For the Leader, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. A meditation on the brevity and frailty of life, and a plea to be heard before passing away like a stranger on earth.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "of·David" (לְדָוִֽד, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jeduthun" (לִֽידוּת֗וּן, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "Jeduthun" (לִֽידוּת֗וּן). 4 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).
Rashi
"to Jeduthun" — The name of one of the singers, and there was also a musical instrument called Jeduthun. According to the Midrash Aggadah (Song Rabbah 4:1 §4): concerning the edicts (דתות) and concerning the distressing laws and decrees that are decreed upon Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"For the Leader, for Jeduthun" — I have already mentioned this at the beginning of the book. And in my opinion, it was a known melody in the south [Judah], and Jeduthun composed it — or someone else composed it in his honor — and the heading of the poem was "for Jeduthun." This psalm, too, like the one before it, speaks of his illness. And the meaning of "I said" — in my heart. And the meaning of "I will guard my ways" — my nature and my habit, as in "and are acquainted with all my ways" (Psalm 139:3); and the meaning is that I will not speak as a sick person speaks out of the greatness of his distress; and as though there were a muzzle on my mouth, I will guard it so that it stays on my mouth, and I will not remove it.
Radak
'For the leader, for Jeduthun [the qere reading is 'for Jeduthun' (לידותון)]. A psalm of David' — this psalm was likewise composed by David, who gave it to Jeduthun the musician, and its subject matter is like that of the preceding psalm.
Metzudat Zion
'For Jeduthun' (lidutun) — the name of a musical instrument.
Malbim
"For the leader" — in this psalm he will speak glorious things about the secret of the soul and its nature, and about its existence within this stricken body.
I said: 'I will take heed to my ways, that I do not sin with my tongue; I will keep a curb upon my mouth, while the wicked is before me.'
verse value 3456
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 3456 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·my·mouth" (לְפִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·my·tongue" (בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 546: I·will·keep, I·will·keep. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·sinning" (מֵחֲט֢וֹא), "muzzle" (מַחְס֑וֹם), "while" (בְּעֹ֖ד). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·said" (root אמר, 111x in Psalms); "wicked" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms); "I·will·keep" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'muzzle', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָמַ֗רְתִּי [I·said] (651) + אֶ֥שְׁמְרָ֣ה [I·will·keep] (546) + דְרָכַי֮ [my·ways] (234) + מֵחֲט֢וֹא [from·sinning] (64) + בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י [with·my·tongue] (398) + אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה [I·will·keep] (546) + לְפִ֥י [to·my·mouth] (120) + מַחְס֑וֹם [muzzle] (154) + בְּעֹ֖ד [while] (76) + רָשָׁ֣ע [wicked] (570) + לְנֶגְדִּֽי [before·me] (97) = 3456.
Rashi
"I said, “I will guard my ways, etc.”" — As for us—we had in mind to watch ourselves with all the troubles that come upon us, neither to criticize nor speak harshly of the Divine Attribute of Justice although the wicked who oppress us are before us. "a muzzle" — Heb. מחסם, as (in Deut. 25:4): “You shall not muzzle (תחסם) an ox, amuzelment in Old French. And I made myself mute in silence many days. We also were silent from “good,” even from words of Torah, because of their fear of them, our pain was so intense and frightening. When we were silent, our heart was hot within us and in the thought of our heart it burns in us like fire. That causes us to speak with our tongue (in silence—not in all editions) before You, and this is what we say, “O Lord, let us know our end.” How long will we be in distress, and let us know when we will be over it.
Ibn Ezra
"While the wicked is before me" — [meaning] that he came to visit me.
Radak
'I said, I will guard my ways' — I thought in my heart that I would guard my ways. That is to say: my conduct and my affairs, as in 'from doing your ways' (Isaiah 58:13); 'I have recounted my ways' (Psalms 119:26), and the like. 'From sinning with my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth' — so that I not speak improperly out of my distress and illness, as it is said of Job (Job 2:10): 'For all this, Job did not sin with his lips.' 'While the wicked is before me' — all the more so while the wicked one is before me, who comes to visit me and see my pain and my calamity, that I guard my mouth from speaking, as though there were a muzzle on my mouth. For even the groaning of a sick person — whose way it is to cry out and moan with his mouth from illness and distress — I restrain myself from this while the wicked is before me, so that he will not rejoice over me.
Metzudat David
"I said" — I thought in my heart: I will guard my conduct from sinning with my tongue, from saying anything against the attribute of judgment. "I will keep a curb upon my mouth" — I will guard myself as though there were a muzzle upon my mouth that prevents speech; that is to say, despite all the pain that comes upon me, I will not cry out in complaint. "While the wicked is before me" — at the time when the wicked man who comes to visit me stands before me, for I think that when I cry out, then he will rejoice at my trouble.
Metzudat Zion
'My ways' (derachai) — my customs. 'A curb' (machsom) — an expression for something placed in an animal's mouth so that it cannot bite or eat, as in 'you shall not muzzle an ox' (Deuteronomy 25:4).
Malbim
"I said" — at first I thought in my heart that I should not speak about this inquiry that I am investigating concerning the soul, and I wanted "to guard my ways" from speaking anything of this, for two reasons: (1) because the essential nature of the soul is a thing hidden from human intellect — for a person can attain [knowledge] only by means of the senses, and the essential nature of the soul is a thing that cannot be known through sense-perception — and regarding this I feared "sinning with my tongue," lest I come thereby to sin through this speculation, by thinking that the soul was merely material (hylic), coming into being together with the body and perishing together with it, and I would [thereby] deny the survival of the soul and its immortality. (2) That even if I were confident in the strength of my faith that I would not come to this, I said, I will keep "a muzzle for my mouth" — that I ought to place a muzzle on my mouth so as not to speak of this, "while the wicked is before me" — at a time when a wicked person is present in this company, so that my words would become for him a stumbling block and a snare. Therefore "I was mute, in silence" — I became still in silence, until I was like a mute person, until I also "refrained from [speaking of] good" — that I did not speak even the good and the moral instruction that grows out of this speculation, because I feared to touch upon this inquiry. But because of this, "my pain was stirred" — for my soul distressed me to reflect on this matter, which is the end and purpose of man; and therefore "my heart grew hot within me" — my heart warmed from its longing for speech, until "in my meditation a fire burned" — when I began to give voice to discursive speech, which is intermediate between speech and thought, there was within me [a feeling] like a burning fire, and I grew weary of restraining it and could not; and therefore "I spoke with my tongue," and I brought forth my meditation from potential into actuality. Now the question begins.
I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, had no comfort; and my pain was held in check.
verse value 1765
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "from·good" (מִטּ֑וֹב, 4 letters) and the longest is "I·was·mute" (נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·kept·silent" (הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי), "and·my·pain" (וּכְאֵבִ֥י), "was·troubled" (נֶעְכָּֽר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·good" (root טוב, 63x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי [I·was·mute] (531) + ד֭וּמִיָּה [silence] (65) + הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי [I·kept·silent] (733) + מִטּ֑וֹב [from·good] (57) + וּכְאֵבִ֥י [and·my·pain] (39) + נֶעְכָּֽר [was·troubled] (340) = 1765.
Ibn Ezra
"I was dumb," "I held my peace" — even with regard to speaking something good.
Radak
'I was mute with silence' — I was mute in silence; that is, I was so silent that it was as if I were mute. 'I refrained from good' — I refrained even from speaking of what is good. 'And my pain was stirred up' — even though my pain was stirred up and ruined, I muzzle my mouth from speaking even of what is good, so that evil should not chance to come to my mouth on account of my distress. It is also possible to explain: 'I refrained from' speaking of good, because no good comes to me that I might speak about. Or the explanation of 'I refrained' [may refer] to the thoughts of the heart, for I no longer have any hope for good, and so I fell silent and held my peace concerning it. And when it says 'stirred up,' it speaks of the flesh, the place of the pain, and not of the pain itself.
Metzudat David
"I was dumb with silence" — I accustomed myself so much to silence that I became like a mute; because of the silence I held my peace even from good [words] — for I refrained from speaking even good and comforting words, lest, through speaking too much, I cry out and complain. "And my pain was stirred up" — even though my pain was stirred up, nevertheless I restrained myself and kept silent.
Metzudat Zion
'With silence' (dumiyah) — an expression of silence, as in 'to You, silence is praise' (below, Psalm 65). 'I held my peace' (hechesheiti) — an expression of silence, as in 'I have held My peace since of old' (Isaiah 42). 'Was disturbed' (ne'char) — an expression of ruin, as in 'you have troubled me' (Genesis 34).
My heart grew hot within me; while I was musing, the fire kindled; Then I spoke with my tongue:
verse value 2424
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "grew·hot·my·heart" (חַם־לִבִּ֨י, 5 letters) and the longest is "in·my·musing" (בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "grew·hot·my·heart" (חַם־לִבִּ֨י), "in·my·musing" (בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י), "burns·fire" (תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "with·my·tongue" (root לשון, 33x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'burns·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: חַם־לִבִּ֨י [grew·hot·my·heart] (90) + בְּקִרְבִּ֗י [in·my·midst] (314) + בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י [in·my·musing] (33) + תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ [burns·fire] (973) + דִּ֝בַּ֗רְתִּי [I·spoke] (616) + בִּלְשׁוֹנִֽי [with·my·tongue] (398) = 2424.
Ibn Ezra
'Hot' — My heart was so hot that in my musing a fire would burn. 'I spoke with my tongue' — the sense is doubled [i.e., emphatic repetition], or this is what I said [i.e., what follows is the content of my speech].
Radak
'My heart grew hot within me; while I mused, fire burned' — from the severity of the illness, my heart grew so hot that while I mused, fire burned; for the heat that comes out of my mouth in my musing is hot like fire, so that it seems as though fire is burning within me. 'I spoke with my tongue' — this is a restatement for emphasis; that is to say: when I spoke with my tongue.
Metzudat David
"My heart grew hot" — the heart within me grew very hot from the fire of my sickness. "While I was musing" — when a murmur comes out of my mouth, it burns like fire, for the breath is very hot. "I spoke with my tongue" — this refers back to "the fire kindled," meaning: it burns like fire when I speak with my tongue; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
'While I was musing' (behegigi) — from the language of meditation (higayon) and speech.
'Hashem, make me to know my end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how short-lived I am.
verse value 1180
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·end" (קִצִּ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "make·known·to·me" (הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: what·it·is, I. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "my·end" (קִצִּ֗י), "and·the·measure·of" (וּמִדַּ֣ת), "what·it·is" (מַה־הִ֑יא). The root ידע appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·days" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "make·known·to·me" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'what·it·is', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי [make·known·to·me] (155) + יְהֹוָ֨ה [Hashem] (26) + קִצִּ֗י [my·end] (200) + וּמִדַּ֣ת [and·the·measure·of] (450) + יָמַ֣י [my·days] (60) + מַה־הִ֑יא [what·it·is] (61) + אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה [let·me·know] (80) + מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל [how·transient] (87) + אָֽנִי [I] (61) = 1180.
Ibn Ezra
'Make me to know... what I cease to be' [מה חדל אני] — [חדל] is a noun/adjective form, and the sense is: how much longer will I remain among those who dwell in the fleeting world.
Radak
"Make me to know, Hashem, my end, and the measure of my days, what it is" — as Job said (Job 6:11): "and what is my end, that I should prolong [my life]?" If my end is long, according to the years of man, I will endure until You heal me, and I will afterward be healthy; but if my days are few, I ask of You that I die of the illness quickly, for I cannot bear the great suffering without hope thereafter in this world. "Let me know how short-lived I am" — "chadel" is an adjective; and its noun form appears in (Isaiah 38:11): "with the inhabitants of chadel" — whose meaning is: the time of this world allotted to man; and its meaning here is: how much time I will have in this world.
Metzudat David
"Make me to know" — let me know the end of my days, when I will die; and if the days of my life are few, would I not choose to die from this illness rather than suffer great pain and die afterward after a short time regardless? "What it is" — how much it is; and the matter is repeated in different words. "How short-lived I am" — how much time I will be among the inhabitants of the world.
Metzudat Zion
'What it is' (mah hi) — like 'how much' (kammah). 'Short-lived' (chadel) — it is a transposition of 'cheled' (a lifetime), like 'kesev'/'keves' (both meaning 'lamb', with transposed letters); and its meaning is the span of the world, a lifetime.
Malbim
"Hashem, make me know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is" — behold, a person finds himself to be a resident of two separate worlds; he discerns within himself two roots that are opposite to one another. For when he looks downward, to the body and its powers, he finds that he is among the inhabitants of this lowly, material world, stamped with fixed natural laws like all offspring of the material world; and when he turns upward, to the noble part found within him, which is the soul and its powers, he sees that he is like one of the "sons of God," free, acting according to choice, and all its powers are unlimited — that is, they extend without end — until he becomes uncertain within himself as to which world he belongs to, for the two roots within him are in constant war with one another, and the laws of nature oppose the laws of free choice. This is what he means, that he asks [Hashem] to make known to him, that he may know the essence of these two roots: (1) "my end" — this is the spiritual root, which is the end/purpose of man; (2) "the measure of my days" — this is the temporal life, which has a measure and a fixed span — what is it, what is its essence? — so that "I may know how fleeting I am," from which world and realm I am, whether from the lowly realm or from the upper realm. And he [then] explains the cause of the doubt.
Behold, You have made my days as hand-breadths; and my age is as nothing before You; surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Selah
verse value 2134
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "hand-breadths" (טְפָח֨וֹת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: all·man, Selah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "hand-breadths" (טְפָח֨וֹת), "and·my·lifetime" (וְחֶלְדִּ֣י), "all·vanity" (כׇּֽל־הֶ֥בֶל). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·days" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "You·have·given" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "Selah" (root סלה, 70x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נצב ("standing") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֤ה [behold] (60) + טְפָח֨וֹת [hand-breadths] (503) + נָ֘תַ֤תָּה [You·have·given] (855) + יָמַ֗י [my·days] (60) + וְחֶלְדִּ֣י [and·my·lifetime] (58) + כְאַ֣יִן [as·nothing] (81) + נֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ [before·You] (77) + אַ֥ךְ [indeed] (21) + כׇּֽל־הֶ֥בֶל [all·vanity] (87) + כׇּל־אָ֝דָ֗ם [all·man] (95) + נִצָּ֥ב [standing] (142) + סֶֽלָה [Selah] (95) = 2134.
Rashi
"Behold...handbreadths" — The days of man are measured like a thing that is measured with handbreadths; so are man’s days limited. "and my old age" — Heb. וחלדי, and our old age is as nothing before you. חלד is an expression of rust (חלודה), rodijjl in Old French; rust, old age. "every man" — his life and his condition are a life of vanity.
Ibn Ezra
'Behold' — a very small amount, like something measured in handbreadths. 'And my lifetime' [וחלדי] — like 'chadel' [a related form], similar to [the interchangeable pairs] 'kesev/keves' and 'simlah/salmah.' 'Surely all is vanity' — this means every man, and the sense is like 'vanity of vanities' (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And the sense of 'standing firm' [נצב] — thus it is forever; he does not change so as to depart from the level of vanity.
Radak
"Behold, You have made my days as hand-breadths" — the smallest of the measures is the measure of a handbreadth (tefach); such are my days, for the days of every man are short. "and my age" — my time. "is as nothing before You" — for You live and endure forever. "surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Selah" — for [the meaning is] "every man is vanity": that which man "stands" [established] in this world is vanity. And it says "kol hevel" ("all vanity"), meaning: the most trifling degree of vanity — as if it had said "vanity of vanities" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And this is all like [the usage in] "you shall do no manner of work" (Leviticus 23:31); "all fat and all blood" (ibid. 3:17), and others like them.
Metzudat David
"Hand-breadths" — measured/fixed, like a thing measured by the handbreadth. "And my age" — my time in the world is as nothing compared to Your years, which do not come to an end. "Surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity, etc." — all the vanities exist in every man; no one is exempt from the mishaps of time — this stands firm, selah. This matter stands forever and will not change, so that no son of man ever ceases from the vanities of time, from its mishaps.
Metzudat Zion
'Vanity' (hevel) — there is a sense of 'hevel' that means calamity and troubles, as in 'for it comes in calamity, and departs in darkness' (Ecclesiastes 6:4).
Malbim
“Behold, You have made my days as hand-breadths” — On one hand, I see myself as similar to all the children of the material world, who are subject to time, place, change, and motion, for my days are measured and limited. But on the other hand, I see myself as unlimited and without end, for the powers of the soul rise above time, place, and the laws of nature, and soar aloft to strip the boundary away from themselves — for the intellect can conceive of itself as unlimited, and so too the yearning that is in man, and all his faculties, have no limit. Yet for all that, they cannot attain to the truly unlimited, because matter weighs upon them; still, they rise toward it and go from strength to strength, carrying “the ephah between the earth and the heavens.” And so it says, “and my lifetime is as nothing before You” — for this spiritual [aspect], in its existence, is as nothing next to the Infinite. And accordingly I declare and say: “surely every man, as he stands, is altogether vanity” — that every man, as he is, is altogether vanity: he is vanity on the side of the body, which decays and rots, and he is vanity on the side of the soul, which is a bird with clipped wings, sunk in a prison, bound in chains. “Selah” — marks the conclusion of the matter; from here the response to this begins.
Surely man walks as a mere semblance; surely for vanity they are in turmoil; He heaps up riches, and does not know who shall gather them.
verse value 1792
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "he·heaps·up" (יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "walks·man" (יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 121: they·murmur, and·does·not·know. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "indeed·in·image" (אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם), "walks·man" (יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ), "indeed·vanity" (אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·does·not·know" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms); "walks·man" (root הלך, 68x in Psalms); "who·gathers·them" (root אסף, 22x in Psalms). First appearance of the root המה ("they·murmur") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·murmur', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם [indeed·in·image] (183) + יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ [walks·man] (776) + אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל [indeed·vanity] (58) + יֶהֱמָי֑וּן [they·murmur] (121) + יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר [he·heaps·up] (302) + וְֽלֹא־יֵדַ֥ע [and·does·not·know] (121) + מִֽי־אֹסְפָֽם [who·gathers·them] (231) = 1792.
Rashi
"but in darkness" — Heb. בצלם, in darkness. Dunash explained it as an expression of darkness (צלמות) (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 89), but Menachem (p. 150) explained it as an actual image, as (in Gen. 9: 6) “for in the image of God He made man.” His view is impossible, however. "all that they stir is but vanity" — All their stirring and lust. "he gathers" — grain in the field all the days of the harvest. "yet he knows not who will bring them in" — He does not know who will gather them into the house; perhaps he will die before the ingathering.
Ibn Ezra
'Surely' — for he changes in his image from day to day and from time to time, like the image of a flowing river whose appearance seems to stand still. And some say: that 'be-tzelem' [in image] is like 'tzalmavet' [shadow of death]. But what is correct in my view: man is comparable to an image/shadow, and just as the image changes, so does he change. And the sense of 'the image' is: the arrangements of the ministering [heavenly hosts] and the stars above, which do not remain a single moment in one fixed configuration — and the astrologers know this. 'They are in turmoil' [ויהמיון] — the gathering of wealth, like 'and whoever loves abundance' (Ecclesiastes 5:9). 'He heaps up' [יצבור] — little by little. 'And he does not know who will gather them' — all of it [passes on] in a single moment, at his death.
Radak
"Surely man walks as a mere semblance (tzelem)" — "in darkness" (Rashi) — he walks all his days, for he does not know the day of his death. And "tzelem" [means]: darkness; and likewise in Arabic, "tzalam," pointed with a dot over the tzadi, means: darkness. And some say (Dunash) that it is from "tzalmavet," whose meaning is "darkness"; but this is not correct, for the meaning of "tzalmavet" is [really] two words: "tzel" [shadow] and "mavet" [death]. And some explain it (Menachem) according to its plain sense [i.e., image/form]. And its meaning [then] is: that man changes in his image (tzelem) from day to day and from time to time in his appearance, like a river that turns and flows (mithalech) while its image passes on. And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: that the sense of "tzelem" is [taken] from the arrangement of the ministering stars, which do not remain a single moment in one fixed state — so does man change. "surely for vanity they are in turmoil" — it is for vanity that they are in turmoil, gathering wealth. "he heaps up" — and he heaps up the wealth little by little. "and does not know who shall gather them" — that is to say, at his death, when they carry him out of his house.
Metzudat David
"Surely man walks as a mere semblance," etc. — Does not man walk in darkness? And for vanity and emptiness he gathers a great abundance of wealth, for he amasses it and does not know who will gather it into the house, for perhaps he will die and another man will gather it.
Metzudat Zion
'As a mere semblance' (betzelem) — from the language of 'tzalmavet' (shadow of death) and darkness. 'Are in turmoil' (yehemayun) — an expression of gathering wealth, as in 'and who loves abundance' (Ecclesiastes 5). 'He heaps up' (yitzbor) — from the language of a 'heap' (tzibbur) and a mound. 'Gathers them' (osfam) — he brings them into the house.
Malbim
“Surely man walks as a mere semblance” — He answers, explaining the secret of the soul and why it was joined to the body in this manner: it is revealed to him that this is because man was created in the image of God, which is the pattern of the Godhead that guides the great world. For just as the general body, which is the great world, is likewise placed under fixed natural laws, and within it the Godhead clothes itself to guide it with a governance that is chosen [freely], above the fixed laws of nature — resembling, in this, the soul that guides the body in relation to the world — so too He created man in His image: man's body is the pattern of the natural world with its natural forces and laws, and his soul, which guides him by the power of freedom and choice, is the pattern of the Godhead that is in the world. And just as God rules over the world and changes the fixed order of nature and its laws according to His free, unlimited will, so the soul can change the natural traits, rules, and natural laws of its body, and create itself anew, to become like the children of God. Therefore He placed in it a yearning that is without limit, which stems from its supernal root, by which it continually rises from level to level and draws near to the Godhead, and goes “from strength to strength” until it appears before God in Zion. And so it says, “man walks” — meaning that he must always walk toward his root, which has no limit, and therefore there is no limit to the soul's yearning. “Surely they are in turmoil for vanity” — rather, man seeks out many calculations, and by the power of this yearning planted in his soul, he is in turmoil over vain matters, gathering illusory possessions that have no substance in themselves, for they are vanity; and moreover they do not remain in his possession, for “he heaps up riches, and does not know who shall gather them” — since in the end strangers will inherit what he toiled for.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope, it is in You.
verse value 2037
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "to·You" (לְךָ֣, 2 letters) and the longest is "what·have·I·waited·for" (מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "what·have·I·waited·for" (מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי), "my·hope" (תּ֝וֹחַלְתִּ֗י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Lord" (root אדון, 64x in Psalms); "to·You" (root לך, 35x in Psalms). First appearance of the root היא ("it") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי [what·have·I·waited·for] (571) + אֲדֹנָ֑י [Lord] (65) + תּ֝וֹחַלְתִּ֗י [my·hope] (854) + לְךָ֣ [to·You] (50) + הִֽיא [it] (16) = 2037.
Rashi
"And now, what have I hoped" — What is the request that I ask and hope from You? It is only that You save me from my transgressions.
Ibn Ezra
'And now' — behold, my end has come; what hope do I have? Only my hope is directed to You — it is, it truly is.
Radak
"And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope, it is in You" — that I, in my illness, [ask] "what do I wait for" — my hope and my expectation cannot be [placed in anything else], but rather "it is in You," and not in physicians.
Metzudat David
"And now" — Since the acquisitions of the world are mere vanity, what then shall my hope be? It is in Hashem; that is the thing for which I wait upon You.
Metzudat Zion
'My hope' (tochalti) — my hope (tikvati).
Malbim
“And now” — accordingly, now, in this world, “what do I wait for, Hashem?” — meaning, what do I have to hope for here; is this not a place devoid of my happiness and my hope? Rather, there is expectation regarding another world (“hope” refers to something uncertain, while “expectation” refers to something certain, for the life of the World to Come is a certain and guaranteed thing). And what is the expectation? “My expectation, it is in You” — for Hashem Himself is the expectation of the righteous, and He is the good that is stored up for them, that their soul should return, bound up in the bond of life, to its source, to Hashem their God — as it is said: “the righteous sit…” and “enjoy the splendor of the Divine Presence.”
Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the base.
verse value 2356
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "base" (נָ֝בָ֗ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·make·me" (אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·all·my·transgressions" (מִכׇּל־פְּשָׁעַ֥י), "do·not·make·me" (אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "deliver·me" (root נצל, 44x in Psalms); "do·not·make·me" (root שים, 33x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'deliver·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִכׇּל־פְּשָׁעַ֥י [from·all·my·transgressions] (550) + הַצִּילֵ֑נִי [deliver·me] (195) + חֶרְפַּ֥ת [reproach·of] (688) + נָ֝בָ֗ל [base] (82) + אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי [do·not·make·me] (841) = 2356.
Rashi
"do not make me the reproach of" — the ignoble Esau. Bring afflictions and pains upon him too, so he will not be able to say to me, “You are suffering, and we are not suffering.” This prayer was instrumental in bringing about the pains of illnesses upon the nations.
Ibn Ezra
'From all' — for on account of my transgressions I became ill.
Radak
"from all my transgressions" — for they are the cause of my illness and my pain. "deliver me" — from them, so that You forgive them for me. "do not make me the reproach of the base" — for the base man reproaches me in his heart when he comes to visit me, as it says (verse 2): "while the wicked is before me"; and outside he reproaches me with his mouth, because I am a man of pains, while he is healthy and at ease.
Metzudat David
"From all my transgressions" — That is to say, this is my hope: that You save me from the punishment that comes on account of my transgressions, and that You not make me a reproach in the eyes of the base person.
Malbim
“From all” — and so, “deliver me from all my transgressions” — lest matter draw the soul downward through transgressions, until it fails to attain its eternal expectation. “So that You do not make me” — that I should become “the reproach of the base” — that the reproach which overtakes the base one, who loses his world and his future, should overtake me.
I am dumb, I do not open my mouth; because You have done it.
verse value 2357
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·am·mute" (נֶ֭אֱלַמְתִּי, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·open·my·mouth" (אֶפְתַּח־פִּ֑י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "because" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "You" (root אתה, 115x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·open·my·mouth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: נֶ֭אֱלַמְתִּי [I·am·mute] (531) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + אֶפְתַּח־פִּ֑י [I·open·my·mouth] (579) + כִּ֖י [because] (30) + אַתָּ֣ה [You] (406) + עָשִֽׂיתָ [You·have·done] (780) = 2357.
Rashi
"because You have done it" — For You brought upon us trouble more than all nations.
Ibn Ezra
'I am mute' — because he had mentioned the reproach of the base person [v.9], he says: behold, I was silent, not answering him.
Radak
"I am dumb, I do not open my mouth; because You have done it" — and I have no one against whom to cry out "violence!," for the pains did not come to me from the hand of men but from Your hand; therefore "I am dumb," for even against You I have no [cause] to cry out "violence," because it is all on account of my transgressions.
Metzudat David
"I am dumb" — Behold, when the punishment came upon me, I was like a mute and did not complain, for I said: Behold, You have done it, and You do not do injustice in judgment.
Malbim
“I am dumb” — and now I am dumb regarding the question above, “and I do not open my mouth” to ask further, as it said earlier, “I was dumb with silence.” “Because You have done it” — for it has become clear to me that the making and forming of man is not like all the other works of creation, which are attributed to the earth, as it is written, “Let the earth bring forth a living creature”; rather, his making is attributed to You alone, as it is written, “and the souls, I have made them.”
Remove Your stroke from off me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
verse value 2166
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "remove" (הָסֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·blow·of" (מִתִּגְרַ֥ת, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "Your·stroke" (נִגְעֶ֑ךָ), "from·the·blow·of" (מִתִּגְרַ֥ת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·upon·me" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "Your·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "I" (root אני, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·stroke', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: הָסֵ֣ר [remove] (265) + מֵעָלַ֣י [from·upon·me] (150) + נִגְעֶ֑ךָ [Your·stroke] (143) + מִתִּגְרַ֥ת [from·the·blow·of] (1043) + יָ֝דְךָ֗ [Your·hand] (34) + אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + כָלִֽיתִי [I·am·consumed] (470) = 2166.
Rashi
"from the fear of Your hand" — Heb. מתגרת, from the fear of Your blows. תגרת is an expression of (Num. 22:3): “And Moab became terrified (וַיָגָר).” The “tav” is a defective radical in the word, like תנובה, produce; תלונה, complaint; תקומה, restoration; תכונה, characteristic. This is how Menachem explained it, but I maintain that תגרת is not an expression of מָגוֹר, fear, because he should have said תגוּרה as he says from: וישב (and he returned) תשוּבה, [from] ויקם, וירם and וילן: תקוּמה, תרוּמה and תלוּנה, so he should say from ויגר, תגוּלה, or מגוּרה as (above 31:14, Jer. 20:3): “terror (מגור) from all sides”; (Isa. 66:4) “and their fears (ומגורתם) I will bring.” Thus you learn that מתגרת is nothing but as (II Chron. 25:19), “Why should you provoke (תתגרה) disaster?”; (Deut. 2:5), “Do not provoke (תתגרו) them,” in which case the verb is גרה like קוה, to hope; אוה, to desire; צוה, to command, of which the noun is תקוה, תאוה, מצוה. So one says from גרה, תגרה, and this is its explanation: from the blows of Your hand, with which You fight me, I perish.
Ibn Ezra
'Remove... the stroke of Your hand' [מתגרת ידך] — [related to] 'the dread of Your hand,' whose sense is 'Your blow,' like 'and Moab was in dread' (Numbers 22:3); and by its pattern, [it belongs] with every [word] whose ending is of this formation — all of which I will explain in the third [section].
Radak
"Remove Your stroke (nega) from off me" — the stroke that You bring upon me. And it says (Psalms 35:12): "they stand aloof from my plague (nigi)" — meaning the affliction that I have. For pronominal suffixes may apply either to the doer [subject] or to the one acted upon [object]. Likewise: "and I will make them joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7); "I have heard your prayer" (I Kings 9:3), and many others like them. "by the blow (tigrat) of Your hand" — its meaning is: from the battle of Your hand, from "and do not engage them (titgar) in battle" (Deuteronomy 2:9). "I am consumed."
Metzudat David
"Remove" — Therefore, remove from me the afflictions that come from You upon me, for I have already been consumed by the blows of Your hand, and this is enough.
Metzudat Zion
'The blow' (mitgeret) — from the language of 'תגר' (conflict) and war, as in 'do not contend with them' (Deuteronomy 2:5). 'I am consumed' (kaliti) — from the language of 'destruction' (kilayon).
Malbim
“Remove” — but accordingly I ask “that You remove from me” the hindrances that keep me from happiness and my ultimate purpose, and these are “the plagues” that afflict the body and prevent it from attaining perfection, for as long as the soul is imprisoned in matter, it feels the body's distress and mishaps. For on account of “the strife of Your hand” and Your blows, “I am consumed” — for they do not merely harm the body (in which case I would not be troubled by this), but they consume the soul, which is the essence of man. Now, the plagues are of two kinds. The first kind are those necessitated by the nature of man's material substance and his temperament, or by the nature of the world — these are the natural plagues, and of these it says “by the strife of Your hand,” for they are necessitated by the strife of Your hand and Your action, through the conflict of the elements, and through the fact that man is composed of opposing things and differing temperaments, through which natural evils arise. Second, there are providential evils that come upon him from Hashem in order to bring him back in repentance, and of these it says “with rebukes for iniquity” (there is a difference between musar [chastisement] and tochachah [rebuke]: rebuke is mostly through words, while chastisement is through suffering) — that instead of it being fitting that You rebuke him for his iniquity with a rebuke of love and gentleness, You have chastised man, bringing sufferings upon him, and through the sufferings, “like a moth, You melt away his cherished thing” — for even his cherished thing, which is the soul, dissolves and comes to an end. And so, “surely every man is vanity,” since this causes him not to attain the purpose for which he was created. “Selah” marks the conclusion of the matter.
With rebukes You chasten man for iniquity, and like a moth You make his beauty to consume away; surely every man is vanity. Selah
verse value 3257
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·rebukes" (בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: all·man, Selah. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "with·rebukes" (בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת), "for·iniquity" (עַל־עָוֺ֨ן), "You·chasten" (יִסַּ֬רְתָּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Selah" (root סלה, 70x in Psalms); "all·man" (root אדם, 67x in Psalms); "man" (root איש, 39x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·beauty', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת [with·rebukes] (842) + עַל־עָוֺ֨ן [for·iniquity] (226) + יִסַּ֬רְתָּ [You·chasten] (670) + אִ֗ישׁ [man] (311) + וַתֶּ֣מֶס [and·You·consume] (506) + כָּעָ֣שׁ [like·the·moth] (390) + חֲמוּד֑וֹ [his·beauty] (64) + אַ֤ךְ [indeed] (21) + הֶ֖בֶל [vanity] (37) + כׇּל־אָדָ֣ם [all·man] (95) + סֶֽלָה [Selah] (95) = 3257.
Rashi
"With rebukes" — that are written in the Torah for our iniquities that we have sinned before You and for which You chastised us. "You have caused his flesh to decay" — You have caused our flesh to decay like a moth-eaten garment. Heb. חמודו means his flesh, which is his desire (חמדתו).
Ibn Ezra
'With rebukes' — in the manner of 'and he is rebuked with pain' (Job 33:19) — we know that You chasten a man for his sin with pains. 'His beauty' [חמודו] — the desirableness of his body; and behold, his desirableness was [mere] vanity.
Radak
"With rebukes You chasten man for iniquity" — such is Your way, to chasten men for their iniquity, as You have done to me, as it says: "and he is chastened with pain upon his bed" (Job 33:19). "and like a moth You make his beauty (chamudo) consume away" — You cause his "beauty" to melt away, which is the fatness of his flesh and the strength of his body; just as the moth quickly consumes a garment, so does a man waste away through afflictions, as it says: "his flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen" (Job 33:21). "surely every man is vanity. Selah" — for his "beauty" departs as nothing.
Metzudat David
"With rebukes" — According to the measure of rebukes fitting for the sin, so You chasten the man with bodily punishment, and also melt away the treasures of his wealth like this moth that consumes a garment. "Surely vanity" — This vanity applies forever, and to every man — that is to say, all sinners are forever afflicted in their bodies and in the treasure of their wealth, if they do not return to Hashem.
Metzudat Zion
'With rebukes' (betochachot) — an expression of punishment and suffering, as in 'and he is chastened with pain' (Job 33). 'And You make... consume away' (vatemes) — from the language of melting and dissolving. 'Like a moth' (ka'ash) — the name of the worm/insect that consumes clothing.
Hear my prayer, O Hashem, and give ear to my cry; do not keep silence at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
verse value 5366
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֡ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "hear·my·prayer" (שִׁ֥מְעָֽה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "hear·my·prayer" (שִׁ֥מְעָֽה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י), "to·my·tears" (אֶֽל־דִּמְעָתִ֗י), "sojourner" (תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "for" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "with·You" (root עם, 135x in Psalms). First appearance of the root גר ("sojourner") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: שִׁ֥מְעָֽה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י [hear·my·prayer] (1335) + יְהֹוָ֡ה [Hashem] (26) + וְשַׁוְעָתִ֨י [and·my·cry] (792) + הַאֲזִינָה֮ [give·ear] (78) + אֶֽל־דִּמְעָתִ֗י [to·my·tears] (555) + אַֽל־תֶּ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ [do·not·be·silent] (939) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + גֵ֣ר [sojourner] (203) + אָנֹכִ֣י [I] (81) + עִמָּ֑ךְ [with·You] (130) + תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב [sojourner] (708) + כְּכׇל־אֲבוֹתָֽי [as·all·my·fathers] (489) = 5366.
Ibn Ezra
'Hear my prayer' — behold, his prayer and his tears are like the potion of physicians [i.e., a remedy]. 'For I am a stranger with You' — as it is written in the Torah.
Radak
"Hear my prayer, Hashem, and give ear to my cry; do not keep silence at my tears" — after I have accepted Your rebukes and borne Your afflictions, [I say] "hear my prayer," that You cleanse me from my transgressions and heal me. "for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were" — and so David says in Chronicles (I Chronicles 29:15): "for we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as all our fathers were." And the matter is: man in this world is like a stranger (ger) in a land not his own, for he is always journeying from place to place, because man in this world has no permanent standing or endurance in it, for every day he is on the road, ready to depart from it, and he does not know his day [of departure]. And he is also called a "sojourner" (toshav), because he settles in this world as though he would remain in it for many days. And in saying "with You" (imcha), he means: "before You" — to make known that it is by the hand of God, may He be blessed, and from Him, that there is settlement in this world and departure from it. And in saying "as all my fathers" — [as David says] "as all our fathers" — he means to make known that the later generations are like the earlier ones; there is one path for them all; there is no difference between them, except that "one generation goes and another generation comes" (Ecclesiastes 1:4); so it was and so it will always be. And the sense of the words "for I am a stranger" is: he says "hear my prayer" so that I may live [and recover] from my illness, for the days of man in this world are few, since he is regarded in the world like a stranger; therefore he says after this:
Metzudat David
"Hear my prayer" — to save me from these punishments. "For I am a stranger with You" — In comparison to Your years, I am like a stranger upon the earth, for my days are few, and they will be consumed by these rebukes. "A sojourner, as all my fathers were" — That is to say, whatever [standing] I have as a sojourner in the land is only like all my fathers, for even though they were reckoned as settled here, they died and are no more; and in comparison to Your years I too am reckoned as a stranger.
Metzudat Zion
'With You' (imach) — meaning 'opposite You' (lemulecha); similarly, 'let not man prevail against You' (2 Chronicles 14). 'A sojourner' (toshav) — it is the reverse/counterpart of 'ger' (a stranger).
Malbim
“Hear my prayer” — with regard to prayer, which is the pouring out of the soul, the intention of the heart, and the uplifting of the spirit toward God; “and give ear to my cry” — with regard to my crying out for salvation; “and do not be silent at my tears” — for the gates of tears are not locked, since they arouse mercy. “For I am a stranger” — that is, because of the two parts of which I am composed: on the one hand, with regard to the soul that is within me, I am with You, a part of Your own essence — from this side I am a stranger in this land, for the soul is from the spiritual world and is like a stranger in this material land, far from its root and its place. But I am a sojourner with regard to the body, in which I am a sojourner like all my forefathers, for in the body — whose root traces to the forefathers who begot it — man is a sojourner, whereas in the soul — whose root traces to God, the God of spirits — man is a stranger. And therefore the powers of the body prevail over the powers of the soul, for they are the sojourners of the land and rule over it. Therefore I ask, “look away from me” — that You turn the sufferings away from me, for it is not fitting to chastise him for his sins, since the nature of his body inclines toward sin, and the soul's powers, which Hashem placed in him to stand against the body, cannot stand before the overwhelming forces, for they are the mighty ones who have been sojourners of the land from of old. “That I may be strengthened” — and I shall strive to strengthen myself against the powers of desire and the [evil] inclination, before I depart in a state in which I am not [complete] — for through my affliction and sufferings, which prevent me from attaining perfection, I will be as nothing, since I will not have completed what I must complete for the sake of my happiness and eternal existence.
Look away from me, that I may take comfort, before I go from here, and be no more.'
verse value 1001
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1001 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "look·away" (הָשַׁ֣ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·let·me·take·comfort" (וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "look·away" (הָשַׁ֣ע), "and·let·me·take·comfort" (וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה), "and·I·am·no·more" (וְאֵינֶֽנִּי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·go" (root הלך, 68x in Psalms); "and·I·am·no·more" (root אין, 67x in Psalms); "from·me" (root מן, 59x in Psalms). First appearance of the root טרם ("before") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·let·me·take·comfort', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָשַׁ֣ע [look·away] (375) + מִמֶּ֣נִּי [from·me] (140) + וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה [and·let·me·take·comfort] (57) + בְּטֶ֖רֶם [before] (251) + אֵלֵ֣ךְ [I·go] (51) + וְאֵינֶֽנִּי [and·I·am·no·more] (127) = 1001.
Rashi
"Turn away from me" — Loosen Your hand from smiting me. "that I may recover" — Heb. ואבלגה,that I regain my strength.
Ibn Ezra
'Look away' [השע] — leave me be, like 'look away from me' (Isaiah 22:4); and the vowel changed because of the guttural letter. 'That I may recover' [ואבליגה] — that I may strengthen myself; it is a transitive verb, and its sense is: and I hold myself firm, like 'mavligiti' (Jeremiah 8:18).
Radak
"Look away from me" — that is to say: let go of me, so that You not chasten me any more with illnesses. "that I may take comfort (avligah)" — that is to say: I shall recover strength from the illness and return again to do Your will, for I have recognized that my transgressions were the cause of my illness; therefore I ask of You forgiveness and healing. "before I go" — to the grave. "and be no more" — that is to say: [it will be that] I am no longer [able] to do Your will. For this world is the world of deeds, and the world to come is the world of reward, but not a world of deeds, as it says (Ecclesiastes 9:10): "for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you are going." And our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said (Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 22a), [regarding] "which I command you this day, to do them" (Deuteronomy 7:11): "[It is] today to do them, and tomorrow" — the version before us in the Talmud reads: "and tomorrow, to receive their reward" — "to take their reward."
Metzudat David
"Look away from me" — Turn away from me the blow of Your hand, and let me strengthen myself in the Torah of Hashem, once these tumultuous and troubling afflictions are removed. "Before I go" — Before I go the way of all the earth and am no longer in this world; for after death, man becomes free of the Torah and the commandments.
Metzudat Zion
'Look away' (hasha) — turn away, as in 'turn away from me' (Isaiah 22). 'That I may take comfort' (ve'avliga) — and I shall strengthen myself, as in 'who flashes destruction' (Amos 5).
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat Zion
Malbim