A Shiggaion of David, sung to Hashem concerning Cush the Benjamite — an appeal for vindication from false accusation, trusting Hashem as the righteous Judge who searches the heart.
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Shiggaion of David, which he sang to Hashem, concerning Cush a Benjamite.
verse value 2284
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "of·David" (לְדָ֫וִ֥ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "concerning·words·of·Cush" (עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "Shiggaion" (שִׁגָּי֗וֹן), "which·he·sang" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר), "concerning·words·of·Cush" (עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "concerning·words·of·Cush" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "of·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שיר ("which·he·sang") in Psalms. First appearance of the root ימין ("son·of·a·Benjaminite") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: שִׁגָּי֗וֹן [Shiggaion] (369) + לְדָ֫וִ֥ד [of·David] (44) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר [which·he·sang] (1001) + לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ [concerning·words·of·Cush] (642) + בֶּן־יְמִינִֽי [son·of·a·Benjaminite] (172) = 2284.
Rashi
"A shiggayon of David" — Menachem says (p. 170) that this, too, is one of the names of a melody named for the instrument, and so he explained “on shigyonoth,” [in Habakkuk 3:1]. But our Sages (Mid. Ps. 7:18) explained it as an expression of error, that he confessed and prayed about the error that he had [committed by] reciting a song upon Saul’s downfall, as it is stated (in II Sam. 22:1): “And David spoke to the Lord, etc.” The contents of the psalm, however, do not indicate this, because it speaks of the nations (in verse 9): “May the Lord judge the peoples.” I, therefore, say that he recited it concerning Ishbi in Nob (II Sam. 21:16), who came upon him as a punishment for Saul; as our Rabbis explained, that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Through you, Doeg the Edomite was banished; through you, Saul and his sons were slain, etc.” as is stated in “Chelek” (Sanh. 95a). The errors that David asked of the Holy One, blessed be He, [were] that he [himself] be delivered into the hands of his enemies and that his descendants should not be destroyed. (The last sentence does not appear in all editions.) [Therefore, because his life was endangered,] David reversed his prayer and prayed that he should not fall into the hands of his enemies. Now this is its meaning: An error that David sang to the Lord because he had erred in saying to the Holy One, blessed be He, to deliver him into the hands of his enemies on account of Saul, who was slain because of him. Another explanation: Concerning the error of the skirt of Saul’s coat, which he had severed. "Cush" — Just as a Cushite has unusual skin, so did Saul have unusual deeds.
Ibn Ezra
“Shiggaion” — some interpret it as [meaning] ‘delight,’ like ‘you shall always be ravished’ [Proverbs 5:19]. And some say it refers to ‘his error.’ But what is correct in my view is that it refers to the tune of a poem whose opening word is ‘Shiggaion.’ “Concerning the words of Cush” — just as the poets of Spain, when writing their liturgical poems, write above, at the beginning of the poem’s line, the theme of a known melody. “Concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite” — some say that this is Saul, who was handsome, in the manner of ‘for he had married a Cushite woman’ [Numbers 12:1, taken to mean ‘a beautiful woman’]; but this is far-fetched in my view, that they would turn a term of praise into a term of disgrace — the opposite of ‘sagi nahor’ [an ironic euphemism, literally ‘abundant in light,’ used for one who is blind]. And what our Sages of blessed memory said, that he was not mentioned with a blessing [i.e., praised by name], so that the evil eye would not have power over him, is also very far-fetched. Rather, what is correct is that this Cush was a Jew, and that was indeed his name, and he was of the sons of Benjamin; for it is far-fetched to say of Saul, the chosen of Hashem, ‘behold, he travails with iniquity’ [see verse 15 below].
Radak
"Shiggaion of David" — we have already explained that "shiggaion" is one of the types of melody. So too it says in the prayer of Habakkuk (3:1): "upon shigyonot." "which he sang to Hashem concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite" — our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Targum ad loc. and Bavli Mo'ed Katan 16b, with some variation) that this psalm was said concerning Saul. They called him "Cush" because he was handsome, like "the Cushite woman" (Numbers 12:1), which the Targum renders "a beautiful woman" [ittita shappirta]; and such is the opinion of all the commentators. And they said: he was called "Cushi" [a Cushite] because just as a Cushite does not change his skin, so Saul never changed in his hatred toward David. In this same vein it says (Jeremiah 13:23): "Can the Cushite change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil." But the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, may his memory be blessed, rejected this explanation. For he said: how can this be said of the anointed of Hashem, [when the psalm says] "behold, he travails with iniquity" (verse 15)? And he said instead that there was a man among the sons of Benjamin who was [David's] enemy, and his name was "Cush." But his argument is no argument — for why should it not be said of Saul that "he travails with iniquity"? Did not David say to his face: "Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness" (1 Samuel 24:14)? And did he not say to him: "May Hashem avenge me of you" (ibid. v. 13)? And in the Midrash (Shocher Tov, ad loc.) [it says]: therefore he called his name "Cush," because it is written (Ecclesiastes 10:20): "Curse not the king, even in your thoughts" — and this midrash is correct. You see that all agree that this psalm was said concerning Saul, except for the commentator mentioned [ibn Ezra]. And as for his saying "concerning the words of," it is because there were many matters and affairs between him and [Saul]. Many times he thought to kill him, as is written. At first, when he became his son-in-law, he thought to cause him to fall by the hand of the Philistines; afterward he thought to kill him in his own house; and when [David] stood before him, [Saul] cast the spear at him several times; and after David parted from him, [Saul pursued him] many more times, when he chased after him. And the meaning of "concerning the words of [al divrei]" is: concerning the matter of, like "concerning the matter of the frogs" (Exodus 8:8), and others like these.
Metzudat David
"Shiggaion of David" — In this psalm he prayed concerning the mistake of his having cut off the corner of Saul's robe. "Concerning Cush, a Benjamite" — This refers to Saul, who came from the tribe of Benjamin; he called him "Cush" because he was distinguished in his deeds for praise, just as a Cushite is distinguished by his skin.
Metzudat Zion
"Shiggaion." — From the language of "error." "Sang." — From the language of "song." "Concerning." — An expression of "on account of," as in "concerning Cozbi" (Numbers 25:18).
Malbim
"Shiggaion, concerning the matter of Cush, a Benjamite" — as is made clear from the words of this song, that this Cush pursued David, and took with him "a congregation of peoples" — a gathering and a great nation — to make war against him. And this counsel of his became a snare for him, for in the pit he dug he himself was caught. And [the psalm] depicts it as though Cush and his congregation were the rod of Hashem's anger, to punish David through it; but after Hashem looked upon their evil deeds and weighed David's righteousness against them, He turned His anger away from David onto the congregation of his adversaries, and they were caught in the pit they had dug.
O Hashem my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me;
verse value 1618
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·You" (בְּךָ֣, 2 letters) and the longest is "save·me" (הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·all·my·pursuers" (מִכׇּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "save·me" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms). First appearance of the root רדף ("from·all·my·pursuers") in Psalms. First appearance of the root נצל ("and·deliver·me") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·taken·refuge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱ֭לֹהַי [my·God] (46) + בְּךָ֣ [in·You] (22) + חָסִ֑יתִי [I·have·taken·refuge] (488) + הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי [save·me] (451) + מִכׇּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י [from·all·my·pursuers] (384) + וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי [and·deliver·me] (201) = 1618.
Ibn Ezra
“Hashem, I have taken refuge” — [חסיתי] is an intransitive verb, and it is always construed with the [preposition] bet.
Radak
"Hashem my God, in You I have taken refuge; save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me" — "in You I have taken refuge" and not in the help of man; therefore "save me from all who pursue me" — those allied with Saul.
Malbim
"Save me" — since "in You I have taken refuge," and also "deliver me from their hand" (for "deliverance" indicates that one has already been caught in the hand of his snares, and is then rescued) — for if You do not deliver [me], I fear "lest he tear my soul like a lion" that tears its prey, for behold, he has already "torn apart" my limbs, and there is still "none to deliver."
Lest he tear my soul like a lion, Rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
verse value 1722
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "tearing" (פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "lest·he·tear" (פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "lest·he·tear" (פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף), "tearing" (פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "and·there·is·none" (root אין, 67x in Psalms); "who·delivers" (root נצל, 44x in Psalms). First appearance of the root טרף ("lest·he·tear") in Psalms. First appearance of the root ארי ("like·a·lion") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף [lest·he·tear] (429) + כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה [like·a·lion] (236) + נַפְשִׁ֑י [my·soul] (440) + פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק [tearing] (380) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·there·is·none] (67) + מַצִּֽיל [who·delivers] (170) = 1722.
Rashi
"rending it to pieces" — Heb. פרק, an expression of (Exod. 32:2): “Break off (פרקו) the golden rings.”
Ibn Ezra
“Lest he tear” — [referring to] each one of his enemies, like ‘the branches run over the wall’ [Genesis 49:22 — an example of a singular verb used distributively]. And the sense of “rending” [פורק] — for the lion severs the neck-joint. “And there is none to deliver” — except You; hence above [he said], “and deliver me.”
Radak
"Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver" — This is not said of another enemy that David had, but rather of Saul, who was a king; and of him it says, "rending it in pieces, with none to deliver." And it says "like a lion," for the lion is the mightiest of the beasts and is called king over them, and if it rends, "there is none to deliver." And "rending" (פרק) is of the same root as "and you shall break his yoke" (ופרקת עלו) (Genesis 27:41).
Metzudat David
"Lest he tear" — When You do not save me, the enemy will overpower me, and he might tear me apart like a lion. "Rending" — He will break me, and I will find no one to rescue me, for they have all risen up against me.
Metzudat Zion
"Rending." — An expression of breaking, as in "and will break their hoofs" (Zechariah 11:16).
O Hashem my God, if I have done this; If there is iniquity in my hands;
verse value 1880
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֑את, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·I·have·done" (אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "if·I·have·done" (אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי), "if·there·is·injustice" (אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "my·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "if·I·have·done" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms). First appearance of the root זאת ("this") in Psalms. First appearance of the root עול ("if·there·is·injustice") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱ֭לֹהַי [my·God] (46) + אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי [if·I·have·done] (831) + זֹ֑את [this] (408) + אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל [if·there·is·injustice] (457) + בְּכַפָּֽי [in·my·hands] (112) = 1880.
Rashi
"if I have done this" — What is delineated after it.
Ibn Ezra
“Hashem” — the sense of “if I have done this” — [means] that I have torn and rent. And the sense of “palm” [כף] — for with it a person strikes and kills.
Radak
"Hashem my God, if I have done this; if there is iniquity in my hands" — "If I have done this" [refers to] that which he [the enemy] is doing to me. And this is what he goes on to explain: "If I have requited the one at peace with me with evil" — if I have done evil with my own hand to a person, through injustice and violence.
Metzudat David
"If I have done" — if, when I did this, [namely] to cut off the corner of Saul's robe. "If there is iniquity in my hands" — did I do it in order to commit a wrong, to disgrace him, to make him stand clothed in a torn robe like the lowly?
Malbim
"Hashem my God" — behold, this Cush was caught by the work of his own hands and was not killed by David's hand, yet many were saying that David was the cause of his death. In response to this he says: even "if I have done this" — meaning, even if I had done this, killing him with my own hand — "is there iniquity in this, in my hands," in that I would have killed the one who came to kill me?
If I have requited the one who did evil to me, Or spoiled my adversary to emptiness;
verse value 2176
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·I·have·requited" (אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "if·I·have·requited" (אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי), "the·one·at·peace·with·me" (שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י), "and·I·plundered" (וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רע, 53x in Psalms). First appearance of the root גמל ("if·I·have·requited") in Psalms. First appearance of the root שלם ("the·one·at·peace·with·me") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי [if·I·have·requited] (524) + שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י [the·one·at·peace·with·me] (386) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה [and·I·plundered] (140) + צֽוֹרְרִ֣י [my·adversary] (506) + רֵיקָֽם [vainly] (350) = 2176.
Rashi
"if I repaid the one who did evil to me" — If I repaid him according to his deeds. "and I stripped my adversary into emptiness" — I destroyed his garment when I severed the skirt of his coat. Did I do it to destroy and to strip him and cause him to stand empty, and [was it done] with hatred? Only to let him know that he was delivered into my hand to kill him, and I did not kill him. [The word] חלצה is an expression of stripping off clothing.
Ibn Ezra
“If ... the one who dealt peaceably with me” [שולמי] — is from the simple [kal] conjugation, even though the [passive] form ‘שלומים’ is not found in the kal conjugation, but only in the heavy [pi‘el] conjugation. And some say it means ‘he who was at peace with me.’ And the sense of “or spoiled my adversary for nothing” — [is:] how could I have done evil to the one who dealt peaceably with me, when I in fact delivered [myself from] those who oppress and hate me without cause? And this is the sense of ‘for nothing’ [ריקם] — along the lines of ‘yet I have installed My king’ [Psalm 2:6]. And Rabbi Moshe said that the vav [in ואחלצה] is like ‘only,’ as in ‘and your servants have come to buy food’ [Genesis 42:10]. And some say that ‘or spoiled’ [ואחלצה] is along the lines of ‘and they despoiled the Egyptians’ [Exodus 12:36], but this is far-fetched.
Radak
"If I have requited the one at peace with me with evil" — one who was at peace with me, if I repaid him with evil — just as he [Saul] is doing to me, though I was at peace with him and was his son-in-law and fought his wars, yet he repays me evil for good. "Or spoiled my adversary to emptiness" — It was not enough that I did not "requite the one at peace with me with evil," but I even delivered those who were "my adversaries," for nothing. And for no gain would I rescue him, just as he [David] rescued him [Saul] from the hand of Abishai, who would have killed him had David not restrained him, saying: "Let me strike him, I pray, with the spear, pinning him to the ground, at one stroke, and I will not strike him twice" (I Samuel 26:8); and likewise, when he was in the cave, it is said: "And David checked his men with these words, and did not permit them to rise against Saul" (ibid. 24:8). And the vav of "ve'echletzah" is like the vav of "and/but your servants have come to buy food" (Genesis 42:10), whose meaning is: "No, my lord, it is not as you say, that we are spies, but rather your servants have come to buy food."
Metzudat David
"If I have requited" — while Saul was a man at peace with me, [meaning] did I then repay him evil for good, as he thought that I was an enemy to him? "Or spoiled" — behold, even at the time when it distressed me that he pursued me for nothing, without violence [on my part], his life was still precious in my eyes, and I brought him out of death, for I saved him from the hands of my men who sought to kill him, as is written in I Samuel — as if to say, behold, for this reason I cut off his robe, to let him know that he had been given into my hand and I did not lay a hand on him.
Metzudat Zion
"Or spoiled." — I will bring out and draw out. "My adversary." — From the language of "enemy." "To emptiness." — Meaning: for nothing, without cause.
Malbim
"Have I requited my ally" — that is, the man at peace with me — "with evil," in that "I armed" troops to fight against "my adversary for nothing" — against the one who is hostile to me for no reason, over a worthless matter — is it then fitting that "the enemy should pursue my soul," and also "overtake and trample my life to the ground," and besides this, also lay "my honor in the dust" — as though he had killed me by law and by justice for my sins? Would it have been fitting for me to be silent about this? (And according to the words of our sages, of blessed memory, who explained that this "Cush, a Benjamite" is Saul — referring to the fact that it was in [David's] power to strike him down when he cut off the corner of his robe, and had he killed him, he would have killed him lawfully, for [Saul] was pursuing his life and his honor.) "Selah" — with this he concludes the matter, and begins to depict the downfall of Cush.
Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it, And tread my life down to the earth; Indeed, let him lay my glory in the dust. Selah
verse value 2640
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "my·life" (חַיָּ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "let·the·enemy·pursue" (יִ֥רַדֹּֽף־אוֹיֵ֨ב, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 380: to·the·dust, let·him·lay. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·the·enemy·pursue" (יִ֥רַדֹּֽף־אוֹיֵ֨ב), "and·let·him·overtake" (וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג), "and·let·him·trample" (וְיִרְמֹ֣ס). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "my·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "Selah" (root סלה, 70x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נשג ("and·let·him·overtake") in Psalms. First appearance of the root עפר ("to·the·dust") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·life', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: יִ֥רַדֹּֽף־אוֹיֵ֨ב [let·the·enemy·pursue] (313) + נַפְשִׁ֡י [my·soul] (440) + וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג [and·let·him·overtake] (319) + וְיִרְמֹ֣ס [and·let·him·trample] (316) + לָאָ֣רֶץ [to·the·earth] (321) + חַיָּ֑י [my·life] (28) + וּכְבוֹדִ֓י [and·my·glory] (48) + לֶעָפָ֖ר [to·the·dust] (380) + יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן [let·him·lay] (380) + סֶֽלָה [Selah] (95) = 2640.
Ibn Ezra
“Let [the enemy] pursue” — some say it is [equivalent to] ‘יתרדוף’ [a reflexive form], but there is no need [for this], since there is no dagesh there to indicate that the tav is absorbed; moreover, it ought to have been ‘יתרדף.’ “And tread my life down to the earth” — on account of disgrace. “And my glory” — its meaning is ‘the soul,’ as in: ‘let my soul not enter their council’ — and correspondingly: ‘let not my glory be joined’ [Genesis 49:6]. And likewise: ‘my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices,’ followed by ‘my flesh also shall dwell securely’ [Psalm 16:9] — which refers to the body. Therefore Rabbi Yehuda ibn Bal‘am erred when he said that “my glory” means “my body” — for did he not know, even if he had not heard, that a person is composed of soul and body, and the honored part is the soul, hence the term ‘glory’? And he was led into this by finding [the phrase] ‘and my glory shall dwell in the dust, Selah,’ [reasoning] that the soul does not descend into the dust — but the verse speaks by way of a figure, and so too is it connected [elsewhere]: ‘my soul cleaves to the dust’ [Psalm 119:25]. And the sense of “Selah” — it was indeed truly so.
Radak
"Let the enemy pursue my soul" — This word (יִרְדֹּף, "pursue") is a blend of the Qal form and the Piel (doubled) form: from the Qal one would say "yirdof," and from the Piel one would say "yeradef"; and this word combines the two. The reason for the combination is that the enemy pursues him himself, and also causes others to pursue him, by telling others to pursue him. So too Saul himself pursued him, and also incited Israel to pursue him. And it says "my soul," because he [Saul] did not pursue him in order to imprison him, but rather to kill him — just as he intended several times to kill him with his own hand. "And overtake it, and tread my life down to the earth" — that is, "and if he overtakes me, he will tread my life down to the earth," for he will not leave me without killing me. And the word "if" (אם) is omitted, as in "and Hashem will give you bread of adversity and water of affliction" (Isaiah 30:3), whose meaning is "and IF He gives"; and "and you refused to let him go" (Exodus 4:23), [meaning] "and IF you refuse." And the vav of "veyirmos" is like a soft (rafeh) peh in the Arabic language. Or its meaning is: he [the enemy] thinks to himself, when pursuing me, that if he overtakes me, "he will tread my life to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust." "Indeed, let him lay my glory in the dust. Selah" — "My glory" is my soul. And his intent is to lay my glory in the dust. Even though the soul does not literally dwell in the dust when a person dies, this is by way of metaphor, as in "my soul cleaves to the dust" (Psalms 119:25). Or, according to the enemy's thinking, he supposes that my soul has no revival, for he considers me a wicked man, a man of bloodshed. And I have already explained the word "Selah" (Psalms 3:3) — that it is a raising of the voice in melody, and it has no bearing on the meaning of the passage in which it occurs; and I need not explain it in every place it occurs.
Metzudat David
"Let... pursue" — as if to say, and if it is not so as I have said, then let this be the recompense of my punishment: that the enemy pursue my soul, and hasten another to pursue me, and overtake me, and trample me into the earth all the days of my life, and bring my glory low, so that it dwells forever in the dust.
Metzudat Zion
'Yirdof' — this word is a hybrid form, combining [the pattern of] yif'ol (the simple future) and yaf'il (the causative future). 'My life' — he means: all the days of his life.
Arise, O Hashem, in Your anger, Lift up Yourself in indignation against my adversaries; Indeed, awake for me at the judgment which You have commanded.
verse value 3085
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵ֝לַ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·wrath·of" (בְּעַבְר֣וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 506: my·adversaries, You·have·commanded. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·the·wrath·of" (בְּעַבְר֣וֹת), "and·awake" (וְע֥וּרָה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "to·me" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "judgment" (root משפט, 65x in Psalms). First appearance of the root עברה ("in·the·wrath·of") in Psalms. First appearance of the root עור ("and·awake") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·adversaries', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: ק֘וּמָ֤ה [arise] (151) + יְהֹוָ֨ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ [in·Your·anger] (103) + הִ֭נָּשֵׂא [lift·Yourself·up] (356) + בְּעַבְר֣וֹת [in·the·wrath·of] (680) + צוֹרְרָ֑י [my·adversaries] (506) + וְע֥וּרָה [and·awake] (287) + אֵ֝לַ֗י [to·me] (41) + מִשְׁפָּ֥ט [judgment] (429) + צִוִּֽיתָ [You·have·commanded] (506) = 3085.
Rashi
"Arise, O Lord, with Your wrath" — against my enemies, such as Ishbi and his brothers and the Philistines, that I should not be delivered into their hands. "exalt Yourself" — boast, to show me the revenge of Your anger when You become angry with them. "and awaken for me" — that I should be able to execute upon them the judgment of revenge that You commanded. Now where did You command [it]? “You shall break them with an iron rod” (above 2:9). “Then I will be an enemy to your enemies” (Exod. 23:22). I found this in the Midrash (Mid. Ps. 7:6; Tan. Ki Thissa 20, Buber 13 with variations).
Ibn Ezra
"Arise... in the fury of my adversaries" — on account of their fury, arise against them in Your anger. Some say: it means that You provoke them until they fall into fits of fury. Some say: it means lift Yourself up through the raging fury of my adversaries. Rabbi Moshe said: "And awake for me" means "and arouse for me judgment" — that You have decreed that Saul's kingship should turn over to me, for in his view "Cush" [in the psalm's title] refers to Saul, either [because that was in fact his name] or because David feared to mention him by his well-known name. And Ibn Balaam said: it means "arouse the judgment You have decreed, to save me." According to these views, the form of "ve'ura" ["awake"] belongs to the verbs that can be transitive, similar to the word "shav" ["return"], which is sometimes transitive and sometimes intransitive. But correct in my opinion is that "ve'ura elai" ["awake for me"] is an intransitive form, and the comparative particle "kaf" is missing from the sentence, as in "a wild donkey's colt is born a man" — and when "the congregation of peoples" hears the judgment You have executed, they will come from the ends of the earth; this is the meaning of "shall surround You." The meaning of "and over them, return on high" is that He will return to the heavens to sit upon the throne of judgment; therefore what follows it, "Hashem judges the peoples," is also correct, for the people of Cush were servants among the nations, and they surrounded David as though they surrounded the Divine Presence, for he is a servant of Hashem and takes refuge in Him, as he mentioned at the beginning of the psalm.
Radak
"Arise, Hashem, in Your anger" — "Kumah" is accented on the final syllable (milra); the stress falls on the mem. He says: "Arise, Hashem, in Your anger" against those pursuing me to take my life. "Lift up Yourself in indignation against my adversaries" — through Your wrath against them, as He said, "in Your anger." Or its meaning is: because of the wrath that my adversaries harbor against me, "lift Yourself up" over them and save me from their hand. "Indeed, awake for me at the judgment which You have commanded" — "Awake for me, with the judgment which You have commanded" concerning me, and that is the judgment of kingship.
Metzudat David
"Arise, Hashem" — that is to say, although I did not sin against Saul, I do not seek [vengeance] against him and his men; but arise, Hashem, in Your anger, and lift Yourself up by bringing wrath upon my adversaries. "And awake for me" — arouse for me the mighty power of the arm to prevail over them, to execute upon them the vengeance of judgment that You have commanded and decreed against them — that is to say, through me will the vengeance of judgment be carried out.
Malbim
"Arise, Hashem" — he depicts it as though the enemy is the rod of Hashem's anger, to punish David through it, and concerning this he says, "Arise, Hashem, in Your anger" — that You are angry over my iniquities — "and lift Yourself up" still further "in the furies of my adversaries" — for there is a difference between "anger" (af) and "fury" (evrah): the term "evrah" indicates that the one who is angry crosses the boundary, becoming angry beyond the measure appropriate to the sin — meaning, that my adversaries magnify the anger beyond the [proper] measure, accusing and slandering [me] so as to have me punished more than is fitting. And the two halves [of the verse] are parallel: "Arise, Hashem, in Your anger, and awake for me [to] the judgment You have commanded" — that You awaken the judgment and the verdict You commanded, to punish me according to the measure of my sin, for this is the definition of "anger" (af) — "and lift Yourself up in the furies of my adversaries."
And let the congregation of the peoples compass You about, And over them return on high.
verse value 1841
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "and·the·congregation·of" (וַעֲדַ֣ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "let·it·surround·You" (תְּסֽוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 121: peoples, and·over·it. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·it·surround·You" (תְּסֽוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ), "and·over·it" (וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·over·it" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "return" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "and·the·congregation·of" (root עדה, 27x in Psalms). First appearance of the root סבב ("let·it·surround·You") in Psalms. First appearance of the root מרום ("on·high") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'let·it·surround·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַעֲדַ֣ת [and·the·congregation·of] (480) + לְ֭אֻמִּים [peoples] (121) + תְּסֽוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ [let·it·surround·You] (490) + וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ [and·over·it] (121) + לַמָּר֥וֹם [on·high] (316) + שֽׁוּבָה [return] (313) = 1841.
Rashi
"And [if] a congregation of kingdoms surrounds You" — If troops of nations follow You to save them, do not hearken to their voice. Distance Yourself from them and go back to sit in Your place on high; repoxa in Old French, repose. Another interpretation: Return on high to show them that You have the upper hand.
Ibn Ezra
"And the congregation" — I have already explained it. And the meaning of "and over it" is that He will raise Himself above them and show them His power. And Rabbi Moshe said: that "the congregation of peoples" is Israel, and the meaning of "and over them, return on high" is that He will raise it up on high. But this interpretation has neither sense nor substance.
Radak
"And let the congregation of the peoples compass You about, and over them return on high" — It says "congregation" in the general sense, and "peoples" in the particular sense. "The congregation" is the congregation of Israel, encompassing all of them; "the peoples" are the twelve tribes of Israel. And they are called "le'umim" — peoples and nations — just as Isaac said to Jacob: "and you shall become an assembly of peoples" (Genesis 28:3); and likewise God said to Jacob (ibid. 35:11): "a nation, and a company of nations, shall come from you." Now you see that He calls them peoples and nations with reference to the tribes, yet calls them an assembly and a congregation; for the twelve tribes are one assembly and one congregation. Now had it said "le'umim" in reference to the nations of the world, it would not have said "the congregation of"; for one congregation does not encompass them, since each nation is a congregation unto itself. Therefore the Christians erred, who interpret this verse as referring to Jesus, and explain "the congregation of the peoples" as referring to the gentile nations that returned to faith in him, and say that "and over them return on high" is a sign, for he descended to take on flesh. But you should say to them, first: that the psalm specifies at its beginning about whom it speaks. Furthermore, the prayer would be in vain: if he is a god, and if his prayer concerned the flesh, then his prayer did not help him. And if they say to you that it was indeed his will to be hanged, then he was a fool, for he was praying for something he did not want. Moreover, most of the psalm speaks of a single enemy, whereas he had many enemies. And concerning the taking on of flesh, I have already written to you, in the second psalm, what you should answer them. According to our own interpretation, the meaning of this verse is as follows: it was known in Israel that David had been anointed king, and it was also known that Samuel had anointed him at Hashem's word. And in the place where he was anointed, everyone recognized that Samuel had not done this thing of his own accord; for when Eliab, the eldest of his brothers, came, he [Samuel] said, "Surely Hashem's anointed is before Him" (I Samuel 16:6), for he thought that he [Eliab] was the king — until Hashem said to him, "Look not on his appearance, or on the height of his stature" (ibid. 16:7); and when the youngest came, God said to him, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he" (ibid. 16:12). If so, one who pursues David is like one who pursues God, and one who surrounds him to seize him is like one who surrounds the Blessed God Himself. And for this reason it says "compass You about," in the way that the prophet said (Zechariah 2:12): "for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye." For when God overlooks a person's transgression, it is as if He descends from the place of His power and from the seat of His judgment; and when He recalls his sin and judges him, it is as if He arises and is lifted up and returns on high, to the place of judgment. And so it is said concerning the vengeance upon Pharaoh (Exodus 15:1): "for He is highly exalted."
Metzudat David
"And let the congregation" — and even if the congregation of the Philistines, Ammon, and Moab surround [You], turning to You to be saved by You, return on high on account of it, to remove Yourself from it, and do not turn toward it.
Metzudat Zion
'And over it' — meaning, for its sake.
Malbim
"And let the congregation of the peoples compass You about" — that Cush and his congregation will surround You, as though they were prepared to accuse me before You and to execute upon me a judgment more severe than what You commanded, this being by means of "fury" (evrah), which goes beyond the boundary. But "and over them return on high" — for their sake and on their account, return to Your place on high, and relent from the harm You intended to do to me — meaning, when You look upon their deeds and weigh their deeds against mine, I will come out righteous in my judgment, and You will return to Your place. And he explains: "Hashem shall judge the peoples" — after Hashem judges and examines the whole community and weighs the deeds of these against those, then, at the time You judge me with this refined judgment, my deeds against theirs, then "judge me, Hashem, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is upon me," for over against them I will come out righteous in my judgment. And then "let the evil of the wicked come to an end" — the ending of the evil and the conclusion of the calamity will fall upon the wicked; meaning, although the evil began with me, it will end, in the end, with these wicked ones, and they will perish. "And establish the righteous" — [the word] "establish" (konen) denotes the completion of a building, that the completion of the building will be to build the house of the righteous. And behold, it says "according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is upon me," for "righteousness" (tzedek) denotes external righteousness according to one's deeds, while "integrity" (temimut) denotes that one is wholehearted in his intent to do righteousness, as the integrity of his heart. With respect to his external deeds He will judge him with the refined judgment — concerning which it says "Hashem shall judge the peoples" — but with respect to the integrity of his heart he will not need the refined judgment, for Hashem examines the heart, [to see] whether he is also, in and of himself, wholehearted with Him — concerning which it says "and my integrity that is upon me": with regard to integrity, He looks upon me for myself. And corresponding to these two it says "and He tests hearts and kidneys" — for indeed Hashem tests hearts to know the integrity of one's heart, and this corresponds to "my integrity"; and corresponding to "my righteousness" it says "God is righteous."
O Hashem, who minister judgment to the peoples, Judge me, O Hashem, According to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is in me.
verse value 1545
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלָֽי, 3 letters) and the longest is "judge·me" (שׇׁפְטֵ֥נִי, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·like·my·integrity" (וּכְתֻמִּ֣י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "peoples" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "upon·me" (root על, 120x in Psalms). First appearance of the root דין ("judges") in Psalms. First appearance of the root תם ("and·like·my·integrity") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָה֮ [Hashem] (26) + יָדִ֢ין [judges] (74) + עַ֫מִּ֥ים [peoples] (160) + שׇׁפְטֵ֥נִי [judge·me] (449) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כְּצִדְקִ֖י [like·my·justice] (224) + וּכְתֻמִּ֣י [and·like·my·integrity] (476) + עָלָֽי [upon·me] (110) = 1545.
Rashi
"May the Lord judge the peoples" — Reverse the sentence from upon us and place it upon the nations. "judge" — An expression of chastisements. "judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness" — But judge Israel according to the good deeds they have done and not according to the sins.
Ibn Ezra
"Hashem" — Rabbi Moshe said: the meaning of "judge me" is "take my case from those who wrong me." But correct in my opinion: that You, Hashem, are the Judge of the earth — "judge me" according to "my righteousness," for I did not repay Cush with evil.
Radak
"Hashem will judge the peoples" — meaning Israel, as I explained regarding "nations" (le'umim). And the meaning of "will judge" (yadin) is: that He will exact my vengeance and my judgment from them. And this is what he says next: "Judge me, Hashem, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is upon me" — for there is no iniquity in me, and I have not wronged them so that they should hate me. And he does not say this of all of them, but only of the evil ones among them who hated David without cause; and it is of them that he says: "let the evil of the wicked come to an end." For most of Israel loved David, because he was the one who led them out and brought them in while he was with Saul, and they were compelled to pursue him at Saul's command. Even from the tribe of Benjamin there were many who loved him, as it is written in Chronicles (I Chronicles 12:1-2): that they came to David at Ziklag.
Metzudat David
"Who minister judgment to the peoples" — when You judge the peoples with the judgment that is fitting, then judge me according to my righteousness and my integrity that are upon me — that is to say, judge me according to my good deeds, and withhold Your hand from my sins.
Oh that a full measure of evil might come upon the wicked, And that You would establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the heart and reins.
verse value 3196
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "evil·of" (רַ֨ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "let·it·end" (יִגְמׇר־נָ֬א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 204: just, just. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "let·it·end" (יִגְמׇר־נָ֬א), "and·may·You·establish" (וּתְכוֹנֵ֢ן), "and·who·tests" (וּבֹחֵ֣ן). The root צדיק appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "wicked" (root רשע, 87x in Psalms); "evil·of" (root רע, 53x in Psalms). First appearance of the root גמר ("let·it·end") in Psalms. First appearance of the root בחן ("and·who·tests") in Psalms. Full calculation: יִגְמׇר־נָ֬א [let·it·end] (304) + רַ֨ע [evil·of] (270) + רְשָׁעִים֮ [wicked] (620) + וּתְכוֹנֵ֢ן [and·may·You·establish] (532) + צַ֫דִּ֥יק [just] (204) + וּבֹחֵ֣ן [and·who·tests] (66) + לִ֭בּוֹת [hearts] (438) + וּכְלָי֗וֹת [and·kidneys] (472) + אֱלֹהִ֥ים [God] (86) + צַדִּֽיק [just] (204) = 3196.
Rashi
"destroy" — Heb. יגמר, lit. finish. An expression of destruction, and so did Menachem (p. 57) interpret: (77:9), “destroyed (גמר) His word”; (12:2), “a pious man has perished (גמר),” and so all of them. (This does not appear in certain editions.) "and may You establish the righteous...tests the hearts" — You know who is the righteous man that You may establish him. "the righteous God" — That is Your name.
Ibn Ezra
"Let evil come to an end" — "evil" is the subject [performing the action]. And "the wicked" are the objects [acted upon]. Some say: it means that the evil of the wicked should cease. Rabbi Levi said: that the vav of "and tests hearts and reins" is superfluous, and its meaning is simply that You know who is righteous and who is wicked; and the meaning of "reins" is a term for hidden things, comparable to the kidneys, which are hidden organs; and the meaning of "God is righteous" corresponds to "and establish the righteous."
Radak
"Let the evil of the wicked come to an end" — he says: that the evil which the wicked think and do will bring an end to them and destroy them. "And may You establish the righteous" — that is, may You establish the righteous man's way and his thought, and assist him. And he says this both about himself and about the righteous who were in Israel. "For the righteous God tries hearts and reins" — He, since He "tries hearts" and knows the thoughts of man, knows the righteous and the wicked; for many people present themselves as good, yet are not so. And He is a "righteous God" — meaning: He judges with righteousness, and gives to each person according to his words and his thoughts, for He knows everything.
Metzudat David
"Let... come to an end, etc." — the evil that the wicked do will accuse them, to destroy them from the world; and the righteous You will establish, to stand firm upon his foundation and base. "And [He who] tries" — behold, You, God, try the hearts and reins of the righteous, and You know that his heart is whole with You.
Metzudat Zion
'Yigmor' — from the language of gemer (completion) and sof (ending). 'Na' — [here it means] 'now.'
My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.
verse value 1267
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "my·shield" (מָגִנִּ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·God" (עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "upright·of·heart" (יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "who·saves" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "upright·of·heart" (root ישר, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: מָגִנִּ֥י [my·shield] (103) + עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים [upon·God] (186) + מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ [who·saves] (426) + יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב [upright·of·heart] (552) = 1267.
Ibn Ezra
"My shield" — he [David] will not wage war, for he relies upon Hashem, for He is "the Savior of the upright of heart," corresponding to "and tests hearts."
Radak
"My shield is upon God" — he should have said "my shield is God"; what then does "upon" mean? Rather, it means that my trust and my reliance is God, that He should be "my shield," He who "saves the upright in heart."
Metzudat David
"Who saves" — because He saves the upright of heart.
Metzudat Zion
'My shield' — a term for refuge, like a warrior [relying] upon his shield.
Malbim
"My shield" — he explains this against what was stated above, "God tests hearts and minds," and therefore "my shield is upon Hashem, God" — He will be a shield for me, in that He is "the Savior of the upright in heart," and knows that my heart is upright in my inner conscience, as it is written, "Do good, Hashem, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts." And against what is said, "God is a righteous judge," he says that "my shield" is upon — "God, Who judges the righteous, and the one who rages against Him, every day" — for even though outwardly some iniquity might be found in me, will He not render the true, refined judgment, which weighs the deed of the righteous against the deed of the wicked man who provokes God every day and commits abominations to anger Him?
God is a righteous judge, Indeed, a God that has indignation every day:
verse value 947
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱ֭לֹהִים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·a·God" (וְ֝אֵ֗ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·every·day" (בְּכׇל־יֽוֹם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "who·is·indignant" (זֹעֵ֥ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "in·every·day" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "and·a·God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms). First appearance of the root זעם ("who·is·indignant") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֱ֭לֹהִים [God] (86) + שׁוֹפֵ֣ט [a·judge] (395) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + וְ֝אֵ֗ל [and·a·God] (37) + זֹעֵ֥ם [who·is·indignant] (117) + בְּכׇל־יֽוֹם [in·every·day] (108) = 947.
Rashi
"a righteous judge" — are You to judge with righteousness. "is incensed every day" — when He sees the deed of the wicked.
Ibn Ezra
"God" — some say: that "righteous" functions as a verb, and He also judges whomever Hashem is indignant with every day, meaning that He judges continually. But in my opinion: "righteous" is a descriptive epithet for "judge." "And a God who has indignation" — "every day" is connected to the verse that follows it, "if he does not turn back," with the word "asher" ["who"] missing — similar to [the elliptical phrasing] "to strengthen Himself, their heart being whole" [i.e., "those whose heart is whole"] — as if it read "and if he does not turn back," [he] "whose sword He will sharpen." Some say: that "el" is like "eleh" ["these"], in the manner of "these were born to be healed." And the word "el" ["these"] refers back to the word "the wicked" mentioned above.
Radak
"God is a righteous judge" — like "Judge me, Hashem, according to my righteousness" (above, verse 9); and its meaning is: God judges the righteous man according to his righteousness, and the wicked man according to his wickedness. And this is what he says next: "And a God who is indignant every day" — meaning: He judges the righteous man, and He judges whoever it is that "is indignant against God every day," because he does not turn back from his wickedness. And this is what he says afterward: "if he does not turn back." "If" (im) stands in place of "because" (ki), as in "and if the jubilee shall be" (Numbers 36:4), which stands in place of "because," or "as/when" (ka'asher). And "every day" means: continually. And what was Saul's "indignation" against God? That he scorned the deed and word of God, for he knew that David had been anointed by Hashem to be king after him, yet he pursued him every day to kill him. Behold, he was thinking every day of nullifying the word of God. And furthermore: David was innocent and had not sinned against him, yet he wished to shed innocent blood. And furthermore: he had sworn, "as Hashem lives," that he would not kill him. For all these reasons he deserved to be called "indignant."
Metzudat David
"A righteous judge" — He judges with righteous judgment, and is angry every day at those who do evil against Him.
If a man does not turn, He will whet His sword, He has bent His bow, and made it ready;
verse value 2138
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "he·has·bent" (דָ֝רַ֗ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·made·it·ready" (וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·will·sharpen" (יִלְט֑וֹשׁ), "His·bow" (קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ), "and·made·it·ready" (וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·turns" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "he·has·bent" (root דרך, 70x in Psalms); "and·made·it·ready" (root כון, 52x in Psalms). First appearance of the root אם ("if·not") in Psalms. First appearance of the root חרב ("His·sword") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·will·sharpen', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִם־לֹ֣א [if·not] (72) + יָ֭שׁוּב [he·turns] (318) + חַרְבּ֣וֹ [His·sword] (216) + יִלְט֑וֹשׁ [he·will·sharpen] (355) + קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ [His·bow] (806) + דָ֝רַ֗ךְ [he·has·bent] (224) + וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ [and·made·it·ready] (147) = 2138.
Rashi
"If he does not repent" — [i.e., if] the wicked [does not repent] of his wickedness. "He will whet His sword" — The Holy One, blessed be He, [will whet His sword] for him. ילטוש means forbira in Old French, to polish, furbish; and He will tread His bow.
Ibn Ezra
"If," "and made it ready" — the meaning is "[the bow] aimed for shooting." "And for him" — for his own self.
Radak
"If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword" — we have already explained this as connected to what precedes. And he says: "for he will not turn back" from his wickedness, "and He will sharpen His sword" to kill me. "He has bent His bow and made it ready" — to shoot at me; meaning: I am close to death every day, like one who stands facing a drawn bow.
Metzudat David
"If a man does not turn" — if the one pursuing the righteous man does not turn back from his way, for he will go on sharpening his sword and his bow, which he has bent and made ready, to shoot it at the righteous man.
Metzudat Zion
'Yiltosh' — He will hone it, as in 'the forger of every cutting instrument' (Genesis 4:22).
Malbim
"If he does not turn back" — this is against what was stated above, "and over them return on high," meaning that on account of the deed of the wicked man, Hashem would return on high and not punish David; and accordingly it would be fitting that the wicked man too — who is the agent sent to punish — should likewise return to his place. But if he does not turn back, then "He will sharpen His sword, and His bow," which "He has bent, He has made ready" — to fix His arrow upon the string.
He has also prepared for him the weapons of death, Indeed, His arrows which He made sharp.
verse value 1151
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "and·for·him" (וְ֭לוֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "weapons·of·death" (כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "weapons·of·death" (כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת), "for·the·flaming·ones" (לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·for·him" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "he·has·prepared" (root כון, 52x in Psalms); "he·made" (root פעל, 38x in Psalms). First appearance of the root חץ ("His·arrows") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'weapons·of·death', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְ֭לוֹ [and·for·him] (42) + הֵכִ֣ין [he·has·prepared] (85) + כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת [weapons·of·death] (506) + חִ֝צָּ֗יו [His·arrows] (114) + לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים [for·the·flaming·ones] (214) + יִפְעָֽל [he·made] (190) = 1151.
Rashi
"And...for him" — And for the wicked man, the Holy One, blessed be He, has prepared deadly weapons. "for pursuers" — Heb. לדלקים, for pursuers, as (in Gen. 31:36): “that you pursued (דלקת) me.” And this is its meaning: His arrows to slay the wicked who pursue the righteous, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make and prepare them to slay them. Every [instance of] דליקה is an expression of pursuit.
Ibn Ezra
"Weapons of death" — that which he intended to kill others with. And Rabbi Moshe said: that the meaning of "if he does not turn back" is like "who does not turn back," the opposite of [the phrase] "that a ruler sins." "For those who pursue" — he made his sword sharp with burning fire. Some say: "for those who pursue" is like [the root in] "you hotly pursued after" — meaning "chased after" — so "for those who pursue" means "those pursuing to kill me." "He will make" — refers to the arrows.
Radak
"And for him He has prepared instruments of death; He makes His arrows for those who pursue" — "for him" and "for those who pursue" with him — after He "prepared" and "made" arrows and instruments of death, to kill me. And some explain "and for him" (ve-lo) as meaning "for his own sake," that is: for his own soul — meaning, the arrows that he prepared "for him" are for his own soul, for he himself will die by them. And "pursuers" (dolekim) is like "for you have hotly pursued (dalaqta) after me" (Genesis 31:36).
Metzudat David
"He has also prepared for him" — the recompense of his punishment will be that he has prepared these instruments of death against himself; and the arrows that he made with his own hands — behold, in truth he is making them against the pursuer, that is, against himself, for he will be killed by them.
Metzudat Zion
'Ladolkim' — meaning, to those who pursue, as in 'for you hotly pursued after [me]' (Genesis 31).
Malbim
"And for him" — the clauses are parallel: corresponding to "He will sharpen His sword" is "for him — that is, for himself — He has prepared instruments of death"; and corresponding to "He has readied the arrows of His bow" is "He fashions His arrows" — so that they will be ready against "those who pursue hotly" and chase after me.
Behold, he travails with iniquity; Indeed, he conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood.
verse value 1173
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "behold" (הִנֵּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "he·travails·with·iniquity" (יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·travails·with·iniquity" (יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן), "and·he·conceives" (וְהָרָ֥ה), "and·he·brings·forth" (וְיָ֣לַד). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "behold" (root הן, 24x in Psalms); "lie" (root שקר, 20x in Psalms). First appearance of the root הן ("behold") in Psalms. First appearance of the root חבל ("he·travails·with·iniquity") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·travails·with·iniquity', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֥ה [behold] (60) + יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן [he·travails·with·iniquity] (107) + וְהָרָ֥ה [and·he·conceives] (216) + עָ֝מָ֗ל [mischief] (140) + וְיָ֣לַד [and·he·brings·forth] (50) + שָֽׁקֶר [lie] (600) = 1173.
Rashi
"Behold, he travails" — Heb. יחבל an expression of conception and birth, as (in Song 8:5): “there your mother was in travail with you (חבלתך).” "he conceives mischief, and gives birth to lies" — Whatever he begets and toils, everything betrays him. The adage says: Whatever lies beget, diminution takes.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, he travails" — like "your mother was in labor with you," before the labor pang comes. "And conceives mischief" — the meaning is that his beginning is vanity and his end is nothingness, for all his thoughts will remain [as mere thoughts] and not come to pass.
Radak
"Behold, he travails with iniquity; he conceives mischief, and gives birth to falsehood" — he compares the thoughts of the heart to pregnancy. And when they emerge in speech or in deed, they resemble a woman's labor pains and her giving birth. If so, the analogy of speech is the labor pains, and the analogy of deed is the birth. And he says: that he speaks the iniquity with his mouth, for he conceives it in his heart and brings it forth in speech, into deed. And "iniquity" (aven), "mischief" (amal), and "falsehood" (sheker) are one and the same notion, only the words differ.
Metzudat David
"He travails with iniquity" — like a woman who, from the very labor pains she has, conceives that same thing and gives birth to it, so too these wicked ones — behold, their evil deeds were not done by chance, but rather they planned from the outset to do them, and by this very thing will be the recompense of their payment.
Malbim
"Behold, he travails with iniquity" — he depicts, by way of metaphor, the preparation, the intention, and the deed of the wicked, as though he received the seed and conceived it in the womb and gave birth: behold, he "travails with iniquity, and conceives mischief," but when the time of birth arrives, he "brings forth falsehood" — meaning, the child he intended through his deed is not born, for it turns out to his own harm.
He has dug a pit, and hollowed it, And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
verse value 1774
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "pit" (בּ֣וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·hollowed·it" (וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·has·dug" (כָּ֭רָה), "and·hollowed·it" (וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·made" (root פעל, 38x in Psalms); "and·fell" (root נפל, 30x in Psalms). First appearance of the root בור ("pit") in Psalms. First appearance of the root כרה ("he·has·dug") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·hollowed·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בּ֣וֹר [pit] (208) + כָּ֭רָה [he·has·dug] (225) + וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ [and·hollowed·it] (315) + וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל [and·fell] (126) + בְּשַׁ֣חַת [in·a·pit] (710) + יִפְעָֽל [he·made] (190) = 1774.
Ibn Ezra
"Pit" — the meaning of "and hollowed it" is to increase its depth. And the word "bashachat" ["in the ditch"] means the low place, of the same grammatical pattern as "one who winnows with a shovel," from the root meaning "wind." Some say: it is like [the phrase] "he was caught in his own pit."
Radak
"He has dug a pit and hollowed it out" — this is a repetition of the same idea in different words. And he says: that he "dug a pit" to make me fall into it, yet he himself will fall into it. He prophesied that Saul would die by the sword. And he says: "And he shall fall into the pit that he made" — the past tense is used in place of the future, as we have explained.
Metzudat David
"He has dug a pit" — with this he explains the preceding verse, and says: behold, the pit that he dug, which at first he intended to dig for someone else — then his recompense will be that he himself falls into it.
Metzudat Zion
'Bashachat' — [meaning] in a pit (bor), as in 'one who digs a pit' (Proverbs 26).
Malbim
"And he explains" — corresponding to what was said, "behold, he travails with iniquity," [is] "he has dug a pit" — the digging is the beginning of the excavation, and this, in the metaphor, corresponds to his receiving the seed of the iniquity. And corresponding to what was said, "and conceives mischief," he says, "and hollowed it out" — meaning, that he completed the digging; and this, in the metaphor, corresponds to the pregnancy of the mischief, in that he guarded his evil scheme and worked at it to complete it, like a woman who watches over the child during her pregnancy. And corresponding to "and brings forth falsehood," he explains, "and has fallen into the pit which he made" — it is the way of hunters of animals to cover over a deep pit, into which the animal falls, and there they set a trap in which it is caught and destroyed. He is depicting how, in preparing a pit to trap people, at the very moment he carries out his act of destruction, he himself is caught in it — he digs a pit and falls into it himself. Accordingly, the completion of the deed, which corresponds to the birth, did not turn out as he had intended, and he gave birth to falsehood. Now, "iniquity" (aven) is the evil deed done through fraud and violence, without justice, while "mischief" (amal) is the evil intention, in that he plans to do harm. And regarding this he said, "he travails with iniquity" — that he prepared himself to commit an act of violence — and "conceives mischief" — that he engages in extensive scheming to carry out the evil.
His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
verse value 1621
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "and·upon" (וְעַ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·his·head" (בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 214: his·scalp, shall·come·down. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "upon·his·head" (בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ), "his·scalp" (קׇ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ), "his·violence" (חֲמָס֥וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·upon" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "shall·return" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "upon·his·head" (root ראש, 33x in Psalms). First appearance of the root חמס ("his·violence") in Psalms. First appearance of the root ירד ("shall·come·down") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: יָשׁ֣וּב [shall·return] (318) + עֲמָל֣וֹ [his·toil] (146) + בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ [upon·his·head] (509) + וְעַ֥ל [and·upon] (106) + קׇ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ [his·scalp] (214) + חֲמָס֥וֹ [his·violence] (114) + יֵרֵֽד [shall·come·down] (214) = 1621.
Ibn Ezra
"Shall return" — the mischief that he devised returns "upon his own head"; and because he mentioned "his pate," he said "shall come down," for decrees come down from the heavens, on account of "his violence."
Radak
"His mischief shall return upon his own head" — the falsehood that he was committing in pursuing him "shall return upon his own head." "And his violence shall come down upon his own pate" — this is a repetition of the same idea in different words.
Metzudat David
"His mischief shall return" — the mischief that he wished to do to another shall return upon his own head. "And upon his pate" — the matter is repeated in different words, for emphasis.
Metzudat Zion
'Kodkodo' — this is the middle of the head, the place where the hair parts to one side and the other.
Malbim
"His mischief shall return upon his own head" — corresponding to "mischief," which is a matter of thought, he says that it will return "upon his head," for the head signifies the thought that issues from the brain. And corresponding to "iniquity," which is [expressed] in deed, he says that "his violence shall come down upon his own pate," for the pate is the outer part of the head.
I will give thanks to Hashem according to His righteousness; And will sing praise to the name of Hashem Most High.
verse value 1053
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1053 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "I·will·give·thanks" (אוֹדֶ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·sing·praise" (וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "like·His·justice" (כְּצִדְק֑וֹ), "the·name·of·Hashem" (שֵֽׁם־יְהֹוָ֥ה). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "I·will·give·thanks" (root ידה, 68x in Psalms); "like·His·justice" (root צדק, 49x in Psalms). First appearance of the root זמר ("and·I·will·sing·praise") in Psalms. First appearance of the root עליון ("Most·High") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·His·justice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אוֹדֶ֣ה [I·will·give·thanks] (16) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + כְּצִדְק֑וֹ [like·His·justice] (220) + וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה [and·I·will·sing·praise] (259) + שֵֽׁם־יְהֹוָ֥ה [the·name·of·Hashem] (366) + עֶלְיֽוֹן [Most·High] (166) = 1053.
Rashi
"I will thank the Lord according to His righteousness" — When He executes strict justice with righteousness, to judge the wicked according to their wickedness.
Ibn Ezra
"I will give thanks" — for He rendered judgment in his [David's] favor with righteousness, and He mentioned "Most High" corresponding to "shall come down."
Radak
"I will thank Hashem according to His righteousness" — and then "I will thank Hashem" according to "His righteousness" that He has done for me. "And I will sing praise to the name of Hashem, Most High" — for He is "Most High" over all, and rules over all, and does with His creatures as He wills.
Metzudat David
"According to His righteousness" — as is fitting, to give thanks for the righteousness of His judgment. "And I will sing praise" — I will praise, in song, the name of Hashem, saying that He is still Most High, and greatly exalted above all praises.
Malbim
"I will give thanks to Hashem" — thanksgiving is for the good one has received; and he will also "sing praise to the name of Hashem" in order to declare His wonders, His providence, and His mighty acts.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim