Psalms · Psalm 5

"on nehiloth" — Menachem interpreted all of them: nehiloth, alamoth, gittith, jeduthun, that they are all names of musical instruments, and the melody of the psalm was according to the melody fit for that instrument. However, [in the] Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Ps. 5:1,2,4) some explain “nehiloth” as an expression of heritage, but that is not the meaning of the word; moreover, the contents of the psalm do not deal with heritage. It is, however, possible to interpret נחלות as troops, like “a swarm (נחיל) of bees,” (Bava Kamma 114a, 81b), and like (II Sam. 22:5), “Bands (נחלי) of scoundrels would affright me,” which Jonathan renders: Bands (סיען) of sinners. [This is] a prayer concerning the bands of the enemies that come upon Israel, and the Psalmist recited this psalm on behalf of all Israel.

'For the Leader; upon the Nehiloth' — 'el' is like 'al' (upon, concerning) in meaning, as in 'and she prayed unto (al) Hashem' (1 Samuel 1:10), and 'concerning (el) this boy' (1 Samuel 1:27) — used interchangeably. The alef does not interchange with an ayin; rather, it is the letters alef-heh-vav-yod that interchange with one another, and shin with samech, because they are close in place of articulation. 'And ha-Nechilot' — the opening word of a liturgical poem; perhaps it comes from the same derivation as 'they shall inherit (yinchalu) for you' (Numbers 34:17), formed in the manner of 'that eating' (ha-achilah ha-hi) [that is, as a noun].

"For the Leader; upon the Nehiloth; a Psalm of David" — I have already explained the meaning of "Nehiloth" and the other kinds of melody in the psalm before this one. And Rabbenu Hai, may his memory be blessed, explained the word from the language of a "swarm [nechil] of bees," [as used] in the words of our Sages, may their memory be blessed (Mishnah, Bava Kamma 10:2) — meaning that its melody resembled the buzzing of bees. This psalm, too, concerns David's enemies, who were his enemies from within Israel. And our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Shocher Tov, ad loc.) that it was said concerning Doeg and Ahitophel, his enemies.

"The Nehiloth." — From the language of a "swarm" of bees (Bava Kamma 114) — it is the name of a musical instrument whose sound is heard like the buzzing of bees.

"For the Leader" — This psalm is divided into two parts. (Part 1, until verse 9) is, as it were, an introduction concerning the nature of prayer and its purpose, and how the heart of the one who prays to Hashem is stirred. (Part 2) is the request, in which he asks that Hashem guide him in paths of righteousness and save him from the hand of those who lie in wait for him.

"Give ear to my words, O Lord" — when I have strength to ask before You and, when I have no strength to pray before You and the worry is confined to my heart..."consider my meditation" — Heb. בינה. Consider the meditation of my heart. So it is explained in Midrash [Psalms 5:6]: In every [instance of] בינה in Scripture, the accent is under the “nun,” except this one and its fellow (in Job 34: 16): “And if you wish, understand (בִּנָה), hearken to this,” which is not a noun but an expression of “understand,” like (Prov. 23:1): “you should understand well (בין תבין) who is in front of you.” Therefore, the accent is under the “beth.”

'Give ear to my words' — from the same derivation as 'ears' (oznayim), as in 'incline Your ear.' 'Consider' (binah) is an imperative form, like 'sim'ah na' (place, please) (Job 17:3). 'My meditation' (hagigi) — the middle letter (the 'ayin' of the root) is doubled, for it is from 'hagah' — like 'zenuneha' (her harlotries) [similarly formed]. And he said to Hashem 'consider,' as one would speak to a son of man; and likewise 'and know my heart' (Psalm 139:23), and also 'give ear' — the meaning being that this should be made plain to all, for there is no doubt that He knows everything and has no need of ears, in the manner of 'He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?' (Psalm 94:9). 'Attend' (hakshivah) — this verb-form is construed with a lamed [preposition]; therefore it would not be correct to say 'mi yakshiveni' (who will attend to me) [with a direct object suffix]. 'My King' means: I have no king to cry out to, except You alone.

"Give ear to my words, Hashem; consider my meditation" — that which I utter with my mouth, "give ear" to; and that which I meditate in my heart, "consider." Therefore he says, with regard to "my meditation," "consider," and with regard to "my words," "give ear." And he says "הגיגי" (my meditation) from the root ה-ג-ה, with the second root letter doubled, similar to "for the lightning of the thunder" (Job 38:25), from the root ח-ז-ה.

"Consider my meditation" — that my prayer is offered with sincere intent of the heart.

"Give ear." — Incline the ear to listen.

"My words" — The conditions for a complete prayer are four (as the author of Sefer HaIkkarim writes): first, the beauty of the phrasing and the brevity of the words — concerning this he said, "Give ear to my words." Second, that the thought and inner reasoning agree with the outward speech — concerning this he said, "Consider my meditation." Third, that one should not pray about unnecessary matters — concerning this he said:

"Hearken to the voice of my cry" — give ear so that it is attentive, for this is a transitive verb [taking a direct object]. Thus it is written (Proverbs 2:2): "to make your ear attentive to wisdom"; "You will make Your ear attentive" (Psalms 10:17). And the word is construed with the particle ל (to), with אל (unto), and with ב (in). And sometimes it appears without any connecting particle, as in "I have been attentive and I hear" (Jeremiah 5:6); "who has been attentive to His word" (ibid. 23:18). "my King" — for You are King over me, and I cry out to You just as one cries out to the king. "and my God" — You, for You are my Judge, and You will save me from those who do evil to me. "for to You I pray" — and not to any other savior, for there is none besides You.

"For to You I pray" — and the king inclines his ear with kindness to his servant who trusts in him and asks of him his request.

"Hearken." — An expression of listening. "My cry." — My outcry.

"Hearken to the voice of my cry" — for the definition of the word "shav'ah" (cry) is that one cries out for salvation and prays about the trouble that has befallen him. Fourth, that he trust in his prayer in Hashem alone, and not that along with his prayer he place his trust in the help of flesh or in intermediaries between himself and Hashem — concerning this he said, "For to You" — to You alone — "I pray."

"in the morning You shall hearken to my voice" — In the morning, I call out to You about them, because it is a time of judgment for the wicked, as it is stated (below 101:8): “Morning by morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land”; (Isa: 33:2), “Be their arm every morning”; (ibid. 28:19), “for every morning it shall pass.” "in the morning I shall arrange to You" — my prayer concerning this. [The word]: אערך is an expression of arrangement (מערכה). Menachem (p. 138) classifies it in this manner. "and I shall look forward" — that You execute justice upon them.

'Hashem' — 'boker' (morning) means: every morning, like 'new every morning' (Lamentations 3:23). And the object of 'e'erokh lekha' (I will order to You) is elided, as though it said 'e'erokh lekha tefilati' (I will order my prayer to You), as I have explained — for the force of a noun [object] may be implied within a verb, as in the phrases 'u-verekh' and 'and I will not turn it back,' and 'in the multitude of counselors it shall stand' (Proverbs 15:22) — these being examples in future-tense forms, as though it were written above, 'for to You I pray my prayer.' And the word 'lekha' together with 'boker e'erokh lekha' draws both itself and another [phrase] along with it, like 'a gift in secret pacifies (yichpeh) anger' (Proverbs 21:14) — and it is as though it said, 'and I will look forward (atzapeh) to You.'

"O Hashem, in the morning You shall hear my voice" — because morning is the time for prayer, before a person becomes occupied with the affairs of the world. "In the morning I will order [my prayer] to You" — my prayer. "And I will look forward" — I will hopefully wait for You to grant me my request and my petition.

"Morning" — Every morning You shall hear my voice, for in the morning I arrange my prayer before You and let no mundane matter precede it; therefore I hope that You will hear my voice.

"And I will look forward." — And I will hope.

"Hashem, [in the] morning" — immediately, "in the morning You shall hear my voice," to help me the moment I call. For "in the morning I will order [my prayer] to You" — meaning, I will set the morning in comparison and relation to You, for You are like the morning: just as the morning illuminates the darkness, drives away the wolves of the evening and the beasts of prey, and restores souls to the [lifeless] bodies, so too, when Your light shines, the wicked will perish before God and the righteous will live and rejoice. And just as the morning necessarily comes after the night, so Your light of salvation will shine after the darkness of trouble. Therefore, "and I will look forward" — that the light of Hashem and His salvation will rise.

"For You are not a God Who desires wickedness" — Therefore, I arrange my prayer to You in the morning (appears only in certain editions) and it befits You to destroy wickedness from the world. "evil does not abide with You" — Heb. יגרך, it will not abide beside You.

'For' — the meaning is: Hashem, though it is in Your power to do good to the wicked, You do not desire it, because he had just mentioned 'my King.' 'Evil shall not sojourn with You' — meaning: it shall not dwell with You, like 'yishkavenah' (he shall lie with her) [used in the sense of dwelling]. And likewise, 'gidlani ke-av' (he brought me up as a father) (Job 31:18) — [meaning] 'gadal imi' (he grew up with me); and 'ra' (evil) here refers to a person, not an abstract noun — and the proof is, 'the boasters' — mockers — 'shall not stand (yityatzvu) before Your eyes,' as is the practice among the men of the earth.

"For You are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness" — why do I look forward to You? Because I know that You do not desire the wicked; if so, You do not desire my enemies, for they are wicked men, and I look forward to Your saving me from them, for You desire me and not them. "It shall not sojourn with You" — it shall not dwell with You; and likewise, "gidlani ke'av" [he raised me as a father] (Job 31:18) means "he grew up with me" — and there are many such examples. "Evil" — a wicked man. Or "evil" may be an abstract noun, like "wickedness," mentioned above.

"For not, etc." — and You will not give strength into the hand of the wicked who do evil to me. "Evil shall not sojourn with You" — Evil does not dwell with You; this is a figure of speech, meaning that evil is hateful to the Omnipresent.

"Sojourn with You." — Shall dwell with You.

"For You are not a God who desires wickedness" — the idol-worshiping nations used to attribute to their gods deceptive wickedness and all evil traits (as is known from the follies of their mythology). Because they attributed every power found in nature to a higher power from which that power derived — both the good powers and likewise the evil powers: cruelty, pride, envy, vengeance — they attributed these to the exalted gods they had fabricated for themselves, as though these traits derived from them. To the point that, according to this, they had a "god who desires wickedness" and a "god who desires good," and even the one who desires good would dread and fear the god who desires wickedness, for he would sometimes defeat him — as is known from the follies of the Greeks and their poems. He [the psalmist] says: behold, the unique God, the God of Israel — even though we picture Him as encompassing all powers, all of which derive from Him — behold, You are not "the god who desires wickedness," and You are also not like the gods of the nations, whom even the one who desires good dreads, and whom evil frightens. You — "evil does not dwell with You" and does not frighten You, for You are solely the source of good and lovingkindness, and evil and wickedness are separate and distinct from You. And therefore, since You are not a God who desires wickedness, therefore "the boastful shall not stand before Your eyes," as is the case among the nations, where the boastful stand [in worship] so as to resemble their gods, being cruel and murderous like them — for You "hate workers of iniquity." And since "evil does not dwell with You," therefore "You will destroy those who speak falsehood," for there is no one to shield him against You. For indeed, "the man of blood and deceit, Hashem abhors" — meaning, the nature of the Godhead abhors a man of blood and deceit, and the custom of the nations, who think that the idol loves a man of blood and deceit, is vanity and against the nature of the Godhead.

"Confused people" — who make themselves mad, and in the language of the Mishnah, מערבבין, confused.

'Not [shall they stand]' — 'yityatzvu' (shall stand) means in the manner of servants standing in attendance upon their king.

"The boasters shall not stand in Your sight" — the sense of "holelim" [boasters] is sometimes in the sense of folly, as in "and he feigned madness (vayithalel) in their hands" (1 Samuel 21:14); "I said of laughter, it is madness (meholal)" (Ecclesiastes 2:2); and sometimes in the sense of wickedness, as in "evil madness (holelut ra'ah)" (ibid. 10:13), and the like. And it is in this sense that "the boasters shall not stand in Your sight," as it says: "You hate all workers of iniquity" — and nevertheless one category includes them both, for wickedness is not the way of knowledge and wisdom. And the meaning of "in Your sight" is: like a person who hates another and does not wish to look at his face.

"Shall not stand" — You do not desire that the wicked stand before Your eyes.

"The boasters." — Fools and those of confused mind, as in "and to know madness and folly" (Ecclesiastes 1:17). "Iniquity." — Toil and falsehood.

"a man of blood and deceit" — This [refers to] Esau and his descendants.

'You shall destroy the man of blood and deceit' — this is the slanderer, like 'their tongue is a sharpened arrow, it speaks deceit' (Jeremiah 9:7). 'Hashem abhors' — Hashem is the subject [of the verb], and the meaning is that he is abhorred in His eyes and rejected.

"You destroy those who speak falsehood" — You destroy them from before You; and likewise: "Hashem abhors the man of blood and of deceit" — for they are abhorrent and despised in His eyes. And this is the way of the language, to speak sometimes in the second person and sometimes not in the second person.

"You destroy" — I know that You will destroy the one who speaks falsehood about me before Saul, for Hashem has always abhorred one who lies in wait for his fellow's blood while speaking to him deceitfully with feigned love; so too He abhors and will destroy the one who speaks falsehood about me, for indeed he speaks to me deceitfully, as though he were my friend.

"I...shall enter Your House" — to thank You for Your great loving-kindness that You have wondrously bestowed upon us, to grant us revenge upon them.

'But as for me' — he returns to what he had begun, 'in the morning You shall hear my voice' — explaining that he comes to the House of Hashem and has no offering with him with which to bow down in His Temple, unlike one who brings of the first fruits of the ground, where it is written, 'and you shall bow down before Hashem your God' (Deuteronomy 26:10). And the meaning is: I have no offering, only to give thanks for the abundance of Your kindness toward me. 'In Your fear' means: I have nothing with which to bow down except my fear of You, in the manner of 'and that His fear may be before you' (Exodus 20:20), for others [ordinarily] fear on account of Hashem.

"But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness" — they are despised in Your eyes, but I shall stand before Your eyes and before You, "I will come into Your house, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness" — for I put my hope in You. "I will bow down toward Your holy temple in the fear of You" — which is upon my face. And the meaning of "toward the temple": for one who bows down to God makes the temple and the holy place his direction, and bows down to God facing it. And the meaning of "Your house and Your holy temple": it is the house in which the Ark was.

"In the abundance of Your lovingkindness" — Because of the abundance of the kindness that You show me, I will come into Your house to bow down. "In fear of You" — and not to show off before people.

"But as for me" — meaning, behold, according to this there is a great difference between one who serves Hashem and prays to his God, and a foreigner who bows down to idols. For the idol-worshiper serves it and prays to it out of his fear of harm, wanting to appease it so that it will not harm him, to the point that his fear of harm brings him into the temple of vanity. But when he comes there and sees that his molten image is false and there is no spirit in it, his fear of it departs. But "I, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness, will come into Your house" — when I go to the house of Hashem, it is not fear of harm that leads me there, but rather the lovingkindness that extends over all existence in general — the kindness of God, which I perceive extending over everything that exists; through it I come into Your house to pray to You. And when "I bow down toward Your holy temple," then my flesh bristles from fear of You — not fear of harm and injury, but rather "in fear of You" — the fear of loftiness, of Your grandeur and Your greatness.

"those who lie in wait for me" — Heb. שוררי, those who look after me, who look forward to my betraying You, so that You should forsake me. [The word] שוררי is like (Num. 24:17): “I behold it (אשורינו), but it is not near.”

'Hashem' — the beginning of my prayer, that You should lead me in the way of Your righteousness. 'Because of those who lie in wait for me' (shorerai) — for I fear that my foot might slip and You would punish me, and then my watchers would rejoice. And its meaning is from the same derivation as 'I behold him, but not near' (Numbers 24:17), like 'Saul eyed (oyen) David' (1 Samuel 18:9) — referring to those who watch for the day of calamity. And the word 'hoyshar' (make straight) is like 'ha-yetze' (bring out) (Genesis 8:17) [a similarly formed imperative].

"O Hashem, lead me in Your righteousness" — this is my prayer to You, that You lead me "in Your righteousness," that is to say: that You assist me to walk in the way of righteousness and justice, and lead me in it so that I do not stumble. "Because of those who lie in wait for me" — so that they will not rejoice over my stumbling — "make Your way straight before my face." And "shorerai" [my watchful foes] is like "my enemies." It comes from the same root [gizrah] as "ashurenu ve-lo karov" — "I behold him, but not near" (Numbers 24:17) — because he looks with hostile intent, like "and Saul eyed David [with suspicion]" (1 Samuel 18:9). And this prayer is to save him from errors and from willful sins, as it is said (Psalms 19:13-14): "Clear me from hidden faults; keep back Your servant also from willful sins." "Hoshar [ketiv] / Hayshar [keri] — before my face — Your way": "Hayshar" comes with the sounding of the yod, the first root letter [pe ha-po'al], contrary to the pattern of verbs with a weak first radical [nachei ha-pe]; similar to it is "that come out with you" (Genesis 8:17), whose written form (ketiv) is with a vav, following the pattern of verbs with a weak first radical. And likewise with a patach under the second root letter [ayin ha-po'al], as in "bring down, Hashem, Your mighty ones" (Joel 4:11).

"Lead me in Your righteousness" — Put into my heart to walk in the way of righteousness; and because of these wicked ones who watch and wait for my downfall, lest they say, "Our hand has triumphed," put into my heart to see Your way as straight, so that I not stumble in it; for then, surely, they will not prevail against me.

"Those who lie in wait for me." — An expression of watching, as in "the eye that watches me shall see me no more" (Job 7:8).

“Hashem, lead me” — now he begins to set forth his request: he asks that Hashem guide him in the holy path of the Torah, so that his steps not turn away from it; for then those who lie in wait for him, who count the number of his steps, will rejoice over him. Now, a person may stray from the way, either because of error — in that he does not know the way — and for this he asked, “that Hashem lead him in His righteousness,” and teach him the way. Or, even if he knows the way, there may be obstacles there — a crooked and rugged terrain — and for this he asked, “that He make his way straight before him,” and not that He straighten the way at the time of his walking, for then he would be delayed until the way is repaired — but rather, “make Your way straight before my face,” before I walk upon it. And the applied meaning is that sometimes a person strays from the path of the Torah, not knowing which is the good way, owing to the limitation of the one who grasps it, the depth of what is grasped, and the length of the propositions — for this he asks that Hashem teach him the paths of life. And sometimes he cannot walk in it because of the disturbers who find him along his way — from the demand of necessary needs and the inclination of desire toward excess, as is written, all this, in the Guide [for the Perplexed]. For this he asked, “that He make his way straight before him.”

"For there is no sincerity in his mouth" — They appear as friends but they are enemies. "there is malice in their heart" — Their thoughts are deceitful. "their throat is an open grave" — to swallow others’ toil, like a grave that swallows up the body. "they make their tongue smooth" — with words of flattery.

“For there is no sincerity in their mouth” — [in the Hebrew, ‘his mouth’ is singular, meaning] in the mouth of each one of them, like ‘she who weeps for her children refuses to be comforted, for he is not’ [Jeremiah 31:15] — and “sincerity” [נכונה, feminine] is properly a description of the implied [feminine] word, that is, ‘an utterance,’ or of ‘she spoke’; and likewise ‘he answers harshly’ [Proverbs 18:23], and ‘his food is fattened’ [Habakkuk 1:16]. “Their inward part” — this is the hidden heart. “Engulfing ruin” [הוות] — from the same root as ‘and you would be a king to them’ [Nehemiah 6:6], for they devise evil schemes, [hoping] that perhaps they will come to be and take hold. “An open sepulcher” [קבר פתוח] — a sudden calamity. “They make [their tongue] smooth” [יחליקון] — from the pattern of ‘a smooth man’ [Genesis 27:11], and all of this is from the root of ‘a portion like a portion’ [Deuteronomy 18:8], because [a smooth surface’s] parts are equal.

"For there is no sincerity in their mouth" — this is the reason for what he said, "because of those who lie in wait for me," for they are men in whose mouth there is no "sincerity," but rather they present themselves with their mouths as friends. "Their inward part is a yawning gulf" — that is to say: they think evil thoughts in their heart. "Their throat is an open sepulcher; they make smooth their tongue" — for whoever does not guard himself against them, and hears them when they make their tongue smooth and speak smooth things and appear to be friends, will fall into their grave, which is the thought of their heart, which is for evil. And he applied the term "throat" to their words, as in "the exaltation of God is in their throat" (Psalms 149:6), for some letters are pronounced in the throat. Also, all speech begins from the throat, for the voice comes out of the throat and brings the speech to the mouth. Also, because the throat is open to the inward parts, which he likened to a grave, he said "their throat." And the word "nekhonah" [sincerity] is a feminine adjective whose noun is omitted, and its meaning is: "a saying" or "a word"; and likewise "his food is fat" (Habakkuk 1:16); "like a flock of shorn ewes" (Song of Songs 4:2); "he answers impudently" (Proverbs 18:23), and the like.

"For there is no sincerity in their mouth" — In the mouth of not one of them is there anything true; they appear as friends, but in their inward part they are enemies. In the midst of their heart they scheme wicked plans to break me, and their throat is like an open sepulcher, for they long to swallow me up, like a grave that swallows the dead; and with their tongue they speak smooth words, which do not come from the heart.

"Sincerity." — From the language of "established" and upright. "Their inward part." — The midst of their heart. "A yawning gulf." — Ruin, as in "until the disaster passes" (below, 57:2). "Their throat." — Their neck, as in "cry aloud with the throat" (Isaiah 58:1). "They make smooth." — An expression of soft, flattering words.

“For” — he explains what was said, “because of those who lie in wait for me”: that these who lie in wait for him — “there is no sincerity in their mouth.” The mouth always signifies external speech, while the tongue signifies the inner speech that is spoken in counsel and understanding. And these who lie in wait for him, with their external mouth, speak good things to him, but with their tongue — a tongue of deceit and smoothness — they plot to destroy him. And it is for this reason that he said that the good which appears in their mouth, their external speech — “there is no sincerity in their mouth,” for “they make their tongue smooth,” through smoothness of speech and the spreading of slander. And he depicts it as though their inward part were Sheol and Abaddon, as he says, “their inward part is a yawning gulf, and their throat is an open sepulcher,” into which the dead descends before going down to Sheol; and their tongue is a place of darkness and slipperiness, upon which whoever walks slips and falls into the pit and the grave — so that whoever comes upon their tongue slips and falls into their throat, which is the pit and the grave, and from there into their inward part, where there is ruin and calamity — Sheol and Abaddon. And this is a profound metaphor for the wickedness of their thoughts and their schemes. And therefore, “hold them guilty, O God,” so that they emerge guilty in judgment; and this is on account of two matters. First, because they sin by the counsel of the intellect, not out of desire or inadvertence — and concerning this he said, “let them fall by their own counsels.” Second, because they repeat their sin until they become habituated to it — and concerning this he said, “for the multitude of their transgressions,” as is written of the generation of the Flood, “And Hashem saw that the wickedness of man was great, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil” — from all of which it is seen, “for they have rebelled against You,” and they act to provoke in utter contempt. And the metaphor is as though their own evil counsel will be the cause of their downfall — from there they will fall from the height of their counsel to the ground. Concerning this it is said, “let them fall from their counsels” (the mem here is a locative mem, denoting the place from which they fall), and the abundance of their transgressions and their persistence in them will thrust them and push them to fall, so that they find their punishment directly from their own sin — by the measure of their sin, the sin will bring about their death, and in the measure that they measured, so shall it be measured back to them. But, “let all who take refuge in You rejoice,” as is written, “I will rejoice in Hashem... let sinners cease from the earth,” “let them ever shout for joy” — not as now, when their joyful cry comes only after the trouble and the deliverance from it, but rather that they should shout for joy continually, without trouble interrupting in between; rather, “and You shelter them,” continually, so that their joy will not be merely natural, but rather, “and let them exult in You,” through their recognizing that they are watched over by a wondrous providence from You — through their recognizing [this].

"by their own counsels" — which they formulate against Israel. Then all who take shelter in You shall rejoice.

“Hold them guilty” [האשימם] — the aleph is a root letter, or else it interchanges with a yod, as in ‘they shall be desolate’ [תישמנה], like ‘and the land shall not be desolate.’ And the sense of “by their own counsels” — for their own counsel will cause them to fall.

"Hold them guilty, O God" — some commentators explain it from the language of "desolation" [shemamah], for "asham" [guilt] and "shamem" [desolate] belong to the same category. But it is also possible to explain it in the sense of "guilt" [asham]. And its meaning: "hold them guilty" through their own counsel, that is to say, that what they planned to do against me should not come to pass or happen to them. And it uses the language of "guilt" in the manner of "and did not miss" (Judges 20:16); and this is what he goes on to say: "Let them fall by their own counsels; cast them down in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against You" — in their hatred of me; and You commanded concerning me that I be king, and they "rebelled" against Your words. "Maru" [rebelled] is of the same sense as "you rebelled against My word" (Numbers 27:14).

"Hold them guilty" — Therefore hold them guilty in judgment, and let them fall to a lowly state because of the evil of their counsel; and according to the abundance of their transgressions, so drive them from stumbling to stumbling, for indeed they have rebelled against You, since You warned them about this.

"Hold them guilty." — From the language of "guilt." "They have rebelled." — From the language of "defiance" and rebellion.

"and You shall shelter them" — You shall shield and shelter them. "exult in You" — when they see that You bless the righteous man, Jacob, and his seed.

“So shall they rejoice” — the sense of ‘and You shall shelter them’ is [tied to the fact] that he had [just] mentioned ‘those who take refuge in You’; and the word [תסך] is one of the geminate verbs, and the samekh appears without a dagesh, along the lines of ‘and it shall be lighter for you’ [Exodus 18:22].

"So shall all those who take refuge in You rejoice, they shall ever shout for joy" — the opposite of the enemies, who do not take refuge in You; and when You cast them down, those who take refuge in You will rejoice. And the meaning of: "And You shall shelter them" — that You will be over them like a sukkah [canopy/booth], so that their enemies will not harm them. "Let them exult" — the ayin and the lamed [the first and second letters of the root] carry a sheva. "...in You, those who love Your name."

"So shall they rejoice" — But those who take refuge in You shall rejoice forever, and You shall shield them from harm. "In You" — In Your salvation.

"And You shall shelter." — From the language of "covering." "And they shall exult." — And they shall rejoice.

"like a shield" — which encompasses a man from three sides. "will" — satisfaction, apayement in Old French; appeasement, kindness, peace of heart. "You shall encompass him" — תעטרנו, You shall encompass him (in Sam. 23:26): “but Saul and his men were encircling (עוטרים) David and his men.”

“For” — this verse is connected to the one before it: ‘those who love Your name’ will rejoice in You when they see that You banish the wicked and bless the righteous. Some say that “You encompass him” [תעטרנו] is from the simple [kal] conjugation, like [the example] ‘they crown [to] David.’ But what is correct is that it is from the added [causative] conjugation, along the lines of ‘the king shall enrich him’ [יעשרנו המלך, 1 Samuel 17:25] — that is, ‘he will make him rich’ — which takes two objects, and the true object is ‘favor.’ For the Holy One, blessed be He, crowns the righteous with favor; thus the righteous one is, in part, acted upon by the Holy One, blessed be He, in that he is crowned with favor — but the favor itself is, in truth, enacted by Him alone.

"For You bless the righteous, O Hashem" — then they will exult in You, when You bless the righteous and cast down the wicked. "You encompass him with favor as with a shield" — and like a shield, which surrounds a person all around, so You will surround the righteous with Your favor. And the word "ta'atrenu" [You encompass him] is of the simple [kal] conjugation, like "surrounding David and his men" (1 Samuel 23:26).

"For You, etc." — The verse is transposed: "For You, Hashem, will bless the righteous." "As with a shield" — Just as a shield surrounds the body, so will You surround him with favor.

"As with a shield" (tzinah). — This is similar to a "magen" (shield). "You encompass him." — An expression of surrounding, as in "surrounding David" (I Samuel 23:26) — so called because a crown encircles the head.

“For You bless the righteous, O Hashem” — You alone, for His blessing is providential, not natural. And then, “You encompass him with favor as with a shield,” for only the blessing of Hashem enriches without adding sorrow along with it. Not so a natural blessing — its owner will worry over guarding his wealth and protecting it. But together with the blessing of Hashem comes protection from Him as well, as is written, “Hashem bless you and keep you” — and so it adds no sorrow with it, only a fullness of favor, in that He encompasses him like a shield to guard him from every harm.