it is 'ragli' (my foot, singular).] in a broad place. And all this I will acknowledge before You when I am delivered from their hand, so that I need no longer fear them. And now he returns to his prayer, and says:
Metzudat David
"And You have not given me over" — You did not hand me over into the hand of the enemy, and You set my feet in a broad place, so that I would not stumble.
Metzudat Zion
"Given me over" — You have delivered me, as in "to deliver up to Edom" (Amos 1).
Be gracious to me, O Hashem, for I am in distress; My eye wastes away with vexation, indeed, my soul and my body.
verse value 1988
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·my·belly" (וּבִטְנִֽי, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "with·vexation" (בְכַ֥עַס), "and·my·belly" (וּבִטְנִֽי). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms). Full calculation: חׇנֵּ֥נִי [be·gracious·to·me] (118) + יְהֹוָה֮ [Hashem] (26) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + צַ֫ר־לִ֥י [I·am·in·distress] (330) + עָשְׁשָׁ֖ה [wastes·away] (675) + בְכַ֥עַס [with·vexation] (152) + עֵינִ֗י [my·eye] (140) + נַפְשִׁ֥י [my·soul] (440) + וּבִטְנִֽי [and·my·belly] (77) = 1988.
Rashi
"is dimmed" — Heb. עששה, an expression of a lantern, עששית. If a person puts glass in front of his eyes to see something on the other side of the glass, the appearance (of that thing) is unclear.
Ibn Ezra
'Be gracious to me' — it is possible that the sense of the connection [to what precedes] is: 'I will rejoice in the kindness that You did for me in the days that have passed, and [that] You did not shut me up' — only now I am in great distress, and there is no broad place. Many explained that this psalm concerns an illness that befell him. The meaning of 'wastes away with vexation' — because, on account of the enemy's anger against me, my whole [body] wasted away, as if a moth had consumed me; and he likened the sorrow that is in the heart to heat in the body. And the meaning of 'my eye' — that the sick person regards food with loathing; all food his soul finds loathsome. And the meaning of 'my soul' — the desiring soul, whose strength is planted in the liver, and so [says] the verse — or [it means] the eating soul (the appetite). 'And my body' — an allusion to the upper inward organ where the food is; and behold, the meaning is that the strength of the body is weak, like a garment that a moth has eaten.
Radak
"Be gracious to me, O Hashem, for I am in distress; it wastes away (ashesha)" — from the same form as 'the moth (ash) shall eat them' (Isaiah 3:9); that is to say, it has rotted. "With vexation" — [caused] by the enemy. "My eye" — from weeping. "My soul and my body" — these too wasted away from hunger and thirst, for many times he had hunger and thirst in his flight, as we see that Avimelech gave him holy bread because of his hunger (1 Samuel 21:4-7). And he said 'my soul,' which is the soul that desires to eat; and 'my body' (beten), the innards that gather and receive food, chief among them the stomach, for in it lies hunger and satiety.
Metzudat David
"Wastes away" — because of the anguish from troubles, it is as though my eyes have rotted, etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Wastes away" — an expression of decay and rot; and likewise, further below, "and my bones waste away"; and it is close to the term "moth," as in "the moth shall eat them" (Isaiah 50:9), which is the worm that eats the garment and destroys it. "My soul" — that is the desiring soul.
Malbim
"Be gracious to me, Hashem, for I am in distress" — that I am actually in distress from the evil of the enemy; this is the second distress, for "my eye wastes away with vexation, indeed, my soul and my body," on account of their words which they speak to anger me and to disgrace me. And he explains — corresponding to what he said, "for I am in distress": (11-12) "for my life is spent in sorrow, and my years in sighing," from the abundance of troubles; and corresponding to what he said, "my eye wastes away with vexation": "for my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are wasted away; because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach" — that my adversaries disgrace me, saying that because of iniquity my strength has failed, and because of iniquity "my bones have wasted away" and I am weak; so I have become a reproach because of my adversaries, and I have become "a reproach to my neighbors exceedingly," for they also disgrace my neighbor, who has dwelling beside him a man full of iniquities and transgressions; and I have become "a dread to my acquaintances," who were afraid to draw near to me for fear of my adversaries, lest they be harmed on my account — until "those who saw me outside fled from me," so that I would not draw near to them, to the point that "I am forgotten from the heart, like a dead man" — that although I am still alive, I was in their eyes "like a lost vessel," as one destined for ruin and destruction.
For my life is spent in sorrow, and my years in sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are wasted away.
verse value 2441
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·my·years" (וּשְׁנוֹתַ֢י, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·sorrow" (בְיָג֡וֹן), "and·my·years" (וּשְׁנוֹתַ֢י), "in·sighing" (בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "my·life" (root חי, 43x in Psalms); "because·of·my·iniquity" (root עון, 30x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שנה ("and·my·years") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + כָל֪וּ [are·spent] (56) + בְיָג֡וֹן [in·sorrow] (71) + חַיַּי֮ [my·life] (28) + וּשְׁנוֹתַ֢י [and·my·years] (772) + בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה [in·sighing] (66) + כָּשַׁ֣ל [fails] (350) + בַּעֲוֺנִ֣י [because·of·my·iniquity] (138) + כֹחִ֑י [my·strength] (38) + וַעֲצָמַ֥י [and·my·bones] (216) + עָשֵֽׁשׁוּ [are·wasted·away] (676) = 2441.
Rashi
"and my bones have decayed" — Heb. עששו, an expression of decay, as though a moth (עש) had eaten them.
Ibn Ezra
'For ... are spent' — [this refers], by way of metaphor, to the lack of food; and he mentioned the bones, which are the foundations of the body.
Radak
"For my life is spent in sorrow, and my years in sighing" — for from the day that David struck down the Philistine, when the dancing women said, 'and David his ten thousands' (ibid. 18:7), it is said (ibid. 9): 'And Saul eyed David [with suspicion] from that day forward.' And from that day David was 'in sorrow' and 'sighing,' for there was but a step between him and death. "My strength fails because of my iniquity" — he says that through sighing his strength failed, from his fear of Saul, for sighing breaks a person's body (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 58b). And as for his saying 'because of my iniquity,' it is like a person who says, 'because of my sins such-and-such happened to me.' "And my bones are wasted away" — for they are a person's strength and the foundations of the body, and it is as if they had rotted.
Metzudat David
"In sorrow" — because of the sorrow, the days of my life are finished and complete; and likewise "my years in sighing" — the matter is repeated in other words. "Because of my iniquity" — because of my iniquity my strength has failed and my bones have stuck together.
Because of all my adversaries I am become a reproach, Indeed, to my neighbors exceedingly, and a dread to my acquaintance; Those who see me without flee from me.
verse value 2562
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "exceedingly" (מְאֹד֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "because·of·all·my·adversaries" (מִכׇּל־צֹרְרַ֨י, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "because·of·all·my·adversaries" (מִכׇּל־צֹרְרַ֨י), "and·to·my·neighbors" (וְלִ֥שְׁכֵנַ֨י), "and·a·dread" (וּפַ֢חַד). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "those·who·see·me" (root ראה, 100x in Psalms); "I·have·become" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "to·my·acquaintances" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נדד ("flee") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·outside', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִכׇּל־צֹרְרַ֨י [because·of·all·my·adversaries] (590) + הָיִ֪יתִי [I·have·become] (435) + חֶרְפָּ֡ה [reproach] (293) + וְלִ֥שְׁכֵנַ֨י [and·to·my·neighbors] (416) + מְאֹד֮ [exceedingly] (45) + וּפַ֢חַד [and·a·dread] (98) + לִֽמְיֻדָּ֫עָ֥י [to·my·acquaintances] (164) + רֹאַ֥י [those·who·see·me] (211) + בַּח֑וּץ [in·the·outside] (106) + נָדְד֥וּ [flee] (64) + מִמֶּֽנִּי [from·me] (140) = 2562.
Rashi
"From all my tormentors" — From all my tormentors [not because of my tormentors]. "I have become a reproach" — Heb. חרפה, a reproach. "to my neighbors" — I am very much a reproach. "and fright to my acquaintances" — A mes connaissances in French, to my acquaintances. They are frightened by what happens to me.
Ibn Ezra
'Because of all' — he mentions that reproach comes to him from the side of his adversaries. 'And to my neighbors exceedingly' — it was a reproach to them, because they are close to him. 'They fled from me' — like a person who flees from the sight of a severe illness, a repulsive thing loathsome to behold.
Radak
"Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach" — because of the evils that all my adversaries do and plot against me, 'I have become a reproach,' in that I flee from them from place to place. "And to my neighbors exceedingly" — and to whom am I a reproach? 'To my neighbors' — not to a foreign nation, but rather to 'my neighbors,' who are Israel, I am a reproach to them, in that they revile and disgrace me, as in (Psalms 44:14): 'You make us a reproach to our neighbors.' "And a dread to my acquaintances" — they are my friends and my family members; I am 'a dread' to them, in that they fear for me, lest I perish one day at the hand of Saul. "Those who see me without flee from me" — whoever among my acquaintances sees me in my flight, 'flees from me,' meaning that they are frightened and tremble at what they see of me, for one who trembles, his body shakes.
Metzudat David
"Because of all my adversaries" — because of all that my adversaries do to me, I have become a reproach to those who see me, for they mock me. "And to my neighbors" — who know [my situation] more than others — beyond what my adversaries do to me, to them I am exceedingly a reproach. "And a dread to my acquaintance" — I am a dread to them, for when they see my trouble, they fear for themselves, lest the like befall them as it befell me. "Those who see me without" — those who see me in the streets flee from before me and go away, for such is the way of a person, to flee from seeing severe illness and something repulsive and loathsome.
Metzudat Zion
"To my acquaintance" — to those who know me and love me, as in "and call understanding your kinswoman" (Proverbs 7:4).
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind; I am like a useless vessel.
verse value 1842
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "like·a·dead·man" (כְּמֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·am·forgotten" (נִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·am·forgotten" (נִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי), "like·a·dead·man" (כְּמֵ֣ת), "out·of·mind" (מִלֵּ֑ב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·am" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "out·of·mind" (root לב, 74x in Psalms); "I·am·forgotten" (root שכח, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'out·of·mind', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: נִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי [I·am·forgotten] (788) + כְּמֵ֣ת [like·a·dead·man] (460) + מִלֵּ֑ב [out·of·mind] (72) + הָ֝יִ֗יתִי [I·am] (435) + כִּכְלִ֥י [like·a·vessel] (80) + אֹבֵֽד [perishing] (7) = 1842.
Rashi
"like a lost utensil" — Which is in the process of becoming lost. Any expression of אבדה, loss, does not refer to the owner of the lost article, saying that he lost it, but that the lost article is lost from him, as is stated (in Deut. 22:3): “which will be lost from him”; (in Ezek. 34:4), “the lost one you did not seek.”
Ibn Ezra
'I am forgotten' — that a person will not remember me, like a vessel in which there is no delight; when it is lost, it is not sought after.
Radak
"I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind" — my acquaintances fear for me so much that they have despaired of me, and 'I am forgotten' from their 'mind' — 'as a dead man' is forgotten from the mind of his loved ones, for they have no hope that he will return to them again. "I am like a useless vessel" — and likewise, 'like a lost vessel,' which its owners have given up on, so too my father's children have given up on me, that they do not hope I will return to them again.
Metzudat David
"As a dead man out of mind" — like the dead person who is forgotten from the heart. "Like a vessel" — meaning, like any vessel whatsoever, which, when it is lost, no one remembers it.
For I have heard the whispering of many, Terror on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life.
verse value 3191
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·they·took·counsel" (בְּהִוָּסְדָ֣ם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "the·whispering·of" (דִּבַּ֥ת), "fear" (מָג֢וֹר), "from·around" (מִסָּ֫בִ֥יב). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "against·me" (root על, 120x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מגור ("fear") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי [I·have·heard] (820) + דִּבַּ֥ת [the·whispering·of] (406) + רַבִּים֮ [many] (252) + מָג֢וֹר [fear] (249) + מִסָּ֫בִ֥יב [from·around] (114) + בְּהִוָּסְדָ֣ם [when·they·took·counsel] (117) + יַ֣חַד [together] (22) + עָלַ֑י [against·me] (110) + לָקַ֖חַת [to·take] (538) + נַפְשִׁ֣י [my·soul] (440) + זָמָֽמוּ [they·devised] (93) = 3191.
Rashi
"the gossip of many" — Heb. דבת, the counsel of many. דבת is an expression of (Song 7:10): “making the lips of the sleeping speak (דבב).” Likewise, every דבת in Scripture, parledic in Old French, gossip (so Gen. 37:2, Num. 14:36, Ezek. 36:3). "terror from all sides" — that they scare and frighten me. "when they take counsel" — Heb. בהוסדם, when they take counsel. "they plotted" — Heb. זממו, an expression of thought.
Ibn Ezra
'For' — it is possible that '[the reason] I am forgotten' relates to Hashem['s part], since He did not save me, as though He had forgotten me — because he says afterward: 'For I have heard an evil report' that they spread about me, which would frighten anyone who hears it; or its meaning is that terror is upon me from all around. 'When they took counsel together' (behivvasdam) — from the derivation of sod (secret counsel).
Radak
"For I have heard the whispering of many" — his enemies, who were spreading slander about him to Saul. He says: I have — "Terror on every side" — for there is no terror from one direction alone, from which I might guard myself, but rather 'on every side.' "While they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life" — for they conspire 'together against me' and plotted 'to take my life.' Not to capture me and take me as a slave, but rather 'to take my life.'
Metzudat David
"The whispering of many" — words of evil from many who frighten me from every side. "While they took counsel together" — in that they take counsel against me all together and think to take my life; that is to say, since I hear all this and I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth [to respond], therefore I am forgotten in the eyes of all, for they think that my hope is gone.
Metzudat Zion
"The whispering" — an expression of speaking an evil report, as in "and he brought their evil report" (Genesis 37). "Terror" — fear, as in "and Moab was in dread" (Numbers 22). "While they took counsel together" — an expression of counsel, which is like a foundation to a building. "They devised" — they planned.
Malbim
"For" — despite all this, I was not forgotten from the heart of my adversaries; on the contrary, "I have heard the whispering of many, terror on every side, while they took counsel together against me" — for when they conspired against me to hand me over into Saul's hand, they would also spread slander about many others, just as they spread slander about Nob, the city of the priests, saying that their hand was with me; and through this they bring about "terror on every side," that all who are around me are afraid and terrified lest they be punished by the king; and through this, "they devised to take away my life" — for through this each one would reveal my location, and thereby they would take my life.
But as for me, I have trusted in You, O Hashem; I have said: 'You are my God.'
verse value 1755
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1755 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "You" (אָֽתָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·have·trusted" (בָטַ֣חְתִּי, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "in·You" (root על, 120x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֤י [and·I] (67) + עָלֶ֣יךָ [in·You] (130) + בָטַ֣חְתִּי [I·have·trusted] (429) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + אָ֝מַ֗רְתִּי [I·have·said] (651) + אֱלֹהַ֥י [my·God] (46) + אָֽתָּה [You] (406) = 1755.
Ibn Ezra
'But as for me' — even though the enemies think that You have forgotten me, I trust in You and acknowledge that You are my God.
Radak
"But as for me, I have trusted in You, Hashem" — they thought "to take my soul"; but "I have trusted in You," for "I have said: You are my God" — that is to say: "You" are Lord and Judge over me, not they.
Metzudat David
"But as for me" — but I trust in Hashem and will not fear them. "You are my God" — and You will help me against them.
Malbim
"But as for me" — although I no longer have anyone who recognizes me or saves me, "in You have I trusted, Hashem; I have said, You are my God" — for are You not still the One who watches over me and saves?
My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
verse value 1534
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "in·Your·hand" (בְּיָדְךָ֥) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 1534 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·Your·hand" (בְּיָדְךָ֥, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·the·hand·of·my·enemies" (מִיַּד־א֝וֹיְבַ֗י, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "my·times" (עִתֹּתָ֑י), "from·the·hand·of·my·enemies" (מִיַּד־א֝וֹיְבַ֗י), "and·from·those·who·pursue·me" (וּמֵֽרֹדְפָֽי). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Your·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "from·the·hand·of·my·enemies" (root איב, 71x in Psalms); "deliver·me" (root נצל, 44x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·times', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּיָדְךָ֥ [in·Your·hand] (36) + עִתֹּתָ֑י [my·times] (880) + הַצִּ֘ילֵ֤נִי [deliver·me] (195) + מִיַּד־א֝וֹיְבַ֗י [from·the·hand·of·my·enemies] (83) + וּמֵֽרֹדְפָֽי [and·from·those·who·pursue·me] (340) = 1534.
Rashi
"My times are in Your hands" — The times that pass over me are through Your orders and by Your decrees.
Ibn Ezra
'In Your hand' — [directed] against those who regard vain falsehoods, for the time of my deliverance is in Your hand alone.
Radak
"My times are in Your hand" — the times in which they think to entrap me and take me, lying in wait for my soul, are "in Your hand," and not in theirs. Therefore, "Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who pursue me."
Metzudat David
"My times are in Your hand" — all the times that have passed over me, both times for good and times for evil, are they not in Your hand? They occurred by Your word. "Deliver me from the hand of my enemies" — for is not everything in Your hand?
Malbim
"My times are in Your hand" — for the times that pass over me are in Your hand; a good time or a bad time are decreed by You; therefore, "deliver me from the hand of my enemies" — these are the Ziphites — "and from those who persecute me" — Saul and his men.
Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; Save me in Your lovingkindness.
verse value 1122
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "Your·face" (פָ֭נֶיךָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "save·me" (ה֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי, 7 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "in·Your·lovingkindness" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "save·me" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Your·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: הָאִ֣ירָה [shine] (221) + פָ֭נֶיךָ [Your·face] (160) + עַל־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ [upon·Your·servant] (196) + ה֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי [save·me] (451) + בְחַסְדֶּֽךָ [in·Your·lovingkindness] (94) = 1122.
Ibn Ezra
'Make [Your face] to shine' — the word 'upon' is like 'to,' as in 'and she prayed to Hashem'; like 'Hashem make His face shine [upon you].' For one who is in distress is like one sitting in darkness — therefore [it says] 'make it shine.'
Radak
"Make Your face to shine upon Your servant" — like "to Your servant." And so it says (Numbers 6:25): "Hashem make His face shine upon you." And the shining of the face is salvation and success. "Save me in Your lovingkindness" — even though I am not worthy.
Metzudat David
"Make [Your face] to shine" — show me a shining countenance; this is stated by way of a metaphor customary between a man and his fellow.
Malbim
"Make Your face to shine upon Your servant" — that You save me through open, revealed providence, so that all will see Your face and Your providence; "and save me in Your lovingkindness," for lovingkindness has no limit; and this will be so that "Hashem, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon You" — so that there will be a sanctification of the Name, and all will know that whoever calls upon You will not be ashamed. And conversely, "let the wicked be ashamed," for they will be cut off and "be silenced" — that is, they will descend "to Sheol."
O Hashem, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed, let them be put to silence in the nether-world.
verse value 2497
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְֽהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·let·me·be·ashamed" (אַל־אֵ֭בוֹשָׁה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·them·be·silent" (יִדְּמ֥וּ). The root בוש appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "wicked" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·called·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְֽהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + אַל־אֵ֭בוֹשָׁה [not·let·me·be·ashamed] (345) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + קְרָאתִ֑יךָ [I·have·called·You] (731) + יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ [let·them·be·ashamed] (318) + רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים [wicked] (620) + יִדְּמ֥וּ [let·them·be·silent] (60) + לִשְׁאֽוֹל [to·the·netherworld] (367) = 2497.
Rashi
"let me not be shamed because I called out to You" — Since I called You, it is not fitting that I should be shamed. "let them be silenced to the grave" — Heb. ידמו, let them be silenced and made dumb to die.
Radak
"Hashem, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon You" — that I should not return empty-handed from before You. "Let the wicked be ashamed" — rather, "the wicked" shall be ashamed of their hope, for they did not call upon You, and did not set You before them. "Let them be put to silence" (yiddemu) — a term of cutting off, as in (Jeremiah 51:6): "be not cut off (tiddammu) in her iniquity." "To the nether-world" — to the grave. Or its meaning is: their soul to Gehinnom.
Metzudat David
"For I have called upon You" — and since I have trusted in You, it is fitting that I not be ashamed. "Let them be put to silence" [ידמו] — let them be cut off, to go down to Sheol.
Metzudat Zion
"Let them be put to silence" — let them be cut off, as in "be not cut off in her iniquity" (Jeremiah 51:6).
Let the lying lips be dumb, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous, With pride and contempt.
verse value 3445
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 3445 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "arrogantly" (עָתָ֗ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "lips·of·falsehood" (שִׂפְתֵ֫י־שָׁ֥קֶר, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·them·be·mute" (תֵּ֥אָלַ֗מְנָה), "lips·of·falsehood" (שִׂפְתֵ֫י־שָׁ֥קֶר), "which·speak" (הַדֹּבְר֖וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·speak" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "against·the·righteous" (root צדיק, 52x in Psalms); "lips·of·falsehood" (root שפה, 28x in Psalms). First appearance of the root אלם ("let·them·be·mute") in Psalms. First appearance of the root בוז ("and·contempt") in Psalms. Full calculation: תֵּ֥אָלַ֗מְנָה [let·them·be·mute] (526) + שִׂפְתֵ֫י־שָׁ֥קֶר [lips·of·falsehood] (1390) + הַדֹּבְר֖וֹת [which·speak] (617) + עַל־צַדִּ֥יק [against·the·righteous] (304) + עָתָ֗ק [arrogantly] (570) + בְּגַאֲוָ֥ה [with·pride] (17) + וָבֽוּז [and·contempt] (21) = 3445.
Rashi
"that speak against a righteous man falsely" — That say to Saul concerning me, “David seeks to harm you.” "falsely" — Heb. עתק, untruth, something unfounded, as (Gen. 12:8): “And he moved (ויעתק) from there” [i.e., something removed from the truth]. Dunash (pp. 17f.) however, interpreted it as an expression of a great and strong thing, as (in Job 21:7): “grow strong (עתקו) and powerfully rich”; (Prov. 8:18), “powerful (עתק) wealth”; (Isa. 23:18), “and for stately (עתקו) clothing.”
Ibn Ezra
'Let ... be dumb' — because he mentioned above, 'for I have heard the whispering of many,' and here [it says] 'arrogance,' in the manner of 'and he spoke roughly with them' — and behold, a word is elided. And the meaning of 'the righteous' is 'like me.'
Radak
"Let the lying lips be dumb" — those who spread slander about him, saying of him [that he belongs] "to the nether-world," because he had been proud and gloried in kingship. "Which speak against the righteous" — about himself and about the other "righteous" ones. "Arrogantly" (atek) — a word that is "atek," bold and strong. "With pride and contempt."
Metzudat David
"Let... be dumb" — it is fitting that the lying lips be made dumb.
Metzudat Zion
"Be dumb" — from the term denoting muteness. "Arrogantly" — hard and harsh, as in "they speak arrogantly" (below, 34); and "contempt" — disgrace.
Malbim
"Let them be silenced" — after he saw Hashem's providence over him, he says: from now on, "let the lying lips be silenced" — these are the lips of the heretics — "who speak against the righteous" — against Hashem, the Righteous One — words of "arrogance, with pride and contempt," who say that Hashem does not watch over His world, and that there is no reward and punishment, and that the world is ownerless. But now, since they will see Your providence, how You save those who take refuge in You, their lips will be silenced. For "how great" — although "Your good is very great, which You have stored up for those who fear You," which is the reward stored up for the righteous in the World to Come, which is very great — yet it is stored up and hidden, and it is not seen; but the good "that You have done for those who take refuge in You" is not stored up and hidden, for this good is "before the sons of men," visible to all. (Meaning: regarding the evils that befall the righteous in this world, there is an answer for this — that thereby they will find great reward and abundant good in the World to Come — but this is something stored up and hidden, and many, because of this, deny providence, from seeing that the righteous man suffers evil. But the open providence that Hashem performs for those who take refuge in Him is something visible to all, and through this, "let the lying lips be silenced" — those who speak against the Righteous One who lives forever, with arrogance, saying that He does not watch over the world.)
Oh how abundant is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You; Which You have wrought for those who take their refuge in You, in the sight of the sons of men!
verse value 2590
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "how" (מָ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "which·You·have·hidden" (אֲשֶׁר־צָפַ֢נְתָּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 45: how, man. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "which·You·have·hidden" (אֲשֶׁר־צָפַ֢נְתָּ), "for·those·who·take·refuge" (לַחֹסִ֣ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·those·who·fear·You" (root ירא, 77x in Psalms); "man" (root אדם, 67x in Psalms); "great·is·Your·goodness" (root טוב, 63x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: מָ֤ה [how] (45) + רַֽב־טוּבְךָ֮ [great·is·Your·goodness] (239) + אֲשֶׁר־צָפַ֢נְתָּ [which·You·have·hidden] (1121) + לִּירֵ֫אֶ֥יךָ [for·those·who·fear·You] (271) + פָּ֭עַלְתָּ [You·have·wrought] (580) + לַחֹסִ֣ים [for·those·who·take·refuge] (148) + בָּ֑ךְ [in·You] (22) + נֶ֝֗גֶד [before] (57) + בְּנֵ֣י [the·sons·of] (62) + אָדָֽם [man] (45) = 2590.
Rashi
"How great is Your goodness" — I knew that those who fear You have good reward in the world to come, nevertheless, in this world, because the wicked surround them, I pray for them that You hide them in the secrecy of Your countenance.
Ibn Ezra
'Oh how [abundant]' — and these who speak arrogantly do not know the goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You; and You have already done many good deeds openly for those who take refuge in You — and this is the meaning of 'in the sight of the sons of men.'
Radak
"How abundant is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You; which You have wrought for those who take their refuge in You" — the wicked speak "with pride and contempt," bold words, against the righteous and those who fear God, because they see them lowly and weak, and do not know how great is the "goodness which You have laid up" for them for the World to Come. And even though in this world they are lowly, they shall be raised up in the World to Come. And besides this, "You have wrought" and renewed much "goodness" for them many times in this world; and this is [the meaning of]: "In the sight of the sons of men" — for they shall not be ashamed before their eyes, because they take refuge in You.
Metzudat David
"How abundant" — how very abundant is the goodness which You have hidden away to give to those who fear You in the World to Come; and You have also done much good for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of the sons of men — that is, for one whom all men see has taken refuge in Him.
You hide them in the covert of Your presence from the plottings of man; You conceal them in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
verse value 4358
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·secret·of" (בְּסֵ֥תֶר, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·the·plots·of·man" (מֵרֻכְסֵ֫י־אִ֥ישׁ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "You·hide·them" (תַּסְתִּירֵ֤ם), "from·the·plots·of·man" (מֵרֻכְסֵ֫י־אִ֥ישׁ), "You·conceal·them" (תִּצְפְּנֵ֥ם). The root סתר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·face" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "You·hide·them" (root סתר, 33x in Psalms); "tongues" (root שנה, 21x in Psalms). Full calculation: תַּסְתִּירֵ֤ם [You·hide·them] (1110) + בְּסֵ֥תֶר [in·the·secret·of] (662) + פָּנֶיךָ֮ [Your·face] (160) + מֵרֻכְסֵ֫י־אִ֥ישׁ [from·the·plots·of·man] (641) + תִּצְפְּנֵ֥ם [You·conceal·them] (660) + בְּסֻכָּ֗ה [in·a·shelter] (87) + מֵרִ֥יב [from·the·strife·of] (252) + לְשֹׁנֽוֹת [tongues] (786) = 4358.
Rashi
"from bands of men" — Heb. מרכסי, from the groups of wicked men who group together to harm them.
Ibn Ezra
'You hide them' — and so too, all who fear You, You hide; and Your hiding of them means that You hide [Your] face from perverse men. 'From the plottings' — from the same root as 'and the rugged places [shall become] a plain.' And some say: 'You hide them' [means] in a secret place, where they behold Your face, away from the strife of tongues. And some say: [it means] in the concealment of Your anger and Your wrath from them, during the strife of tongues, for [this recalls] 'the whispering of many.'
Radak
"You hide them" — said as a prayer, or as a prophecy. "In the covert of Your presence" — in the concealment of Your favor, for when He turns His face toward a person it means that He desires him, and when He lifts His eyes away from him it is as though He hates him. And so it says (Jeremiah 18:17): "I will show them the back and not the face, in the day of their calamity." "From the plottings of man" (me-rokhsei ish) — from the pride of men and their haughtiness, as it said above (verse 19): "with pride and contempt"; and it is from the same [root] as "and they bound (va-yarkesu) the breastplate" (Exodus 28:28), which is like "and they raised it up"; and so (Isaiah 40:4): "and the rugged places (ha-rekhasim) a plain." "You conceal them in a pavilion from the strife of tongues" — as it said: "the whispering of many" (verse 14); "which speak arrogantly against the righteous" (verse 19).
Metzudat David
"You hide them" — for their hiding is in a shelter that comes from before You, so that they are hidden from the haughtiness of every wicked, contentious man — from the strife that comes from tongues.
Metzudat Zion
"From the plottings" — an expression of loftiness; and likewise, "and the rugged places [shall become] a plain" (Isaiah 40).
Malbim
'You hide them' — He explains that even though it may sometimes appear that Hashem hides His face from those who fear Him, and that because of this they encounter evils in this world, this is actually for their own good. For 'in the shelter of Your presence You hide them from the ridges of man' — meaning, by Hashem's hiding His face and providence from them, so that evils and troubles overtake them, He thereby hides them from the ridges of man. That is: they are saved from the rugged ridges (rekhasim) found in man's nature, namely the evil inclination and the desires, which are like rugged ridges that ruin the straight road — just as these hold a person back from walking the straight path. Through the hiding of the face and through afflictions, the crooked shall become straight and the rugged places a plain, and they will walk in the straight way. And even so, although You hide Your face, You shelter them, and 'conceal them in a pavilion' of Your providence from the strife of tongues and the slanderers, just as He saved David from the Ziphites and all those who spoke evil of him before Saul.
Blessed be Hashem; For He has shown me His wondrous lovingkindness in an entrenched city.
verse value 1146
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "He·has·made·wondrous·His·lovingkindness" (הִפְלִ֘יא־חַסְדּ֥וֹ, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "He·has·made·wondrous·His·lovingkindness" (הִפְלִ֘יא־חַסְדּ֥וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "blessed" (root ברך, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: בָּר֥וּךְ [blessed] (228) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + הִפְלִ֘יא־חַסְדּ֥וֹ [He·has·made·wondrous·His·lovingkindness] (204) + לִ֝֗י [to·me] (40) + בְּעִ֣יר [in·a·city·of] (282) + מָצֽוֹר [siege] (336) = 1146.
Rashi
"for He has been wondrously kind to me in a beseiged city" — In Keilah, when Saul said concerning me (I Sam. 23:7): “for he has been shut in by coming into a city with doors and bars.”
Ibn Ezra
'Blessed be Hashem' — some say [the meaning is]: as if I were in a besieged city, then I would say: 'In a besieged city, blessed be Hashem.'
Radak
"Blessed be Hashem" — and then I shall give praise and say: "Blessed be Hashem!" "For He has shown me His wondrous lovingkindness" — for his salvation was a wondrous thing. And this he said by way of prophecy. "In an entrenched city" — I was made secure, as though I were "in an entrenched city." And "matzor" is a term of strength, as in (Zechariah 9:3): "and Tyre built herself a stronghold (matzor)."
Metzudat David
"For He has shown [me] wondrously" — for even to me He has done a wondrous kindness, to strengthen me as though I were in a fortified city.
Malbim
'Blessed be Hashem' — Based on this he offers thanks: first, for the fact that 'He showed me the wonder of His lovingkindness in an entrenched city' — that he was not left in Keilah, which was an entrenched city where Saul was besieging him and would have captured him.
As for me, I said in my haste: 'I am cut off from before Your eyes'; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You.
verse value 3742
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "surely" (אָכֵ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·am·cut·off" (נִגְרַזְתִּי֮, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·am·cut·off" (נִגְרַזְתִּי֮). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·You" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "I·said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "You·have·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms). First appearance of the root חפז ("in·my·haste") in Psalms. First appearance of the root אכן ("surely") in Psalms. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֤י [and·I] (67) + אָ֘מַ֤רְתִּי [I·said] (651) + בְחׇפְזִ֗י [in·my·haste] (107) + נִגְרַזְתִּי֮ [I·am·cut·off] (670) + מִנֶּ֢גֶד [from·before] (97) + עֵ֫ינֶ֥יךָ [Your·eyes] (160) + אָכֵ֗ן [surely] (71) + שָׁ֭מַעְתָּ [You·have·heard] (810) + ק֥וֹל [the·voice·of] (136) + תַּחֲנוּנַ֗י [my·supplications] (524) + בְּשַׁוְּעִ֥י [when·I·cried] (388) + אֵלֶֽיךָ [to·You] (61) = 3742.
Rashi
"But I said in my haste" — When I left Keilah and came to the desert of Maon, I was hastening to leave because Saul and his men were surrounding me and my men, to seize us. "I said" — in my heart. "I have been cut off" — Heb. נגרזתי, I have been cut off, an expression of an ax (גרזן) which cuts the tree. Because of its cutting (גרזתו), it is called גרזן, an ax. This is how Dunash explained it (p. 57). (Menachem, however, defined it like נגרשתי, I have driven out, but it has no parallel in the Torah. (p. 59).
Ibn Ezra
'As for me, I am cut off' — from the same root as the word for 'axe,' which is a tool used to kill with. And some say that [the verse] is transposed: just as it says '[from before] Your eyes,' [so too] it says 'You heard.'
Radak
"As for me, I said in my haste" — as it says (I Samuel 23:26): "And David made haste to get away because of Saul," for he was then in great danger; and as it says (there): "and Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to seize them." "'I am cut off (nigrazti) from before Your eyes'" — like "I am cut off (nigzarti)," from the meaning of "axe" (garzen). He said: I thought at that time that I had been cast away "from before Your eyes," and that You would no longer turn to me. "'Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You'" — and You brought about [various] causes to save me, as it says (there, verse 27): "And a messenger came to Saul, saying: Hurry and come, for the Philistines have raided the land."
Metzudat David
"In my haste" — when I was hurried to flee from before Saul, as it is written, "and David hurried" (I Samuel 23), then I said, "I am cut off from before Your eyes," for it was very close that I would be given over into the hand of Saul. "Nevertheless You heard" — for I was saved even then from his hand.
Metzudat Zion
"In my haste" — from the term denoting haste and panic. "I am cut off" — from the term "axe"; meaning, I am cut off like a thing cut off by an axe.
Malbim
'As for me' — a second thanksgiving, for the time when Saul and his men encircled them to capture them, where it is written there, 'And David made haste to get away from Saul.' And then, 'I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Your eyes,' for he was in great danger. 'Yet You heard the voice of my supplications,' and You saved me through the messenger who came to Saul.
O love Hashem, all you His godly ones; Hashem preserves the faithful, And plentifully repays the one who acts haughtily.
verse value 2618
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "preserves" (נֹצֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·His·faithful·ones" (כׇּֽל־חֲסִ֫ידָ֥יו, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "love" (אֶ֥הֱב֥וּ), "all·His·faithful·ones" (כׇּֽל־חֲסִ֫ידָ֥יו), "and·repays" (וּמְשַׁלֵּ֥ם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "the·doer·of" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms); "love" (root אהב, 40x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֶ֥הֱב֥וּ [love] (14) + אֶֽת־יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (427) + כׇּֽל־חֲסִ֫ידָ֥יו [all·His·faithful·ones] (148) + אֱ֭מוּנִים [the·faithful] (147) + נֹצֵ֣ר [preserves] (340) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וּמְשַׁלֵּ֥ם [and·repays] (416) + עַל־יֶ֝֗תֶר [exceedingly] (710) + עֹשֵׂ֥ה [the·doer·of] (375) + גַאֲוָֽה [pride] (15) = 2618.
Rashi
"The Lord guards those who believe" — in His salvation and rely on Him. "with a bowstring" — Heb. יתר (with measure for measure and with exactitude, like an arrow on a bowstring. Not in all editions.) Or, יתר can be interpreted as a rope for a rope, a line for a line. Another interpretation: יתר is an expression of haughtiness, as (in Isa. 15:7): “Because of the haughtiness (יתרה) with which they acted.”
Ibn Ezra
'Love [Hashem]' — an imperative form, like 'take us the foxes.' 'The faithful' — an adjective, like 'the faithful fail.' 'Plentifully repays the one who acts haughtily' — [means] those who remain of the prideful men. And the word 'to do' serves to set right the causes, like 'and he hurried to prepare it.' And it is possible that 'pride' is missing the letter bet, and also that the word 'deed' is elided, as if it said: 'and He plentifully repays the one who remains, doing a deed with pride.'
Radak
"Love Hashem, all you His godly ones" — "love" (ehevu) is an imperative in segol on account of the guttural letter. Usually it comes in patach, as in (Exodus 12:21): "and slaughter (u-shechatu) the Passover offering." He said: it is your duty to "love" Him when you see what He has done for me, for "Hashem preserves the faithful" — that He "preserved" me from all my enemies. And "faithful" (emunim) is an adjective, as in (Psalms 12:2): "the faithful (emunim) have ceased." "And plentifully repays the one who acts haughtily" — He "preserves" "the faithful" from the hand of the proud who speak "with pride," as it has said; and those who act "with pride" He humbles, "repaying" them "for their excess" and for their "pride."
Metzudat David
"O love [Hashem]" — therefore, love Hashem, for He guards the faithful. "Plentifully" [lit. "upon excess"] — [repays] according to the excess of the pride of those who act with pride.
Malbim
'O love' — Based on this he concludes his words against those who speak arrogantly against the Righteous One of the World. Now that it has been established that there is reward and punishment and providence: 'O love Hashem, all you His godly ones,' for He 'preserves' the men of 'faithfulness,' and likewise 'plentifully repays the one who acts with haughtiness' — just as He preserved David and repaid the punishment to Saul.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who wait for Hashem.
verse value 611
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 611 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "be·strong" (חִ֭זְקוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·who·wait" (כׇּל־הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "be·strong" (חִ֭זְקוּ), "all·who·wait" (כׇּל־הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "your·heart" (root לבב, 32x in Psalms). First appearance of the root יחל ("all·who·wait") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: חִ֭זְקוּ [be·strong] (121) + וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ [and·let·it·be·strong] (147) + לְבַבְכֶ֑ם [your·heart] (94) + כׇּל־הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים [all·who·wait] (193) + לַֽיהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (56) = 611.
Rashi
"Strengthen yourselves, and He will give your heart courage" — as you see that He did for me, to save me because I hoped for Him.
Ibn Ezra
'Be strong' — he said to the godly ones 'love [Hashem],' because of the greatness of their rank, and to those who wait [for Hashem, he said] 'be strong.'
Radak
"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for Hashem" — "be strong," all you who wait for Hashem, for He will "give your heart courage."
Metzudat David
"Be strong" — all you who wait for Hashem, be strong and let your heart take courage, and be confident, for behold, you will see that there is hope.
Malbim
'Be strong' — and if so, 'be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for Hashem,' for your hope will not return empty.
Radak
Malbim