A Maschil of Asaph, a long historical psalm recounting Israel's repeated rebellions in the wilderness against Hashem's wonders and mercies from the days of Egypt, told as instruction for generations to come.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
verse value 2294
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "my·people" (עַ֭מִּי, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·words·of·my·mouth" (לְאִמְרֵי־פִֽי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "incline" (הַטּ֥וּ), "your·ear" (אׇ֝זְנְכֶ֗ם). The root אזן appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "listen" (root אזן, 36x in Psalms); "my·law" (root תורה, 36x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·law', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַשְׂכִּ֗יל [Maskil] (400) + לְאָ֫סָ֥ף [of·Asaph] (171) + הַאֲזִ֣ינָה [listen] (78) + עַ֭מִּי [my·people] (120) + תּוֹרָתִ֑י [my·law] (1016) + הַטּ֥וּ [incline] (20) + אׇ֝זְנְכֶ֗ם [your·ear] (118) + לְאִמְרֵי־פִֽי [to·the·words·of·my·mouth] (371) = 2294.
Ibn Ezra
'A Maskil of Asaph' — a poem (piyyut) that begins with [the word] 'Maskil'; or [it means] 'let the listener understand.' And the reason he attaches [the word] 'Torah' to it may seem to be 'the Torah of Hashem,' which is the Torah of his faith. But the correct [view] is that it is like '[incline your ears to] the words of my mouth' — [used by] whoever wishes to instruct, in the manner of '[forsake not] the teaching of your mother' (Proverbs 1:8).
Radak
"My teaching" — that which I teach by recounting the good deeds that God did for Israel; and from the words of its lesson, you should come to fear me, and not to rebel against His word and His commandment.
Metzudat Zion
"Give ear" — an expression of attentiveness.
Malbim
"A maschil" — the psalmist intended, in his words, to establish the kingship of the House of David and the Temple that he built, as against the kingdom of Ephraim and against [the fact] that the Tabernacle had stood in its territory — as it says at the end of his words, "and He spurned the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim" (Psalm 78:67) — and he recounts the whole history of Israel from the time of their exodus from Egypt until David's reign, in order to say that even though the generations were provoking [Him], Hashem knew that a generation would arise after His own heart, [and] that [later generations] would see and take instruction, and that a king would arise, he and the Temple that he would build, [representing] the general course of perfection, and the correction of the corruption of the generations that preceded, and the purpose, end, and hope for the generations to come, until the time of the end. "Give ear, my people, to my teaching" — for in this song he recounts the events of the fathers according to their plain sense. However, the accounts of Israel's history are very different from the accounts of the other nations, for everything that happened to Hashem's people came through individual providence and through Hashem's miracles and wonders, so that the knowledge of Israel's history in ancient times is itself Torah and faith, for through them the existence of Hashem, His power, His providence, His reward and His punishment become known. Therefore he said, "give ear [to] my teaching," and also "incline your ears to the words of my mouth," for the outer layer of the narrative, which is "the words of my mouth," together with its inner layer, which is the Torah bound up within it, are interwoven with one another (lit. "each one to her sister").
I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter dark sayings concerning days of old;
verse value 1716
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1716 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·mouth" (פִּ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·of·old" (מִנִּי־קֶֽדֶם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "I·will·open" (אֶפְתְּחָ֣ה), "with·a·parable" (בְמָשָׁ֣ל), "I·will·utter" (אַבִּ֥יעָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·mouth" (root פה, 46x in Psalms); "from·of·old" (root קדם, 23x in Psalms); "I·will·open" (root פתח, 20x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·mouth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֶפְתְּחָ֣ה [I·will·open] (494) + בְמָשָׁ֣ל [with·a·parable] (372) + פִּ֑י [my·mouth] (90) + אַבִּ֥יעָה [I·will·utter] (88) + חִ֝יד֗וֹת [riddles] (428) + מִנִּי־קֶֽדֶם [from·of·old] (244) = 1716.
Rashi
"...my mouth with a parable" — They are the words of Torah.
Ibn Ezra
'I will open' — the tav is vocalized with a chataf-kamatz because of the guttural letter [that follows], like 'eshme'ah mah yedaber' [I will hear what He speaks] (Psalm 85:9); and had it been with a plain sheva alone, it would have amounted to the same thing, but only this form [with the chataf] is found. And the meaning of 'riddles' is that it [speaks of] things from ancient times, and the parable is expressed through such phrases as: 'archers handling the bow' (78:9), '[can He] arrange a table' (78:19), 'a fire was kindled against Jacob' (78:21), '[the fire] consumed his young men' (78:63). And the riddles [also include]: 'man ate the bread of the mighty' (78:25), in the manner of 'out of the eater came forth food' (Judges 14:14); '[and He] slew the fattest among them' (78:31) and '[He] gave His strength into captivity' (78:61) — for were it not explicitly stated in the Book of Samuel that this concerns the Ark [i.e., its capture], the riddle would be difficult [to understand].
Radak
"I will open" — In some manuscripts the tav is [vocalized] with a chataf-kamatz, and in other manuscripts with a sheva alone. The parable [mashal] in this psalm is such things as "to arrange a table in the wilderness," "a fire was kindled against Jacob," "He opened the doors of heaven," and "the grain of heaven." "Dark sayings" — [for example,] "Bread of the mighty did man eat" (Psalm 78:25), which speaks of the manna, like a riddle; and "He gave His strength into captivity" (Psalm 78:61), which speaks of the Ark. And they would not have understood this were it not written in the Book of Samuel about the captivity of the Ark — for a hidden matter is called a riddle [chidah].
Metzudat David
"I will open my mouth with a parable" — I will open my mouth to speak in a parable, and the parable is what is stated, "and a fire was kindled against Jacob," and the like. "Dark sayings" — Obscure matters, difficult to understand, such as what is stated, "and gave His strength into captivity" — for had it not been stated in [the book of] Samuel that the Philistines took the Ark, we would not have known what this meant. "Of old" — What was done in ancient times.
Metzudat Zion
"I will utter" — an expression of speaking, as in "day unto day utters speech" (above, Psalm 19).
Malbim
"I will open" — that is to say: all the ancient nations had, in the vanities of their belief, many stories about the origins of their idols from ancient days, and these were fabricated tales that the priests of the idol invented, which served as a parable for inner matters — some wisdom or moral teaching that the inventor of the story clothed within it. And in this there were two deficiencies: first, that the parable itself was a fabricated and false thing; second, that the parable itself was told in riddles and hidden terms that the masses could not understand, only their sages, and the masses, who took the fabricated tales according to their plain sense, inherited falsehood, and also folly, as is known from the vanities of the idolatrous poems and their mythology. Not so the narratives of the Torah. And I "will open my mouth with a parable," and also "utter riddles from days of old," which have two advantages: first, that they are not hidden and sealed riddles, but rather "which we have heard and known," for what is told of the splitting of the sea, the bringing down of the manna and the quail, and the descent of Hashem upon Mount Sinai, and the like — these are not obscure riddles, but rather we know that they truly happened; and likewise they are not fabricated parables, but rather "our fathers have told us" that it truly happened — so that these accounts of the wonders, even though they are riddles (for we do not understand how it happened), nevertheless we know that they truly occurred. And even though they are parables through which we come to recognize [Hashem's] providence and power, nevertheless they are not like other parables that are not true, for our fathers told us that the deeds truly occurred.
That which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us,
verse value 2050
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 2050 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·our·fathers" (וַ֝אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·we·knew·them" (וַנֵּדָעֵ֑ם), "and·our·fathers" (וַ֝אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "and·we·knew·them" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms); "we·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·we·knew·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + שָׁ֭מַעְנוּ [we·heard] (466) + וַנֵּדָעֵ֑ם [and·we·knew·them] (170) + וַ֝אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ [and·our·fathers] (481) + סִפְּרוּ־לָֽנוּ [told·to·us] (432) = 2050.
Ibn Ezra
'That which we have heard' — this [came] from the mouths of many righteous people, [teaching] that a person is obligated to accept what has been transmitted; the [received] tradition is like knowledge, and this is [the meaning of] 'and we have known them.' And the meaning of 'those who told [us]' is that those who told [us] were our loved ones — namely, our fathers — who had no desire to mislead us.
Radak
"That which we have heard" — these words, from the mouth of the ancients. "And our fathers have told us" — for they would say nothing but the truth. "And we know them" — we also knew them from the words of Scripture, from the Torah of Moses our teacher.
Metzudat David
"That which we have heard" — From the people of the generation before us. "And known them" — That the truth is indeed so. "And our fathers told us" — For it is not the way of a father to implant false tales in the heart of his son.
We will not hide from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of Hashem, And His strength, and His wondrous works that He has done. .
verse value 3623
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·wonders" (וְ֝נִפְלְאֹתָ֗יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "we·will·hide" (נְכַחֵ֨ד), "from·their·sons" (מִבְּנֵיהֶ֗ם), "and·his·strength" (וֶעֱזוּז֥וֹ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "he·did" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹ֤א [not] (31) + נְכַחֵ֨ד [we·will·hide] (82) + מִבְּנֵיהֶ֗ם [from·their·sons] (147) + לְד֥וֹר [to·a·generation] (240) + אַחֲר֗וֹן [coming] (265) + מְֽ֭סַפְּרִים [telling] (430) + תְּהִלּ֣וֹת [praises·of] (841) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וֶעֱזוּז֥וֹ [and·his·strength] (102) + וְ֝נִפְלְאֹתָ֗יו [and·his·wonders] (583) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + עָשָֽׂה [he·did] (375) = 3623.
Rashi
"We shall not hide from their sons" — We, too, shall not hide [these words] from our fathers’ sons by not letting them know what they told us.
Ibn Ezra
'[We will] not [hide]' — behold, we are obligated not to conceal from those who are their [our fathers'] descendants what [we] heard from our forefathers, so that they too will tell the praises of Hashem.
Radak
"From their children" — the children of our fathers, who are our brothers, who do not study and do not know the tradition — we who know are obligated to remind them, and we will not hide it from them, until they too tell it to their children, and their children to their children's children, until, generation after generation, down to the last generation, they tell the praise of Hashem.
Metzudat David
"From their children" — From the children of our fathers, to whom the tradition did not come from the fathers [directly]. "To the generation to come" — So that you shall tell to the generation to come the praises of Hashem, etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Hide" — an expression of withholding, as in "and he did not withhold it from him" (I Samuel 3). "And His strength" — from the language of "might and power."
Malbim
"We will not hide" — behold, the vanities of the Greeks and their riddles are hidden from their [own] children, for they would transmit them only to their elders and priests; but the parables of the Torah and its narratives "we will not hide from their children unto the last generation," for they "tell the praises of Hashem and His strength" — that is to say: first, the vanities of the Greeks tell the disgrace of their idols and shameful deeds — jealousy, lust, and cruelty — but they [Israel] tell "the praises of Hashem"; second, they [the Greeks] tell of the weakness of their idols, how they fell and could not stand before powers greater than themselves, but they [Israel] tell of "His strength"; third, they [the Greeks] tell of wonders that were never done, for those who deal in vanities fabricated the tales from their own hearts, but the parables of the Torah tell of "His wondrous works that He" truly "did."
For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;
verse value 4100
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 4100 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "he·appointed" (שָׂ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "our·fathers" (אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·a·law" (וְתוֹרָה֮), "our·fathers" (אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "to·make·them·known" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms); "to·their·sons" (root בן, 62x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֤קֶם [and·he·established] (156) + עֵד֨וּת [testimony] (480) + בְּֽיַעֲקֹ֗ב [in·Jacob] (184) + וְתוֹרָה֮ [and·a·law] (617) + שָׂ֤ם [he·appointed] (340) + בְּיִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל [in·Israel] (543) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + צִ֭וָּה [he·commanded] (101) + אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ [our·fathers] (876) + לְ֝הוֹדִיעָ֗ם [to·make·them·known] (165) + לִבְנֵיהֶֽם [to·their·sons] (137) = 4100.
Ibn Ezra
'And He raised up a testimony' — [this refers to] the commandments to which reason itself testifies; therefore the word 'vayakem' [He raised up] is used, and the house/matter stands [on its own]. And 'Torah' [refers to] the commandments whose reason is hidden from most people; therefore the word 'sam' [He set/appointed] is used — meaning that they received it thus from the mouth of Moses. And the meaning of 'He commanded' is like [the verse], 'and you shall make them known to your children and your children's children' (Deuteronomy 4:9).
Radak
"And He established" — and just as one must recount the wonders and make them known to the children, so too must one make known to them the Torah and the testimony, and the Torah which He established there in Israel after He brought them out of Egypt; and He commanded our fathers to make them known to their children.
Metzudat David
"And He established" — He set up the testimony of the Torah in Jacob, so that it would endure forever, because He commanded our fathers to make it known to their children.
Malbim
"And He established" — the plain narratives of the Torah are called "testimony," for they testify to true things that actually occurred, such as the Creation, the Flood, the punishment of Sodom, the dispersion [at the Tower of Babel], the accounts of the patriarchs, and the accounts of the redemption from Egypt; and the teachings that emerge from these narratives are called "Torah," and beneath these narratives are hidden lofty matters — the secrets of Creation and of the Divine, from the Account of Creation and the Account of the Chariot, and the like. "He established a testimony in Jacob" — who are the common people — "and appointed a Torah in Israel" — who are the great ones [the sages/elite]. And these two things "He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children," and not conceal anything from them, but rather that the tradition should continue from generation to generation, for the benefit that follows from this making-known is "so that the last generation might know" — for even though among these narratives is the testimony of the punishments that Hashem inflicted on the generation of the wilderness and the congregation of Korah and the spies, nevertheless Hashem knew that the generations to come would walk the path of perfection, and through these testimonies, by which they would testify concerning Hashem's punishments and His providence, there would arise a last generation that would keep these testimonies and betray [Him] no more (and by this he intended the generation of David and Solomon). And this is what is meant by "so that the last generation might know," for more "children would be born" who "would arise and tell" the testimony and the Torah "to their children," and they "would place their confidence in God" — first, the trust, to trust in Hashem and believe in Him; second, "that they should not forget the works of God," which are the deeds that testify to His attributes — gracious and compassionate, and so on; third, "and keep His commandments," which are the commandments that He commanded them.
That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born; Who should arise and tell them to their children,
verse value 1568
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "a·generation" (דּ֣וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·tell" (וִיסַפְּר֥וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "shall·be·born" (יִוָּלֵ֑דוּ), "shall·arise" (יָ֝קֻ֗מוּ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·may·know" (root ידע, 95x in Psalms); "sons" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "a·generation" (root דור, 58x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·born', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֤עַן [so·that] (190) + יֵדְע֨וּ [they·may·know] (90) + דּ֣וֹר [a·generation] (210) + אַ֭חֲרוֹן [coming] (265) + בָּנִ֣ים [sons] (102) + יִוָּלֵ֑דוּ [shall·be·born] (56) + יָ֝קֻ֗מוּ [shall·arise] (156) + וִיסַפְּר֥וּ [and·shall·tell] (362) + לִבְנֵיהֶֽם [to·their·sons] (137) = 1568.
Ibn Ezra
'So that' — [this means] generation after generation, until the Torah stands as long as the days of heaven [i.e., forever] (cf. Deuteronomy 11:21).
Radak
"That" — and so too the children must make them known to their children, down to the last generation; and those children, once they are born, once they come to understanding, [must do] likewise.
Metzudat David
"The generation to come" — So that the children of the generation after them would know, and would tell their children, and their children [would tell] their children, until the end of all generations.
That they might put their confidence in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;
verse value 2116
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 2116 = 46². The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "deeds·of·God" (מַ֥עַלְלֵי־אֵ֑ל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·confidence" (כִּ֫סְלָ֥ם), "forget" (יִ֭שְׁכְּחוּ), "deeds·of·God" (מַ֥עַלְלֵי־אֵ֑ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "forget" (root שכח, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'deeds·of·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְיָשִׂ֥ימוּ [and·they·shall·put] (372) + בֵאלֹהִ֗ים [in·God] (88) + כִּ֫סְלָ֥ם [their·confidence] (150) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִ֭שְׁכְּחוּ [forget] (344) + מַ֥עַלְלֵי־אֵ֑ל [deeds·of·God] (211) + וּמִצְוֺתָ֥יו [and·his·commandments] (558) + יִנְצֹֽרוּ [keep] (356) = 2116.
Rashi
"their hope" — Heb. כסלם, their hope, and so (Job 31:24): “If I made gold my hope (כסלי).”
Ibn Ezra
'And they should put,' 'their confidence' [kislam] — like 'their trust,' as in 'whose trust (kislo) shall be cut off' (Job 8:14). And when they do not forget the works of Hashem, then they will keep His commandments.
Radak
"Their confidence [kislam]" — their trust. "And not forget" — what they heard, they remembered always, so that it would not be forgotten from their mouths; and by this they would believe in Him and in His Torah, and keep His commandments.
Metzudat David
"And [that] they might put" — Through the telling of the wonders, they would place their trust in Hashem and not forget the wonders of His deeds, so that they would keep His commandments.
Metzudat Zion
"Their confidence" — their trust, as in "if I have made gold my confidence" (Job 31:24).
And might not be as their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation; A generation that set not their heart aright, And whose spirit was not steadfast with God.
verse value 2663
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֤א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·was·not·faithful" (וְלֹֽא־נֶאֶמְנָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: a·generation, a·generation. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "stubborn" (סוֹרֵ֢ר), "and·rebellious" (וּמֹ֫רֶ֥ה), "not·he·prepared" (לֹא־הֵכִ֣ין). The root דור appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "with·God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "they·shall·be" (root היה, 97x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֤א [and·not] (37) + יִהְי֨וּ [they·shall·be] (31) + כַּאֲבוֹתָ֗ם [as·their·fathers] (469) + דּוֹר֮ [a·generation] (210) + סוֹרֵ֢ר [stubborn] (466) + וּמֹ֫רֶ֥ה [and·rebellious] (251) + דּ֭וֹר [a·generation] (210) + לֹא־הֵכִ֣ין [not·he·prepared] (116) + לִבּ֑וֹ [his·heart] (38) + וְלֹֽא־נֶאֶמְנָ֖ה [and·was·not·faithful] (183) + אֶת־אֵ֣ל [with·God] (432) + רוּחֽוֹ [his·spirit] (220) = 2663.
Rashi
"as their forefathers" — who were in Egypt and in the desert.
Radak
"And might not be as their fathers" — who did not place their trust in God, may He be blessed, and were "a stubborn and rebellious generation" — this was the generation of the wilderness, who did not direct their heart to God, may He be blessed. "Whose spirit was not steadfast [ne'emnah] with God" — their thought and will did not remain constant with God; or, its meaning is [from] the term emunah [faith, steadfastness], according to its plain sense.
Metzudat David
"Like their fathers" — These are the people of the generation of the wilderness, who turned aside from Hashem's way and rebelled against Him. "[Whose heart] was not steadfast" — Toward the word of Hashem. "And was not faithful" — They did not believe in Him.
Metzudat Zion
"Stubborn" — turning away from the straight path. "And rebellious" — an expression of rebelling and refusing.
Malbim
"And [might] not" — and this last generation, which would attain perfection, would not be like their fathers, who were: first, "a stubborn and rebellious generation" — knowing their Master and yet rebelling against Him; second, "a generation that did not prepare its heart" to seek out Hashem at all, nor to know Him; third, "and whose spirit was not faithful to God" — for their inner spirit, which brings images up onto the heart, kept bringing up evil images toward every sin, so that it could not remain steadfast in faithfulness to the service of God.
The children of Ephraim were as archers handling the bow, That turned back in the day of battle.
verse value 2386
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "battle" (קְרָֽב, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Ephraim" (בְּֽנֵי־אֶפְרַ֗יִם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "sons·of·Ephraim" (בְּֽנֵי־אֶפְרַ֗יִם), "equipped" (נוֹשְׁקֵ֥י), "shooters·of·the·bow" (רֽוֹמֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day·of" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "sons·of·Ephraim" (root בן, 62x in Psalms); "battle" (root קרב, 37x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shooters·of·the·bow', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּֽנֵי־אֶפְרַ֗יִם [sons·of·Ephraim] (393) + נוֹשְׁקֵ֥י [equipped] (466) + רֽוֹמֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת [shooters·of·the·bow] (1056) + הָ֝פְכ֗וּ [turned·back] (111) + בְּי֣וֹם [in·the·day·of] (58) + קְרָֽב [battle] (302) = 2386.
Rashi
"The sons of Ephraim" — who left Egypt forcefully before the end [of the exile] and trusted in their might and in their arrows. Ultimately, they retreated and fled on the day of battle, as is delineated (I Chron. 7:21): “and the men of Gath, who were born in the land, slew them.” "archers" — Heb. רומי, who cast and shoot, as (Exod. 15:1): “cast (רמה) into the sea.”
Ibn Ezra
'The children of Ephraim' — by way of derash, all of Israel are called by this name, as in 'Is Ephraim My dear son' (Jeremiah 31:20). It also alludes to the [literal] children of Ephraim who left Egypt [early], before the appointed time arrived — and the allusion is in [the book of] Chronicles: 'and the men of Gath... slew them... and Ephraim their father mourned' (1 Chronicles 7:21-22). But according to the plain sense, the essence of this psalm speaks of the kingdom of David and the building [of the Temple] on Mount Zion, for there the Ark was during David's reign, after Shiloh — which belonged to the children of Ephraim — had been destroyed. Therefore [Scripture later says] He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim in the end, after having chosen them at first to house His Name in Shiloh. And the reliable proof for this interpretation is [the verse]: 'the tribe of Ephraim, archers handling the bow' — they are the men of Shiloh, of whom it says afterward, 'they kept not the covenant of God,' and further, 'He did wonders in the sight of their fathers' — and this was after Israel had left Egypt. 'Noshkei' [handling] — the [comparative] kaf is elided, like '[Hashem your God is] a devouring fire, He [is]' (Deuteronomy 4:24). And the word 'noshkei' is joined in construct with 'keshet' [bow], in the manner of '[the] rivers, streams of honey and butter' (Job 20:17). And the meaning is that they turned their back on the day of battle — a metaphor for [the fact] that they did not keep the covenant of God, who had made His glory dwell among them. And some say that it is the practice of archers not to stand in one place, and so likewise did the children of Ephraim turn/flee.
Radak
"The children of [Ephraim]" — this happened in the wilderness. And although it is not [stated here], in Chronicles [it is written]: "and the men of Gath, who were born in the land, slew them" (1 Chronicles 7:21) — for they went to Gath without the command of God, may He be blessed, against His word; for He had said, forty years they would be in the wilderness, and they rebelled against His spirit, and were struck down. And the meaning of "noshkei" is "archers of the bow" [romei keshet] — for they went out relying on their weapons of war, and leaned upon them and not upon God, may He be blessed, and turned their backs before the enemies. This is [the meaning of] "they turned" — on the day of battle they turned their backs, on the day of war. "And noshkei" is a construct [chain] upon a construct [chain], and its meaning is "armed men" and also "shooters of arrows with the bow."
Metzudat David
"The children of Ephraim" — That is to say, [this happened] even though they saw that the children of Ephraim — because they trusted in their own strength, for they were armed, bearing arrows and shooting with the bow — for this reason hastened the end, to leave Egypt before the [appointed] time; and in the end they turned their backs to flee on the day of battle, and the men of Gath killed them, as is stated in Chronicles.
Metzudat Zion
"Handling the bow" — armed, as in "armed with bow and shield" (II Chronicles 17). "Archers" — an expression of casting, throwing, as in "horseman and bowman" (Jeremiah 4:29). "Battle" — war, as in "who trains my hands for battle" (below, Psalm 144).
Malbim
"The children of Ephraim" — after this introduction he begins his [main] account, and he begins to speak of how Hashem came to spurn the Tabernacle at Shiloh, which stood in the territory of Ephraim, and [came to spurn] the children of Ephraim in the days of Eli. Even though "the children of Ephraim" were "armed, handling the bow," nevertheless they "turned back in the day of battle" against the Philistines. And this was because (verses 10-11) "they did not keep" — that is to say, Hashem would have striven to save them for three reasons: first, on account of the covenant that He made with them, but they "did not keep God's covenant"; second, by the merit of keeping the Torah, but they "refused to walk in His Torah"; third, on account of the wonders He had already done for them in ancient days, which they should have recalled in their prayers, but they "forgot His deeds and His wondrous works."
They kept not the covenant of God, And refused to walk in His law;
verse value 2872
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·his·law" (וּ֝בְתוֹרָת֗וֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "refused" (מֵאֲנ֥וּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "kept" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שָׁ֭מְרוּ [kept] (546) + בְּרִ֣ית [covenant·of] (612) + אֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (86) + וּ֝בְתוֹרָת֗וֹ [and·in·his·law] (1020) + מֵאֲנ֥וּ [refused] (97) + לָלֶֽכֶת [to·walk] (480) = 2872.
Ibn Ezra
'They kept not the covenant of God' — this is the covenant of Sinai.
Radak
"The covenant of God" — the covenant that He made with them at Mount Sinai.
Metzudat David
"They did not keep" — Nevertheless, the people of the generation of the wilderness did not keep the covenant of Hashem, and did not learn a lesson from [what happened to] the children of Ephraim.
And they forgot His doings, And His wondrous works that He had shown them.
verse value 2248
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·wonders" (וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·forgot" (וַיִּשְׁכְּח֥וּ), "he·showed·them" (הֶרְאָֽם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "he·showed·them" (root ראה, 100x in Psalms); "and·his·wonders" (root פלא, 38x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·deeds', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁכְּח֥וּ [and·they·forgot] (350) + עֲלִילוֹתָ֑יו [his·deeds] (562) + וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו [and·his·wonders] (589) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + הֶרְאָֽם [he·showed·them] (246) = 2248.
Ibn Ezra
'And they forgot' — because the wonders [might otherwise seem] hidden [i.e., unacknowledged], it says, in contrast, 'He had shown them.'
Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
verse value 2184
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2184 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "before" (נֶ֣גֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "field·of·Zoan" (שְׂדֵה־צֹֽעַן, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·fathers" (אֲ֭בוֹתָם), "field·of·Zoan" (שְׂדֵה־צֹֽעַן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "he·did" (root עשה, 109x in Psalms); "before" (root נגד, 55x in Psalms). First appearance of the root שדה ("field·of·Zoan") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wonder', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: נֶ֣גֶד [before] (57) + אֲ֭בוֹתָם [their·fathers] (449) + עָ֣שָׂה [he·did] (375) + פֶ֑לֶא [wonder] (111) + בְּאֶ֖רֶץ [in·the·land·of] (293) + מִצְרַ֣יִם [Egypt] (380) + שְׂדֵה־צֹֽעַן [field·of·Zoan] (519) = 2184.
Rashi
"Before their forefathers He wrought wonders" — (Nevertheless—Shem Ephraim) Afterwards, when the end arrived, they too “continued to sin against Him,” as he further concludes. (Another explanation—Shem Ephraim) "Before their forefathers" — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came beside the sea, and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed them how He was redeeming their children.
Ibn Ezra
'In the sight of, He had shown them' — for He performed wonders in the sight of their fathers, and they [the children] heard of them from their [fathers'] mouths. And the meaning of 'in Egypt' is all the wonders that occurred in Egypt. Some say that 'the field of Zoan' is like [the expression] 'the field of Edom' (Judges 5:4).
Radak
"Before" — those who were born in the wilderness, who did not see the wonders that God, may He be blessed, performed in Egypt, heard from their fathers that "before their fathers He performed a wonder, in the land of Egypt." "And a wonder" is stated in a general sense, for it was not one wonder but many wonders. "The field of Zoan" — this repeats the matter in different words, for "field" is like "land," and Zoan was a royal city in Egypt.
Metzudat David
"In the sight of their fathers" — Our Sages, of blessed memory, said: the fathers came [to stand] at the sea, and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed them the wonder He performed against the people of the land of Egypt, who drowned there. "The field of Zoan" — The inhabitants of the field of Zoan, which is in the land of Egypt; and the matter is repeated in different words, in the manner of poetic rhetoric.
Malbim
"Before" — even though the wonders were done before the eyes of their fathers, who had transmitted to them by tradition that they themselves had seen them with their own eyes, "that before their fathers He performed a wonder" means before their eyes. And this is a second point: that the wonders were openly visible and encompassed the eyes of all Egypt, as it is written, "all the signs and the wonders... that he did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants...," "which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:11–12). Hence it says, "in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan."
He cleaved the sea, and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters to stand as a heap.
verse value 878
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "sea" (יָ֭ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·caused·them·to·pass·through" (וַיַּעֲבִירֵ֑ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·split" (בָּ֣קַע), "and·he·caused·them·to·pass·through" (וַיַּעֲבִירֵ֑ם), "and·he·made·waters·stand" (וַֽיַּצֶּב־מַ֥יִם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·caused·them·to·pass·through" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms); "sea" (root ים, 31x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·caused·them·to·pass·through', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בָּ֣קַע [he·split] (172) + יָ֭ם [sea] (50) + וַיַּעֲבִירֵ֑ם [and·he·caused·them·to·pass·through] (338) + וַֽיַּצֶּב־מַ֥יִם [and·he·made·waters·stand] (198) + כְּמוֹ־נֵֽד [like·a·heap] (120) = 878.
Rashi
"as a heap" — Heb. נד, a tall heap, as Onkelos renders (Exod. 15:8): “the flowing water stood up like a נֵד,” stood up like a wall.
Ibn Ezra
'He cleaved' — [meaning] 'and the waters were split.' 'And He made the waters stand as a heap' — the waters were to them like a wall.
Radak
"He cleaved the sea" — after the wonders that He performed for them in Egypt, He cleaved the sea for them. "And He made the waters stand as a heap" — as it is written, "the floods stood upright as a heap" (Exodus 15:8).
Metzudat David
"And He made stand" — He caused the waters that were coming to stand like a high mound, and they did not descend in their usual way.
Metzudat Zion
"A heap" — a heap and mound, as in "stood up like a heap" (Exodus 15:8).
Malbim
"He cleaved" — this explains what was said of "His wonders" and "His deeds": the wonder (pele) is the miracle, while the deed ('alilah) is that through which Hashem's attributes and ways are made manifest, for deeds ('alilot) are the actions that issue from character traits. And he now expounds: corresponding to "His wonders" — "He cleaved the sea," for this was a miracle and a wonder; and corresponding to "His deeds" — "and caused them to pass through," for the fact that He brought Israel through it stemmed from His attributes of mercy and kindness. "And He made the waters stand as a heap" — by this the Egyptians were enticed to go down into the sea, as it says, "and with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were piled up" (Exodus 15:8), meaning the waters formed a heap; in that they stood like a heap, the Egyptians let their hearts be tempted to go down into the sea. This too stemmed from His deeds and His attributes, for He wished to drown the Egyptians so as to repay them according to their own measure, as it says, "for through the matter in which they had dealt wickedly against them" (Exodus 18:11) — for this is among Hashem's deeds, to repay measure for measure.
By day also He led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.
verse value 1028
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵֽשׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·night" (וְכׇל־הַ֝לַּ֗יְלָה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·the·cloud" (בֶּעָנָ֣ן), "and·all·the·night" (וְכׇל־הַ֝לַּ֗יְלָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "by·day" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "with·light·of" (root אור, 30x in Psalms); "and·all·the·night" (root ליל, 27x in Psalms). First appearance of the root ענן ("in·the·cloud") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·day', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּנְחֵ֣ם [and·he·led·them] (114) + בֶּעָנָ֣ן [in·the·cloud] (172) + יוֹמָ֑ם [by·day] (96) + וְכׇל־הַ֝לַּ֗יְלָה [and·all·the·night] (136) + בְּא֣וֹר [with·light·of] (209) + אֵֽשׁ [fire] (301) = 1028.
Ibn Ezra
'And He led them' — he [the psalmist] recounts the kindnesses of Hashem toward them: the cloud by day, so that the sun would not smite them, and the light of fire by night, so that they had no need for torches.
Radak
"And He led them" — and those whom He brought across the sea, the cloud led by day, which went before them to guide them on the way; and it was with them even before the crossing of the sea, from when they journeyed from Succoth. "And all the night with a light of fire" — for all night they had a pillar of fire, until the light of day came, so that they had no need of the light of a lamp at night; for even when they encamped, the pillar of fire was over the Tabernacle to give them light.
Metzudat Zion
"He led them" — He guided them.
Malbim
"And He led them" — the splitting of the Sea of Reeds demonstrates His power to override nature; "and He led them" by the pillar of cloud and fire, and likewise the giving of the water, demonstrate His providence and His goodness in guiding them along the way and providing for their needs by miraculous means.
He cleaved rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink abundantly as out of the great deep.
verse value 2264
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "great" (רַבָּֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·the·depths" (כִּתְהֹמ֥וֹת, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·split" (יְבַקַּ֣ע), "rocks" (צֻ֭רִים), "and·he·gave·drink" (וַ֝יַּ֗שְׁקְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "great" (root רב, 67x in Psalms); "rocks" (root צור, 28x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְבַקַּ֣ע [he·split] (182) + צֻ֭רִים [rocks] (340) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + וַ֝יַּ֗שְׁקְ [and·he·gave·drink] (416) + כִּתְהֹמ֥וֹת [like·the·depths] (871) + רַבָּֽה [great] (207) = 2264.
Rashi
"He split rocks" — (Exod. 17:6): “and you shall strike the rock.” "and He gave them to drink as [from] great deeps" — in the great deeps. Even as they went through the midst of the sea, whose waters are salty, He sweetened fountains for them in the midst of the sea.
Ibn Ezra
'He cleaved' — the meaning of 'rocks' is that this happened many times in the great and terrible wilderness. 'And He gave to drink' — [the form] is elliptical, like 'and He gave them to drink' (vayashkeh otam). 'And abundantly' — is a descriptive term for 'the deep' (tehom), and it comes in the singular, as in '[Joseph is a fruitful vine...] its branches (banot) run over the wall' (Genesis 49:22). The idea is varied through different words for the sake of stylistic elegance.
Radak
"He cleaved rocks" — at Rephidim and at Kadesh. "He cleaved" — future [tense] used in place of past, and there are many like it; and behold, he mentions the wonders, even though not in [chronological] order. "And gave them drink as out of the great deep [tehomot rabbah]" — He gave them drink from the rocks, as if from the great deeps; and [the word] rabbah is a descriptive term for tehom; and he uses a singular form together with a plural [noun], as in "the branches [banot] run [tza'adah, singular] over the wall" (Genesis 49:22).
Metzudat David
"He split rocks" — In order to bring forth the water. "And He gave to drink" — He gave them to drink their fill, as though they drank from the depths, each of which is abundant and vast.
Metzudat Zion
"He cleaved rocks" — that is, boulders, crags.
Malbim
(15–16) "He cleaved rocks in the wilderness" — even though the wilderness is not a place of springs, "He gave them drink as from the great deep." And do not say that this particular place happened to be the site of a spring, for behold, "He brought forth streams from the rock" — for Miriam's well was a single rock that rolled along with them from place to place — and nonetheless "He brought down water like rivers."
He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.
verse value 1453
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מָֽיִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "streams" (נוֹזְלִ֣ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "streams" (נוֹזְלִ֣ים), "from·the·crag" (מִסָּ֑לַע), "and·he·brought·down" (וַיּ֖וֹרֶד). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "water" (root מים, 38x in Psalms); "and·he·brought·out" (root יצא, 35x in Psalms); "and·he·brought·down" (root ירד, 24x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נזל ("streams") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·crag', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיּוֹצִ֣א [and·he·brought·out] (113) + נוֹזְלִ֣ים [streams] (143) + מִסָּ֑לַע [from·the·crag] (200) + וַיּ֖וֹרֶד [and·he·brought·down] (226) + כַּנְּהָר֣וֹת [like·the·streams] (681) + מָֽיִם [water] (90) = 1453.
Rashi
"and brought down water like rivers" — [Water] that was flowing from the well. The princes would make a line with their staffs and the water would be drawn after them to the encampment of each tribe, as the matter that is stated (Num. 21:18): “by the order of the lawgiver, with their staffs,” as is explained in tractate Makkoth.
Radak
"And He brought out" — this repeats the matter in different words, as is customary, to reinforce the matter; and he says: "And caused [waters] to run down" — for the rock is a high place.
Metzudat David
"And He brought down" — The rock brought down water like rivers.
Metzudat Zion
"Streams" — from the language of "flowing and dripping."
Yet went they on still to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
verse value 1291
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "still" (ע֭וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·continued" (וַיּוֹסִ֣יפוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·they·continued" (וַיּוֹסִ֣יפוּ), "to·sin·against·Him" (לַחֲטֹא־ל֑וֹ), "to·rebel" (לַֽמְר֥וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "still" (root עוד, 24x in Psalms); "the·Most·High" (root עליון, 22x in Psalms); "to·sin·against·Him" (root חטא, 21x in Psalms). First appearance of the root ציה ("in·the·desert") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sin·against·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיּוֹסִ֣יפוּ [and·they·continued] (178) + ע֭וֹד [still] (80) + לַחֲטֹא־ל֑וֹ [to·sin·against·Him] (84) + לַֽמְר֥וֹת [to·rebel] (676) + עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן [the·Most·High] (166) + בַּצִּיָּֽה [in·the·desert] (107) = 1291.
Rashi
"to provoke" — Heb. למרות, to provoke, as (Deut. 9:7): “you have been provoking (ממרים).”
Ibn Ezra
'And they continued yet' — the lamed of 'lamrot' [to rebel] is opened [with a patach], because it is of the hif'il [causative] form, like 'to cause the belly to swell' (Numbers 5:22) and 'and to provoke the eyes of His glory' (Isaiah 3:8). 'In the dry land' [ba-tziyah] — meaning, in a place of thirst; and the meaning is that they rebelled against the Most High in a place where they had need of Him.
Radak
"Yet they continued" — for the water came to them on account of sin and complaint. "To rebel [lamrot]" — like lehamrot. "Ziyyah [parched land]" — its meaning is "wilderness." And it says "the Most High" [elyon] because He is supreme over all, and everything is in His hand; and just as it was in His power to bring water out of the dry rock and to bring down manna from the air, so too it was in His power to bring them meat in the wilderness — and this was at Kivrot HaTaavah [the Graves of Craving].
Metzudat David
"Yet they continued" — After all these miracles, they continued still to sin.
Metzudat Zion
"To rebel" — to rebel against. "In the desert" — in the wilderness, which is arid and desolate.
Malbim
"Yet they went on" — nevertheless, "they sinned against Him," doubting the power of God. This was because they were sunk in corrupt beliefs which they had inherited from Egypt: that the Supreme God (El Elyon), who is the Cause of causes, does not oversee particular things, but rather has apportioned a measure of divine power to exalted, natural forces that govern particulars — this one ruling over the water and that one over the bread, and so forth. And they thought that even the God who performed the wonders for Moses was not the Supreme God, the Cause of causes, but rather one of the divine beings — an angel, or a celestial sphere, or a force beneath Him — which, according to the greatness of its power, could bestow abundance upon a person, or a nation, or a particular place, but which nonetheless had a limited and finite power. Hence it says that they sinned "to rebel against the Most High" — for their rebellion was against the Most High, who is the Cause of causes, in that they denied that He oversees "the desert."
And they tried God in their heart By asking food for their craving.
verse value 1151
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "in·their·heart" (בִּלְבָבָ֑ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·they·tried·God" (וַיְנַסּוּ־אֵ֥ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·ask·for·food" (לִֽשְׁאׇל־אֹ֥כֶל), "for·their·soul" (לְנַפְשָֽׁם). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·their·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "in·their·heart" (root לבב, 32x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְנַסּוּ־אֵ֥ל [and·they·tried·God] (163) + בִּלְבָבָ֑ם [in·their·heart] (76) + לִֽשְׁאׇל־אֹ֥כֶל [to·ask·for·food] (412) + לְנַפְשָֽׁם [for·their·soul] (500) = 1151.
Ibn Ezra
'And they tested' — this is a crooked/perverse way, for a servant to ask of his master something he does not [truly] need; and this refers to [the request for] meat, as I shall now explain.
Radak
"In their heart" — in their thoughts; for they asked for the meat in order to test Him, since the manna was good and pleasant food and they had no need of meat — but they did not say so with their mouths; rather, they said that they had a need for meat. "By asking food for their craving [nafsham]" — for their desire; and he says "for their nefesh" because the nefesh is the possessor of desire.
Metzudat David
"In their heart" — That is to say, what they asked concerning the meat was not the true content of their intent; rather, in their heart it was to test Hashem.
Malbim
"And they tried" — now, it is clear from the narratives of the Torah that He gave them the manna and the quail before He brought forth streams from the rock, for the bringing forth of the water took place at Rephidim. Does this not contradict what is said here? However, it has become clear to me that the complainers mentioned in the portion of Beha'alotcha were the same matter as what is stated afterward, "and the mixed multitude that was among them craved a craving" (Numbers 11:4) — for in truth they did not crave the meat for its own sake, but rather wished to test Hashem, for they did not believe that His power was without limit and that He would be able to fulfill His promise to dispossess the Canaanites. Now at first, at the time He gave them the manna, the manna and the quail came down together, as it says in the portion of Beshalach, "at evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread" (Exodus 16:12). But the quail ceased when they came to Rephidim, where He brought forth water for them. And Israel thought that, since His power was limited and finite, He did not have the power to produce three things at once — bread, meat, and water — and that therefore, when they needed water, He could no longer give them meat, for His power sufficed for bread and meat alone, or for bread and water alone, being two things, but not for three things (for so it is with anyone whose power is limited and not self-derived — as with Elijah, who could not hold in his hand the key of rain and the key of the revival of the dead at the same time, as our Sages, of blessed memory, have said). And regarding this they wished to test whether He could also give them meat, for by this they would know that His power was not a limited power. And this is the meaning of, "and they tried God in their heart by asking food for their craving" — that their asking for food was not merely from craving, but from the test, in that they doubted the power of God.
Indeed, they spoke against God; They said 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
verse value 1621
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֑ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·spoke" (וַֽיְדַבְּר֗וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "is·he·able" (הֲי֣וּכַל), "to·arrange" (לַעֲרֹ֥ךְ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "and·they·spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְדַבְּר֗וּ [and·they·spoke] (228) + בֵּאלֹ֫הִ֥ים [against·God] (88) + אָ֭מְרוּ [they·said] (247) + הֲי֣וּכַל [is·he·able] (71) + אֵ֑ל [God] (31) + לַעֲרֹ֥ךְ [to·arrange] (320) + שֻׁ֝לְחָ֗ן [table] (388) + בַּמִּדְבָּֽר [in·the·wilderness] (248) = 1621.
Ibn Ezra
'And they spoke' — '[can He] arrange a table' is a figure of speech for meat. And the meaning of 'in the wilderness' is a place where there is no settlement.
Radak
"Indeed, they spoke" — and what did they speak? They said:
Metzudat David
"Can He" — Is He able to set a full table in the wilderness to feed them meat?
Metzudat Zion
"Prepare" — an expression of arranging, setting.
Malbim
"And they spoke against God" — they said, "Can God arrange a table," meaning a table lacking nothing in it, bread and meat and water — can He arrange a complete table lacking nothing? For although until now He gave us meat, "behold, He struck the rock and water gushed out," and already His power had been diminished by the bringing forth of the water; and so now we wish to test: "can He also give bread, if He prepares meat for His people" — meaning, now that His power has been diminished through the bringing forth of the water, if He wishes to prepare meat and flesh for them, He will not be able to give bread as well, for His power is limited. And they thought that this was why He had stopped giving the meat — because if He were to give them meat as well, now that He had to give water, He would not be able to give bread; therefore He stopped giving the meat, so that He would be able to give the bread, which is more essential.
Behold, He smote the rock, that waters gushed out, And streams overflowed; Can He give bread also? Or will He provide flesh for His people?'
verse value 2827
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "behold" (הֵ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·struck·the·rock" (הִכָּה־צ֨וּר, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "he·struck·the·rock" (הִכָּה־צ֨וּר), "and·torrents" (וּנְחָלִ֢ים), "overflowed" (יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·his·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "give" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "if·he·will·provide" (root כון, 52x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'give', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֵ֤ן [behold] (55) + הִכָּה־צ֨וּר [he·struck·the·rock] (326) + וַיָּז֣וּבוּ [and·gushed] (37) + מַיִם֮ [water] (90) + וּנְחָלִ֢ים [and·torrents] (144) + יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ [overflowed] (405) + הֲגַם־לֶ֭חֶם [is·also·bread] (126) + י֣וּכַל [is·he·able] (66) + תֵּ֑ת [give] (800) + אִם־יָכִ֖ין [if·he·will·provide] (131) + שְׁאֵ֣ר [flesh] (501) + לְעַמּֽוֹ [for·his·people] (146) = 2827.
Rashi
"flesh" — Heb. שְׁאֵר, flesh.
Ibn Ezra
'Behold' — Rabbi Moshe ha-Kohen said: Behold, it is written in the Torah that the descent of the manna began at the earlier of the many journeys, before the striking of the rock at Rephidim. Furthermore, Hashem's anger did not burn on account of the manna, for it [the psalm] says, 'and a fire was kindled against Jacob,' and after that it is written, 'and He rained down manna upon them to eat' — so behold, the text [the psalm] confused its order, placing later what was earlier, and the reverse, and was not concerned about this, for it [the true order] is explicitly stated among us in the Torah of Moses. And the meaning of 'can He also give bread' refers to the manna. And the meaning is: can He give it continually, without interruption? And similarly, '[take] off your ornament' (Exodus 33:5) — so it seems to me. Says Abraham ibn Ezra the author: these words [i.e., Rabbi Moshe's] contain confusion, and I will explain it all [properly]. The meaning of 'to ask food for their craving' concerns the meat [associated with] Kivrot ha-Ta'avah [Graves of Craving] (Numbers 11:34), and this is [the meaning of] 'to arrange a table'; and the word 'also bread' [ha-gam lechem] means meat, as in 'My offering, My bread' (Numbers 28:2) — 'the bread of the fire-offering' (cf. Leviticus 3:11); and the proof is '[or] will He prepare flesh (she'er) for His people' — for the meaning is doubled, since 'she'er' is like 'flesh/meat.'
Radak
"Can He also give bread" — and this speech and statement was in their heart, for they did not say with their mouths that they were asking for the meat as a test and not out of need. "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness" — in a place where nothing to sustain life is found, [they wondered] whether He is able to set a full table; for behold, He had [already] given part of what a table requires, namely the manna, and likewise He gave water — but it would be a still greater wonder if He were to give meat. For the manna He brought down from the sky, like the quail and the hailstones; and as for water — there are many rocks from which much water can come out — but from where would He bring meat? This is [the meaning of] what it says, "can He also give bread" — all this they thought in their heart. "Behold" — he says "He smote," for it was by a blow that [the waters] came out of the rock at Rephidim. And he says "rock" [singular] — whereas above (verse 15) he said "rocks" [plural] — because when they asked for meat at Kivrot HaTaavah, the matter of the Waters of Meribah, which occurred at Kadesh, had not yet happened; and what he says here, "He smote the rock," was said concerning the rock of Rephidim. "And streams overflowed" — much water came out of it, so that there were great streams flowing, sweeping through the places where they ran. "Can He also give bread [lechem]" — that is, meat, as in "My offering, My bread [lachmi]" (Numbers 28:2). "Or will He provide flesh [she'er] for His people" — this repeats the matter in different words.
Metzudat David
"Behold" — They said: Behold, we have seen that He struck the rock and the water flowed — but that alone we have seen; therefore let us test to know whether He can also give bread, that is, meat, as it is written, "My offering, My bread" (Numbers 27) — whether He will provide flesh. The matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"Give" — from the language of "giving." "Flesh" — meat, as in "who eat the flesh of my people" (Micah 3).
Therefore Hashem heard, and was wroth; And a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also went up against Israel;
verse value 2948
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·was·angry" (וַֽיִּתְעַ֫בָּ֥ר, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "was·kindled" (נִשְּׂקָ֣ה), "and·also·anger" (וְגַם־אַ֝֗ף). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 688x in Psalms); "he·heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms); "against·Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֤ן [therefore] (100) + שָׁמַ֥ע [he·heard] (410) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + וַֽיִּתְעַ֫בָּ֥ר [and·he·was·angry] (688) + וְ֭אֵשׁ [and·fire] (307) + נִשְּׂקָ֣ה [was·kindled] (455) + בְיַעֲקֹ֑ב [against·Jacob] (184) + וְגַם־אַ֝֗ף [and·also·anger] (130) + עָלָ֥ה [went·up] (105) + בְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [against·Israel] (543) = 2948.
Rashi
"fire was kindled against Jacob" — Heb. נשקה, as (Ezek. 39:9): “and make fires and heat up (והשיקו),” which is an expression of heating and burning. As it is written (Num. 11:1): “and God’s fire broke out against them.”
Ibn Ezra
"Therefore" — the meaning of "and a fire" is the burning anger of Hashem, as it is written, "and the anger of Hashem also went up against them."
Radak
"Therefore" — even though they said it only in their heart. "Hashem heard, and was wroth" — at them. "And a fire was kindled" — His wrath was kindled against Jacob. "And anger also went up against Israel" — this repeats the matter in different words. "[Was] kindled" — burned. And it seems correct to me that this verse includes two events: the matter of the burning [Taverah], and the matter of Kivrot HaTaavah — and both are the same place; except that concerning the first incident, they complained wrongfully and a fire burned among them, and it was called Taverah [Burning]; and concerning the second incident, in which they craved a craving and those who craved died, it was called Kivrot HaTaavah [Graves of Craving]. And what is said in this verse, "and a fire was kindled against Jacob," refers to the matter of the burning; and what is said, "and anger also went up against Israel," refers to [the incident in] which they craved a craving. And the two incidents occurred in the same place, and for both of them they were punished, for there was in them a deficiency of faith: for they were complainers, who said, "Let us send men before us, that they may search out [the land]" (cf. Deuteronomy 1:22), and they did not believe in God that He would give it to them without war; and the request for meat, too, was a deficiency of faith.
Metzudat David
"And He was angry" — He was filled with wrath and fury. "And a fire was kindled" — His anger burned like fire, and the matter is repeated in different words, and repeated once more by saying, "and anger also," etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Was wroth" — from the language of "fury and rage." "Was kindled" — from the language of "kindling and burning."
Malbim
"Therefore Hashem heard" — and understood their words and their intent, "and was wroth." And first, "a fire was kindled against Jacob" — this is what burned among them, the fire of Hashem, through the complainers, which was likewise this same matter; it was only against Jacob, meaning the lesser among them, as it says, "and it consumed those in the outskirts of the camp" (Numbers 11:1), who were the lesser ones. And afterward also, "anger also went up against Israel," who were the choice ones among them, at the time when they too clamored for meat, as it says, "and the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who will feed us meat?" (Numbers 11:4) — for their leaders too wept, and the anger of Hashem went up a second time at Kivrot HaTaavah. And the reason for the anger was not because they craved the meat, but rather because "they did not believe in God," and thought His power was limited and finite, and therefore, "they did not trust in His salvation," doubting whether He would be able to save them with respect to the inheritance of the land.
Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in His salvation.
verse value 1117
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·salvation" (בִּישׁוּעָתֽוֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "they·believed" (הֶ֭אֱמִינוּ). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "because" (root כי, 216x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [because] (30) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + הֶ֭אֱמִינוּ [they·believed] (112) + בֵּאלֹהִ֑ים [in·God] (88) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + בָ֝טְח֗וּ [trusted] (25) + בִּישׁוּעָתֽוֹ [in·his·salvation] (794) = 1117.
Ibn Ezra
"Because" — since he had mentioned "and they tested," he now says the opposite of it: "for they did not believe." "and trusted not" — the meaning is doubled.
Radak
"Because they believed not" — that He would be able to bring them into the land. "And trusted not in His salvation" — that He had saved them so many times.
Metzudat David
"Because they believed not" — that He could fulfill their requests. "And trusted not" — without [need for] a trial.
And He commanded the skies above, And opened the doors of heaven;
verse value 2078
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "he·opened" (פָּתָֽח, 3 letters) and the longest is "skies" (שְׁחָקִ֣ים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·he·commanded" (וַיְצַ֣ו), "from·above" (מִמָּ֑עַל), "and·the·doors·of" (וְדַלְתֵ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "heaven" (root שמים, 71x in Psalms); "he·opened" (root פתח, 20x in Psalms). First appearance of the root דלת ("and·the·doors·of") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·above', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֣ו [and·he·commanded] (112) + שְׁחָקִ֣ים [skies] (458) + מִמָּ֑עַל [from·above] (180) + וְדַלְתֵ֖י [and·the·doors·of] (450) + שָׁמַ֣יִם [heaven] (390) + פָּתָֽח [he·opened] (488) = 2078.
Ibn Ezra
"And He commanded" — meaning, "He had already commanded"; and so too "and He caused to rain" [below].
Radak
"And He commanded" — He had already commanded the skies to give them manna. "He opened the doors of heaven" — for them, to rain down manna upon them, but they did not take to heart that just as He did this, so would He do that. And it speaks of "the doors of heaven" as a way of accounting for the abundance of manna that He brought down for them.
Metzudat David
"And He commanded" — Had He not already commanded the skies, etc.?
Malbim
(23–24) "And He commanded" — and therefore He showed them that even though "He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; and He rained down manna upon them to eat," nevertheless He also "rained flesh upon them like dust, and winged fowl like the sand of the seas" — and He showed them that even though He gave them bread as before, He was nonetheless able to give meat as well, in great abundance. — "And He commanded the skies above" — there is a distinction between shechakim ("skies") and shamayim ("heaven"): the shechakim are higher than the shamayim, and indicate a miraculous bestowal that is above the natural bestowal that descends from the shamayim. And the manna did not descend from the shamayim, that is, from the natural order and nature, but rather from the shechakim, which are above — as if it fell from the shechakim into the shamayim, and by way of the doors of heaven which He opened, it fell to the earth. And in this manner He rained down manna for them to eat, and it was not natural food, "for He gave them the grain of heaven." And since a natural kind of manna does also descend in that wilderness during two months of the year, He came to remove from the heart of the skeptics [any excuse] to say that it was the natural food that is found even now in the wilderness. Therefore He explains the signs by which we would know that it was "the grain of heaven": "man ate the bread of the mighty" — for the manna that descends [naturally] in the wilderness is not food for the healthy to be satisfied by, but is given only to the sick, whereas this was bread fit for mighty men. This is a second [sign]: that the manna which descends naturally does not satisfy, and descends only in a small amount, and it would be impossible for it to suffice for every single person, when they numbered six hundred thousand; but here, "every man ate the bread of the mighty," and also, "He sent them provision to the full" — which is impossible with the natural manna.
And He caused manna to rain upon them for food, And gave them of the corn of heaven.
verse value 1620
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 1620 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "manna" (מָ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·corn·of·heaven" (וּדְגַן־שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·the·corn·of·heaven" (וּדְגַן־שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "he·gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "and·the·corn·of·heaven" (root שמים, 71x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר [and·he·rained·down] (265) + עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם [upon·them] (155) + מָ֣ן [manna] (90) + לֶאֱכֹ֑ל [to·eat] (81) + וּדְגַן־שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם [and·the·corn·of·heaven] (453) + נָ֣תַן [he·gave] (500) + לָֽמוֹ [to·them] (76) = 1620.
Ibn Ezra
"And He caused to rain" — the meaning is: "He had already caused to rain upon them," like "and Hashem God formed," [which means] "He had already formed"; "and Hashem said to Moses," [meaning] "He had already said"; "and they journeyed from Rephidim," [meaning] "they had already journeyed"; "and he said, Whose daughter are you?" [meaning] "he had already said"; "and he said to Moses, I am your father-in-law," and afterward, "and he came" — and there are many such cases. And the reason: why did they crave meat? To test Hashem. And what need did they have for meat, when they already had the manna, which was sweet and pleasant and clean, and they gathered it without any effort, for free?! And He struck the rock for them, and they had enough for their supply — yet it says "and He caused to rain," because it came down from the heavens; and "the grain of heaven," because it was formed in the air.
Radak
"The corn of heaven" — for they had the manna to eat in place of grain, and it was better and more pleasant.
Metzudat David
"And He rained down" — He had already rained down the manna, and so they saw that His hand was not too short [to provide]. "And the corn of heaven" — this is the manna, and the matter is repeated in different words.
Man did eat the bread of the mighty; He sent them provisions to the full.
verse value 1627
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "bread·of" (לֶ֣חֶם, 3 letters) and the longest is "mighty" (אַ֭בִּירִים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·fullness" (לָשֹֽׂבַע). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "to·fullness" (root שבע, 40x in Psalms); "man" (root איש, 39x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֶ֣חֶם [bread·of] (78) + אַ֭בִּירִים [mighty] (263) + אָ֣כַל [ate] (51) + אִ֑ישׁ [man] (311) + צֵידָ֬ה [provision] (109) + שָׁלַ֖ח [sent] (338) + לָהֶ֣ם [to·them] (75) + לָשֹֽׂבַע [to·fullness] (402) = 1627.
Rashi
"bread of the mighty" — Bread of the angels. Another explanation: אַבִּירִים means אֵבָרִים, limbs, for it was absorbed into the limbs, and they did not have to excrete.
Ibn Ezra
"the bread of the mighty" — they are the skies. And the meaning of "man" — that he, being a human being, was created from the earth. And the meaning of "provision" — because they were always traveling.
Radak
"The mighty" — the skies are called "the mighty," as it is said of them, "strong as a molten mirror" (Job 37:18). And this is a wondrous thing, that man, created from the earth, ate the bread of the skies. "He sent them provisions" — for wherever they went, all they needed was made ready for them, to the full.
Metzudat David
"Bread of the mighty" — bread from the heavens, which are called "abirim" [mighty ones], this being a term of strength; and so it is said of them, "strong as a molten mirror" (Job 37:18). "Man did eat" — as if to say: is it not a wondrous thing that man, created from the earth, ate the bread of heaven? "To the full" — that is, to satisfy them with whatever kind [of food] they desired, for in the manna they tasted every delicacy; therefore their asking for meat was improper.
He caused the east wind to set forth in heaven; And by His power He brought on the south wind.
verse value 1345
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "caused·to·journey" (יַסַּ֣ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·heavens" (בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִם, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "caused·to·journey" (יַסַּ֣ע), "and·drove" (וַיְנַהֵ֖ג), "in·His·might" (בְּעֻזּ֣וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·heavens" (root שמים, 71x in Psalms); "in·His·might" (root עז, 40x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נסע ("caused·to·journey") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·heavens', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יַסַּ֣ע [caused·to·journey] (140) + קָ֭דִים [east] (154) + בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִם [in·the·heavens] (392) + וַיְנַהֵ֖ג [and·drove] (74) + בְּעֻזּ֣וֹ [in·His·might] (85) + תֵימָֽן [south] (500) = 1345.
Rashi
"He caused the east wind to set forth" — (Num. 11:31): “And a wind set forth from the Lord, and it made quails fly.”
Ibn Ezra
"He caused to journey" — he returns to tell of the matter of the meat, which he had begun to speak of: "therefore Hashem heard, and was full of wrath." "east" — the meaning is "an east wind," and it is an adjective, for the word "wind" is sometimes found in the masculine, as in "that breaks the mountains." "and the south wind" — from the root of "right hand," and it is the wind that is east-southerly.
Radak
"He caused... to set forth" — He caused the east wind to blow, to sweep away the quail. "And by His power He brought on the south wind" — [Teiman is] the south wind, for that wind was a southeasterly wind.
Metzudat David
"He caused to set forth" — Nevertheless, He set in motion and caused an east wind to blow from the heavens. "The south wind" — a south wind, for the wind was from the southeastern quarter.
Metzudat Zion
"By His power" — by His strength.
Malbim
"He caused [the wind] to set forth" — Even though He had given them the manna, He also gave them meat, contrary to their expectation. And so that they would not say that the wind that blew the quail from the sea came about by chance, that the wind naturally carried them there, he explains with a proof that this too happened by way of a miracle. For the sea was to the west and north of Israel, and it would be impossible for anything but a west wind or a north wind to carry the quail to the camp of Israel. But "He caused the east wind to set forth in the heavens" — which was an east wind — and also "He drove by His power the south wind" — that is a south wind — for according to nature these winds should have driven the quail further from the border of Israel and carried them off to the other side. So the carrying of the quail was, by way of a miracle, opposite in direction from the source of the wind.
He caused flesh also to rain upon them as the dust, And winged fowl as the sand of the seas;
verse value 1767
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "flesh" (שְׁאֵ֑ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·caused·to·rain" (וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·like·the·sand·of" (וּֽכְח֥וֹל), "fowl·of" (ע֣וֹף). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 120x in Psalms); "seas" (root ים, 31x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'flesh', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר [and·caused·to·rain] (265) + עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם [upon·them] (155) + כֶּעָפָ֣ר [like·the·dust] (370) + שְׁאֵ֑ר [flesh] (501) + וּֽכְח֥וֹל [and·like·the·sand·of] (70) + יַ֝מִּ֗ים [seas] (100) + ע֣וֹף [fowl·of] (156) + כָּנָֽף [wing] (150) = 1767.
Ibn Ezra
"And He caused to rain" — because the wind brought it and it was upon them. And now my explanation regarding the word "flesh" (in "can He also give bread, will He provide flesh for His people?") is confirmed — that it means the meat.
Radak
"And He caused... to rain" — for they came in such abundance, like rain — and this is a wonder — that He rained winged fowl down upon them, and they [the birds] had no strength to fly here and there, but rather He made them fall within the camp.
Metzudat David
"Like the dust" — abundant like the dust. "Winged fowl" — fowl possessing wings.
Malbim
"And He caused to rain" — the second miracle was that when the quail reached the camp of Israel, they did not fly off further from there; rather, there He rained it down upon them from above to below, "like dust" that falls downward, and they were as numerous as the sand of the seas.
And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.
verse value 1469
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 1469 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·let·fall" (וַ֭יַּפֵּל, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·his·dwellings" (לְמִשְׁכְּנֹתָֽיו, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "his·camp" (מַחֲנֵ֑הוּ), "to·his·dwellings" (לְמִשְׁכְּנֹתָֽיו). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·midst·of" (root קרב, 37x in Psalms); "and·let·fall" (root נפל, 30x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יַּפֵּל [and·let·fall] (126) + בְּקֶ֣רֶב [in·the·midst·of] (304) + מַחֲנֵ֑הוּ [his·camp] (109) + סָ֝בִ֗יב [around] (74) + לְמִשְׁכְּנֹתָֽיו [to·his·dwellings] (856) = 1469.
Ibn Ezra
"And He let it fall" — he mentions the falling of the fowl "in the midst" and "around their dwellings," like "their camp" — and these are the tents.
Metzudat David
"In the midst of His camp" — so that they would not have to trouble themselves to go far after them [to gather it]. "Round about His dwellings" — the matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
"And He let it fall" — also, that He let the quail fall "in the midst of their camp" — even though it is the nature of birds to keep their distance from people, they fell "around their dwellings," not far off, and not on top of the tents.
So they did eat, and were well filled; And He gave them that which they craved.
verse value 1453
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "brought" (יָבִ֥א) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "greatly" (מְאֹ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·ate" (וַיֹּאכְל֣וּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·their·desire" (וְ֝תַאֲוָתָ֗ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "brought" (root בוא, 79x in Psalms); "to·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "and·were·sated" (root שבע, 40x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'greatly', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאכְל֣וּ [and·ate] (73) + וַיִּשְׂבְּע֣וּ [and·were·sated] (394) + מְאֹ֑ד [greatly] (45) + וְ֝תַאֲוָתָ֗ם [and·their·desire] (853) + יָבִ֥א [brought] (13) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 1453.
Ibn Ezra
"So they ate" — the meaning of "exceedingly" is like "and it shall become loathsome to you." "He brought" — meaning "he was bringing" [repeatedly], in the manner of "they made a calf in Horeb" [meaning, they used to make].
Radak
"So they did eat" — a great deal, more than enough.
Metzudat David
"And their craving" — regarding the matter of the test with which they tested Hashem.
Malbim
(29–30) "And they ate" — I have already explained in A.H.Sh., Discourse 8, that Hashem brought proof that the essential complaint of the people was not on account of the craving they had for meat, but rather on account of denial — in that they regretted the Exodus from Egypt, for there they had not yet had the yoke of the commandments upon them — and they rejected Hashem and His commandments, and the complaint about the meat was only a pretext. And so our sages, of blessed memory, said that they wept over family relations that had been forbidden to them. And the sign of this is that there is a difference between one who sins out of craving and one who sins out of rebellion and denial: one who sins out of craving, once his desire is fulfilled, immediately regrets his sin; but if, once his desire is fulfilled, he continues further in that sin, this is a sign that he is sinning out of denial. And so it says, "not one day shall you eat, nor two days... until a month of days, until it comes out through your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you" — meaning: even though you will no longer have any craving for meat, you will nevertheless keep eating it and will not regret your actions; this is a sign that you did not want the meat out of craving, but rather because you rejected Hashem who is in your midst, for the sin was one of denial. "And you wept before Him, saying, why did we come out of Egypt?" — for the essence of your weeping was that you regretted the Exodus from Egypt and the acceptance of the yoke of the Torah and the commandments. And so it says, "And they ate and were well filled" — even though "their craving brought it to them," and their craving had already been fulfilled, nevertheless "they were not estranged from their craving, and their food was still in their mouths" — and this is a sign that the sin was one of denial and malicious intent. Therefore, "and the wrath of God also rose against them" — and lest you say that they died naturally, because the quail was meat that is hard to digest, especially since they had not eaten meat for many days and it harmed them — therefore it says, "and He killed among their stoutest ones," for it is conceivable that food hard to digest would harm the elderly or those of weak constitution, but here it was the stout and mighty men who died, and "He struck down the young men of Israel" — not the elderly.
They were not estranged from their craving, Their food was yet in their mouths,
verse value 1439
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "yet" (ע֝֗וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·their·craving" (מִתַּאֲוָתָ֑ם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·were·estranged" (לֹא־זָ֥רוּ), "from·their·craving" (מִתַּאֲוָתָ֑ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·their·mouth" (root פה, 46x in Psalms); "their·food" (root אכל, 35x in Psalms); "yet" (root עוד, 24x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·craving', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־זָ֥רוּ [not·were·estranged] (244) + מִתַּאֲוָתָ֑ם [from·their·craving] (887) + ע֝֗וֹד [yet] (80) + אׇכְלָ֥ם [their·food] (91) + בְּפִיהֶֽם [in·their·mouth] (137) = 1439.
Rashi
"They were not estranged from their desire" — They did not become estranged from their desire, for they achieved all their desire. Another explanation: לא זרוּ מתאותם They were not distanced from their desire until the retribution came upon them. “While their food was still in their mouth, the wrath of the Lord (sic), etc.”
Ibn Ezra
"They were not" [estranged] — it had not yet become loathsome to them, until the anger of Hashem burned against them.
Radak
"They were not estranged" — they did not loathe the meat, nor turn away from it, for their food was still in their mouths, and the anger of God rose up against them.
Metzudat David
"They were not estranged" — although they did not become estranged from their craving, for the Omnipresent had fulfilled their requests, their food was still in their mouths, while they were eating and delighting in it.
When the anger of God went up against them, And slew of the lustiest among them, And smote down the young men of Israel.
verse value 2114
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֨ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·the·anger·of" (וְאַ֤ף, 3 letters) and the longest is "among·their·fat·ones" (בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "among·their·fat·ones" (בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶ֑ם), "and·the·young·men·of" (וּבַחוּרֵ֖י), "struck·down" (הִכְרִֽיעַ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "against·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms). First appearance of the root בחור ("and·the·young·men·of") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·their·fat·ones', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַ֤ף [and·the·anger·of] (87) + אֱלֹהִ֨ים [God] (86) + עָ֘לָ֤ה [went·up] (105) + בָהֶ֗ם [against·them] (47) + וַֽ֭יַּהֲרֹג [and·killed] (224) + בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶ֑ם [among·their·fat·ones] (487) + וּבַחוּרֵ֖י [and·the·young·men·of] (232) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל [Israel] (541) + הִכְרִֽיעַ [struck·down] (305) = 2114.
Rashi
"and...the chosen of Israel" — The chosen of them and the men of the assembly, הָאסַפסוּף (Num. 11:4). They are the elders, as it is said (Num. 11:16): “Assemble (אספו) to Me, etc.”
Ibn Ezra
"And the anger" — he mentions "the anger went up," similar to "when Aaron lights the lamps." "among their fattest ones" — the great ones of the camp, the wealthy who live in luxury, similar to "and the fatness of his flesh shall grow lean." And he mentions "and the young men" — because of the strength of their vigor; and behold, it did not avail them when the anger of Hashem went up against them.
Radak
It says "the anger... went up" — like "smoke went up from His nostril" (II Samuel 22:9). "And slew of their fatlings" [bemishmanehem] — with a chirik (short i-vowel) under the first mem; it is an adjective, meaning: among the healthiest and strongest of them.
Metzudat David
"And the anger" — nevertheless, in response to this, the anger of Hashem rose against them at that time. "Among their stout ones" — among the prominent ones among them. "And the young men of" — the choice ones among them bowed down and fell.
Metzudat Zion
"Their lustiest" — from the language of "fat." "Smote down" — an expression of falling upon the knees.
For all this they sinned still, And believed not in His wondrous works.
verse value 1298
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "in·all·this" (בְּכׇל־זֹ֥את, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·not·believed" (וְלֹֽא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·all·this" (בְּכׇל־זֹ֥את), "sinned·still" (חָֽטְאוּ־ע֑וֹד), "and·not·believed" (וְלֹֽא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·His·wondrous·works" (root פלא, 38x in Psalms); "and·not·believed" (root אמן, 22x in Psalms); "sinned·still" (root חטא, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sinned·still', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּכׇל־זֹ֥את [in·all·this] (460) + חָֽטְאוּ־ע֑וֹד [sinned·still] (104) + וְלֹֽא־הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ [and·not·believed] (149) + בְּנִפְלְאוֹתָֽיו [in·His·wondrous·works] (585) = 1298.
Ibn Ezra
"For all this" — in the manner of "and they have tested Me these ten times," even though they are not [all explicitly] mentioned in the Torah. And the correct view is that the word "they sinned" refers to the matter of the spies; therefore it follows right after it.
Radak
"For all this" — they sinned still again, in the matter of the spies, and in the matter of Korah, and in the matter of the Waters of Meribah. "And [they] believed not" — in His wondrous works: despite all the wonders He performed for them, they still did not believe that He would bring them into the land and give them the land.
Metzudat David
"For all this" — even after they saw that the Omnipresent repays recompense, nevertheless they sinned again in the matter of the spies.
Malbim
"For all this they sinned still" — through the spies; "and did not believe in His wondrous works" — for even though they saw that He had given them meat as well, they did not believe that He could conquer the land of the seven nations.
Therefore He ended their days as a breath, And their years in terror.
verse value 1056
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "their·days" (יְמֵיהֶ֑ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·ended·as·the·breath" (וַיְכַל־בַּהֶ֥בֶל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 105: and·ended·as·the·breath, their·days. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·ended·as·the·breath" (וַיְכַל־בַּהֶ֥בֶל), "and·their·years" (וּ֝שְׁנוֹתָ֗ם), "in·the·terror" (בַּבֶּהָלָֽה). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·days" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "and·ended·as·the·breath" (root כלה, 24x in Psalms); "and·their·years" (root שנה, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·days', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְכַל־בַּהֶ֥בֶל [and·ended·as·the·breath] (105) + יְמֵיהֶ֑ם [their·days] (105) + וּ֝שְׁנוֹתָ֗ם [and·their·years] (802) + בַּבֶּהָלָֽה [in·the·terror] (44) = 1056.
Ibn Ezra
"So He ended" — and the meaning of "in a breath" is that they did not see the land, for the sake of which they had gone out from Egypt. "and in terror" — before the forty years [were completed].
Radak
"Therefore He ended" — for He said to them, "You shall bear your iniquities forty years" (Numbers 14:34): they would die off in each and every year, until all of them had died, from twenty years old and up. "In terror" — the letter bet is vocalized with a patach to indicate that it carries the definite article, meaning: in that very terror in which the spies died suddenly.
Metzudat David
"So He ended" — because of this, He ended their days in vanity and in terror, for they were wandering and roaming in the wilderness and died there.
Malbim
"So He ended their days as a breath" — "your children shall wander as shepherds forty years in the wilderness and bear your faithlessness"; "and their years in terror" — "and your carcasses, you yourselves, shall fall in this wilderness."
When He slew them, then they would inquire after Him, And turn back and seek God earnestly.
verse value 1681
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1681 = 41². The shortest word is "and·turned·back" (וְ֝שָׁ֗בוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·sought·Him" (וּדְרָשׁ֑וּהוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "when·He·killed·them" (אִם־הֲרָגָ֥ם), "and·sought·Him" (וּדְרָשׁ֑וּהוּ), "and·turned·back" (וְ֝שָׁ֗בוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·turned·back" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "and·sought·Him" (root דרש, 24x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·sought·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: אִם־הֲרָגָ֥ם [when·He·killed·them] (289) + וּדְרָשׁ֑וּהוּ [and·sought·Him] (527) + וְ֝שָׁ֗בוּ [and·turned·back] (314) + וְשִֽׁחֲרוּ־אֵֽל [and·sought·God] (551) = 1681.
Rashi
"When He slew them, etc." — Yet all this was not in truth, but with guile in their mouth and by lying with their tongue.
Ibn Ezra
"When" — the slain were the cause of others seeking [Him]; or its meaning is, "then He said to slay them"; or, "He almost slew them." "and they returned" — they did repentance. "and sought God earnestly" — for prayer in the morning comes before a person occupies himself with the matters of his needs.
Radak
"When" — here "im" stands in place of "asher" ["when/that"], and its meaning is: when He slew them, those who remained would inquire after Him, for they knew that they had sinned, and they turned back and sought God earnestly.
Metzudat David
"When He slew them" — when He decreed to slay them in the wilderness, they turned back and sought Hashem.
Metzudat Zion
"Seek earnestly" — an expression of seeking, as in "he who diligently seeks good" (Proverbs 18).
Malbim
"When He slew them, then they inquired after Him" — as it says, "and the people mourned greatly," and then they inquired of Him and knew that Hashem was watching over them; "and they turned back and sought God earnestly" — "here we are, and we will go up to the place that Hashem said, for we have sinned."
And they remembered that God was their Rock, And the Most High God their redeemer.
verse value 978
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "and·God" (וְאֵ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·God" (כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֣ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·remembered" (וַֽ֭יִּזְכְּרוּ), "their·Rock" (צוּרָ֑ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "and·God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "and·remembered" (root זכר, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·Rock', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַֽ֭יִּזְכְּרוּ [and·remembered] (249) + כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֣ים [that·God] (116) + צוּרָ֑ם [their·Rock] (336) + וְאֵ֥ל [and·God] (37) + עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן [Most·High] (166) + גֹּאֲלָֽם [their·redeemer] (74) = 978.
Ibn Ezra
"And they remembered... their Rock" — like "their strength." "and God Most High, their Redeemer" — Hashem, who redeemed them, is God Most High, who is able to do whatever He desires in the land and among its inhabitants. And behold, "they remembered" is only with the mouth, similar to "and the burden of Hashem you shall mention no more" — and the proof is, "and their heart was not steadfast."
Radak
"And they remembered" — they remembered Him, but their heart was not steadfast with Him.
Metzudat David
"And they remembered" — they would remember with their mouths that God was their rock.
Malbim
"And they remembered that God was their Rock" — then they said that they knew that they had a rock of strength and a refuge in Hashem; "and that their Redeemer was the Most High God" — the cause of causes, who does not derive His power from others. And nevertheless, "they beguiled Him with their mouth" — they said this only with their mouth, in that it was because He had slain them that they spoke this way; "and lied to Him with their tongue" — the tongue denotes matters of reasoning, in that in their inquiry into the matter they spoke lies to Him, and pursued philosophical inquiries in order to deny Hashem.
But they beguiled Him with their mouth, And lied to Him with their tongue.
verse value 1165
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "with·their·mouth" (בְּפִיהֶ֑ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·beguiled·Him" (וַיְפַתּ֥וּהוּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·beguiled·Him" (וַיְפַתּ֥וּהוּ), "and·with·their·tongue" (וּ֝בִלְשׁוֹנָ֗ם), "lied·to·Him" (יְכַזְּבוּ־לֽוֹ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·their·mouth" (root פה, 46x in Psalms); "and·with·their·tongue" (root לשון, 33x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·mouth', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְפַתּ֥וּהוּ [and·beguiled·Him] (513) + בְּפִיהֶ֑ם [with·their·mouth] (137) + וּ֝בִלְשׁוֹנָ֗ם [and·with·their·tongue] (434) + יְכַזְּבוּ־לֽוֹ [lied·to·Him] (81) = 1165.
Ibn Ezra
"But they beguiled Him" — Scripture speaks according to their own thinking, in the manner of "and the men pursued after them," and [Scripture] speaking of Samuel after his death.
Radak
"And they beguiled Him" with their mouth — in their own minds they beguiled Him, but He, blessed be His name, cannot be beguiled, for He knew their heart. Even so, by the attribute of mercy that is His, He forgives those who show repentance — yet He does not forgive them completely, but takes account of their iniquity; He turns His anger away from them, yet does not rouse against them the whole of His fury, only part of it. And since their repentance is not complete, His forgiveness is not complete. And by strict justice He ought not to forgive them at all, since everything follows the intent of the heart — but [He forgives them somewhat] because of human beings, who see only the outward repentance and do not know the heart; and were He not to forgive them at all, people would say that repentance is of no avail. And this is what it says [next]:
Metzudat David
"But they beguiled Him" — but it was not with a whole heart; rather, they thought to entice Hashem with their mouths, and they lied before Him with their tongue.
For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Neither were they faithful in His covenant.
verse value 1155
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "with·Him" (עִמּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·was·steadfast" (לֹא־נָכ֣וֹן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·their·heart" (וְ֭לִבָּם), "not·was·steadfast" (לֹא־נָכ֣וֹן), "in·His·covenant" (בִּבְרִיתֽוֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "with·Him" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "and·their·heart" (root לב, 74x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְ֭לִבָּם [and·their·heart] (78) + לֹא־נָכ֣וֹן [not·was·steadfast] (157) + עִמּ֑וֹ [with·Him] (116) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + נֶ֝אֶמְנ֗וּ [were·faithful] (147) + בִּבְרִיתֽוֹ [in·His·covenant] (620) = 1155.
Rashi
"Their heart" — was not sincere as with their mouth.
Ibn Ezra
"For their heart" — behold, it is confirmed that the essence of prayer is the intention of the heart.
Metzudat David
"For their heart" — but their heart was not steadfast with Hashem.
Malbim
"For their heart was not steadfast with Him" — even in the thought of their heart they were not steadfast toward Hashem; "and they were not faithful in His covenant" — rather, they thought that Hashem did not know their thoughts, and they thought that they were deceiving Him with their mouth, as it says, "with his mouth and with his lips he has honored Me, but his heart is far from Me."
But He, being full of compassion, forgives iniquity, and destroys not; Indeed, many a time does He turn His anger away, And does not stir up all His wrath.
verse value 2956
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "and·He" (וְה֤וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "perversity" (עָוֺן֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·does·not·destroy" (וְֽלֹא־יַֽ֫שְׁחִ֥ית, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "forgives" (יְכַפֵּ֥ר), "and·does·not·destroy" (וְֽלֹא־יַֽ֫שְׁחִ֥ית), "and·does·not·stir·up" (וְלֹא־יָ֝עִ֗יר). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·turn·back" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "and·He" (root הוא, 42x in Psalms); "His·anger" (root אף, 40x in Psalms). First appearance of the root רחום ("compassionate") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·anger', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְה֤וּא [and·He] (18) + רַח֨וּם [compassionate] (254) + יְכַפֵּ֥ר [forgives] (310) + עָוֺן֮ [perversity] (126) + וְֽלֹא־יַֽ֫שְׁחִ֥ית [and·does·not·destroy] (765) + וְ֭הִרְבָּה [and·often] (218) + לְהָשִׁ֣יב [to·turn·back] (347) + אַפּ֑וֹ [His·anger] (87) + וְלֹא־יָ֝עִ֗יר [and·does·not·stir·up] (327) + כׇּל־חֲמָתֽוֹ [all·His·wrath] (504) = 2956.
Rashi
"But He is merciful" — to them and constantly expiates their iniquity, and He did not destroy them. "many times" — Many times He withdraws His wrath from them, and even if He punishes them, He does not arouse all His anger but little by little, because He remembers that they are flesh and that the evil inclination is hidden in their heart. That is a spirit that goes away when they die, and that spirit does not return to them in the world to come. When they are resurrected, the evil inclination will have no control over them. “A spirit that goes away and does not return” cannot be explained to mean their spirit of life, because if you say so, you have denied the resurrection of the dead. In this manner, it is explained in Aggadath Tehillim (Mid Ps. 78:8).
Ibn Ezra
"But He... forgives" — [this is] the standing (continuous) tense, like "and the house was filled with smoke." "His anger" — it is the object [of the verb].
Radak
"But He, being full of compassion, forgives iniquity, and destroys not" — even though they were not faithful to His covenant, He is compassionate, forgiving them their iniquity and not destroying them entirely, as they deserved. "Indeed, many a time does He turn His anger away" — for it requires strength of will and a great increase of the power of the attribute of mercy, to turn the anger away.
Metzudat David
"But He, being full of compassion" — nevertheless, Hashem is compassionate and forgives iniquity, and does not destroy man on account of his sin; and many times He turns His anger back from the sinner, and does not arouse all the wrath that would be fitting to arouse against the sinner.
Malbim
"But He" — and nevertheless, because "He is compassionate, forgives iniquity" — there is a difference between "anger" and "wrath": "anger" is the outward anger that punishes, while "wrath" is the inward heat that is kept stored in the heart. Now, the outward anger had already gone forth and the plague had begun, and Hashem "was abundant in His mercy to turn back His anger," but the inward "wrath" "He did not stir up at all" — for once the wrath joins together with the anger, it cannot be turned back, as it says, "for I was in dread of the anger and the wrath with which Hashem was angry with you, to destroy you."
So He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes away, and comes not again.
verse value 1455
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֑מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·remembered" (וַ֭יִּזְכֹּר, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "that·flesh" (כִּֽי־בָשָׂ֣ר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "returns" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "they" (root הם, 69x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּזְכֹּר [and·remembered] (243) + כִּֽי־בָשָׂ֣ר [that·flesh] (532) + הֵ֑מָּה [they] (50) + ר֥וּחַ [wind] (214) + ה֝וֹלֵ֗ךְ [passing] (61) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יָשֽׁוּב [returns] (318) = 1455.
Ibn Ezra
"So He remembered" — Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said: the meaning of "so He remembered that they are flesh" is that they do not have the strength to bear the anger of Hashem, for they would die immediately, and this is the meaning of "a wind that passes away." But in my opinion: the body is the flesh, in the manner of "my glory rejoices, my flesh also [dwells secure]," and likewise, in Aramaic, "is not with flesh." And he mentions "flesh" — because they craved flesh, for a creature desires that which resembles it, that which will strengthen it. And furthermore: because the duration of the bond of the spirit with the flesh is not long, therefore they sought to enjoy themselves before their separation. And behold, the word "they" serves for another [clause] as well: "they are a wind that passes away" — for man is spirit and body, which is flesh, which feels.
Radak
"So He remembered" [that they were flesh] — it is the nature of flesh to pursue its desires, and it is impossible for it not to sin; therefore it must be atoned for. And further, [it says] they were a "wind that passes" — meaning, their days are short, and they need atonement while they are still alive. And as for what it says, "and comes not again" — this follows the way of nature, for by the way of nature the wind/spirit does not return to the flesh once it has left it; but God will work wonders in the future, to return the wind/spirit to the flesh, whenever He wills.
Metzudat David
"So He remembered" — because He remembers that man is [mere] flesh, and his nature is to pursue desire, and thereby he sins and becomes guilty. "A wind that passes away" — Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: this is the evil inclination (yetzer hara), which departs from man at the time of death and does not return to him again; therefore it multiplies its efforts to incite man while he is still alive.
Malbim
"So He remembered" — for "He remembered that they were flesh," and flesh is prone to sin by virtue of its nature and its evil inclination; and also "a wind that goes and does not return" — the inner spirit, which is the faculty that raises up the impressions upon the heart and which is what incites to sin — is it not, indeed, nothing together with the body, and it is likewise, like the flesh, liable to every kind of transgression.
How often did they rebel against Him in the wilderness, And grieve Him in the desert!
verse value 1197
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "how·often" (כַּ֭מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "grieved·Him" (יַ֝עֲצִיב֗וּהוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "rebelled·against·Him" (יַמְר֣וּהוּ), "grieved·Him" (יַ֝עֲצִיב֗וּהוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "how·often" (root מה, 25x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: כַּ֭מָּה [how·often] (65) + יַמְר֣וּהוּ [rebelled·against·Him] (267) + בַמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + יַ֝עֲצִיב֗וּהוּ [grieved·Him] (199) + בִּישִׁימֽוֹן [in·the·desert] (418) = 1197.
Rashi
"How often" — [How many] times "they provoked him" — always in the desert.
Ibn Ezra
"How often... in the wilderness" — where there is no settlement. "did they grieve Him" — by way of a metaphor from "sorrow," in the sense of "bitter," like "if there is a grievous way in me."
Radak
"In the wilderness" — it specifically mentions the wilderness and the sin that they committed, saying, "how often did they rebel against Him," apart from what is elsewhere recorded of them while they were in the wilderness; and the meaning of "they rebelled against Him" [yamruhu] is that they angered Him by transgressing His commandments. "And grieve Him in the desert" — this repeats the matter in different words.
Metzudat David
"How often" — many times they rebelled against Him in the wilderness, and by their deeds they grieved Him in the desolate wilderness; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"How often" — an expression of a great number. "Grieve Him" — from the language of "sorrow."
Malbim
"How often" — and aside from the sins that he has already enumerated, "how often did they rebel against Him in the wilderness" on account of defiance and rebellion, such as the incident of the golden calf, and Korah, and Beth Peor; and how often "did they grieve Him in the desert" — for they grieved Him on account of its being a desert, in that they complained about the wretched bread and the lack of water — for it was on account of its being a desert that they grieved Him with words of grief, in that they lacked their necessities.
And still again they tried God, And set bounds to the Holy One of Israel.
verse value 1867
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "God" (אֵ֑ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·returned" (וַיָּשׁ֣וּבוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·returned" (וַיָּשׁ֣וּבוּ), "and·the·Holy·One·of" (וּקְד֖וֹשׁ), "set·bounds·to" (הִתְוֽוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אל, 112x in Psalms); "and·returned" (root שוב, 72x in Psalms); "Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּשׁ֣וּבוּ [and·returned] (330) + וַיְנַסּ֣וּ [and·tried] (132) + אֵ֑ל [God] (31) + וּקְד֖וֹשׁ [and·the·Holy·One·of] (416) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל [Israel] (541) + הִתְוֽוּ [set·bounds·to] (417) = 1867.
Rashi
"they sought a sign" — Heb. התוו, an expression of a sign, as (Ezek. 9:4): “and set a mark (והתוית תו) .” “A mark” is an expression of a wonder and a trial. They asked him for a sign and a mark (Exod. 17: 7): “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
Ibn Ezra
"And they returned" — because he had mentioned at first, "and they tested God in their heart." And the meaning is: they returned to test Him. And the meaning of "God" [is used again] since it has now been established that He is God. "they set bounds" — like "and you shall mark a Tav," [meaning] they set in their hearts a mark and a boundary that they would not be able to cross. "and the Holy One of Israel" — for Hashem is sanctified and honored, beyond this thought [of theirs].
Radak
"And still again" — after they had craved meat and knew that they had sinned through the anger of Hashem that burned against them, they returned again. "They tried God" — at the Waters of Meribah, and in other matters not recorded in the Torah. And it says "God" [El] — for He is capable of all things, yet they, in their minds, diminished His power, and tested Him to see whether He was able to do this or that. "And set bounds to the Holy One of Israel" — the One who was sanctified in Israel through the many signs and wonders that He performed before their eyes — they set bounds around Him, meaning, they placed a limit for Him in their hearts: "this He can do, but that He cannot do." [The word] hitvu is related to "vehitvita tav" (Ezekiel 9:4), in the sense of a boundary, a mark for a thing.
Metzudat David
"And they returned and tested" — they returned and tested Hashem at the Waters of Meribah. "They set bounds" — they asked of Him a sign and a token.
Metzudat Zion
"Set bounds" — an expression of a sign and a mark, as in "and set a mark" (Ezekiel 9).
Malbim
"And they turned back" — and in this they turned back time after time, "and tested God" — to see whether He could fulfill all their needs that they asked for every time; "and set bounds to the Holy One of Israel" — for they regarded Him as a being with limits, and they marked out a boundary line around Him, to measure His power, His ability, His will, and the like.
They remembered not His hand, Nor the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.
verse value 1756
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "day" (י֝֗וֹם, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·remembered" (לֹא־זָכְר֥וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "not·remembered" (לֹא־זָכְר֥וּ), "His·hand" (אֶת־יָד֑וֹ), "when·He·redeemed·them" (אֲֽשֶׁר־פָּדָ֥ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day" (root יום, 121x in Psalms); "His·hand" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "not·remembered" (root זכר, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־זָכְר֥וּ [not·remembered] (264) + אֶת־יָד֑וֹ [His·hand] (421) + י֝֗וֹם [day] (56) + אֲֽשֶׁר־פָּדָ֥ם [when·He·redeemed·them] (625) + מִנִּי־צָֽר [from·the·adversary] (390) = 1756.
Ibn Ezra
"They remembered not" — the meaning is: they did not fear His blow with which He struck the Egyptians, the death of the firstborn; and this is the meaning of "the day when He redeemed them from the adversary."
Radak
"They remembered not His hand" — [that is,] His great power, and how He redeemed them from the distress they were in, with great power and a mighty hand.
Metzudat David
"His hand" — the strength of His hand, which He showed them on the day He redeemed them from Egypt.
Malbim
"They remembered not" — he adds, saying that "they did not remember His hand" and His mighty deeds, even on "the day" itself "when He redeemed them from the adversary" — for immediately after the redemption from Egypt they forgot His wondrous works, and thought that it was no longer within His power to perform further miracles, as it says, "and they rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds."
How He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan; .
verse value 3115
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "how·He·set" (אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·His·wonders" (וּ֝מוֹפְתָ֗יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·His·wonders" (וּ֝מוֹפְתָ֗יו), "in·the·field·of·Zoan" (בִּשְׂדֵה־צֹֽעַן). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "how·He·set" (root שים, 33x in Psalms). First appearance of the root מצרים ("in·Egypt") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·signs', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם [how·He·set] (841) + בְּ֭מִצְרַיִם [in·Egypt] (382) + אֹתוֹתָ֑יו [His·signs] (823) + וּ֝מוֹפְתָ֗יו [and·His·wonders] (548) + בִּשְׂדֵה־צֹֽעַן [in·the·field·of·Zoan] (521) = 3115.
Ibn Ezra
"How" — most of the signs that the prophet mentions, he mentions before they occurred; and so too the "signs," like "the things to come," and the "wonders" — they are the marvels.
Radak
"How" — the verse repeats the matter in different words, as is customary.
Malbim
"How He set His signs in Egypt" — Among the plagues there were both "signs" and "wonders." The plagues for which warning was given beforehand were signs — such as blood and frogs, which were a sign of the existence of Hashem; and swarm and pestilence, which were a sign that there is none like Him in all the earth — as I explained in my commentary on the Torah. And the plagues for which no warning was given beforehand were wonders — such as lice, boils, and darkness, for these three had no forewarning, because they were not meant to indicate a sign concerning any particular matter. Rather, only after each two plagues that He sent as a sign concerning one of these matters, and they did not heed His voice, did He give them a wonder — that is, a plague with which He struck them in a degrading way, to punish them for not listening. "The signs were in Egypt" — for they were meant to teach the people a fundamental principle of faith. "And the wonders were in the field of Zoan" — for they came not to teach, but only to strike the land in general.
And turned their rivers into blood, So that they could not drink their streams.
verse value 1417
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 1417 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "into·blood" (לְ֭דָם, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·could·drink" (בַּל־יִשְׁתָּיֽוּן, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·turned" (וַיַּהֲפֹ֣ךְ), "their·rivers" (יְאֹרֵיהֶ֑ם), "and·their·streams" (וְ֝נֹזְלֵיהֶ֗ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "into·blood" (root דם, 21x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·rivers', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּהֲפֹ֣ךְ [and·turned] (121) + לְ֭דָם [into·blood] (74) + יְאֹרֵיהֶ֑ם [their·rivers] (266) + וְ֝נֹזְלֵיהֶ֗ם [and·their·streams] (148) + בַּל־יִשְׁתָּיֽוּן [not·could·drink] (808) = 1417.
Ibn Ezra
"And He turned" — he did not mention the matter of the serpent, because it was not [one of] the plagues upon them. "and their streams" — the meaning is doubled.
Radak
"And He turned" — this verse, too, repeats the matter. "So that they could not drink" — [their people could not drink] of it, as it is written, "for they could not drink of the waters of the river" (Exodus 7:21).
Metzudat Zion
"Their rivers" — these are pools made by human hands. "Their streams" — from the language of "flowing and pouring"; that is, waters that descend on their own.
Malbim
"And He turned" — Now, among the plagues that [the psalm] counts here, did it skip the plagues of lice, boils, and darkness? This is explained by what has been said: that these three plagues did not come as "signs" the way the rest of the plagues did. For in the first set [of plagues] it says, "By this you shall know that I am Hashem"; in the second set it says, "that I am Hashem in the midst of the land"; and in the third set it says, "that there is none like Me in all the earth" — and a warning came before each of these plagues. But these three plagues did not indicate anything; rather, only after each two plagues that came with warning to indicate one of the three matters mentioned, and they did not listen, did He strike them in a degrading manner, without warning. Therefore [the psalm] skips them here in its count, reckoning only the plagues that came with warning. Now, you will see that [the psalm] reversed the order of the plagues, and counted: blood, swarm, frogs, locusts, hail, pestilence, plague of the firstborn — and this is for a very deep and wondrous purpose. For here [the psalm] comes to inform us that the goal of the plagues was to display His power and His might. Therefore all the plagues, except for blood, came doubled — meaning, the six plagues that came with warning, apart from blood, came doubled: He could have struck them with [only] three, and three of them were extra, as will be explained. From this it appears that the intent was to multiply His signs, so that they would know His power and His might. Now, the plague of blood was not doubled, and therefore [the psalm] counts it in its [proper] order: "And He turned their rivers into blood, so that they could not drink their streams" — for even all the waters were struck. But the rest of the plagues were doubled, and they are: 1. "He sent among them swarms of flies" — meaning, the plagues of swarm and frogs were doubled. For once, in the plague of swarm, all the harmful animals and creeping things came, the frog would automatically have come among them as well. So why did He send the frog first, by itself — was it not already included in the plague of swarm? Hence it says, "Did He not send among them swarms of flies, which devoured them" — and nevertheless, "He sent frogs, which destroyed them." So the frog was extra.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them.
verse value 2388
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "among·them" (בָּהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·destroyed·them" (וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵֽם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·devoured·them" (וַיֹּאכְלֵ֑ם), "and·frogs" (וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַ), "and·destroyed·them" (וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "among·them" (root הם, 69x in Psalms); "and·devoured·them" (root אכל, 35x in Psalms); "He·sent" (root שלח, 33x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·devoured·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְשַׁלַּ֬ח [He·sent] (348) + בָּהֶ֣ם [among·them] (47) + עָ֭רֹב [swarm] (272) + וַיֹּאכְלֵ֑ם [and·devoured·them] (107) + וּ֝צְפַרְדֵּ֗עַ [and·frogs] (450) + וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵֽם [and·destroyed·them] (1164) = 2388.
Rashi
"which mutilated them" — They would pull off their testicles.
Ibn Ezra
"He sent" — he mentions the swarm first, because it was harsher than the plague of the frogs; or its explanation is that "and the frog" had already ruined them, similar to "and it bred worms, and became foul." And he does not mention the plague of lice, nor the plague of boils, nor the plague of darkness, nor the plague of pestilence, because people escaped [these], and because the plague of blood, being the first of the plagues, he mentions it; also, there is a great need for water.
Radak
"He sent" — it does not record the plagues in their [proper] order, for there is no deficiency in this, since they are set in order in the Torah. "And frogs" — a collective noun for frogs.
Metzudat Zion
"Swarms of flies" — a mixture of various kinds of creatures. "And frogs" — the name of a kind of water creature.
He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, And their labor to the locust.
verse value 1069
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "and·gave" (וַיִּתֵּ֣ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·labor" (וִ֝יגִיעָ֗ם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·caterpillar" (לֶחָסִ֣יל), "their·increase" (יְבוּלָ֑ם), "and·their·labor" (וִ֝יגִיעָ֗ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms). First appearance of the root ארבה ("to·the·locust") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·increase', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֣ן [and·gave] (466) + לֶחָסִ֣יל [to·the·caterpillar] (138) + יְבוּלָ֑ם [their·increase] (88) + וִ֝יגִיעָ֗ם [and·their·labor] (139) + לָאַרְבֶּֽה [to·the·locust] (238) = 1069.
Ibn Ezra
"And He gave" — he mentions this because of the need for the produce of the land.
Radak
"He gave... their increase to the caterpillar" — for the crops are the whole of man's labor.
Metzudat David
"And their labor" — this is the produce that comes through labor and toil, and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"The caterpillar" — a kind of locust. "Their increase" — from the language of "produce and crop," likewise "and the land shall yield its produce" (Leviticus 20).
Malbim
(46-47) "And He gave" — 2. The plagues of locusts and hail were doubled. For after the locusts ate everything that the hail had left — and the hail did not destroy everything, as it says, "but the wheat and the spelt were not smitten" — the hail was therefore extra, since the locusts alone would have sufficed to eat all the produce of their land. Hence it says: Did He not "give their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust" — and nevertheless, "He destroyed their vines with hail"? So the hail was extra. That is why the psalmist put the locust before the hail.
He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycamore-trees with frost.
verse value 1621
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "He·killed" (יַהֲרֹ֣ג, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·sycamores" (וְ֝שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "with·the·hail" (בַּבָּרָ֣ד), "and·their·sycamores" (וְ֝שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗ם), "with·the·frost" (בַּחֲנָמַֽל). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root גפן ("their·vine") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·vine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: יַהֲרֹ֣ג [He·killed] (218) + בַּבָּרָ֣ד [with·the·hail] (208) + גַּפְנָ֑ם [their·vine] (173) + וְ֝שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗ם [and·their·sycamores] (892) + בַּחֲנָמַֽל [with·the·frost] (130) = 1621.
Rashi
"with locusts" — Heb. בחנמל, the name of the locust. According to the Midrash (Mid. Ps. 78:13) [it is composed of the following words]: בָּא חָן מָל, it comes, encamps, and cuts. It cut off the greens of the tree and the grass and ate it.
Ibn Ezra
"He destroyed" — by way of metaphor, like "you would cause pain with stones." "and their sycamores" — [this is] the feminine form, though "sycamores" is also [used in] the masculine, like "nefashot"/"nafshotam" ["souls"/"their souls"]. Chasun said that "bachanamal" is a type of locust, and he explained "chanamal" as two words. But in my opinion, "bachanamal" means "stone," like "great stones from the heavens," for it corresponds to hail; and the sycamores have fruit like figs, and the word "chanamal" is a quadriliteral.
Radak
"He destroyed" — by way of a figure of speech; it is also possible to speak of "death" with regard to a plant, since it possesses a vegetative life-force. "And their sycamore-trees" — these are a species of wild fig tree; and it mentions the vine and the sycamore, even though the hail struck every tree of the field, because these were the majority of their trees in Egypt. "With frost" [bechanamal] — this is a type of hail; and Rav Saadia [Gaon] explained it in Arabic as al-saqi' (frost) — that is, the hard ice that breaks the blossoms of the trees and dries up their sap.
Metzudat Zion
"Destroyed" — this is a borrowed term for breaking and shattering. "Their sycamore-trees" — a kind of fig tree, as in "and a tender of sycamore figs" (Amos 7). "With frost" — this is a kind of hail.
He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to fiery bolts.
verse value 1748
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·hail" (לַבָּרָ֣ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·flocks" (וּ֝מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·hail" (לַבָּרָ֣ד), "their·cattle" (בְּעִירָ֑ם), "and·their·flocks" (וּ֝מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּסְגֵּ֣ר [and·gave·over] (279) + לַבָּרָ֣ד [to·the·hail] (236) + בְּעִירָ֑ם [their·cattle] (322) + וּ֝מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם [and·their·flocks] (251) + לָרְשָׁפִֽים [to·the·flames] (660) = 1748.
Rashi
"He gave over their animals to hail" — When the hail began to fall, the Egyptian drove his sheep (his animal) into the house, and the hail came before him like a wall. The Egyptian slaughtered it [the animal] and put it on his shoulder, to take it to his house to eat it, but the birds came and took it from him. That is [the meaning of] “and their cattle to the birds (לרשפים),” as (Job. 5:7): “but flying creatures (בני רשף) fly upward.” This is its midrashic interpretation (Mid. Ps. 78:14), but according to its simple meaning, רשפים are bolts of fire, as it is written (Exod. 9:24): “and fire flaming within the hail.”
Ibn Ezra
"to the fiery bolts" — they are like "and fire ran along the ground."
Radak
"And gave over... to fiery bolts" — as it is written, "and fire flaring up amid the hail" (Exodus 9:24).
Metzudat David
"To the fiery bolts" — flashes of fire that were blazing within the hail.
Metzudat Zion
"Gave over" — an expression of handing over, as in "you shall not hand over a servant" (Deuteronomy 23:16). "Their cattle" — their livestock. "To fiery bolts" — an expression of flame and blaze.
Malbim
(48-49) "And He gave over" — The hail also killed their cattle, and this too was extra, for it was already included in the plague of pestilence, since the pestilence killed all the cattle. So the hail's killing of the cattle was extra. Hence it says: "And He gave over their cattle also to the hail" — that the hail and the fiery bolts killed their cattle and livestock, and this was extra, for was He not about to "send forth on them His fierce anger" — was He not destined to send His fierce anger, which is the pestilence, and it would finish off the cattle?
He sent forth upon them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A sending of messengers of evil.
verse value 2641
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "His·anger" (אַפּ֗וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "He·sent·upon·them" (יְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֨ם, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "He·sent·upon·them" (יְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֨ם), "the·fierceness·of" (חֲר֬וֹן), "wrath" (עֶבְרָ֣ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רע, 53x in Psalms); "His·anger" (root אף, 40x in Psalms); "wrath" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·trouble', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֨ם [He·sent·upon·them] (390) + חֲר֬וֹן [the·fierceness·of] (264) + אַפּ֗וֹ [His·anger] (87) + עֶבְרָ֣ה [wrath] (277) + וָזַ֣עַם [and·indignation] (123) + וְצָרָ֑ה [and·trouble] (301) + מִ֝שְׁלַ֗חַת [sending·of] (778) + מַלְאֲכֵ֥י [messengers·of] (101) + רָעִֽים [evil] (320) = 2641.
Ibn Ezra
"He sent" — this alludes to the greatness of their fear from the plague of hail, as he mentioned, "all My plagues, take to your heart." And do you not see that Pharaoh never before admitted, saying, "I and my people are the wicked ones," except at this plague? And so he likened these plagues to the wrath of Hashem, and "a sending of messengers of evil" refers to the fire, like "who makes His angels winds, His ministers a flaming fire." And the word "malachei" ["messengers of"] is not in construct [with "evil"], as if it were written "the messengers of Hashem," similar to "by the hand of the prophets, every seer."
Radak
"He sent forth" — this verse is a general summary of the plagues that it did not specify in detail. "Messengers of evil" — this is not a construct phrase, but rather is written defectively, missing a mem [i.e., malʾakhim, "messengers," rather than the construct malʾakhei]; and it means that the plagues are evil messengers, for they came by the sending and the will of God, blessed be He. "A sending" — [the term denotes] a thing that comes in multitude, one after another.
He leveled a path for His anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence;
verse value 3052
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "He·leveled" (יְפַלֵּ֥ס, 4 letters) and the longest is "not·He·withheld" (לֹא־חָשַׂ֣ךְ, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "He·leveled" (יְפַלֵּ֥ס), "a·path" (נָתִ֗יב), "for·His·anger" (לְאַ֫פּ֥וֹ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·soul" (root נפש, 143x in Psalms); "to·the·pestilence" (root דבר, 133x in Psalms); "and·their·life" (root חי, 43x in Psalms). First appearance of the root נתיב ("a·path") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְפַלֵּ֥ס [He·leveled] (180) + נָתִ֗יב [a·path] (462) + לְאַ֫פּ֥וֹ [for·His·anger] (117) + לֹא־חָשַׂ֣ךְ [not·He·withheld] (359) + מִמָּ֣וֶת [from·death] (486) + נַפְשָׁ֑ם [their·soul] (470) + וְ֝חַיָּתָ֗ם [and·their·life] (464) + לַדֶּ֥בֶר [to·the·pestilence] (236) + הִסְגִּֽיר [He·gave·over] (278) = 3052.
Rashi
"He leveled a path for His anger" — Although the plagues were dispatched in anger, they performed only their orders; what they were commanded to kill, they killed, but nothing else. They went in their paths. In other commentaries I found as follows: "He leveled a path for His anger" — When He smote every firstborn in Egypt, He showed the way for [the angel] who was destroying with anger to enter the houses of the Egyptians, but not the houses of the children of Israel. "...and...their body" — Heb. וחיתם, their body.
Ibn Ezra
"He leveled" — by way of a dignified metaphor for the decrees coming down from the heavens. "and their life" — their soul; and this is the plague of the firstborn, as he explains afterward.
Radak
"He leveled" — God made a straight path for His anger, so that it would proceed toward them without any admixture. "He spared not" — needless to say that He did not withhold from death those whose time had come; rather, He delivered them to death before their time. And this is said with reference to the plague of the firstborn, as is explained in the verse that follows this one. "Their life" [vechitam] — like "their soul"; and there are those who explain "vechayatam" [reading it instead as "their animals"] as referring to the death of the livestock.
Metzudat David
"He leveled" — He straightened a path, to bring His anger upon them by way of it.
Metzudat Zion
"He leveled" — an expression of straightening, as in "level the path of your feet" (Proverbs 4:26); and for this reason the beam of the scales is called "peles," because it levels the weight. "A path" — a path and a way. "He spared not" — He did not withhold. "And their life" — that is, their livestock, their animals. "Gave over" — an expression of handing over.
Malbim
(50-51) "He leveled" — The plague of the firstborn, too, was extra, for He could have killed them all at the time of the pestilence, as it says, "For now I would have put forth My hand, and smitten you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth." Rather, Hashem "leveled a path for His anger" — meaning, although Hashem — that is, the pestilence that went out — had it in mind to destroy them all, Hashem leveled and measured out for it a special path. For a "path" is a narrow way meant for an individual; He confined its path so that it would not go by the general route that destroys human beings. For this, He reserved a special plague among the plagues of the firstborn, and the pestilence destroyed only the cattle, so that He might double His signs and wonders. Hence it says: "For His anger, He who did not withhold their soul from death, leveled out a path for it; and gave their beast over to the pestilence" — meaning, had His anger gone out by its general course, it would not have withheld their souls from death; therefore Hashem leveled out for it a path so that it would go by the individual route, and it delivered only their beast to the pestilence, and did not kill the people. And by means of this, "He struck all the firstborn in Egypt" — He sent upon them a second time the plague of the firstborn, to kill people. And what it says, "He struck all the firstborn," refers to the head of the household, and "the chief of their strength" refers to whoever was born from the first drop [of seed]. Now, the firstborn — the head of the household — was killed only within the land of Egypt, whether he was native-born to Egypt or a native of another land who dwelt in Egypt. Hence it says, "He struck all the firstborn in Egypt." But "the chief of their strength" were killed only if they were native-born Egyptians, and not sojourners there from another land; however, this one was killed even in another land, if he was native-born to Egypt. Hence it says, "the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham" — for Ham encompasses the root-stock from which Egypt descended, as it says, "and the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, etc." And if a native-born Egyptian was found even in the tents of Ham — that is, dwelling in Cush, or Put, or Canaan — he too was killed. And so our sages said, that the firstborn of Egypt who dwelt elsewhere were killed, as were the firstborn of other nations who dwelt in Egypt.
And smote all the first-born in Egypt, The first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
verse value 1810
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "and·struck" (וַיַּ֣ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·struck" (וַיַּ֣ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·tents·of·Ham" (בְּאׇהֳלֵי־חָֽם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "vigour" (א֝וֹנִ֗ים), "in·the·tents·of·Ham" (בְּאׇהֳלֵי־חָֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "vigour" (root און, 28x in Psalms). First appearance of the root בכור ("all·firstborn") in Psalms. First appearance of the root ראשית ("first·of") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣ךְ [and·struck] (36) + כׇּל־בְּכ֣וֹר [all·firstborn] (278) + בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם [in·Egypt] (382) + רֵאשִׁ֥ית [first·of] (911) + א֝וֹנִ֗ים [vigour] (107) + בְּאׇהֳלֵי־חָֽם [in·the·tents·of·Ham] (96) = 1810.
Ibn Ezra
"And He struck" — he mentions "Ham, their father," by way of deficiency and disgrace to them. "and the first of their strength" — the first of the sons, in whom the father's vigor is seen.
Radak
"In the tents of Ham" — He mentions Ham because he is the father of Egypt.
Metzudat David
"The first-fruits of their strength" — these are the firstborn, as in "my strength and the first-fruits of my vigor" (Genesis 49:3). "Ham" — this is Egypt, which descends from Ham.
Metzudat Zion
"Strength" — an expression of vigor, as in "I have found strength for myself" (Hosea 12:9).
But He made His own people to go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
verse value 1079
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 1079 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "His·people" (עַמּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·guided·them" (וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֥ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·led·forth" (וַיַּסַּ֣ע), "and·guided·them" (וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֥ם), "like·the·flock" (כַּ֝עֵ֗דֶר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּסַּ֣ע [and·led·forth] (146) + כַּצֹּ֣אן [like·the·sheep] (161) + עַמּ֑וֹ [His·people] (116) + וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֥ם [and·guided·them] (114) + כַּ֝עֵ֗דֶר [like·the·flock] (294) + בַּמִּדְבָּֽר [in·the·wilderness] (248) = 1079.
Ibn Ezra
"But He made to journey" — the meaning of "like sheep" is that He led them slowly.
Radak
"And He made [them] journey" — He made them journey from Egypt after the death of the firstborn, and He led them gently, like a shepherd [leads] his flock.
Metzudat David
"Like a flock" — just as a shepherd leads the flock to a place of pasture, so He led them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing.
Malbim
"And He made His own people set out like sheep" — for He then made them journey out of Egypt, and they walked after Him like sheep that walk after the shepherd. "And guided them like a flock in the wilderness" — in the wilderness they were like a flock that finds its pasture there; so too they found there their sustenance — manna and water from a well.
And He led them safely, and they feared not; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
verse value 919
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·enemies" (וְאֶת־א֝וֹיְבֵיהֶ֗ם, 10 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·their·enemies" (וְאֶת־א֝וֹיְבֵיהֶ֗ם), "covered" (כִּסָּ֥ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "and·their·enemies" (root איב, 71x in Psalms); "safely" (root בטח, 50x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·feared', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּנְחֵ֣ם [and·led·them] (114) + לָ֭בֶטַח [safely] (49) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + פָחָ֑דוּ [they·feared] (98) + וְאֶת־א֝וֹיְבֵיהֶ֗ם [and·their·enemies] (481) + כִּסָּ֥ה [covered] (85) + הַיָּֽם [the·sea] (55) = 919.
Ibn Ezra
"And He led them" — that no enemy went out against them on the way, from their departure until their arrival at the sea; therefore he mentions, "and the sea covered their enemies." And there are those who say: "and He led them safely" — on dry land, as they crossed, and they were not afraid.
Radak
"And they did not fear" — Even though it is written, "and they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to Hashem," that fear did not last even a moment, for Moses immediately assured them that all their enemies would die, and indeed they saw this with their own eyes. Therefore it says, "but the sea covered their enemies."
Malbim
"And He led them" — And whereas sheep in the wilderness are afraid of wild beasts, they "did not fear," for "the sea covered their enemies."
And He brought them to His holy border, To the mountain, which His right hand had gotten.
verse value 1439
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "His·holiness" (קׇדְשׁ֑וֹ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·brought·them" (וַ֭יְבִיאֵם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·brought·them" (וַ֭יְבִיאֵם), "to·the·border·of" (אֶל־גְּב֣וּל), "mountain·which" (הַר־זֶ֝֗ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·brought·them" (root בוא, 79x in Psalms); "His·right·hand" (root ימין, 43x in Psalms); "His·holiness" (root קדש, 39x in Psalms). First appearance of the root גבול ("to·the·border·of") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·holiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יְבִיאֵם [and·brought·them] (69) + אֶל־גְּב֣וּל [to·the·border·of] (72) + קׇדְשׁ֑וֹ [His·holiness] (410) + הַר־זֶ֝֗ה [mountain·which] (217) + קָנְתָ֥ה [acquired] (555) + יְמִינֽוֹ [His·right·hand] (116) = 1439.
Ibn Ezra
"And He brought them to His holy border" — Jerusalem. "This mountain" — this is Mount Moriah. If this Asaph the psalmist is the one who lived in the days of David, perhaps he prophesied [this], or else he composed this psalm after the prophecy of Gad. But in my opinion, "His holy border" is the Land of Israel. "The mountain which His right hand had gotten" — this good mountain, and the Lebanon; and the proof of this interpretation is what is written afterward.
Radak
"His holy border" — The land of Israel. And "this mountain" — the Temple. And it says "this" because this psalm was said after the place became known through Gad the prophet. "Which His right hand had gotten" — As it is written, "Your hands established."
Metzudat David
"His holy border" — this is the Land of Israel. "The mountain, etc." — this is the Temple (Beit HaMikdash), which His right hand acquired to be His, to dwell there.
Malbim
"And He brought them" — And with this He fulfilled all His promises: He brought them to the land of Israel, and there He chose for them Mount Moriah for the Temple, as it says, "You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance."
He drove out the nations also before them, And allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
verse value 2455
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "nations" (גּוֹיִ֗ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·their·tents" (בְּ֝אׇהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 93: inheritance, in·their·tents. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·drove·out" (וַיְגָ֤רֶשׁ), "from·before·them" (מִפְּנֵיהֶ֨ם), "and·allotted·them" (וַֽ֭יַּפִּילֵם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·before·them" (root פנים, 131x in Psalms); "Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms); "nations" (root גוי, 59x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'inheritance', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְגָ֤רֶשׁ [and·drove·out] (519) + מִפְּנֵיהֶ֨ם [from·before·them] (225) + גּוֹיִ֗ם [nations] (59) + וַֽ֭יַּפִּילֵם [and·allotted·them] (176) + בְּחֶ֣בֶל [with·cord·of] (42) + נַחֲלָ֑ה [inheritance] (93) + וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֥ן [and·settled] (386) + בְּ֝אׇהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם [in·their·tents] (93) + שִׁבְטֵ֥י [the·tribes·of] (321) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2455.
Rashi
"He drove out...from before them" — the seven nations. "in their tents" — of the nations.
Ibn Ezra
"He drove out the nations before them" — they are the seven [Canaanite nations].
Radak
"And He made them fall" — He settled Israel by a measuring line of inheritance, similar to "he fell across all his brothers." And some explain "and He made them fall" as referring to the nations, meaning that God felled them by the sword in their land.
Metzudat David
"Nations" — these are the seven nations in Canaan. "And He allotted them" — He cast a lot to give each tribe its portion by measuring with a line, for such is the way of measuring land with a line. "In their tents" — [that is, the tents] of the seven nations.
Metzudat Zion
"By line" — this is the measuring cord.
Malbim
"And He drove out" — during the seven years in which they conquered [the land], and allotted it by lot; "an inheritance by line" — during the seven years in which they divided [it]; "and made [the tribes of Israel] dwell in their tents" — after the division was completed.
Yet they tried and provoked God, the Most High, And kept not His testimonies;
verse value 2126
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "God" (אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֣ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·His·testimonies" (וְ֝עֵדוֹתָ֗יו). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "they·kept" (root שמר, 73x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Most·High', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְנַסּ֣וּ [and·tried] (132) + וַ֭יַּמְרוּ [and·rebelled] (262) + אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֣ים [God] (487) + עֶלְי֑וֹן [Most·High] (166) + וְ֝עֵדוֹתָ֗יו [and·His·testimonies] (502) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שָׁמָֽרוּ [they·kept] (546) = 2126.
Rashi
"Yet they tried and provoked" — during the days of the judges.
Ibn Ezra
"Yet they tried [and provoked]" — now he relates how the children of Ephraim rebelled, and therefore Shiloh was destroyed.
Radak
"Yet they tested and rebelled" — After Joshua and the elders died.
Metzudat David
"Yet they tried and provoked" — in the days of the Judges.
Malbim
"Yet they tried" — despite all this, they returned to test [Him] again after the death of Joshua and the elders; "and rebelled against God, the Most High" — for they again doubted whether He is God the Most High, the Cause of causes, and therefore they served idols, thinking Him to be only one of the particular powers that rule over the world; "and kept not His testimonies" — that is, what the prophets testified against them, and likewise the testimony of the punishments of the Torah.
But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
verse value 1821
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "like·a·bow·of" (כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·dealt·treacherously" (וַֽ֭יִּבְגְּדוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·dealt·treacherously" (וַֽ֭יִּבְגְּדוּ), "they·were·turned" (נֶ֝הְפְּכ֗וּ), "like·a·bow·of" (כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·their·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסֹּ֣גוּ [and·turned·back] (85) + וַֽ֭יִּבְגְּדוּ [and·dealt·treacherously] (31) + כַּאֲבוֹתָ֑ם [like·their·fathers] (469) + נֶ֝הְפְּכ֗וּ [they·were·turned] (161) + כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת [like·a·bow·of] (820) + רְמִיָּֽה [laxness] (255) = 1821.
Rashi
"like a deceitful bow" — which does not shoot the arrow to the place the archer wishes.
Ibn Ezra
"But turned back" — this is the nif'al pattern, from the root of "sag" (to turn aside), like "vayyikkonu" (they were established). And the meaning of "like their fathers" is: in the days of the Judges. "They were turned aside like a deceitful bow" — Rabbi Moshe said: "remiyyah" (deceitful) is an adjective modifying "bow," and its pattern is like the form of "zachar atzel" (a lazy male) and "keli" (a vessel/instrument), as in "u-remiyyah tihyeh lamas" ("but the slothful shall be put to forced labor," Proverbs 12:24). But in my opinion, "remiyyah" is a noun, like "ve-hashetiyah kadat" ("and the drinking was according to the law," Esther 1:8) [which is likewise a noun], meaning like "romei qesheth" ("archers," lit. "shooters of the bow"); and the proof is the term "remiyyah" itself, and after it, "the sharp arrows of a mighty man" (Psalm 120:4). And so the sense is: the bow turns/warps, so that the one who shoots with it cannot shoot straight. Or its meaning is as I explained regarding the phrase "they turned back in the day of battle" (Psalm 78:9); so now he explains what he mentioned at first.
Radak
"And they turned back" — They turned away during the days of the judges, between one judge and another. "Like their fathers" — Their more recent ancestors. "Deceitful" — This refers to deception: a deceitful, cunning archer shows himself as aiming toward one side, while [really] aiming toward the other, so that those standing on the one side will not guard against him, and he suddenly turns toward the other side. So too Israel would serve [Hashem] during the days of a judge, and as soon as the judge died they would suddenly turn to practice idolatry.
Metzudat David
"Like a deceitful bow" — a deceitful archer makes himself appear as if aiming toward one side, and in a moment turns and shifts himself to shoot toward another side, toward the place he actually intends; so too Israel served Hashem all the days of the judge, but as soon as the judge died, they turned at once to serve the idols.
Metzudat Zion
"Turned back" — an expression of turning backward.
Malbim
"And they turned back and dealt treacherously like their fathers" — meaning, whereas the divine intention was that they proceed on the path of perfection, advancing from level to level forward, they instead turned backward to the level of treachery of their fathers; "they were turned like a deceitful bow" — [like a bow] whose arrow shoots back against its own owner; so too, instead of being, as Hashem intended, in His hand like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, to teach the true faith and root out the idols, they turned back like an arrow against Him. For "they angered Him with their high places" — as it is written, "They roused My jealousy with a no-god, they angered Me with their vanities" — meaning He was angered by their vanities and the high places they made for these vanities, and He was jealous because they exchanged His worship for the worship of idols and a no-god.
For they provoked Him with their high places, And moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.
verse value 1114
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "with·their·high·places" (בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·provoked·Him" (וַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·provoked·Him" (וַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ), "with·their·high·places" (בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם), "and·with·their·images" (וּ֝בִפְסִילֵיהֶ֗ם). 4 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·high·places', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכְעִיס֥וּהוּ [and·provoked·Him] (193) + בְּבָמוֹתָ֑ם [with·their·high·places] (490) + וּ֝בִפְסִילֵיהֶ֗ם [and·with·their·images] (243) + יַקְנִיאֽוּהוּ [they·made·Him·jealous] (188) = 1114.
Ibn Ezra
"For they provoked Him" — by offering burnt offerings on the high places, not to the High One [i.e., not to God].
Radak
"And they angered Him with their high places" — For in the days of Eli and Samuel there were idol-worshippers among them, until Samuel brought them back to the good way after the Ark returned from the land of the Philistines.
Metzudat Zion
"With their high places" — from the language of "high place" (bamah). "Moved Him to jealousy" — from the language of "jealousy and provocation," as in "they roused Me to jealousy with a no-god" (Deuteronomy 32:21).
God heard, and was wroth, And He greatly abhorred Israel;
verse value 1889
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱ֭לֹהִים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "heard" (שָׁמַ֣ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·was·angry" (וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֑ר, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 347x in Psalms); "heard" (root שמע, 76x in Psalms); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·was·angry', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שָׁמַ֣ע [heard] (410) + אֱ֭לֹהִים [God] (86) + וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֑ר [and·was·angry] (688) + וַיִּמְאַ֥ס [and·rejected] (117) + מְ֝אֹ֗ד [greatly] (45) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [in·Israel] (543) = 1889.
Ibn Ezra
"God heard" — as a sign that they provoked Him with the words they spoke against Him; therefore, "God heard, and was full of wrath" — from the root of "evrah" (fury), meaning that [His anger] passed beyond the bound of wrath. "And He greatly abhorred" — for the destruction of the house at Shiloh was grievous to all Israel.
Radak
"He heard" — The provoking words that they spoke while worshipping foreign gods. "And He greatly abhorred" — That He exiled the Ark from them.
Metzudat Zion
'And He was wroth' — an expression of wrath and rage.
Malbim
(59-60) "God heard, and was exceedingly wroth" — the meaning of "over-anger" is that out of one's fury, one crosses over the bound to be angry even at one who did not sin against him. So too here: because He greatly abhorred Israel, who had indeed sinned against Him, He became exceedingly wroth over this, and thereby "abandoned His dwelling place" — through this over-anger He abandoned the Tabernacle. And the reason for the over-anger was that "the Tent dwelt among mankind" — for the essential dwelling of His Tent was among mankind, provided they were worthy of it; and since mankind was not worthy that He dwell among them, He abandoned the Tabernacle.
And He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent which He had made to dwell among men;
verse value 1524
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 21 letters. Notable word values: "tent" (אֹ֝֗הֶל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "Shiloh" (שִׁל֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·forsook" (וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ, 4 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·forsook" (וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ), "tent" (אֹ֝֗הֶל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "among·mankind" (root אדם, 67x in Psalms); "caused·to·dwell" (root שכן, 29x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shiloh', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ [and·forsook] (325) + מִשְׁכַּ֣ן [the·tabernacle·of] (410) + שִׁל֑וֹ [Shiloh] (336) + אֹ֝֗הֶל [tent] (36) + שִׁכֵּ֥ן [caused·to·dwell] (370) + בָּאָדָֽם [among·mankind] (47) = 1524.
Ibn Ezra
"And He forsook" — he mentions "the tabernacle [mishkan]" because it is written that the ark was in the "heichal" (sanctuary), but without a roof; therefore he called it a "tent."
Radak
"And He forsook" — The Ark that was in Shiloh; this is "the tent [in which He] dwelt among men," as it says, "and I will dwell among the children of Israel." And it says "tent" because the Ark in Shiloh was [housed] under curtains.
Metzudat David
"And He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh" — in the days of Eli the priest. "The tent" — the tent in which He dwelt among mankind.
And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the adversary's hand.
verse value 2290
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "His·might" (עֻזּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·His·glory" (וְֽתִפְאַרְתּ֥וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·captivity" (לַשְּׁבִ֣י), "and·His·glory" (וְֽתִפְאַרְתּ֥וֹ), "into·hand·of·adversary" (בְיַד־צָֽר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms); "into·hand·of·adversary" (root יד, 78x in Psalms); "His·might" (root עז, 40x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·might', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֣ן [and·gave] (466) + לַשְּׁבִ֣י [to·the·captivity] (342) + עֻזּ֑וֹ [His·might] (83) + וְֽתִפְאַרְתּ֥וֹ [and·His·glory] (1093) + בְיַד־צָֽר [into·hand·of·adversary] (306) = 2290.
Rashi
"He delivered His might into captivity" — He delivered the Ark and the tablets into the hands of the Philistines.
Ibn Ezra
"And delivered... His strength" — this is the ark, as in "You and the ark of Your strength" (Psalm 132:8), [and] "Seek Hashem and His strength" (1 Chronicles 16:11).
Radak
"His strength and His glory" — This is the Ark, for through it God's strength and glory were seen.
Metzudat David
"And He gave His strength into captivity" — this is the Ark, which was captured by the Philistines.
Metzudat Zion
'His strength' — the Ark is called this, because through it Hashem displayed His strength against the Philistines, striking them, as stated in I Samuel.
Malbim
"And He gave" — this explains how the abandonment of the Tabernacle came about: for He gave the Ark "into captivity," into the hand of the Philistines. And the Ark is "His strength," by virtue of the Torah that is within it, and it is "His glory," by virtue of the signs and wonders performed through it; and "He gave His glory into the hand of the adversary" — for they [the Philistines] prospered and gloried [over it].
Cross-references: Psalms 105:4; Psalms 132:8; I Chronicles 16:11
He gave His people over also to the sword; And was wroth with His inheritance.
verse value 1814
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "His·people" (עַמּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·with·His·inheritance" (וּ֝בְנַחֲלָת֗וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "to·the·sword" (לַחֶ֣רֶב), "and·with·His·inheritance" (וּ֝בְנַחֲלָת֗וֹ), "was·angry" (הִתְעַבָּֽר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "was·angry" (root עבר, 34x in Psalms); "and·with·His·inheritance" (root נחלה, 22x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּסְגֵּ֣ר [and·gave·over] (279) + לַחֶ֣רֶב [to·the·sword] (240) + עַמּ֑וֹ [His·people] (116) + וּ֝בְנַחֲלָת֗וֹ [and·with·His·inheritance] (502) + הִתְעַבָּֽר [was·angry] (677) = 1814.
Ibn Ezra
"He gave over" — and also a great plague was among the people.
Radak
"And He gave over" — For many of Israel died in that war.
Metzudat Zion
'And He gave over' — [meaning] He delivered [them].
Malbim
"And He delivered up" — and thereby "He delivered up His people to the sword," for thirty thousand died; "and was wroth with His inheritance" — for the Tabernacle of Shiloh was destroyed through the over-anger [described] above.
Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage-song.
verse value 1557
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·virgins" (וּ֝בְתוּלֹתָ֗יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·young·men" (בַּחוּרָ֥יו), "fire·devoured" (אָכְלָה־אֵ֑שׁ), "and·their·virgins" (וּ֝בְתוּלֹתָ֗יו). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "were·praised" (root הלל, 94x in Psalms); "fire·devoured" (root אכל, 35x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fire·devoured', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּחוּרָ֥יו [their·young·men] (232) + אָכְלָה־אֵ֑שׁ [fire·devoured] (357) + וּ֝בְתוּלֹתָ֗יו [and·their·virgins] (860) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + הוּלָּֽלוּ [were·praised] (77) = 1557.
Rashi
"Fire consumed his youths" — [The fire of] His wrath. "were not married" — Heb. לא הוללו. They were not married by being brought into a litter [under] a canopy because the youths died in battle. הוּלָלוּ is an expression of nuptials (הִלוּלָא) in Aramaic. Our Sages, however, explained it in reference to Nadab and Abihu (Mid. Ps. 78:18), but I feel uncertain about explaining it that way because he already commenced with the Tabernacle of Shiloh.
Ibn Ezra
"Fire devoured their young men" — he likened the devouring of the sword to the devouring of fire, in the manner of "for fire went forth from Cheshbon" (Numbers 21:28). And the meaning of the vav in "their young men" is that the pious died in war. "And their virgins" — who were modest, did not see wedding canopies, because of the death of the young men.
Radak
"Fire devoured" — By way of metaphor, war is called "fire." And it says "young men" because it is the young men who go out to war. "And His virgins were not praised" [in bridal song] — since the young men died, they [the young women] did not enter the bridal chamber, for they would have been married to the young men who died, had they lived. "Were praised" — This refers to the joy of the bridal chamber; likewise, the bridal house is called "bei hillula" (house of praise), and it is called this because the bridegroom and bride are praised in song.
Metzudat David
"Their young men" — the men of war. "Fire devoured" — the fire of Hashem's wrath burned among them, and they died in war. "Had no marriage-song" — they did not come to the bridal chamber, for their bridegrooms died in the war.
Metzudat Zion
'Were praised' — the wedding chamber is called, in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, 'hillula' (Ketubot 5), because there they praise and extol the groom and the bride.
Malbim
"Fire devoured His young men" — for in an obligatory war, even a bridegroom must go out from his chamber and a bride from her bridal canopy, and there the young men fell; "and the virgins had no marriage-song" — at the bridal canopy.
Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation. .
verse value 1530
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 1530 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·widows" (וְ֝אַלְמְנֹתָ֗יו, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "their·priests" (כֹּ֭הֲנָיו), "and·their·widows" (וְ֝אַלְמְנֹתָ֗יו), "wept" (תִבְכֶּֽינָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms); "fell" (root נפל, 30x in Psalms); "by·the·sword" (root חרב, 21x in Psalms). First appearance of the root כהן ("their·priests") in Psalms. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fell', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֭הֲנָיו [their·priests] (91) + בַּחֶ֣רֶב [by·the·sword] (212) + נָפָ֑לוּ [fell] (166) + וְ֝אַלְמְנֹתָ֗יו [and·their·widows] (543) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִבְכֶּֽינָה [wept] (487) = 1530.
Rashi
"His priests fell by the sword" — Hophni and Phinehas. "but his widows did not weep" — Even his widow was not allowed to bewail him, for she too died on the day of the tidings, as it is said (I Sam. 4: 19): “And she knelt and gave birth, for her pains had suddenly come upon her.”
Ibn Ezra
"Their priests" — Hophni and Phinehas. "And their widows" — like the wife of Phinehas; and the same thing happened to the widows of other slain men.
Radak
"Its priests" — Hophni and Phinehas, and the rest of the priests who were with the Ark, who died in the battle. "Did not weep" — Because they [the widows] died of heartbreak.
Metzudat David
"Their priests" — these are Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and the rest of the priests who bore the Ark. "Made no lamentation" — for they wept greatly over the taking of the Ark, and compared to this, the grief of their widowhood was not considered anything at all.
Malbim
"Their priests" — Hophni and Phinehas; "and their widows made no lamentation" — for the wife of Phinehas was pregnant, about to give birth, and so on, and she died [before she could lament].
Then the Lord awoke as one asleep, Like a mighty man recovering from wine.
verse value 1738
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "and·awoke" (וַיִּקַ֖ץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "recovering" (מִתְרוֹנֵ֥ן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·awoke" (וַיִּקַ֖ץ), "like·one·asleep" (כְּיָשֵׁ֥ן), "recovering" (מִתְרוֹנֵ֥ן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Lord" (root אדון, 64x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַ֖ץ [and·awoke] (206) + כְּיָשֵׁ֥ן [like·one·asleep] (380) + אֲדֹנָ֑י [Lord] (65) + כְּ֝גִבּ֗וֹר [like·a·mighty·man] (231) + מִתְרוֹנֵ֥ן [recovering] (746) + מִיָּֽיִן [from·wine] (110) = 1738.
Rashi
"shouting" — Heb. מתרונן, awaking and strengthening himself with speech to awaken from his wine. מתרונן is an expression of רנה, shouting.
Ibn Ezra
"Then [Hashem] awoke" — Scripture speaks in response to the thoughts of the Philistines, who had seized the place of glory [the ark]; or [this is said] by way of parable, because the might of [His] glory was not seen when the ark was taken, and now [it is as if] one who shouts for joy from his wine, who trusts in his strength. And some say that the one who shouts for joy is the drunkard when deep sleep falls upon him.
Radak
"And He awoke" — Like a man who fell asleep from the abundance of wine he drank, and now awakes from his wine and shouts and sings out. And it says "like a mighty man," because his might is not lacking from him except on account of the wine. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, would see Israel's sins and remain silent toward them, and when their sins increased and they angered Him with their evil deeds, He awoke and took vengeance upon them, and was like a mighty man shouting from wine.
Metzudat David
"Then He awoke as one asleep" — for until that time the Omnipresent had been silent, [withholding] from punishing Israel for their deeds, as though He were asleep; and at that time their sins increased, and He awoke from His sleep to take vengeance upon them. "Recovering from wine" — one who rouses himself from the drunkenness of wine through a shout and an outcry.
Malbim
(65-66) "Then He awoke" — and nonetheless He awoke, like one who had been asleep, out of His zeal for the honor of the Ark; "and struck His adversaries backward" — by what He set upon them, the tumors, which is a blow "from behind," a blow of disgrace and contempt.
And He smote His adversaries backward; He put upon them a perpetual reproach.
verse value 1967
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "gave" (נָ֣תַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·struck·His·adversaries" (וַיַּךְ־צָרָ֥יו, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·struck·His·adversaries" (וַיַּךְ־צָרָ֥יו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "eternity" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "gave" (root נתן, 95x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'backward', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּךְ־צָרָ֥יו [and·struck·His·adversaries] (342) + אָח֑וֹר [backward] (215) + חֶרְפַּ֥ת [a·reproach·of] (688) + ע֝וֹלָ֗ם [eternity] (146) + נָ֣תַן [gave] (500) + לָֽמוֹ [to·them] (76) = 1967.
Rashi
"And He smote His adversaries from the rear" — Plagues of the rear with hemorrhoids, which is a disgrace of perpetual ridicule for them.
Ibn Ezra
"And He smote" — an allusion to the tumors/hemorrhoids [with which the Philistines were afflicted].
Radak
"His adversaries" — The sinners who were among Israel; He struck them until they retreated backward before their enemies. Or, it says "backward" because Israel fled before the Philistines, and the Philistines struck them from behind, and Hashem did this to punish them for their sins, which had multiplied. "He gave them everlasting reproach" — The exile of the Ark, which was an everlasting reproach to Israel.
Metzudat David
"And He smote" — He struck the adversaries from behind them, for they had fled before the Philistines, and they pursued after them and struck them from behind, in the manner of a pursuer toward the pursued. "A perpetual reproach" — this is the taking of the Ark.
Moreover He abhorred the tent of Joseph, And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
verse value 1202
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·rejected" (וַ֭יִּמְאַס, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·in·the·tribe·of" (וּֽבְשֵׁ֥בֶט). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 174x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Joseph', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּמְאַס [and·rejected] (117) + בְּאֹ֣הֶל [in·the·tent·of] (38) + יוֹסֵ֑ף [Joseph] (156) + וּֽבְשֵׁ֥בֶט [and·in·the·tribe·of] (319) + אֶ֝פְרַ֗יִם [Ephraim] (331) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + בָחָֽר [chose] (210) = 1202.
Rashi
"He rejected the tent of Joseph" — That is Shiloh, which is in Joseph’s territory.
Ibn Ezra
"Moreover He abhorred" — from then on the ark was not in the territory of Ephraim, but [moved] from tent to tent and from place to place, until David came, and the ark was [set] in the city of Zion.
Radak
"And He abhorred" — That the Tabernacle of Shiloh was destroyed. And some explain "and He awoke" as [meaning] like one asleep regarding what happened with the Philistines — that He was, as it were, asleep during the exile of the Ark, and afterward He awoke and struck the Philistines who had taken it. "And He struck His adversaries backward" — These are the Philistines, and this is the plague of tumors (hemorrhoids), and that plague was an everlasting reproach to them. "And He abhorred the tent of Joseph" — For even though the Ark returned, it did not return to Shiloh, but went from place to place until David brought it to Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
"Moreover He abhorred" — from then on He abhorred the tabernacle of Shiloh, which was in the territory of Ephraim, son of Joseph. "And the tribe of Ephraim" — it is the same thing, and the matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
(67-68) "And He rejected" — from then on He "rejected the tent of Joseph," so that the Sanctuary no longer stood within Joseph's portion; and likewise "He chose not the tribe of Ephraim" for the kingship. And it goes on to explain, corresponding to what was said, "He chose not the tribe of Ephraim" — "[but] He chose the tribe of Judah"; and corresponding to what was said, "and He rejected the tent of Joseph," it says, "and He chose Mount Zion, which He loved."
But chose the tribe of Judah, The mount Zion which He loved.
verse value 2239
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·chose" (וַ֭יִּבְחַר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "the·tribe·of" (אֶת־שֵׁ֣בֶט), "the·mountain·of" (אֶֽת־הַ֥ר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 101x in Psalms); "the·mountain·of" (root הר, 43x in Psalms); "He·loved" (root אהב, 40x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּבְחַר [and·chose] (226) + אֶת־שֵׁ֣בֶט [the·tribe·of] (712) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + אֶֽת־הַ֥ר [the·mountain·of] (606) + צִ֝יּ֗וֹן [Zion] (156) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + אָהֵֽב [He·loved] (8) = 2239.
Ibn Ezra
"But chose" — he mentions the tribe from which David came, for the whole psalm is essentially about him.
Radak
"And He chose" — Jerusalem, for Jerusalem is in the territory of Judah, and David was from the tribe of Judah.
Metzudat David
"And He chose" — the site of the Temple, to be His inheritance. "Which He loved" — from many days [before], for there Isaac was bound.
And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.
verse value 1440
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 1440 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·built" (וַיִּ֣בֶן, 4 letters) and the longest is "like·the·heights" (כְּמֽוֹ־רָ֭מִים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "and·built" (וַיִּ֣בֶן), "like·the·heights" (כְּמֽוֹ־רָ֭מִים), "His·sanctuary" (מִקְדָּשׁ֑וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·the·earth" (root ארץ, 157x in Psalms); "forever" (root עולם, 144x in Psalms); "like·the·heights" (root רום, 49x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·sanctuary', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֣בֶן [and·built] (68) + כְּמֽוֹ־רָ֭מִים [like·the·heights] (356) + מִקְדָּשׁ֑וֹ [His·sanctuary] (450) + כְּ֝אֶ֗רֶץ [like·the·earth] (311) + יְסָדָ֥הּ [He·founded·it] (79) + לְעוֹלָֽם [forever] (176) = 1440.
Rashi
"And He built His Sanctuary like the high heavens, etc." — Like the heavens and the earth, about which two hands are mentioned, as it is stated (Isa. 48:13): “Even My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured the heavens with handbreadths.” Also the Temple was with two hands, as it is said (Exod. 15:17): “Your hands established.” (Cf. Mechilta, Shirah 10, Keth. 5a, Rashi to Exod. 15:17.) Another explanation: "And He built His Sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth He established it" — Just as heaven and earth have no substitute, neither does the Temple have a substitute in which to let the Shechinah rest.
Ibn Ezra
"And He built... like the heights [ramim]" — this is an adjective whose noun is omitted, like "u-ma'akholo bari'ah" ("and his food is choice/fattened," Habakkuk 1:16), [where] "seh" (a sheep) or "eglah" (a calf) [is implied but omitted]. So too here: "He built [it] like lofty palaces." And the meaning of "like the earth" is: because the earth as a whole endures, and [so do] its parts; therefore he mentions this part of the earth [i.e., the sanctuary] as enduring, corresponding to the earth in its entirety.
Radak
"Heights" — Like "lofty palaces." "Like the earth, which He has founded forever" — So too He built His Sanctuary there forever, not like it was in Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, and Gibeon, but the Temple was and will forever be there, on Mount Moriah.
Metzudat David
"Like the heights" — meaning, He built it as an everlasting building, like the high heavens, and He founded it to last forever, like the earth.
Malbim
(69-72) "And He built His sanctuary like the heights" — for the Sanctuary was like a ladder set upon the earth with its top reaching the heavens, connecting the upper world with the lower; it is thus "like the heights," [that is,] the upper worlds. "And its foundation" is "like the earth," etc. Now, the Temple and the Davidic kingship were both necessary for the perfection of the whole, and the Temple and the Davidic kingship are dependent on one another, as I explained in [Psalm] 132. And so it says, "He chose David His servant" — and the choosing was on account of his shepherding of the flock, as is stated in the Midrash, that [Hashem] tested the goodness of his heart through his conduct of the flock. And so it says, "from following the nursing ewes He brought him" to shepherd, in two kinds of governance: (1) the political, concerning which it says, "His people Jacob"; (2) the moral, concerning which it says, "and Israel His inheritance," for Israel is greater than Jacob. And "he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart" — through Torah-guided governance; "and led them by the skillfulness of his hands" — through political governance.
He chose David also His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;
verse value 1131
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 1131 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "sheep" (צֹֽאן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·took·him" (וַ֝יִּקָּחֵ֗הוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "in·David" (בְּדָוִ֣ד), "and·took·him" (וַ֝יִּקָּחֵ֗הוּ), "from·the·folds·of" (מִֽמִּכְלְאֹ֥ת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·David" (root דוד, 89x in Psalms); "His·servant" (root עבד, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּבְחַר [and·chose] (226) + בְּדָוִ֣ד [in·David] (16) + עַבְדּ֑וֹ [His·servant] (82) + וַ֝יִּקָּחֵ֗הוּ [and·took·him] (135) + מִֽמִּכְלְאֹ֥ת [from·the·folds·of] (531) + צֹֽאן [sheep] (141) = 1131.
Rashi
"and took him from the sheepcotes" — Heb. ממכלאתצאן, from the stalls of the sheep, as (Hab. 3: 16): “The flock will be cut off from the fold (ממכלה).”
Ibn Ezra
"He chose" — meaning, He had already chosen, in the manner of "va-yish'al otah" [a past-perfect usage], and there are many such [examples]; for David seized Mount Zion, and Jerusalem was called by his name, "the city where David encamped" (Isaiah 29:1). "And took him" — after He had taken him. "From the sheepfolds" — like "the flock is cut off from the fold" (Habakkuk 3:17).
Radak
"And He chose" — And so He chose David to serve Him forever, so that there would be no other king for Jerusalem, but only he and his descendants after him. "And He took him from the sheepfolds" — To be king over Israel. And the meaning of "from the sheepfolds" is like "sheep enclosures."
Metzudat David
"And He chose David" — to reign over Israel. "From the sheepfolds" — from the fact that he was always with the flock in their pen.
Metzudat Zion
'From the sheepfolds' — an expression of a prison-house and confinement; it is the pen of the flock, in which they [the sheep] are confined.
From following the ewes that give suck He brought him, To be shepherd over Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance.
verse value 2828
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "His·people" (עַמּ֑וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·over·Israel" (וּ֝בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "from·after" (מֵאַחַ֥ר), "He·brought·him" (הֱבִ֫יא֥וֹ), "to·pasture" (לִ֭רְעוֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·people" (root עם, 135x in Psalms); "He·brought·him" (root בוא, 79x in Psalms); "and·over·Israel" (root ישראל, 61x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: מֵאַחַ֥ר [from·after] (249) + עָל֗וֹת [nursing·ewes] (506) + הֱבִ֫יא֥וֹ [He·brought·him] (24) + לִ֭רְעוֹת [to·pasture] (706) + בְּיַעֲקֹ֣ב [over·Jacob] (184) + עַמּ֑וֹ [His·people] (116) + וּ֝בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [and·over·Israel] (549) + נַחֲלָתֽוֹ [His·inheritance] (494) = 2828.
Rashi
"From behind the nursing ewes He brought him" — For he would shepherd the nursing ewes for his father, because he was merciful and would bring the kids first and feed them the upper tips of the grasses, which are tender. Then after them he would bring out the he-goats, who would eat the middle of the grasses, and afterwards, he would bring out the older ones, who would eat the roots. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “This one is fit to shepherd My people.”
Ibn Ezra
"From following the ewes that give suck" — "alot" ["that give suck"] is an adjective resembling a verb [participle], in the manner of "ha-olim al ha-tzon" ("those that go up over the flock"); the "alot" are the females [i.e., nursing ewes]. "To be shepherd" — with an added bet, like "ro'eh et echav ba-tzon" ("shepherding his brothers among the flock," Genesis 37:2). Now, at first he was a shepherd of sheep, and [then] he turned to shepherd Israel, as [the psalmist] began at the start of the psalm: "and led forth His people like sheep" (Psalm 78:52). And the meaning of "and with the skillfulness of his hands he guided them" is: because he likened Hashem's people to a flock, and a flock has need of good pasture, and all [of this] is [accomplished] with the staff — therefore, "with skillfulness." But in my opinion, the bet of "bi-tvunot" serves a double role, like [the bet of] "u-zero'o Kasdim" (Isaiah 48:14), as if it were written: "and with the skillfulness in his hands he guided them." And so the meaning of "according to the integrity of his heart" is that he did good for his people, and "the skillfulness of his hands" is the deed itself, as it is written: "And David executed justice and righteousness for all his people" (2 Samuel 8:15).
Radak
"The nursing ewes" — The nursing female sheep are called "alot," after their young, who are called "olim" [sucklings]. And what it says, "from following the nursing ewes," [means] that the shepherd must be behind the nursing ewes, to lead them gently. "To shepherd Jacob" — He took him to shepherd Israel.
Metzudat David
"From following the nursing ewes" — from the fact that he went after the nursing ewes to shepherd them, He brought him to be king, shepherd of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
'The nursing ewes' — those that raise their young, meaning, the nursing ewes.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; And lead them by the skillfulness of his hands.
verse value 1922
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "according·to·the·integrity·of" (כְּתֹ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·with·the·understanding·of" (וּבִתְבוּנ֖וֹת, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Psalms. Unique to this verse in Psalms (hapax): "according·to·the·integrity·of" (כְּתֹ֣ם), "his·heart" (לְבָב֑וֹ), "and·with·the·understanding·of" (וּבִתְבוּנ֖וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·heart" (root לבב, 32x in Psalms); "and·shepherded·them" (root רעה, 25x in Psalms). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֭יִּרְעֵם [and·shepherded·them] (326) + כְּתֹ֣ם [according·to·the·integrity·of] (460) + לְבָב֑וֹ [his·heart] (40) + וּבִתְבוּנ֖וֹת [and·with·the·understanding·of] (872) + כַּפָּ֣יו [his·hands] (116) + יַנְחֵֽם [leads·them] (108) = 1922.
Radak
"And he shepherded them" — Just as there was uprightness and integrity in his heart, so he shepherded them. "With the skillfulness of his hands he led them" — He attributed "skillfulness" to the hands, because a shepherd tends the flock with his staff, in his hands, and he must lead them with skill; and he attributed the skill to the hands even though it [really] resides in the heart, because it is the hands that perform the work.
Metzudat David
"According to the integrity of his heart" — according to the integrity of his heart he shepherded them. "And by the skillfulness of his hands" — although understanding belongs to the heart, it says "his hands," because it is by them that the shepherd guides [the flock], so that it appears as if the understanding were in his hands; similar to this is "he guided his hands wisely" (Genesis 48:14), meaning that he acted with intelligence. And all of this refers back to the beginning of these statements, to say: they recount all this so that [the people] should not cling to the deeds of their forefathers, who rebelled against Hashem, but should instead cling to the deed of David, who merited the kingship because of the excellence of his way.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat Zion
Malbim