A Psalm of David, for the choirmaster Jeduthun. A meditation on trusting in Hashem alone as one's rock and salvation, and the emptiness of power, deceit, and riches.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 1131 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "of·David" (לְדָוִֽד, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·Jeduthun" (עַֽל־יְדוּת֗וּן, 8 letters). 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). Full calculation: לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ [for·the·leader] (218) + עַֽל־יְדוּת֗וּן [upon·Jeduthun] (576) + מִזְמ֥וֹר [a·psalm] (293) + לְדָוִֽד [of·David] (44) = 1131.
Rashi
"on jeduthun" — The name of a musical instrument. The Midrash Aggadah, though, [explains it to mean]: concerning the ordinances (דתות) and laws that are decreed upon Israel by their enemies.
Ibn Ezra
'For the leader, for Jeduthun' — the melody of a song beginning 'to Jeduthun,' which Jeduthun the singer composed, or another composed it about him; and it belongs to a far-off/distant instrument.
Radak
"For the Leader" — the psalm is of David, and he gave it to Jeduthun to sing. "For" (al) — like "el" (to/for); and this psalm was said with reference to the exile.
Metzudat Zion
"Jeduthun" — the name of a musical instrument.
Malbim
"For the leader" — this psalm divides into three parts: (1) he speaks to his enemies who plot evil against him; (2) he speaks to his own soul, [telling it] to trust and strengthen itself in Hashem; (3) a moral rebuke, that there is a God who judges on earth. (Part One) "Only for God does my soul wait in silence" — the fact that my soul is silent and unafraid of anything is only because it hopes in God, for "from Him" my salvation will come.
Only for God does my soul wait in stillness; From Him comes my salvation.
verse value 1575
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (אֶל־אֱ֭לֹהִים, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "from·Him" (root מן, 59x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ךְ [indeed] (21) + אֶל־אֱ֭לֹהִים [to·God] (117) + דּֽוּמִיָּ֣ה [silence] (65) + נַפְשִׁ֑י [my·soul] (440) + מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ [from·Him] (136) + יְשׁוּעָתִֽי [my·salvation] (796) = 1575.
Rashi
"does my soul hope" — Heb. דומיה. My soul hopes, as (above 37:7): “Wait (דום) for the Lord and hope for Him.”
Ibn Ezra
'Only (akh)' — the sense of 'akh' is to explain why 'my soul is still,' in the sense of 'be still before Hashem,' [and] 'be still until we reach you,' on the pattern of 'for these I weep' — that salvation comes to it [my soul] only from Hashem alone.
Radak
"Only" — do not wait for any other god, for from Him alone will come my salvation. "In stillness" (dumiyah) — silent and still, [waiting] for its salvation to come.
Metzudat David
"Only, etc." — I have not placed my hope in man; only toward God does my soul wait in stillness, for my salvation has always come from Him.
Metzudat Zion
"In stillness" [דומיה] — an expression of hope (תקוה), as in "we have hoped, O God, for Your mercy" (above, Psalm 48).
He only is my rock and my salvation, My high tower, I shall not be greatly moved.
verse value 1790
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "greatly" (רַבָּֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·my·salvation" (וִישׁוּעָתִ֑י, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·I·shall·totter" (לֹא־אֶמּ֥וֹט). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "greatly" (root רב, 67x in Psalms); "and·my·salvation" (root ישועה, 44x in Psalms); "my·rock" (root צור, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·my·salvation', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַךְ־ה֣וּא [indeed·He] (33) + צ֭וּרִי [my·rock] (306) + וִישׁוּעָתִ֑י [and·my·salvation] (802) + מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י [my·high·tower] (355) + לֹא־אֶמּ֥וֹט [not·I·shall·totter] (87) + רַבָּֽה [greatly] (207) = 1790.
Rashi
"I shall not falter greatly" — Great falterings. According to the Midrash Aggadah (Mid. Ps. 62: 2), “greatly” refers to Gehinnom.
Ibn Ezra
'Only' — I had no savior besides Him; and since he mentioned above 'from Him is my salvation,' he states here 'He is my salvation.' And the sense of 'I shall not be moved' — not into the deep (tehom). 'Greatly (rabbah)' — [seemingly] the opposite of 'my high tower,' for we find 'tehom' [the deep] used in the feminine, [as in] 'the deep exalted him.'
Radak
"He only" — He alone. "I shall not be greatly moved" — [construed as] "a great shaking," for God supports [me] with His hand, and the noun being modified is omitted [only the adjective "greatly" remains].
Metzudat David
"He only is my rock" — and none besides Him. "My high tower" — and because He is my high tower, I shall therefore not be greatly shaken, to the point of falling without rising again.
Malbim
"Only" — and do not think that He saves me by natural means; rather, "He alone is my rock and my salvation" — He alone, without any intermediary, not by way of nature. Therefore, "my stronghold, I shall not be greatly shaken" — since my stronghold, which strengthens me so that I not be shaken, is divine, it is therefore exceedingly great and mighty.
How long will you set upon a man, That you may slay him, all of you, As a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
verse value 3222
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 3222 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "fence" (גָּ֝דֵ֗ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·assail" (תְּה֥וֹתְת֣וּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "you·assail" (תְּה֥וֹתְת֣וּ), "you·slay" (תְּרָצְּח֢וּ), "like·a·wall" (כְּקִ֥יר). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·you" (root כל, 82x in Psalms); "how·long" (root עד, 50x in Psalms); "upon·a·man" (root איש, 39x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'leaning', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: עַד־אָ֤נָה [how·long] (130) + תְּה֥וֹתְת֣וּ [you·assail] (1217) + עַל־אִישׁ֮ [upon·a·man] (411) + תְּרָצְּח֢וּ [you·slay] (704) + כֻ֫לְּכֶ֥ם [all·of·you] (110) + כְּקִ֥יר [like·a·wall] (330) + נָט֑וּי [leaning] (75) + גָּ֝דֵ֗ר [fence] (207) + הַדְּחוּיָֽה [the·tottering] (38) = 3222.
Rashi
"will you plan destruction" — Heb. תהותתו. Menachem (p. 69) explained it as derived from (Jer. 12: 9): “come (התיו) to eat”; (Deut. 33:21), “He came (ויתא) to the head of the people.” How long will you gather against a man? But it appears to me that it should be interpreted as an expression of הַוּוֹת destruction, and the “hey” and “tav” are the radical. As one says from מֵת, מוֹת, so shall we say from the root הֵת, הוֹת, and the plural is הוּוֹת. It is an expression of a destructive and deceitful plot. Others explain תְּהוֹתֲתוּ as “you extend.” i.e., you extend your tongue on the sons of men with evil, and they compared it to Arabic, when one speaks overly much. "as a leaning wall" — which is ready to fall upon the sons of men.
Ibn Ezra
'Until (ad)' — the sense of 'I shall not be moved' concerns a person's thought that he [the psalmist] might be toppled; therefore he rebukes them, saying, 'How long will you set upon (tehotetu) him' — from the root of 'havot' [mischief], [meaning] 'you plot against him'; and we find the resh of 'teratzechu' [that you may slay] vocalized with a kamatz. Therefore it is a verb whose agent is not named [a passive form], like [the phrase] 'and was not washed in water'; for the kamatz, the shuruk, and the cholam are all found in this verbal pattern, and this is in the manner of entreaty. And the sense of 'like a leaning wall' — that you shall be like this; and 'leaning (natuy)' is on the pattern of 'atsum' [mighty]; or it is one of the transitive verbs, and [the word] 'ad' [until] is displaced [from its natural position], so that the sense is doubled.
Radak
"How long" — he speaks against the enemies: you devise mischief against every single man of Israel. "That you may slay him, all of you" — May it be [God's] will that you all be slain and become like a leaning wall and a tottering fence, which are close to falling — that is to say, all your days shall be spent in fear, and in the end you shall die by murder. And the word "terutzchu" has a kamatz under the resh according to Ben Asher, and it is of the pattern whose subject is not mentioned [i.e., a passive form] of the doubled [intensive] pattern, for kamatz-chatuf and shuruk are equivalent within that pattern; and according to Ben Naftali, "terutzchu" has a patach under the resh. And we rely on the reading of Ben Asher.
Metzudat David
"How long" — until when will you plot mischief against every single man? "That you may slay him" — may it be [God's] will that all of you be slain; and just as at first you will be like a leaning wall about to fall and like a fence thrust from its place, so at first you will be in fear and dread, and in the end you will die by murder.
Metzudat Zion
"You set upon" [תהותתו] — an expression of הוות (disaster/mischief) and breaking (שבר). "As a wall" [כקיר] — a fence, meaning the wall of a house or a courtyard.
Malbim
"How long will you set [disaster] upon a man" — you bring calamity and ruin for the sake of a man, that is, through Saul you seek to bring calamity upon David. And by this "will all of you commit murder" — for even though you do this because of Saul, you too are considered murderers, because you are like a "leaning wall" ("against") "a tottering fence" — for a rickety fence stands beneath a wall that is leaning and about to fall, and the leaning wall falls upon the fence and topples it onto the man standing beneath, killing him. In such a case one cannot say that the actual killer was the wall alone, which pushed the fence, because the fence too caused the man's death — for had the fence been strong, it would not have fallen because of the wall; and even though the wall leaned upon it, it would have remained standing and would not have killed the man beneath it. Thus the killing is attributed to both: to the fence, which killed, and to the wall, which felled it. So too, allegorically, Saul pushes them to fell them upon David and murder him; yet nonetheless the murder is attributed to them as well, insofar as they are like the tottering fence that is not strong enough to withstand the wall — for had they been firm in their resolve, they would not have listened to Saul's voice to murder for no reason, and would have stood against him. Thus, even though you set calamity upon and for the sake of a man, nevertheless "all of you will commit murder," and you too are guilty in the matter.
They only devise to thrust him down from his height, delighting in lies; They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah
verse value 2293
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·curse·Selah" (יְקַֽלְלוּ־סֶֽלָה, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·his·height" (מִשְּׂאֵת֨וֹ), "they·devised" (יָ֥עֲצ֣וּ), "to·thrust·down" (לְהַדִּיחַ֮). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·bless" (root ברך, 76x in Psalms); "in·his·mouth" (root פה, 46x in Psalms); "and·in·their·midst" (root קרב, 37x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·bless', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַ֤ךְ [indeed] (21) + מִשְּׂאֵת֨וֹ [from·his·height] (747) + יָ֥עֲצ֣וּ [they·devised] (176) + לְהַדִּיחַ֮ [to·thrust·down] (57) + יִרְצ֢וּ [they·delight·in] (306) + כָ֫זָ֥ב [falsehood] (29) + בְּפִ֥יו [in·his·mouth] (98) + יְבָרֵ֑כוּ [they·bless] (238) + וּ֝בְקִרְבָּ֗ם [and·in·their·midst] (350) + יְקַֽלְלוּ־סֶֽלָה [they·curse·Selah] (271) = 2293.
Rashi
"because of his loftiness" — Because you are afraid of people (sic) perhaps he will reign and repay you your recompense, and your counsel is to cause harm to fall upon him. "with his mouth" — of each of them they bless. "but inwardly" — But in their thoughts they curse forever.
Ibn Ezra
'Only, to thrust him down (mise'eto)' — the sense is like [the verse] 'shall not his majesty (se'eto) terrify you,' [meaning] 'I will surely lift up [my hand] against them.' And he mentions 'to thrust down' — him, with falsehood, following the pattern of the displaced [construction discussed above].
Radak
"From his height" — from his greatness and his loftiness, which is from God; for he had mentioned "God" and "[my] Rock." And he says that "they devise" (ya'atzu) — every man [conspires] to thrust down this one and that one from his loftiness, that they may not give heed to him, for they do not consider that Hashem knows their thoughts; therefore they delight in falsehood, speaking one thing with the mouth and another with the heart, for they imagine that no one knows their heart, and so they bless with their mouths and curse in their hearts. "And inwardly" (uvekirbam) — the singular form [used] for each individual, and the plural form for the collective many.
Metzudat David
"Only to thrust him down from his height" — that is to say, behold, I have done no evil to any one of them, yet each one of them, out of his own loftiness and pride, has counseled with the others to drive me out of the world, and they delight in the lie spoken about me before Saul. "With his mouth" — each of them blesses me with his mouth, superficially, but inwardly, in their hearts, they curse me continually, even at the time when they bless me with their mouth.
Metzudat Zion
"From his height" [משאתו] — an expression of elevation (הרמה). "Lies" [כזב] — an expression of something that fails/ceases (דבר הנפסק), as in "whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 58:11).
Malbim
"Only from dread of him do they scheme to thrust him down; they delight in lies" — what they say, that their pushing the fence upon David to kill him is due to dread and fear of Saul, who is the wall that fells them so as to thrust down the fence — in this, "they delight in lies," it is a false claim, and it does not absolve their guilt in the matter, for it is evident to the contrary that they do this of their own heart and by their own will, not out of fear of Saul. For "with their mouth they bless" — Saul commanded them to show themselves before David as friends, and to investigate and spy out his whereabouts, as it is written (1 Samuel 23:22), "Go, prepare yet more, and see his place, for I have been told that he deals very craftily." And their blessing me to my face and appearing as friends is only "with the mouth" of Saul, because Saul commanded them to do so; but "inwardly they curse" — they themselves hate me and seek my harm on their own, not because of dread of Saul. "Selah" — the conclusion of the matter. (Part Two) "Only" — he speaks to his own soul: "My soul! Wait silently only for God, for my hope is from Him" — my hope for salvation is from Him, and likewise "He" is truly "my rock and my salvation."
Only for God wait you in stillness, my soul; For from Him comes my hope.
verse value 1719
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (לֵ֭אלֹהִים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "be·still" (דּ֣וֹמִּי), "for·from·Him" (כִּֽי־מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "for·from·Him" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ךְ [indeed] (21) + לֵ֭אלֹהִים [to·God] (116) + דּ֣וֹמִּי [be·still] (60) + נַפְשִׁ֑י [my·soul] (440) + כִּֽי־מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ [for·from·Him] (166) + תִּקְוָתִֽי [my·hope] (916) = 1719.
Ibn Ezra
'Only' — and I say to my soul: 'Only for Hashem alone, be still, my soul.'
Radak
"Only" — but my soul, do not be [swayed] by their counsel; rather, be silent before God alone. "And wait" — for from Him alone will my hope be, not from another, and He will save me from them and from their schemes. And he repeats [this] again, saying:
Metzudat David
"Only, etc." — I am not concerned about them; only my soul waits in stillness for God, for my hope has always come to me from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, My high tower, I shall not be moved.
verse value 1583
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·my·salvation" (וִישׁוּעָתִ֑י, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "and·my·salvation" (root ישועה, 44x in Psalms); "my·rock" (root צור, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·my·salvation', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַךְ־ה֣וּא [indeed·He] (33) + צ֭וּרִי [my·rock] (306) + וִישׁוּעָתִ֑י [and·my·salvation] (802) + מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י [my·high·tower] (355) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + אֶמּֽוֹט [I·shall·totter] (56) = 1583.
Ibn Ezra
'Only' — many times He has been my rock and my salvation.
Radak
"He only is my rock" — to strengthen the trust; and I trust in Him that He will continue to be my stronghold, so that I shall not be moved at all — and this [refers to the time] when I go out from the exile; therefore he does not mention "greatly" [as he did in verse 3].
Upon God rests my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
verse value 1213
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "my·salvation" (יִשְׁעִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·God" (עַל־אֱ֭לֹהִים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "rock·of·my·strength" (צוּר־עֻזִּ֥י). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "my·salvation" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "and·my·glory" (root כבוד, 52x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·my·glory', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עַל־אֱ֭לֹהִים [upon·God] (186) + יִשְׁעִ֣י [my·salvation] (390) + וּכְבוֹדִ֑י [and·my·glory] (48) + צוּר־עֻזִּ֥י [rock·of·my·strength] (383) + מַ֝חְסִ֗י [my·refuge] (118) + בֵּאלֹהִֽים [in·God] (88) = 1213.
Ibn Ezra
'Upon' — if so, it is not for me to seek that I be saved, so that the glory be mine; rather, [it rests] upon Hashem, for He will save me and give me honor.
Radak
"Upon God" — that He shall bring me out from this trouble in which I am. "And my glory" — for I am despised in the exile, and He shall yet be my glory; when He brings me out from the exile, all the nations will honor me. "The rock" — of my strength and my refuge — in Him, not in another.
Metzudat David
"Upon God" — that is to say, is it not upon God that my salvation depends, and [upon Him] to preserve me in my glory? For He promised me the kingship, and it is upon Him to fulfill it. "The rock of my strength" — He is the one who strengthens my power, and therefore I take refuge in Him.
Malbim
"Upon God" — that is, he hopes from God for salvation and glory, which is kingship. And this is not something Hashem is obligated to do for him, for there are many righteous people who do not attain glory and kingship in this world; rather, it is because Hashem promised him the kingship. "Upon God rests my salvation and my glory" — this is something He took upon Himself to do for me. But "the rock of my strength, my refuge," which guards me from the enemy — this is found "in God," for even without a promise, it is His way to guard His faithful ones.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
verse value 1721
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "people" (עָ֗ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "pour·out·before·Him" (שִׁפְכֽוּ־לְפָנָ֥יו, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "trust·in·Him" (בִּטְח֘וּ־ב֤וֹ), "pour·out·before·Him" (שִׁפְכֽוּ־לְפָנָ֥יו), "a·refuge·for·us" (מַחֲסֶה־לָּ֣נוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "at·all·times" (root כל, 82x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: בִּטְח֘וּ־ב֤וֹ [trust·in·Him] (33) + בְכׇל־עֵ֨ת [at·all·times] (522) + עָ֗ם [people] (110) + שִׁפְכֽוּ־לְפָנָ֥יו [pour·out·before·Him] (582) + לְבַבְכֶ֑ם [your·heart] (94) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + מַחֲסֶה־לָּ֣נוּ [a·refuge·for·us] (199) + סֶֽלָה [Selah] (95) = 1721.
Ibn Ezra
"Trust" — After he had rebuked those who assail [him], he returns to speaking to the people of Hashem: "Trust in Him" — therefore [the verb is] in the plural. "God is a refuge for us. Selah" — for [the word] "us" [lanu] relates to "the people of Hashem" [mentioned just before]; and he mentions "refuge" here corresponding to [what was said above,] "my refuge is in God" (62:8).
Radak
"Trust" — he says to the people of the exile: trust in Him at all times that He will bring you redemption. "At all times" — even though the time of the exile is prolonged and the time of redemption has not yet come, trust in Him at all times — that is, [trust] in God. "Pour out your heart before Him" — in complete repentance, and the redeemer will come to you. "God is a refuge for us" — and His refuge shall not be a false refuge, like the refuge that [mere] men [provide]; therefore he says afterward:
Metzudat David
"O people" — you, my fellow countrymen, trust in Him at all times. "Pour out your heart before Him" — in prayer, for He has always been a refuge for us.
Malbim
"Trust in Him, O people" — you, the people, trust in Hashem, for trust in Hashem has an advantage over trust in anything else. First, trust in something else — in a person or the like — one cannot maintain at all times, for in a time of trouble he will not be able to save him; but in Hashem "you shall trust at all times." Second, trust in a person — you cannot reveal to him all the secrets of your heart, for there are things one would be ashamed to reveal to another person; but "before Hashem pour out your heart," revealing all the secrets of the heart. Third, "God is a refuge for us" — for in a person one can only trust, but in Hashem one finds refuge, as it is said, it is better to take refuge in Hashem than to trust in man, as explained there. "Selah" — the conclusion of the matter. (Part Three) "Surely men of low degree are vanity" — for there is no substance in them; and also "men of high degree," who do have some substance, "are a lie" — something that ceases and does not endure. "In the balances they go up" — if you see men rising to the heights of success, they are like one who rises on the pan of a scale, which is a sign "that they are altogether lighter than vanity" — for when two things are placed on the two pans of a scale, the vain and light thing rises upward, and the heavy thing falls down; so their rising is a sign that they are vanity, having no weight or substance in their essence.
Men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; If they are laid in the balances, they are together lighter than vanity.
verse value 1402
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·scales" (בְּמֹאזְנַ֥יִם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "sons·of·man" (בְּנֵ֫י־אִ֥ישׁ), "in·scales" (בְּמֹאזְנַ֥יִם), "to·ascend" (לַעֲל֑וֹת). The root הבל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "sons·of·man" (root אדם, 67x in Psalms); "sons·of·man" (root איש, 39x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·ascend', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֤ךְ [indeed] (21) + הֶ֥בֶל [vanity] (37) + בְּנֵֽי־אָדָם֮ [sons·of·man] (107) + כָּזָ֢ב [a·lie] (29) + בְּנֵ֫י־אִ֥ישׁ [sons·of·man] (373) + בְּמֹאזְנַ֥יִם [in·scales] (150) + לַעֲל֑וֹת [to·ascend] (536) + הֵ֝֗מָּה [they] (50) + מֵהֶ֥בֶל [than·vanity] (77) + יָֽחַד [together] (22) = 1402.
Rashi
"The sons of men are but vanity" — Do not fear them, since God is forever our shelter in time of trouble. "were they to be put on a scale" — If they came to go up on a scale, they and their vanities would be equal. This is the simple meaning, but midrashically, it is interpreted as concerning couples (Lev. Rabbah 29:8).
Ibn Ezra
"But" — do not trust in man, for they are vanity and falsehood; and if the common people and the eminent people were placed together on a scale, they would be found lighter than a breath — [this is said] by way of comparison, for they are "vanity of vanities," as said by his son Solomon [Ecclesiastes 1:2].
Radak
"Men of low degree are vanity" — like something empty and vaporous, a thing that does not register on scales when weighed — by way of illustration: if they were placed on scales together with vapor [hevel], they would be lighter than the vapor itself.
Metzudat David
"Men of low degree are vanity" — trust in man is vanity and falsehood, a thing that does not hold up when weighed in the balances. This is a figure of speech, meaning: if we were to think of raising them together on the scales of a balance — that is, the trust placed in all men — we would see that they are light and lesser than mere words of vanity. And this is an inverted verse [mikra hafukh, i.e., a verse whose clauses are transposed], as though it said, "they are together lighter than vanity."
Trust not in oppression, And put not vain hope in robbery; If riches increase, set not your heart on it.
verse value 2775
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵֽב, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·shall·trust" (אַל־תִּבְטְח֣וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 48: and·in·robbery, wealth. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·oppression" (בְעֹשֶׁק֮), "and·in·robbery" (וּבְגָזֵ֢ל), "not·you·become·vain" (אַל־תֶּ֫הְבָּ֥לוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "heart" (root לב, 74x in Psalms); "not·you·shall·trust" (root בטח, 50x in Psalms); "not·you·shall·set" (root שית, 32x in Psalms). First appearance of the root עשק ("in·oppression") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'if·it·increases', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּבְטְח֣וּ [not·you·shall·trust] (456) + בְעֹשֶׁק֮ [in·oppression] (472) + וּבְגָזֵ֢ל [and·in·robbery] (48) + אַל־תֶּ֫הְבָּ֥לוּ [not·you·become·vain] (474) + חַ֤יִל [wealth] (48) + כִּֽי־יָנ֑וּב [if·it·increases] (98) + אַל־תָּשִׁ֥יתוּ [not·you·shall·set] (1147) + לֵֽב [heart] (32) = 2775.
Rashi
"if wealth burgeons" — If you see wicked men whose money prospers and increases, pay it no heed. חיל is money. "burgeons" — Heb. ינוב, grows, an expression of produce (תנובה).
Ibn Ezra
"Trust not" — the sense is that he first said, do not trust in men to save you, and [now] do not trust in your wealth, that it will stand by you in your distress; this is the meaning of "if riches (chayil) increase (yinov)" — [chayil] as in "who has gotten me this wealth (chayil)" (Deuteronomy 8:17). And the word yinov means "increases," from the same root as tenuvah [produce, increase]; and he mentions "oppression" and "robbery" because most of men's wealth is acquired by one of these two means. "Oppression" — by means of enticement and deceit. "And robbery" — by force. And the meaning of "put not vain hope [in robbery]" [tehbalu] — you add vanity upon vanity.
Radak
"Trust not" — Oppression is money that comes into a person's hand from his fellow, which he does not return to him — that is, when he has become liable to him for that money and withholds it; and robbery is when one seizes his fellow's money by force. Most of people's money involves one of these two ways; therefore it says that a person's money has no stability. Therefore, do not trust in it to save you from distress, and do not put vain hope in it, for trust in it is vanity. "If riches increase" — When you see that your wealth flourishes and multiplies, do not set your heart on it that it will endure, for it will not endure; and "increase" (yanuv) means "it flourishes."
Metzudat David
"In oppression" — [trust not] to increase wealth through oppression. "Put not vain hope" — do not trust in vanity to increase wealth through robbery, for that wealth will not endure; and the matter is repeated in what follows. "If riches increase" — if you see wealth that comes from robbery growing and multiplying, do not set your heart to trust in such riches, for it will not last forever.
Metzudat Zion
"In oppression" [בעושק] — an expression of robbery (גזל). "Vain hope" [תהבלו] — from the language of הבל (vanity/futility). "Riches" [חיל] — wealth (עושר). "Increase" [ינוב] — from the language of תנובה (produce) and growth.
Malbim
"Trust not in oppression, and in robbery do not become vain" — for robbery is a worse vanity than oppression. And also "if riches increase" — if you see that robbery yields riches, that is, that it bears fruit and produce and profits wealth, riches, and success through it, nevertheless "set not your heart on it," for this wealth will not stand and will not endure.
God has spoken once, Twice have I heard this: That strength belongs to God;
verse value 2507
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "twice·this" (שְׁתַּֽיִם־ז֥וּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "twice·this" (שְׁתַּֽיִם־ז֥וּ). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "that" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "has·spoken" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·heard', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַחַ֤ת [once] (409) + דִּבֶּ֬ר [has·spoken] (206) + אֱלֹהִ֗ים [God] (86) + שְׁתַּֽיִם־ז֥וּ [twice·this] (763) + שָׁמָ֑עְתִּי [I·have·heard] (820) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + עֹ֝֗ז [strength] (77) + לֵֽאלֹהִֽים [to·God] (116) = 2507.
Rashi
"God spoke one thing" — I heard two things from it, and what are the two things? First, that God has strength to repay a man according to his deed. Second, that You, O Lord, have kindness. Now, from which statement do we derive this? From the second commandment of the Decalogue. We derive from it that the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes iniquity and preserves kindness, as it is stated therein: “I visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, etc.” Therefore, I am confident that He will pay a good reward to the righteous and punishment to the wicked. I learned from the work of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, but our Sages interpreted it as referring to [the maxim that] “Remember” and “Keep” were stated in a single utterance.
Ibn Ezra
"Once" — Hashem has already warned us time and again that strength belongs to Hashem alone, and He alone gives strength forever, or gives wealth — corresponding to "the rock of my strength" [mentioned above, 62:8].
Radak
"Once has God spoken" — [that is,] once and twice, meaning many times, has God spoken, and we have heard from the mouth of His prophets that strength belongs to God alone. Therefore a person ought not to trust either in his own strength or in his wealth.
Metzudat David
"Once" — God spoke a single statement, and from it I learned two things. "That strength [belongs to God]" — the first thing I learned is that strength belongs to God, and His hand rules over all.
Malbim
"God has spoken once" — thus God has spoken, that we should not trust in oppression and robbery, nor in the success by which the oppressor prospers. And although God spoke once, nevertheless "this twice have I heard" — I heard two things from His words. First, "that strength belongs to God," and therefore the robber and oppressor will not succeed, because God has the strength to punish the doer of wickedness. The second is because "Yours, Hashem, is loving-kindness," to save the oppressed and to watch over the righteous person who was oppressed, "for You repay each man according to his deeds" — reward to the righteous, mercy to the pursued, and punishment to the wicked and the pursuer.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to every man according to his work.
verse value 2181
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "mercy" (חָ֑סֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·You·Lord" (וּלְךָֽ־אֲדֹנָ֥י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·to·You·Lord" (וּלְךָֽ־אֲדֹנָ֥י), "You·render" (תְשַׁלֵּ֖ם), "as·his·deed" (כְּֽמַעֲשֵֽׂהוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "mercy" (root חסד, 125x in Psalms); "for·You" (root אתה, 115x in Psalms); "and·to·You·Lord" (root אדון, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'mercy', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּלְךָֽ־אֲדֹנָ֥י [and·to·You·Lord] (121) + חָ֑סֶד [mercy] (72) + כִּֽי־אַתָּ֨ה [for·You] (436) + תְשַׁלֵּ֖ם [You·render] (770) + לְאִ֣ישׁ [to·a·man] (341) + כְּֽמַעֲשֵֽׂהוּ [as·his·deed] (441) = 2181.
Rashi
"And You, O Lord, have kindness" — And what is the kindness? That You repay a man according to his deed; not really his deed but part of it, as the matter that is stated (Ezra 9:13): “for You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities [deserve].” In this manner it is interpreted in Aggadath Tehillim (Mid. Ps. 62:4). It may also be interpreted: And You, O Lord, have kindness because You have the power to repay a man according to his deed.
Ibn Ezra
"And to You" — after this, [the psalmist] gives thanks to Hashem, who has done kindness with men, and has warned them and informed them that He will repay each man according to his deeds. And some say that "for You" [ki attah] means "although," in the manner of "for it is a stiff-necked people" (Exodus 34:9) — [meaning:] nevertheless, kindness in the end belongs to You.
Radak
"And to You" — Some commentators explain that God, may He be exalted, did a kindness with mankind when He warned them and made known to them that He will repay each man according to his deeds. And some explain that [the word "also"] is like "even though," meaning: even though You repay each man according to his deeds, in the end mercy belongs to You, for mercy prevails, as it is written, "and abundant in kindness." And it may also be explained in relation to the theme of the psalm, which speaks in terms of the exile: it means, that which You have prolonged for us in exile is itself a kindness You have done with us, to benefit us in the end; for it is a kindness to a person when He repays him for the evil deed he did in this world, so that he may receive his reward whole in the World to Come for the good deeds he did.
Metzudat David
"Also to You, Hashem, belongs mercy" — and the second thing I learned from it is that Hashem does kindness with mankind. "For You render [to every man]" — that is to say, from this single word both things are heard: that You, Hashem, have spoken, that You will render to each man according to his deeds, as it is said, "And if you walk with Me with happenstance... etc., then I too will walk with you with happenstance" (Leviticus 27); and so likewise, for all the things in which a man sins, You render to him measure for measure. And were it not that His hand rules over all, it would then sometimes be impossible, in some matter, to render measure for measure; and from this itself it is heard that His way is to do kindness with man, for the fact that He punishes measure for measure is itself a great kindness, for then a person understands and comes to realize that it did not happen by chance but from Hashem, by way of punishment, and he hastens to turn back from his sins. And all of this reverts back to what was said above, meaning: what, then, is man's trust? Is it not good to take refuge in Hashem, since His hand rules over all and He does kindness?
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat Zion
Malbim