A Psalm of Solomon, a prayer for the king's righteous and enduring reign, that justice and peace fill the land and all nations bless themselves through him. It closes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
[A Psalm] of Solomon. Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king's son;
verse value 2312
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "give" (תֵּ֑ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "Your·judgments" (מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶיךָ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·son·of·king" (לְבֶן־מֶֽלֶךְ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "give" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "to·king" (root מלך, 70x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שלמה ("of·Solomon") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'give', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִשְׁלֹמֹ֨ה [of·Solomon] (405) + אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים [God] (86) + מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶיךָ [Your·judgments] (459) + לְמֶ֣לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + תֵּ֑ן [give] (450) + וְצִדְקָתְךָ֥ [and·Your·righteousness] (620) + לְבֶן־מֶֽלֶךְ [to·son·of·king] (172) = 2312.
Rashi
"Concerning Solomon" — He prayed this prayer on behalf of his son Solomon, for he foresaw with the holy spirit that he [Solomon] was destined to request of the Holy One, blessed be He, “a heart to understand, to hear judgment.” "Your judgments" — the wisdom of Your laws, which You commanded in the Torah. "and Your righteousness" — to judge justly. "to a king, etc., to a king’s son" — Both refer to Solomon. Another explanation: "Give Your judgments to a king" — The chastisements should end with me, and the charity You should bestow upon my son; viz. that there be peace in his days.
Ibn Ezra
'Of Solomon. Give the king...' — a prophecy of David, or of one of the psalmists, concerning Solomon or concerning the Messiah; and the letter lamed [in 'of Solomon'] is a sign [meaning] 'concerning,' like [the lamed in] 'and of Levi he said: Your Thummim and Your Urim' (Deuteronomy 33:8) — [the psalm being] addressed directly to Hashem. And he begins with 'O God,' on account of 'Your judgments'; and the meaning is that Hashem gave him authority to execute the judgments of God. And likewise 'and Your righteousness' — that he should be a righteous judge.
Radak
'Of Solomon' — David composed this psalm about his son Solomon when he made him king. And he says at the end of the psalm, 'The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended' (Psalm 72:20), for this was at the end of his days, when he was lying on his bed, and no other event had occurred to him about which he would compose a psalm; and with this psalm all his prayers and psalms come to an end — it is the conclusion of one of the five books contained in this book [of Psalms]. The compilers did not arrange it so that this book would be the last, for it is fitting to conclude the [whole] book with words of praise and psalms of hallelujah, since the [praise] psalms speak of the future, when Israel returns from exile. Some interpret it as referring to the Messianic King, and so too they read it in the Song of Songs, 'The thousand is yours, Solomon' (Song of Songs 8:12). 'Give the king Your judgments' — Give him knowledge and understanding to judge with justice and righteousness; and the second verse is an explanation of the first. 'and Your righteousness' — its meaning is Your uprightness. And the sense of 'to the king's son' is: You commanded the kingship for him and for his father, and since he will reign by Your command, grant that he be a righteous king.
Metzudat David
"Of Solomon" — that is to say, David prayed this prayer concerning his son Solomon. "O God, give the king Your judgments," etc. — David foresaw by the holy spirit that his son Solomon would in the future ask of Hashem for an understanding heart and to perform justice; therefore he prayed on his behalf and said, You, O God, give him a heart to perform the justice of the Torah. "And Your righteousness" — give him this gift as an act of righteousness. "To the king's son" — to Solomon, who is the king's son.
Malbim
"Of Solomon" — David, peace be upon him, composed this prayer at the time he crowned his son Solomon king, and it was the last prayer he composed in his lifetime, as it is written, "the prayers of David are ended" (Psalms 72:20). "O God, give the king Your judgments" — behold, the primary, general judgment is the foundation, and it is the scale by which lawgivers weigh all the particular laws, for every particular matter brought before the judges must be evaluated according to the supreme law of the primary judgment. But all the philosophers acknowledged that the human intellect cannot discover the supreme law and primary foundation of judgment, and it exists only with God, with whom the general understanding is found. Therefore he requested, "give Your judgments to the king" — that is, that He give him the primary judgments that are with Hashem, from which all the particular judgments branch out, just as Solomon himself requested, "and give Your servant an understanding heart to hear judgment" (1 Kings 3:9) — meaning, that the foundations of judgment should be imprinted in his heart, corresponding to how they exist with the supreme Lawgiver, blessed be He. And there is a difference between "judgment" and "righteousness" — that judgment is between a person and his fellow, while righteousness is the righteousness of deeds between a person and the Omnipresent. Now righteousness too a person cannot discover on his own, for the ways of the soul are very numerous, and the deed that is desired by God is hidden, and it is impossible to know its paths except from God. And for this he requested, "and Your righteousness to the king's son." And I have already explained (Isaiah chapter 9, on the words "to establish it and to sustain it with judgment and with righteousness") that the establishment of the king and the preparation of his throne is, at first, through judgment, as it is written, "and let our king judge us" (1 Samuel 8:20); but that the kingship should endure for his descendants after him, generation after generation, that depends on the merit of righteousness, for "by righteousness a throne is established" (Proverbs 16:12). And therefore it says, "give Your judgments to the king" — give him judgment on account of his kingship, and give him Your righteousness on account of his being the king's son, since the kingship is his by inheritance from father to son. And from here he will first explain the quality of judgment (verses 2, 3, 4), and afterward he will explain the matter of righteousness.
That he may judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.
verse value 997
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "Your·people" (עַמְּךָ֣, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Your·poor" (וַעֲנִיֶּ֥יךָ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·Your·poor" (וַעֲנִיֶּ֥יךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "in·judgment" (root משפט, 65x in Psalms); "in·justice" (root צדק, 49x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·justice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: יָדִ֣ין [shall·judge] (74) + עַמְּךָ֣ [Your·people] (130) + בְצֶ֑דֶק [in·justice] (196) + וַעֲנִיֶּ֥יךָ [and·Your·poor] (166) + בְמִשְׁפָּֽט [in·judgment] (431) = 997.
Ibn Ezra
And likewise is the explanation of 'he shall judge'; and the meaning of 'and Your poor' is that the officers, and also the wealthy, would overpower them.
Metzudat David
"And Your poor with justice" — and he will not show favor to the wealthy person who has a dispute with him [the poor person] in judgment.
Malbim
"He shall judge" — Mishpat (strict law) follows the fixed legal norm, while tzedek (righteousness/equity) follows the particular circumstance, in that sometimes one deviates from the line of strict law to act beyond the letter of the law, according to the time, the place, the matter, and the one being judged. And it says that "he shall judge the people" in general according to "righteousness," and he will not always base his rulings strictly on the law of the Torah if he sees that the particular righteousness of the case requires deviating from the general law — for example, if a rich man has a legal dispute with a poor man and would win according to strict law but not according to equity, he will compel the rich man to act beyond the letter of the law. "But your poor He shall judge with justice" — meaning that the case of the poor he shall judge according to the strict law of the Torah, letting the judgment pierce through the mountain [i.e., following strict law without deviation], and not turn their judgment toward acting beyond the letter of the law, since it is not in their power to do so, on account of their poverty.
Let the mountains bear peace to the people, and the hills, through righteousness.
verse value 1776
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·people" (לָעָ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·hills" (וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·hills" (וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת), "in·justice" (בִּצְדָקָֽה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "let·them·bear" (root נשא, 52x in Psalms); "mountains" (root הר, 43x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: יִשְׂא֤וּ [let·them·bear] (317) + הָרִ֓ים [mountains] (255) + שָׁ֘ל֥וֹם [peace] (376) + לָעָ֑ם [to·the·people] (140) + וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת [and·hills] (487) + בִּצְדָקָֽה [in·justice] (201) = 1776.
Rashi
"May the mountains bear" — peace for the people in his days. "peace for the people." — Now what is the peace that the mountains bear? When they produce fruit, people will not be jealous, and “each man will call his neighbor [to come] under [his] vine and under [his] fig tree.” "and the hillsthrough righteousness" — And the hills will bear peace for them through the righteousness that they will perform.
Ibn Ezra
'Let... bear' — the meaning is that when the king is a righteous judge, peace will increase in the land. And the meaning of 'mountains' is that there is no settlement there. And the meaning of 'through righteousness' is: on account of righteousness the mountains and hills shall bear peace, in the manner of 'because of Baal Peor' [a similar construction]. And some say that 'bitzedakah' (through righteousness) is like [the word] 'shalom' (peace).
Radak
'Let the mountains bear... and the hills' — a figure of speech for the nations, that peace will go out over Israel in his days; and so it was in the days of Solomon, and so it will be in the days of the Messianic King, and all Israel will live in righteousness and uprightness.
Metzudat David
"Let the mountains bear" — that is to say, they will sprout abundant produce which brings peace, for in a time of plenty no person's eye is begrudging toward his fellow. "And the hills" — they too shall bear peace, on account of the righteousness of his judgment.
Malbim
"Let them bear" — Now, for righteousness and justice to endure continually in the nation depends on two things: (a) on the side of the judge — and so it says "he shall judge Your people with righteousness"; (b) on the side of the people, for sometimes they pervert justice on account of poverty, since through poverty people commit fraud and wrong — and so it says "let the mountains bear peace to the people," meaning that through the abundance of produce on the mountains, as it is written afterward, "may there be abundance of grain in the land, on the top of the mountains" (Psalm 72:16), through this they will gather for themselves sheaves of peace, and there will be no strife or oppression among them. And sometimes they pervert justice because they are wicked and have no fear of Hashem in their hearts — and so it says "and the hills" [shall bear peace] through "righteousness" [tzedakah], that they will all be worshippers of Hashem and those who fear Him.
May he judge the poor of the people, and save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.
verse value 1723
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "shall·judge" (יִשְׁפֹּ֤ט, 4 letters) and the longest is "poor·of·people" (עֲֽנִיֵּי־עָ֗ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "poor·of·people" (עֲֽנִיֵּי־עָ֗ם), "and·shall·crush" (וִ֖ידַכֵּ֣א), "oppressor" (עוֹשֵֽׁק). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·save" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "to·sons·of" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "shall·judge" (root שפט, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'needy', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: יִשְׁפֹּ֤ט [shall·judge] (399) + עֲֽנִיֵּי־עָ֗ם [poor·of·people] (250) + י֭וֹשִׁיעַ [shall·save] (396) + לִבְנֵ֣י [to·sons·of] (92) + אֶבְי֑וֹן [needy] (69) + וִ֖ידַכֵּ֣א [and·shall·crush] (41) + עוֹשֵֽׁק [oppressor] (476) = 1723.
Ibn Ezra
'May he judge' — in the manner of 'judge me, O God' (Psalm 43:1); [meaning] he will render judgment for them. 'And the oppressor' — is one who takes his fellow's wealth by deceit, enticement, and in secret; and Solomon, in his abundant wisdom, would recognize the oppressor.
Radak
'May he judge' — he will render judgment for them against their oppressors.
Metzudat David
"The poor of the people" — even though their case involves a small matter, he will set his heart to judge it. "The children of the needy" — the weakest of all, on account of their poverty and lowliness. "And crush the oppressor" — the one who comes to oppress them.
Metzudat Zion
'And crush' — an expression of breaking and crushing. 'The oppressor' — a robber and a violent man.
Malbim
"He shall judge" — He explains that the matters of his justice between man and man extend over three things: (a) justice between a man and his fellow in matters of property, acquisitions, lender and borrower, and the like — and so it says "he shall judge the poor of the people," meaning that not only will he render judgment for the rich, but he will also judge the case of the poor, between poor man and poor man; even a case involving a small coin [perutah] he will judge like a case of a hundred maneh. (b) The justice of giving the destitute his due — that the children of the destitute who have nothing to eat, he will give them food and sustenance — and so it says "he shall save the children of the needy." (c) Justice against the robber, the violent man, and the oppressor, to punish him and crush him — and so it says "and crush the oppressor." The first is out of love of righteousness and uprightness; the second is out of generosity, compassion, and good character; and the third is out of zeal and might, to chastise the doers of wrong.
They shall fear You while the sun endures, and so long as the moon, throughout all generations.
verse value 1861
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "moon" (יָ֝רֵ֗חַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·fear·You" (יִירָא֥וּךָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "shall·fear·You" (יִירָא֥וּךָ), "with·sun" (עִם־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ). The root דור appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·before" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "shall·fear·You" (root ירא, 77x in Psalms); "generation·of" (root דור, 58x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·sun', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: יִירָא֥וּךָ [shall·fear·You] (247) + עִם־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ [with·sun] (750) + וְלִפְנֵ֥י [and·before] (176) + יָ֝רֵ֗חַ [moon] (218) + דּ֣וֹר [generation·of] (210) + דּוֹרִֽים [generations] (260) = 1861.
Rashi
"May they fear You in the presence of the sun" — All Israel will learn from him to fear You all the days of the sun and moon, generations upon generations. "and before the moon" — As long as the moon exists for generations, when they are before it [i.e., during its existence]. There are many such expressions in the language of the Mishnah. Before the Temple and not before the Temple [i.e., when the Temple existed and when it no longer exists].
Ibn Ezra
'They shall fear You' — and when he crushes the oppressor, all the oppressors will fear You. And the meaning of 'as long as the sun' is: all the days that the sun shall stand; and likewise 'and before the moon,' in the manner of 'they are crushed before the moth' (Job 4:19).
Radak
'They shall fear You while the sun endures, and before the moon' — forever; and likewise 'throughout all generations' — meaning, they will learn in his days to fear You, until in all the days [to come] they will fear You. And in saying 'while the sun endures and before the moon,' [it means] as long as the sun and moon exist — this is a manner of hyperbole. 'and before' — its meaning is 'and further.' And if this refers to the Messiah, then in his days the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem, and accordingly 'forever' would not be a hyperbole, for it will indeed be so forever.
Metzudat David
"They shall fear You" — in his days Israel will fear You at the rising of the sun and before the shining of the moon, that is to say, at all times. "Throughout all generations" — that is to say, and so it will be all the days of the generations, for Solomon will direct the hearts of the people of his generation toward God, and they will direct the hearts of their children [likewise], and so on forever.
Malbim
"They shall fear You" — Now he explains what was said [in verse 1], "and Your righteousness to the king's son": righteousness between man and Hashem, and the fear of Hashem, will be firmly established in the heart of the people, to the point that he poetically describes "that they shall fear You as long as the sun [endures]," picturing the sun and moon that revolve in their courses continually, without change and without interruption, in accordance with Hashem's command, as though they fear Hashem and keep His commandments. And this is the difference between Hashem's higher creations and man: man has free choice, and his inclination sometimes turns him away from obeying Hashem's command, but the higher beings rejoice and are glad to do the will of their Creator without any change or deviation. And he portrays that generation as resembling the sun and the moon in their fear of Hashem and in their constancy in doing His will — for just as [the sun and moon] never at all alter His will, so the fear of Hashem will become natural in their hearts, with no deviation whatsoever from His will. And this will continue "throughout all generations," like the days of the heavens over the earth.
May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.
verse value 1472
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "shall·come·down" (יֵ֭רֵד, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·showers" (כִּ֝רְבִיבִ֗ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "like·rain" (כְּמָטָ֣ר), "upon·mown·grass" (עַל־גֵּ֑ז), "like·showers" (כִּ֝רְבִיבִ֗ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "shall·come·down" (root ירד, 24x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·mown·grass', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֵ֭רֵד [shall·come·down] (214) + כְּמָטָ֣ר [like·rain] (269) + עַל־גֵּ֑ז [upon·mown·grass] (110) + כִּ֝רְבִיבִ֗ים [like·showers] (284) + זַרְזִ֥יף [drops·of] (304) + אָֽרֶץ [earth] (291) = 1472.
Rashi
"May it descend as rain upon cut vegetation" — May his word descend into the midst of Your people and into their heart as the rain that falls on the cut vegetation, which requires rain after being cut. As the matter is stated (Amos 7:1): “and behold the latter growth after the king’s mowings.” "that drip upon the earth" — Heb. זרזיף, an expression of drops. In Aramaic, in Tractate Yoma (87a): “Drops (זרזיפי) of water hit him.”
Ibn Ezra
'May he come down' — from his palace to the house of judgment; or, the judgment mentioned — 'may he judge the poor' — shall come down, in the manner of 'my speech shall drop as the rain' (Deuteronomy 32:2). And the word 'gez' (mown grass) is from the geminate verbs, from the root of 'to mow' — [as in] 'the king's mowing.' 'Zarzif' (showers) is a word of four letters that has no parallel; and its meaning is 'saturating' or 'abundance.'
Radak
'mown grass' — this is grass that has been cut down. 'showers' — an expression of dripping/trickling. He states that this king will come upon the people for their good, like the rain that falls upon the mown grass and makes it grow again, and like the showers that drip upon the earth and make the parched ground sprout. And if this refers to the Messianic King, in his days Israel will have great assurance and peace unlike any other, and he will come down upon Israel who are in exile like mown grass, which, when water comes upon it, blossoms and grows and multiplies greatly.
Metzudat David
"May he come down like rain" — the moral rebuke of Solomon will descend into the inner chambers of people's hearts to produce fruit, just as rain falls upon grass that has been mown, from above, while its roots remain below, the rain being the cause of the plant's remarkably swift growth. "Showers that water the earth" — that which drips into the ground, into the depth of the plowing.
Metzudat Zion
'The mown grass' — from the language of shearing/mowing (gezizah). 'As showers' — drops of rain that shoot forth like an arrow; the word is from the same root as 'an archer' (roveh keshet) (Genesis 21). 'Zarzif' [a drop] — an expression of dripping; and in the words of the Sages, 'zarzifei dema' (drops of water) (Yoma 86).
Malbim
"May he come down" — Given that the people's heart will be prepared for the fear of Hashem, the king's moral instruction and rebukes will come down upon them "like rain" that makes the grass grow. (Alongside comparing them to the sun, he also employs the metaphor of rain, since the sun and the rain together cause every plant of the field to grow.) "Upon the mown grass [gez]" — upon the greenery that has been mown, for the mown grass "opens its mouth" to absorb the rain, as it is written, "and behold, the aftergrowth following the king's mowings" (Amos 7:1), according to the commentators — meaning that he likens their eagerness to hear his moral instruction to the eagerness of the mown grass to receive the rain, as it is written, "may my teaching drip like the rain" (Deuteronomy 32:2), and "and they waited for me as for the rain" (Job 29:23). Ordinary grass has its mouth closed, and the rain moistens it from its roots, but the mown grass has its mouth open toward the rain; so too will they be made ready to receive his rebukes and to grow in their hearts the plantings of the fear of Hashem. And more than this — for he shall come down "like showers, drops upon the earth," even in a place that has not yet sprouted, and the showers cause the earth to bring forth growth; so too he will prepare for the fear [of Hashem] even people who until now have not attained understanding of moral instruction and the fear of Hashem.
In his days let the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.
verse value 1488
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "and·abundance·of" (וְרֹ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "may·he·flourish·in·his·days" (יִֽפְרַח־בְּיָמָ֥יו, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "may·he·flourish·in·his·days" (יִֽפְרַח־בְּיָמָ֥יו), "and·abundance·of" (וְרֹ֥ב), "until·no·more" (עַד־בְּלִ֥י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·abundance·of" (root רב, 67x in Psalms); "just" (root צדיק, 52x in Psalms); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Psalms). First appearance of the root פרח ("may·he·flourish·in·his·days") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: יִֽפְרַח־בְּיָמָ֥יו [may·he·flourish·in·his·days] (366) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + וְרֹ֥ב [and·abundance·of] (208) + שָׁ֝ל֗וֹם [peace] (376) + עַד־בְּלִ֥י [until·no·more] (116) + יָרֵֽחַ [moon] (218) = 1488.
Rashi
"May the righteous flourish in his days" — Israel. "and much peace" — will flourish in his days, and this peace will last forever. Now all this prayer was fulfilled except this thing, because Solomon sinned. Therefore his kingdom did not endure, for the kingship was given to David on this condition (I Kings 2: 4): “If your children take heed to their way,” but Israel sinned in his days. As it is said (ibid. 4: 20): “Judah and Israel [were] many, as the sand, etc.” And Israel flourished in his days, as it is said... And there was much peace, as it is said (ibid. 5:5): “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, etc., all the days of Solomon.”
Ibn Ezra
'Let... flourish' — the rain causes flourishing, therefore he mentions 'flourish.' And the meaning is that the righteous will increase and abundant peace will flourish; or, abundant peace will exist in his days, until the moon is no more. And the meaning [of that] is: forever.
Radak
'let... flourish' — the righteous and the good will increase in his days. 'and abundance of peace' — this too will exist, and it will endure. 'till [the moon] be no more' — meaning, as long as the world exists. If this refers to Solomon, it is a hyperbole, as we explained; and if it refers to the Messianic King, it is to be understood literally, that peace will last all the days of the world.
Metzudat David
"Let ... flourish" — he will grow great and rise higher and higher. "And abundance of peace" — he will have abundant peace, and it will continue until the moon wastes away, that is to say, forever.
Metzudat Zion
'Till it be no more' — from the language of decay (belayah) and destruction (hefsed).
Malbim
"Let flourish" — From this mown grass and the rain of his rebukes, "the righteous shall flourish" — meaning one who performs righteousness and conducts himself by it — and through this, [the same verb "flourish" applying to] "abundance of peace, till the moon is no more," that is, forever.
May he have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
verse value 1251
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "from·sea" (מִיָּ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·ends·of·earth" (עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·from·river" (וּ֝מִנָּהָ֗ר), "to·ends·of·earth" (עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ). The root ים appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·sea" (root ים, 31x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְ֭יֵרְדְּ [and·shall·have·dominion] (220) + מִיָּ֣ם [from·sea] (90) + עַד־יָ֑ם [to·sea] (124) + וּ֝מִנָּהָ֗ר [and·from·river] (301) + עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ [to·ends·of·earth] (516) = 1251.
Rashi
"And may he reign from sea to sea" — All of the land of Israel is from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines [the Mediterranean]. "and from the river to the ends of the land" — (I Kings 5:4): “For he had dominion over all [the inhabitants of] this side of the river, etc.”
Ibn Ezra
'And he shall have dominion' — if [understood] concerning Solomon: 'from sea' — the Sea of Reeds. 'To sea' — [means] the Philistine [Mediterranean] sea. 'And from the river' — this is the Euphrates. 'And to the ends of the earth' — this is the wilderness; and thus he has mentioned the length and breadth of the land of Israel. And if [understood] concerning the Messiah: 'from sea' — the southern [sea], called the Red Sea, to the northern sea, which is the Ocean Sea. 'And from the river' — a river that goes out from Eden, which is at the beginning of the east, unto the ends of the earth, which is at the end of the west.
Radak
'May he have dominion' — if this refers to Solomon, it is indeed said of him that he ruled over all the kingdoms; and if it refers to the Messianic King, this too is clear, that his dominion will be over the whole world. 'from sea to sea' — The sage Abraham ibn Ezra explained this as [referring] to the southern sea, called the Red Sea, [extending] to the northern sea, which is the Ocean Sea. 'and from the River' — the river that flows out of Eden, which is the beginning of the east. 'to the ends of the earth' — which is the end of the west.
Metzudat David
"And may he have dominion" — he will rule from the southern sea, called the Red Sea, to the northern sea, which is the Ocean Sea, and from the river that goes out from Eden, which is the beginning of the east. "To the ends of the earth" — to the end of the west.
Metzudat Zion
'May he have dominion' — an expression of rule, as in 'and have dominion (u'redu) over the fish of the sea' (Genesis 1:28). 'The ends' — extremities.
Malbim
(Verses 8-9) "And he shall have dominion" — Now he explains that through his doing justice he will merit three things: (a) great dominion, to crush peoples beneath his feet, for "he shall have dominion" and rule "from sea to sea," as it is written, "and I will set your border from the Sea of Reeds to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River" (Exodus 23:31); "and before him the desert-dwellers [tziyim] shall bow down" — these are the inhabitants of the wilderness.
Let those who dwell in the wilderness bow before him; and his enemies lick the dust.
verse value 1091
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "dust" (עָפָ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·enemies" (וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יו, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "nomads" (צִיִּ֑ים), "and·his·enemies" (וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יו), "shall·lick" (יְלַחֵֽכוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·him" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "and·his·enemies" (root איב, 71x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nomads', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְ֭פָנָיו [before·him] (176) + יִכְרְע֣וּ [shall·bow·down] (306) + צִיִּ֑ים [nomads] (150) + וְ֝אֹיְבָ֗יו [and·his·enemies] (35) + עָפָ֥ר [dust] (350) + יְלַחֵֽכוּ [shall·lick] (74) = 1091.
Rashi
"nobles" — Heb. ציים, companies of nobles, as (Num. 24:24): “and nobles (וצים) from the Kittites,” which the Targum renders: And companies will come around from the Romans.
Ibn Ezra
'Before him... the desert-dwellers' — those who dwell in a dry land. And what is correct in my view: [it refers to] ship-owners, as is written afterward, 'Tarshish and the isles,' which is like the isles of the sea. And Rabbi Moshe said: that [the word means] wild creatures (iyim) that dwell together with the kite in the wilderness — but this is not correct. And the word 'yashivu' (shall render) means that they shall give this continually, like 'and he rendered [tribute] to the king of Israel' (2 Kings 3:4). And some say: in the yearly return they shall give tribute.
Radak
'desert-dwellers' — dwellers of arid land; that is, the dwellers of the deserts, such as the Kedarites and others, even though they are far from settled land. 'shall bow before him' — and all the more so others [besides them]. 'and his enemies' — and those who wish to be his enemies will not be able to, but will lick the dust out of fear of him.
Metzudat David
"Those who dwell in the wilderness" — the men of the ships who come from a distance. "Shall lick the dust" — that is to say, they will bend their stature down to the ground to bow to him, like one who licks the dust, who bends his stature down to the ground.
Metzudat Zion
'Tziyyim' — ships, as in 'and a mighty ship (vetzi adir)' (Isaiah 33). 'Lick' — an expression of licking with the tongue, as in 'as the ox licks up (kilchok)' (Numbers 22).
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
verse value 3129
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Sheba" (שְׁבָ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·offer" (יַקְרִֽיבוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 328: shall·render, shall·offer. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·isles" (וְ֭אִיִּים), "gift" (מִנְחָ֣ה), "shall·render" (יָשִׁ֑יבוּ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·render" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "kings·of" (root מלך, 70x in Psalms); "shall·offer" (root קרב, 37x in Psalms). First appearance of the root אי ("and·isles") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·render', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: מַלְכֵ֬י [kings·of] (100) + תַרְשִׁ֣ישׁ [Tarshish] (1210) + וְ֭אִיִּים [and·isles] (67) + מִנְחָ֣ה [gift] (103) + יָשִׁ֑יבוּ [shall·render] (328) + מַלְכֵ֥י [kings·of] (100) + שְׁבָ֥א [Sheba] (303) + וּ֝סְבָ֗א [and·Seba] (69) + אֶשְׁכָּ֥ר [gift] (521) + יַקְרִֽיבוּ [shall·offer] (328) = 3129.
Rashi
"May the kings of Tarshish and the isles return tribute" — (I Kings 10:23): “For the king had at sea, ships of Tarshish with Aliram’s ships; once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come, etc.” "the kings of Sheba" — The queen of Sheba. "a gift" — Heb. אֶשְׁכָּר, a gift.
Ibn Ezra
'Eshkar' (tribute) — like 'minchah' (gift/offering).
Radak
'The kings of' — if this refers to Solomon, it is clear that all the kings of the earth would bring him tribute; and if it refers to the Messianic King, it is likewise clear that so it will be. 'tribute' — like a gift/offering. Its meaning is that they will bring it continually, every year; therefore it is expressed in a form denoting repetition, meaning time after time.
Metzudat David
"And the isles" — those who dwell on the islands of the sea. "Shall render tribute" — since it was a continual, repeated payment, time after time, it therefore uses the language of "returning," as in, "and he rendered... a hundred thousand lambs" (II Kings 3).
Metzudat Zion
'Tribute' — a present and a gift, as in 'they brought back your tribute (eshkarekh)' (Ezekiel 27).
Malbim
"The kings of..." — (b) great wealth, for "the kings of Tarshish and the isles shall render" him "tribute" time after time, as it is written (I Kings 5:1; 10:22); "and the kings of Sheba shall offer gifts" (as stated there, 10:10).
Indeed, all kings shall prostrate themselves before him; All nations shall serve him.
verse value 1174
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "all·nations" (כׇּל־גּוֹיִ֥ם, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·bow·down·to·him" (וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֥וֹ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·shall·bow·down·to·him" (וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֥וֹ), "all·kings" (כׇל־מְלָכִ֑ים), "shall·serve·him" (יַעַבְדֽוּהוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·kings" (root מלך, 70x in Psalms); "shall·serve·him" (root עבד, 61x in Psalms); "all·nations" (root גוי, 59x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·kings', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֥וֹ [and·shall·bow·down·to·him] (772) + כׇל־מְלָכִ֑ים [all·kings] (190) + כׇּל־גּוֹיִ֥ם [all·nations] (109) + יַעַבְדֽוּהוּ [shall·serve·him] (103) = 1174.
Rashi
"may all nations serve him" — (I Kings 10:24f.): “And all the [inhabitants of] the earth sought Solomon’s presence etc. And each one would bring his gift.”
Ibn Ezra
'And they shall bow down' — he specified by mentioning the kings of Tarshish and Sheba, and afterward generalized: 'and all kings shall bow down to him' — all the nations that are under their hand.
Malbim
"And they shall bow down" — (c) great honor, "that kings shall bow down to him," through their recognizing his wisdom and virtues, "and all nations shall serve him" willingly on this account, as it is written (ibid., I Kings 5:10).
For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and the one who has no helper.
verse value 1171
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·no·helper" (וְֽאֵין־עֹזֵ֥ר, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "for·he·shall·deliver" (כִּֽי־יַ֭צִּיל), "crying·out" (מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ), "and·no·helper" (וְֽאֵין־עֹזֵ֥ר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·no·helper" (root אין, 67x in Psalms); "for·he·shall·deliver" (root נצל, 44x in Psalms); "and·poor" (root עני, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'crying·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־יַ֭צִּיל [for·he·shall·deliver] (170) + אֶבְי֣וֹן [needy] (69) + מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ [crying·out] (416) + וְ֝עָנִ֗י [and·poor] (136) + וְֽאֵין־עֹזֵ֥ר [and·no·helper] (344) + לֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 1171.
Ibn Ezra
'For' — the meaning is that he shall judge the kings and also the peoples; and the poor man, in contrast to the king, has no one else — [therefore] another shall deliver him.
Radak
'For he will deliver' — therefore they will love him and serve him, for they will see that he is a righteous king, and that he will deliver the needy and the poor who have no helper.
Metzudat David
"For he will deliver" — that goodness will come to him by virtue of the fact that he will deliver the needy from his outcry, which he cries out because of his oppressors. "And the poor" — he will deliver the poor as well, and everyone who has no helper.
Malbim
"For he shall deliver" — He explains that he will attain these three virtues through the three things mentioned above (verse 4) that he practiced in the matter of justice. (a) Corresponding to what was said, "he shall judge the poor of the people" — "he shall deliver the needy who cries out" [mishavea, from the root meaning "to cry out"] "and the poor who has no helper" — meaning that if a poor man cries out for judgment against his oppressors, he himself will deliver him, not merely through the help of the judges he appointed in every city; and on account of this he will merit to rule from sea to sea, for in proportion to how much he continues to watch over those under his governance, so he will merit to govern great and mighty nations, as we explained, with Hashem's help, in the portion of Shemot.
He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save.
verse value 1644
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "shall·pity" (יָ֭חֹס, 3 letters) and the longest is "needy" (אֶבְיוֹנִ֣ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "shall·pity" (יָ֭חֹס), "and·souls·of" (וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹת). The root אביון appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·souls·of" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "shall·save" (root ישע, 75x in Psalms); "and·needy" (root אביון, 23x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·needy', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יָ֭חֹס [shall·pity] (78) + עַל־דַּ֣ל [upon·poor] (134) + וְאֶבְי֑וֹן [and·needy] (75) + וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹת [and·souls·of] (842) + אֶבְיוֹנִ֣ים [needy] (119) + יוֹשִֽׁיעַ [shall·save] (396) = 1644.
Ibn Ezra
'He will have pity' — upon the poor and needy among the peoples.
Radak
'He will have pity' — the matter is repeated for emphasis, as is customary; and likewise the verse that follows it.
Metzudat David
"He will have pity" — he will be compassionate toward the poor and needy. "He will save" — from the hand of those who rise up against them.
Malbim
"He shall have pity" — And corresponding to what was said, "he shall save the children of the needy," it says "that he shall have pity on the poor and needy," to give him food and sustenance — and not the salvation of the body alone, for also "the souls of the needy he shall save," to teach them conduct and moral instruction. And corresponding to his scattering his money to the poor, he will merit the virtue of great wealth, in the manner of "there is one who scatters, and yet increases more" (Proverbs 11:24).
He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence, And precious will their blood be in his sight.
verse value 1692
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 1692 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "their·blood" (דָּמָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·his·eyes" (בְּעֵינָֽיו, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·oppression" (מִתּ֣וֹךְ), "and·from·violence" (וּ֭מֵחָמָס), "shall·redeem" (יִגְאַ֣ל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "in·his·eyes" (root עין, 64x in Psalms); "their·blood" (root דם, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִתּ֣וֹךְ [from·oppression] (466) + וּ֭מֵחָמָס [and·from·violence] (154) + יִגְאַ֣ל [shall·redeem] (44) + נַפְשָׁ֑ם [their·soul] (470) + וְיֵיקַ֖ר [and·shall·be·precious] (326) + דָּמָ֣ם [their·blood] (84) + בְּעֵינָֽיו [in·his·eyes] (148) = 1692.
Rashi
"From blows and from robbery" — Heb. מתוך ומחמס, from blows and from robbery. I found [the following]: מִתּוֹךְ is an expression of “his innermost midst (תּוֹךְ),” men of plots, who plot iniquity, as (Prov. 29:13): “a man of deep thoughts (תככים).” "he will redeem their soul" — through the justice and righteousness that he will perform for them.
Ibn Ezra
'From... oppression' — this is oppression done in secret. 'And violence' — done openly, from the same root as 'your heels suffer violence' (Jeremiah 13:22); and [this] even though they are needy. 'And precious will their blood be' — in the manner of the phrase 'damim lo' (his blood is upon him); and the meaning is: they are precious in his eyes; he will not wish that they be killed — hence what follows.
Radak
'oppression' — this is deceit practiced without [the victim's] knowledge, whereas 'violence' is robbery committed with [the victim's] knowledge. 'and precious will [their blood] be' — it is written with two yods: the preformative yod and the root yod. He says that the blood of the poor is precious in his eyes; therefore he will save their souls and redeem them from the hand of the wicked, so that their blood will not be spilled.
Metzudat David
"He will redeem their soul" — so that they not be caught in the hands of those who devise evil and commit violence. "And precious will be" — the blood of the needy will be precious and important in his eyes, and he will set his heart to save their souls from death.
Metzudat Zion
'From oppression' — its meaning is the evil thought hidden within the heart.
Malbim
"From within [mi-tokh]" — corresponding to what was said [earlier], "and crushes the oppressor," it says, "He redeems their soul from deceit and from violence" — "from violence" [refers to violence done] against their possessions. There is open violence, and there is hidden violence done through deceit and fraud, and this [hidden kind] is called "tokh." And it says "He redeems their soul," for redemption comes on account of kinship, since the poor are considered by him as his relatives, he being their redeemer. "And their blood is precious in his eyes" — one who kills the poor man will gain no benefit from wealth [as ransom]; rather, strict judgment will be executed for the blood he spilled. And corresponding to this he merits abundant honor, that kings bow down to him.
That they may live, and that he may give them of the gold of Sheba, That they may pray for him continually, Indeed, bless him all the day.
verse value 2389
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Sheba" (שְׁ֫בָ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·bless·him" (יְבָרְכֶֽנְהוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·may·he·give·to·him" (וְיִתֶּן־לוֹ֮), "and·may·he·pray" (וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֣ל), "for·him" (בַּעֲד֣וֹ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·the·day" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "and·may·he·give·to·him" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "shall·bless·him" (root ברך, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'continually', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וִיחִ֗י [and·may·he·live] (34) + וְיִתֶּן־לוֹ֮ [and·may·he·give·to·him] (502) + מִזְּהַ֢ב [from·gold·of] (54) + שְׁ֫בָ֥א [Sheba] (303) + וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֣ל [and·may·he·pray] (556) + בַּעֲד֣וֹ [for·him] (82) + תָמִ֑יד [continually] (454) + כׇּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם [all·the·day] (111) + יְבָרְכֶֽנְהוּ [shall·bless·him] (293) = 2389.
Rashi
"And may he live" — Solomon. "and He will give him" — The Holy One, blessed be He. "of the gold of Sheba" — And so it was (I Kings 3:13): “both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you.” "and may He pray for him constantly, etc." — The prayer and the blessing are identical. When the Holy One, blessed be He, says to a man, “You shall be blessed,” it is an expression of prayer.
Ibn Ezra
'That they may live' — each one of them; and it is not enough that he give them life, but he shall also enrich them; and this is the meaning of 'and he shall give him of the gold of Sheba' — and every poor person shall pray on his behalf.
Radak
'That they may live' — its meaning is 'that he may live with him.' This is what is meant by 'and he will give him of the gold of Sheba' — that is, he will give to the poor from his wealth so that he may live along with him. And it says 'of the gold of Sheba' — meaning, of the gold that they will bring him from Sheba. 'that they may pray for him' — the poor person will pray for the king continually. 'bless him all the day' — meaning, all the days.
Metzudat David
"That they may live" — because the soul of the needy will be precious in his eyes, he will sustain him from his own wealth, and will even enrich him, for he will give him of the gold that comes from Sheba. "And that he may pray" — and because of this he [the poor person] will pray continually on his [the king's] behalf, and bless him all day.
Malbim
"And he shall live" — the poor man whom he redeems by force from the hand of his oppressors, corresponding to what was said, "and their blood is precious in his eyes" — because of this the poor man shall live. And corresponding to what was said, that "he redeems their soul from deceit and from violence," it adds that he will give the poor man from the gold of Sheba that they bring him as tribute, as it says, "the kings of Sheba shall offer gifts" [Psalm 72:10] — for just as wealth will come to him by virtue of charity, so he will further give from it also to the poor man. And because of this the poor man will pray for him always, and bless him all the day.
May he be as a rich cornfield in the land upon the top of the mountains; May his fruit rustle like Lebanon; And may they blossom out of the city like grass of the earth.
verse value 4072
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "may·he·be" (יְהִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·the·Lebanon" (כַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: his·fruit, the·earth. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "abundance·of·grain" (פִסַּת־בַּ֨ר), "on·top·of" (בְּרֹ֢אשׁ), "shall·rustle" (יִרְעַ֣שׁ). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "may·he·be" (root היה, 97x in Psalms); "mountains" (root הר, 43x in Psalms). First appearance of the root צוץ ("and·shall·blossom") in Psalms. First appearance of the root עשב ("like·grass·of") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·fruit', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְהִ֤י [may·he·be] (25) + פִסַּת־בַּ֨ר [abundance·of·grain] (742) + בָּאָרֶץ֮ [in·the·earth] (293) + בְּרֹ֢אשׁ [on·top·of] (503) + הָ֫רִ֥ים [mountains] (255) + יִרְעַ֣שׁ [shall·rustle] (580) + כַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן [like·the·Lebanon] (158) + פִּרְי֑וֹ [his·fruit] (296) + וְיָצִ֥יצוּ [and·shall·blossom] (212) + מֵ֝עִ֗יר [from·city] (320) + כְּעֵ֣שֶׂב [like·grass·of] (392) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·earth] (296) = 4072.
Rashi
"May there be an abundance of grain" — Heb. פסת, an expression of spreading (פסיון), increase and abundance. Our Sages, however, explained this as an expression of loaves of white bread during the messianic era (Keth. 111b, Shab. 30b), and the entire psalm as referring to the messianic era. Another explanation: פִּסַת is an expression of good will, like פִּיוּס, placating; the people are appeased and accepted by the Holy One, blessed be He, when He gives plenty in the world. "may its fruit rustle like Lebanon" — May the wheat kernels be as thick as the kidneys of a large ox, as happened in the days of Shimon ben Shatach. "and they will blossom forth" — Israel. "from the city" — From the midst of Jerusalem like the grass of the earth.
Ibn Ezra
'May there be' — the matter is like a handful of grain, like 'pas yeda' (a palm's breadth) — a handful sowing grain in the land, or on the tops of the mountains; and this produce, which is the grain, shall rustle. And the meaning is: that it shall be so great that it shall rustle like the trees of Lebanon. 'And they shall blossom out of the city' — [the mem functions] like 'in the city,' the opposite of [the usage in] 'and what remains of the flesh and of the bread' (Leviticus 8:32). And some say that 'bar' (grain) is like [the word in] 'according to the cleanness (bor) of my hands' (2 Samuel 22:21) — but this has no sense.
Radak
'May he be' — in the days of this king there will be such blessing in the world that a person will sow a mere handful of grain even on the mountaintops, and the stalks will be so good and healthy that they will rustle in the wind blowing through them like the trees of Lebanon; and 'his fruit' explains 'a handful of grain.' 'and may they blossom out of the city' — outside, in the fields, there will be blessing, and likewise in the city, among people, there will be blessing, such that they will blossom out from the city abundantly, like the grass of the earth.
Metzudat David
"A rich cornfield" — an abundance of grain will sprout in the land. "Upon the top of the mountains" — the grain that will sprout on the mountaintops — behold, from the size of its fruits and from the abundance of wind present on the mountains, the fruits will rustle like the rustling of the trees of Lebanon, and they will blossom out of the city — the people of the city will flourish from it like the grass of the earth, that is to say, they will be fruitful, multiply, and spread out through the land.
Metzudat Zion
'Pissat' [abundance] — an expression of abundance, from the language of 'it shall spread (tifseh)' (Leviticus 13), though our word is spelled with a samekh [in place of a shin]. 'Bar' [grain] — grain, as in 'to buy (lishbor) grain' (Genesis 42). 'May they blossom' — an expression of flowering, as in 'and it blossomed a blossom (vayyatzetz tzitz)' (Numbers 17).
Malbim
"May there be" — now he explains the peace and prosperity that will be in the land. May there be spreading and abundance of "grain in the land," and this spreading will be "on the top of the mountains," where "its fruit shall rustle" like the rustling of "Lebanon," which is abundant with branches, as it says, "and the fruitful field shall be counted as a forest" (Isaiah 32:15). And the reason it will be specifically "on the top of the mountains" is that a place that held [ordinary] fields of grain will now become [heaped up] like mountains. And there "people shall blossom out of the cities," just as until now the grass of the earth has sprouted there.
May his name endure for ever; May his name be continued as long as the sun; May men also bless themselves by him; May all nations call him happy.
verse value 3228
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "by·him" (ב֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "before·sun" (לִפְנֵי־שֶׁמֶשׁ֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 346: his·name, his·name. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "before·sun" (לִפְנֵי־שֶׁמֶשׁ֮), "shall·continue" (יִנּ֢וֹן), "and·shall·bless·themselves" (וְיִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·ever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "before·sun" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "his·name" (root שם, 119x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words.
Rashi
"May his name" — [May] Solomon’s name be remembered forever for his riches and his wisdom. "before the sun, his name will be magnified" — All the days of the sun, his name will be magnified. "will be magnified" — Heb. ינון, an expression of kingdom and dominion, as (Prov. 29:21): “he will ultimately be a ruler (מנון) ; (Gen. 21:23), “and to my son (ולניני),” who rules over my property after me; (below 74:8), “They said in their heart, their rulers (נינם) together”; their kings together. "will bless themselves with him" — A person will say to his son, “May you be wise and rich like Solomon.”
Ibn Ezra
'May his name endure' — the name of Solomon, or of the Messiah. 'Yinnon' — a nifal conjugation, like 'yikon' (shall be established), from the root of 'nin' (offspring) — [meaning] he shall flourish and increase.
Radak
'May his name endure' — the name of the king will exist forever, meaning that he will be remembered forever on account of his great greatness. 'May his name be continued as long as the sun' — as long as the sun exists; and likewise 'before the moon' — meaning, as long as the sun exists the remembrance of his name will remain. And the meaning of 'yinnon' is from [the words] 'nin' and 'nekhed' (offspring and grandchild), in the nif'al form — meaning, just as a son perpetuates the memory of his father, so his name will be a perpetual memorial for the good deeds that he does; and people will bless themselves by him, saying, 'May God bless us as He blessed so-and-so.' 'call him happy' — they will say of him, 'happy is he.'
Metzudat David
"May his name endure" — his name will be remembered forever. "As long as the sun" — forever, all the days the sun stands, his name will be invoked as a title of dominion. "And may men bless themselves by him" — one who blesses his children will say in his blessing, "May God make you like Solomon." "May they call him happy" — on account of his wisdom and the excellence of his deeds.
Metzudat Zion
'Yinnon' [may his name endure] — an expression of dominion, as in 'but his end shall be menon' (Proverbs 29). 'Call him happy' — an expression of praise and laud, as in 'happy is the man' (above, Psalms 1).
Malbim
"May his name" be remembered "forever," and also be very renowned, for "before the sun his name shall be continued [yinnon]" — his name will pass from scion to scion, generation after generation, alongside the course of the sun. Just as the sun goes around and gives light and removes physical darkness, so his name will go around and give light and remove the darkness of souls, until all are blessed through him. "And all nations shall call him happy" — that they will regard him as [the source of] the happiness of the soul, so that they will direct the happiness of their own souls according to his ways and deeds.
Blessed be Hashem God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things;
verse value 1911
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1911 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Who·does" (עֹשֵׂ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "wondrous·things" (נִפְלָא֣וֹת, 6 letters). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "Who·does" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: בָּר֤וּךְ [blessed] (228) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱ֭לֹהִים [God] (86) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + עֹשֵׂ֖ה [Who·does] (375) + נִפְלָא֣וֹת [wondrous·things] (567) + לְבַדּֽוֹ [by·Himself] (42) = 1911.
Rashi
"Blessed is the Lord, etc., Who performs wonders alone" — When the fire descended from the heavens through Solomon, his son.
Ibn Ezra
'Blessed' — then all the nations will say: 'Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel.' And the meaning of 'who alone does wondrous things' is that He always acted so for the sake of Israel.
Radak
"Blessed be Hashem" — As we explained at the end of the first book, this verse and the one after it are the words of the author, who gave thanks to God for having merited to complete the book. "Who alone does wondrous things" — For He shows wonders specifically to Israel; and why? Because He is the God of Israel. If so, He alone is the one who does wonders, not the gods of the nations.
Metzudat David
"Blessed be Hashem" — God shall be blessed for the good that He will do for Solomon. "Alone" — for there is no one who performs wonders like Him.
Malbim
"Blessed be Hashem" — since the matter of this king's success was a divine matter, [coming] through His individual providence, and was among the wonders that transcend nature, which Hashem performs only for the children of Israel, it says "Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel," for "He alone does wondrous things" — for such things are not done through a natural agent.
And blessed be His glorious name for ever; And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.
verse value 1848
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "name·of" (שֵׁ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·blessed" (וּבָר֤וּךְ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 38: His·glory, His·glory. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·shall·be·filled" (וְיִמָּלֵ֣א), "all" (אֶת־כֹּ֥ל). The root כבוד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "for·ever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "name·of" (root שם, 119x in Psalms). Full calculation: וּבָר֤וּךְ [and·blessed] (234) + שֵׁ֥ם [name·of] (340) + כְּבוֹד֗וֹ [His·glory] (38) + לְע֫וֹלָ֥ם [for·ever] (176) + וְיִמָּלֵ֣א [and·shall·be·filled] (87) + כְ֭בוֹדוֹ [His·glory] (38) + אֶת־כֹּ֥ל [all] (451) + הָאָ֗רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + אָ֘מֵ֥ן [Amen] (91) + וְאָמֵֽן [and·Amen] (97) = 1848.
Ibn Ezra
"And blessed" — the meaning of "the name of His glory" is the Glorious Name, which is the proper name, for Hashem has no name in any [other] language that is a proper name — [the others] are only epithets, like Hashem itself, also "God" and "Shaddai." Therefore it is written, "This is My name forever" (Exodus 3:15), for it alone is a singular name; and likewise, "and His name shall be one" (Zechariah 14:9). And the meaning of "and let His glory fill" is: His praise. "Amen" — from the root of "faith" (emunah).
Radak
"And blessed be His glorious name forever" — This is the Name that is written but not read as written, which is the Name of Glory, and of it is said, "On that day Hashem shall be one and His name one," for by that Name alone shall He be called then. And then "and let His glory fill the whole earth" — as it is written, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem." "Amen, and Amen" — confirmation and confirmation, meaning: this future matter shall come to be established with a true confirmation.
Metzudat David
"His glorious name" — His name, which befits His glory. "And let His glory fill" — all the people of the world will recognize His glory. "Amen and amen" — this matter is confirmed as true, and the word is doubled to reinforce the point.
Malbim
"And blessed" — and since through this the glory of Hashem will then become known also among the nations who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon — and they do not recognize the wonders themselves, but they recognize, at least, His name of glory, which is His governance through nature. For this is the difference between the "Name of Splendor" and the "Name of Glory": the Name of Splendor becomes great when [He] performs deeds so as to be glorified, that is, at a time when He displays open miracles before the eyes of all, as it says, "to make for Yourself a name of splendor" (Isaiah 63:14); whereas the Name of Glory becomes great through this [governance] being the primary [mode], with Him guiding by means of the fixed, orderly governance [of nature]. And through this "His glory shall fill the whole earth," for all will recognize the glory of Hashem, that He is the Creator and the Guide. "Amen, and Amen" — one "Amen" corresponds to the Name of Splendor that performs wonders, [meaning] that this name will be a sure and steadfast faith and will endure forever; and the [other] "Amen" corresponds to the Name of Glory.
Verse structure: 4 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "are·ended" (כׇּלּ֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "prayers·of" (תְפִלּ֑וֹת, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "prayers·of" (תְפִלּ֑וֹת), "son·of·Jesse" (בֶּן־יִשָֽׁי). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms); "son·of·Jesse" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "prayers·of" (root תפלה, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'prayers·of', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: כׇּלּ֥וּ [are·ended] (56) + תְפִלּ֑וֹת [prayers·of] (916) + דָּ֝וִ֗ד [David] (14) + בֶּן־יִשָֽׁי [son·of·Jesse] (372) = 1358.
Rashi
"The prayers of David...are completed" — Heb. כלו. Our sages expounded on כָּלוּ to mean כָּל אֵלוּ, all these are the prayers of David son of Jesse, to include the entire Book on David’s nameeven what the sons of Korah and the ten elders said because he was known as (II Sam. 23:1) “the sweet singer of Israel.” כָּלוּ may also be interpreted as “were completed.” The construction of כָּלוּ is like (Job 24: 24): “They are taken away (רֹמוּ) in a second”; (Jer. 2:12), “O heavens, be astonished (שֹׁמוּ).” If this is so, this psalm was not written in its place, and there is no chronological order in the Book. The [subject] matter indicates that he said this in his old age, when he enthroned Solomon.
Ibn Ezra
"Are ended" — Some say [it means]: then the prayers of the son of Jesse were completed. And some say that "kalu" is like "kalelu yofyekh" ("they perfected your beauty," Ezekiel 27:4), but this is not correct. And Rabbi Judah HaLevi said: because this is the end of a book [section], the first scribe wrote this just as we would write, "Blessed is He who gives strength to the weary" [as a closing note].
Radak
"Are ended" — If [this psalm speaks] of Solomon, we already explained its meaning at the beginning of the psalm. And if it speaks of the messianic king, my father and teacher, of blessed memory, explained: when these consolations are fulfilled, then "the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended." It does not say "the songs are ended" or "the thanksgivings are ended," but rather "the prayers" — meaning, the prayers concerning matters of atonement, forgiveness, and salvation are ended, for when everything is fulfilled and the messianic king, son of David, reigns, they will no longer need atonement or salvation or success, for everything will be theirs; and then "the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended."
Metzudat David
"Are ended" — the prayers of David are completed, for he spoke this psalm close to his death, at the time he made Solomon king, and he did not compose any further; and it was not written at the end of the book, because he saw fit to conclude the book with psalms of praise, on account of the abundance of praises stated in them.
Malbim
"Are ended" — for this was the last prayer that he [David] prayed before his death, after anointing Solomon.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim