Tehilim 1-17 and helpful commentary

(1) And he shall be like a tree: - He compares the good man to a tree planted over the streams of water: and says that the man who departs from evil and does good, lo ! he is as a tree planted upon streams of water which is continually satisfied; so he rejoices continually in his portion whether he have little to eat or much. And the interpretation of streams of water (is) that there is a stream of water on this side and a stream of water on that side, and they will be passing under it and it will be always over them.

(1) והשענו תחת העץ. This teaches that there was only a single tree at that location. Why did G’d reveal Himself in the shape of a tree? This was because He told him that he would sire a son after having become old, similar to a tree of which it is written that even “an old tree still has hope of producing new branches even if it has been cut down, it will renew itself, its shoots will not cease, if its roots are old in the earth and its stump dies in the ground. At the scent of water it will bud and produce branches like a sapling.”(Job 14,7-9) Furthermore, the righteous have been compared to trees, as we know from Psalms 1,3 והיה כעץ שתול על פלגי מים, “he will be as a tree planted besides streams of water,” (quoted by Rabbeinu Bachya in the name of Rabbeinu Chananel in his commentary on Genesis 18,1)

(2) And rulers take counsel (יַוסדו) together: - They had all consulted together as one. Counsel also is expressed in the word יסוד (foundation), for counsel is to actual performance as the foundation to a building.

(1) He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall have them in derision. - As he has said that they have taken counsel together against the Lord, to nullify His word, (so now) he says that He sits in heaven, and hears their words, and laughs at and derides them. And when he says of God - Blessed be He ! - He shall laugh at and deride (them), it is metaphorical, an accommodation to human language; for a man laughs at and mocks one whom he despises and esteems as nothing at all. And so : "And Thou, Lord, shalt laugh at them, Thou shalt mock at all the nations" (Ps.lix. 9); "The Lord shall laugh at him, for He sees that his day is coming" (Ps. xxxvii. 13). And when he says: He that sitteth in the heavens, the meaning of "sitting" is abiding (enduring), as "and Thou, Lord, remainest (lit. sittest) for ever" (Ps. Cii. 13). And so every expression of sitting, when it is used of God - Blessed be He ! - as, "O Thou that sittest in the Heavens" (Ps. cxxiii. 1); "That hath His seat on high" (Ps. cxiii. 5). And when he says in the heavens, it is because they are stable and endure for ever, and their individualities do not come to an end like those of the earth.

(2) And vex them in His sore displeasure : - And His words with them are His anger and sore displeasure which He shall hurl at them. Some interpret ידבר (speak) in the sense of דבֶר (plague) [in the passage] "a plague (דבר) grievously heavy" (Exod. ix. 3). And so (also) "and she destroyed (ותדבר) all the seed royal" (2 Chron. xxii. 10) ; and they interpret אלימו (to them) as in the verse "the אילי (chief men) of the land" (2 Kings xxiv. 15), of which the meaning is the powerful ones of the land. But the former is nearer (to the right meaning).

(3) Selah : - The majority of commentators say of the word Selah that it is equivalent to לעולם ("for ever"); and so Jonathan renders it in the Prayer of Habakkuk (iii. 3, 9, 13) for ever (לעלמין). And in this sense the word is common in our prayers. And the learned Rabbi Abraham ben Ezra - may the memory of the just be blessed ! - has interpreted (ad loc.) that it is equivalent to אמת (truth). For myself, I say it is not a significant word. And it is to be interpreted as having the meaning "lifting up" (of the musical accompaniment) from (the passage) "cast up, cast up (סלו) the way" (Is. Ixii. 10), signifying that at the point where this word is mentioned and read there was a raising of the sound of the music (מזמור). And the proof is in the fact that it is not found except in this book and in the Prayer of Habakkuk, which was a song (accompanied by music), as is written also there (iii. 19), "For the chief musician on my stringed instruments."

(3) out of His holy hill. Selah : - We can interpret (this) of Mount Moriah. And although it was not yet holy, it may be that there was a tradition among them that the Sanctuary would be there. And because of this David, in his flight, ascended the Mount of Olives and from thence worshipped God ; for from thence one can see that (holy) place. Or the interpretation of out of His holy hill (may be) : from Mount Sion, where the Ark was. Or the interpretation of out of His holy hill (may be) out of heaven, as "Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill ? " (Ps. xv. i).

(1) Answer me when I call, O God (Judge) of my righteousness : - It is certain that this Psalm likewise was uttered (by David) in his flight before Absalom ; and he says, Answer me when I call, O God (Judge) of my righteousness, for Thou knowest that with me is the right, and with him who is against me the wrong and the violence ; and Thou, Lord, art Judge over us. For in every instance where אלהים ('Elohim) occurs it has the meaning "judge," as we have interpreted the verse "Verily there is a God (Judge) that judges in the earth" (Ps. lviii. 12). And men who are judges are so called : "The cause of both parties shall come before the 'Elohim (judges)" (Exod. xxii. 8) ; 'Then his master shall bring him unto 'Elohim (the judges)" (ibid. xxi. 6).

(2) and sin not : - in still pursuing after and rebelling against me.

(3) Say it in your heart (i.e. think) upon your bed : - for a man upon his bed finds his heart freer from the concerns of the world and then will his intention be pure. And David addresses them : "Consider in your heart? And so the thought of the heart is called "speaking" (as in the text) "That saith in her heart " (Is. xlvii. 8). And he says

(4) Be still. Selah: - His meaning is: "Be silent, and cease to rebel against me ;" for "stillness" has the sense of silence of speech and voice, as "They kept still for my counsel'' (Job xxix. 21) ; "stillness and a voice I heard" (ibid. iv. 16). There is also (a stillness) which is (equivalent to) silence of action and movement, as "He turneth the storm to stillness" (Ps. cvii. 29) ; "my bowels boil and are not still" (Job xxx. 27) ; "and the sun stood still" (Josh. x. 13) ; "Be still (tarry) until we come unto you" (1 Sam. xiv. 9) ; "To the still stone" (Hab. ii. 19), and (other instances) similar to these. And of this meaning is (the sentence) Be still : Selah, as though to say : "Cease you from your works." And the great teacher of righteousness, our master Moses ben Maimon, has explained (Guide for the Perplexed, Bk. I. 50, 59) that this verse commands men of intelligence and reputation to recognise the truth and the praise of God in their hearts, so that no error of speech shall overtake them. But this is not (derived) from the sense of the Psalm.

(3) Lord, lift up (נסה) the light of Thy countenance upon us: - not according to their purpose. And the word נַסה (is written) with samek (ס) instead of the (usual) sin (שׂ), and is equivalent to נשׂא. And it is possible to explain it according to the sense of and put your trust in the Lord. He says : as for many their thought is only for the prosperity of this world, and they are longing for it and saying Oh that He would shew us prosperity ! while I and those with me say, Lord, lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us! All our desire is for the light of Thy countenance for the world to come.

(1) In peace together would I lay me down and sleep : - I was desiring their prosperity, and still, although they have done me evil, I desire that we may be in peace together, I and they, and that if I lay me down and sleep I may not have anything to disturb me from sleep, after they return to me.

(2) For Thou, Lord, alone makest me to rest in safety: - for I am confident that Thou wilt grant my desire and wilt make me rest in safety with them. And the interpretation of alone (is) : Thou, Lord, only canst do this, and in Thee is my trust and not in another.

(1) For the Chief Musician : To the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David. - I have already explained the meaning of the Nehiloth and other kinds of music in the previous Psalm. Our teacher Hai, of blessed memory, explained the word (nehiloth) from the expression nehil (נהיל), (meaning) "a swarm" of bees, in the words of our sages of blessed memory (Mishnah, Baba Kamma x. 2). He means that its music was like the buzzing of bees. This Psalm is also likewise directed against David's enemies, those in Israel who were ill-disposed to him. Our rabbis of blessed memory have said (Midrash, Shoher Tob, ad loc.) that he uttered it against his adversaries Doeg and Ahithophel.

(2)

(2) my King : - for Thou art a king over me, and I cry unto Thee as men cry unto the king.

(3) and my God (Judge) - art Thou, for Thou art my Judge and shalt save me from those who do me evil.

(28) No רע, evil, stuck to our patriarch Jacob. Evil is the very reverse of maintaining the Holy Covenant as we know from: ויהי ער רע בעיני השם, "Er was evil (same letters reversed) in the eyes of the Lord" (38,7). Concerning people who are evil, it is written: לא יגורך רע, "Evil cannot abide with You" (Psalms 5,5), seeing Evil has no foothold in ארץ העליונה, the celestial equivalent to earth. That ארץ is known only as ארץ טובה, and טוב is the צדיק, the foundation of the universe as we know from: אמרו צדיק כי טוב הוא, "Say (about) the righteous he is good" (Isaiah 3,10).

(1) Lead me, O Lord, in Thy righteousness : - This is my prayer unto Thee, that Thou shouldest lead me in Thy righteousness, meaning that Thou shouldest help me to go in the way of righteousness and justice, and lead me in it so that I may not stumble.

(2) Because of my watchful foes : - That they may not be able to rejoice over me through my stumbling, make straight Thy way before my face. And

(3) my watchful foes (שׁררי) - is the equivalent of "my enemies," and is derived from (the verb) " I spy him (אשׁורנו), but not nigh" (Num. xxiv. 17), because he is looking for evil, as (in the verse) "Saul eyed David" (1 Sam. xviii. 9). And this prayer is that He (God) should deliver him from faults and from deliberate sins, as he says (in the verses Ps. xix. 13, 14) : "Clear me from hidden (faults); moreover, from deliberate sins restrain Thy servant."

(1) For there is nothing straightforward in his mouth : - That is the reason why he says because of my watchful foes, for they are men of such a kind that there is no straightforwardness in the mouth (even) of one of them, but they make themselves appear to be friends.

(2) Their inward part is very wickedness : - meaning they are devising evil in their heart.

(1) Make them miss the mark (האשימם), O God : - There are some who interpret this from the meaning of שממה ("desolation"), and (make) אשׁם and שמם of one meaning. But it is admissible to explain it in the (primary) sense of אשׁם ; and its interpretation (will then be) : Make them miss the mark in their counsel, meaning, Let not what they purposed to do against me be possible or happen. And it occurs (here) in the sense of אשם taken as equivalent to הטא, as in יחטא ולא ("And would not miss the mark," Judges xx. 16). And this is what (he means when) he says :

(2) Let them fall from their counsels : In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, for they have rebelled against Thee - - in that they hate me, and Thou hast commissioned me to be king, and they have rebelled against Thy words. (The word) מרו (they have rebelled) is here used in the same sense as in " Ye have rebelled (מריתם) against My word" (Num. xxvii. 14).

(3)

(1) For the Chief Musician, with Neginoth, on the Sheminith. A Psalm of David. - Already we have explained the sense of Neginoth and Sheminith and the other kinds of musical instruments in the Psalm Answer me when I call (Ps. iv.). There are some (Targum ad loc.) who interpret Sheminith as a lyre which had eight strings, and the Psalm as being recited to the accompaniment of this music. The Haggadic interpretation (Babli, Menahoth 43 b) (applies it) to circumcision, which was performed on the eighth day, but this is far-fetched. This Psalm possibly was uttered by David with reference to his sickness ; it is also possible likewise that it was uttered in the language of anyone crushed by sickness, for David composed many of the Psalms which combine prayer and supplication that they might be suitable for any suppliant ; and such, I think, is the case in this Psalm. And some say (Ibn Ezra ad loc.) that it was uttered with reference to the Exile, for Israel in exile was like those who are sick and crushed.

(2) O Lord, heal me ; for my bones are vexed :</body>He means his body. He says my bones, because they are the foundation of the body ; or he speaks of the pain of his limbs.

(1) My soul also is sore vexed : - My bones are vexed and my soul also is sore vexed with respect to my fear and anxiety that I shall die from this sickness.

(1) For in death there is no remembrance of Thee : In Sheol who shall give Thee thanks ? - If I die, I shall not remember Thee in death, neither shall I give Thee thanks ; and if Thou healest me, I will give Thee thanks before the eyes of all. As Hezekiah (Is. xxxviii. 18) says : "For Sheol cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee" etc. ; and David says (Ps. cxviii. 17) : "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." For the body after the departure of the spirit is as a dumb stone, and it descends to Sheol ; but the spirit ascends and praises and glorifies for ever without ceasing. But the righteous longs to live to do the will of God while he is yet alive in order to increase the reward of his soul in the world to come.

(1) Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity ; For the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. - He said this on recovering from his sickness, or even during his sickness ; and (then) he is speaking of the future by the Holy Spirit. And every sick man who prays by this Psalm is able to say this, for he is confident that God will hear his prayer if he prays with a broken and contrite heart.

(1) The Lord hath heard my supplication ; The Lord will receive my prayer. - "He will" as though "He has received." And the reason for He will (is) : on this and every occasion when my prayer comes to Him, He will accept it with favour.

(1) Lest he tear my soul like a lion, Rending in pieces while there is none to deliver. - This could not be said of any other enemy of David except Saul, who was king ; and of him it is said, Rending in pieces while there is none to deliver. And he says as a lion, because he is the mightiest among the beasts, and is called king over them, and if he rends there is none to deliver. And (the sense of) פרק (rending in pieces) is to be gathered from the sense (of the expression) in "and thou shall break in pieces (ופרקת) his yoke" (Gen. xxvii. 41).

(2)

(2) But (no) ! I have delivered him that without cause was my enemy : - Not merely have I not requited evil unto him {who was) at peace with me, but (on the contrary) I have delivered him who without cause was my enemy. But to no purpose did I rescue him as indeed he rescued Saul from the power of Abishai, who, had he not withheld him, was about to kill him, as he said : "Let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time" (i Sam. xxvi. 8) ; and so of the occasion when he was in the cave it is said : " so David checked his men with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul" (i Sam. xxiv. 7). And the waw in ואחלצה ( "but [lit. and] I have delivered") is like the waw (in ועבדיך in the verse) but (and) thy servants came to buy food" (Gen. xlii. 10), of which (passage) the interpretation is : " It is not, my lord, as thou sayest, that we are spies ; but thy servants are come to buy food."

(1) God is a righteous Judge : - as (in the verse) Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness (supra, v. 9) ; and its interpretation (is) : God judges the righteous according to his righteousness and the wicked according to his wickedness, and this is what he means when he says :

(2) Yea, a God that is provoked every day : - as though to say, He judges the righteous, and He judges him who provokes God every day, when he repents not of his wickedness. And this is what he means below (by the words) if he turn not - if (אם) being used in the place of כי (when), as : " When (אם) the jubile shall be" (Num. xxxvi. 4), where it stands in the place of כי or כאשר (when). And by every day he means "continually." And how was Saul provoking God? Because he was despising God's work and word, for he knew that David had been anointed as king by the command of God to succeed him, and (yet) he pursued him every day to kill him. You see he was planning every day to bring God's word to naught. And, moreover, David was innocent and had not sinned against him, and he wished to shed innocent blood. And, further, because he had sworn solemnly that he would not slay him. And for all these reasons it was right that He (God) should be spoken of as provoked.

(1) Behold, he travaileth with iniquity ; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. - He compares the thoughts of the heart with conception, and says their issuing in speech or conduct is like the pangs of a woman at childbirth. If so, the comparison is between speech and birth-pains, and (between) conduct and childbearing. And he says that he speaks evil, because he has conceived it in his heart and brought it forth in his mouth for execution. And iniquity and mischief and. falsehood have all one meaning, though the words are different.

(1) For the Chief Musician: set to the Gittith. A Psalm of David. - We have expounded already above (Ps. iv. i) that Gittith is a kind of music. And there are those who say that David composed and recited (the Psalm) when he was in Gath ; while others say (Ibn Ezra) that he gave it to the sons of Obed Edom the Gittite. This Psalm also is a hymn and rendering of praise and thanks to God, and a recounting of His acts of power.

(2)

(1) For Thou hast made him but little lower than Elohim : - that is, the angels - in that the spirit of man is of the (same) quality as that of the angels, which is incorporeal just as they are incorporeal ; and the inferiority consists in the fact of its {i.e. man's spirit) being (lodged) in a body.

(1) O Lord, our Sovereign Lord, How Excellent is Thy Name in all the earth ! - He returns once more to praise when he has finished the recital of the loving kindnesses which He (God) shews towards man, and the power He has given him over all ; and because, though he is small and of no account in comparison with the great creatures on high, he is their equal in understanding. (And so) he returns to praise and says, O Lord, our Sovereign Lord, etc.

(1) For the Precentor : 'al muth labben : A Psalm of David. - The majority of the interpreters (Rabbi Dunash the Levite and Ibn Ezra) say that David uttered it with reference to one of his enemies who died, one of the princes of the heathen, who oppressed Israel and whose name was Labben ; and that when he died David uttered this Psalm. Some also say (Ibn Ezra, ad loc.) that Labben (לבן) is an inversion of Nabal (נבל), and they say that David uttered this Psalm when Nabal the Carmelite died. But this is very far-fetched ; for the subject-matter of the Psalm tells of a man who did evil to Israel, while Nabal did no harm to anyone, but simply was avaricious. And some say (ibid.) that לבן is to be read as if written with a yodh (לבין), and then the reference is to Goliath, who is called a champion (הַבֵּנַיִם אִישׁ) ; and when David had killed him he uttered this Psalm. My revered father, of blessed memory, has (also) written that this Psalm was (originally) uttered with reference to Goliath ; but he explained לבן (as referring) to a singer whose name was Ben (בֵּן), as it is written in Chronicles ( I Chron. xv. 1 8) : " and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel ; " and he explained מות על, which is two words [ = on the death of], as one word, עלמות, from (the expression) שׁיר עלמות; and similar instances of words divided into two, but with the significance of a single word, are קוח פקח (= release, Is. lxi. i), פיה יפה (= very fair, Jer. xlvi. 20), and יונים לגאי ( = proud, Ps. cxxiii. 4). And although the lamedh of לַבֵּן, is vocalised with the vowel pathah, and this is not in accordance with usage in the case of a man's name - for you do not say ליצחק, לַידותון, because the article is not employed with a proper name - nevertheless the article here is employed to indicate that he speaks with reference to Ben the singer ; for if he had said לְבן (pointed) with sheva it would not have been clear that he was speaking of the singer whose name was Ben. At all events, it is admissible to interpret the subject-matter of the Psalm as having reference to Goliath the Philistine.

(1) When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish at Thy presence. - For all the Philistine armies fled and turned back, as it is written (1 Sam. xvii. 51) : "And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead they fled."

(2) He hath prepared His throne for judgment, - as it says (Ps. cii. 27), "they shall perish, but Thou remainest." And the significance of sitteth enthroned (יֵשֵׁב) is that of enduring and stability ; and so (in the passage) "The Lord sat enthroned at the flood" (Ps. xxix. 10).

(1) The Lord also will be a high tower for the oppressed, A high tower in times of trouble : - On every occasion that He judges the world He is a high tower of refuge for the poor. Although he may be lowly and without power and strength, He dare not leave him to those who are stronger, but is to him a high tower. And the poor has safety in Him as a man finds safety in a strong tower, and as Israel have found safety in Him to-day, and He is to them a strong tower. And a high tower also in times when they are in trouble, for Israel were now in great trouble on account of this Philistine, and Philistines who were making themselves masters over them, as it is said in (the section about) King Saul (i Sam. ix. 16), "because their cry is come unto Me."

(4) Higgayon. Selah :This deliverance is the subject of our meditation (higgayon) and thanksgiving.

(1) The wicked shall return to Sheol, Even all the nations that forget God. The wicked shall return to the grave. And he says, they shall return just as "and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. iii. 19). And shall return is used (in the manner of) a prayer, as if saying : Just as all these haters of Israel have died, so let all those perish who forget God. And in the Haggadic interpretation (Babli, Sanhedrin 105a, and Shoher Tod, ad loc.) "to Sheol is Gehinnom. And they say (ibid, with a slight verbal change), Why does he say לשׁאולה, to Sheol? Is not every he at the end of a word equivalent to lamedh at the commencement? Why, then, does he say לשאולה with lamedh? To say that they shall descend to the very heart, or to the lowest degree, of Sheol" (Gen. Rabbah, pars. 50 and 68).

(2)

(1) Why standest Thou afar, O Lord? - David did not utter this Psalm of any one particular occasion ; it is rather a prayer which anyone who is in trouble by reason of an enemy might use. In it he tells of the ways of the wicked in his persecution of the poor and him who is helpless to escape him. And because usually the persecutor does not act openly, he tells of the persecution by the wicked, how he oppresses the poor by means of ambush and secret place ; and that (the poor) has no means of safeguarding himself from him but (in turning) his eyes upon the Lord. And he tells of the deeds of the wicked individually and generally, for the wicked is one and his helpers many. And he includes in the Psalm likewise (a reference to) the persecution with which the nations of the world would persecute Israel in their land ; therefore he says (v. 16), the heathen are perished out of his land. And he says : that mortal man (shall no longer) oppress (v. 18). He says : Why standest Thou afar, O Lord? For when help comes from Him to the poor and to him that crieth, it is as if He were nigh and helping him, as it says (Deut. iv. 7): "that hath a God so nigh unto them"; and it says (Ps. cxlv. 18) : "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him"; and when the enemy prevails it is as if God were far away, and hiding His eyes from the poor - therefore he says : Why standest Thou afar, O Lord? And the beth of ברחוק stands really for two words ; I mean רחוק במקום, "in a place afar."

(2) Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble (בצרה) ? - - times, that is, when the poor is in trouble (בצרה).

(60) When explaining Psalms 10,5, Rabbi Yoshua ben Korcha said that the verse "see how even the terrifying acts of G'd are planned with intelligence," (Psalms 66,5) refers to the verse mentioned before. Our freedom of choice is not interfered with, and still G'd manages to set in motion chains of events that culminate in His purpose being fulfilled. Since the immediate cause of the Jewish exile was the population explosion, the Torah sketches in the history of events.

(2) And as for the evil man, do Thou seek out his wickedness and Thou shalt find none : - When he says Thou wilt not require, as he said above (13), shew him that Thou dost require ; and if Thou doest so, Thou shalt not find wickedness in the earth, for if Thou shouldest break his arm, then those who remain will hear and fear. And רשע and רע (wickedness and evil) are synonyms (lit., is a double word).

(1) A Psalm of David. Lord, who shall sojourn in Thy Tabernacle? And who shall dwell in Thy Holy Hill? - Thy Tabernacle : that is, the heavens, and he designates them a tent because they are spread out as a tent. And Thy Holy Hill is Mount Moriah, where the Holy House was, for it was the most glorious place in the earth. And in like manner he designates them (the heavens) a palace, as he says (Ps. xi. 4) : "The Lord is in His Holy Palace ; the Lord, His throne is in heaven" as we have interpreted. So also, "He heard my voice out of His Palace" (ibid, xviii. 7). (The questions) Who shall sojourn ? and Who shall dwell? have reference to the higher spiritual part (of man). He says that he who has done in his lifetime these works (about to be mentioned), his spirit shall dwell in the place of Glory after his death. And what are the works ?

(2)

(1) He that slandereth not with his tongue : - In this verse he specifies certain prohibitions both as regards speech and deed ; but it was not necessary for him to mention (such) of the heart, for he has already said and speaketh truth in his heart, and if his thoughts are truth and righteousness, then there is no evil in his thoughts. He says he slandereth not with his tongue, but does not enunciate the rest of the prohibitions concerning speech, such as : "Thou shalt not bear (false witness) against thy neighbour" (Exod. xx. 16); "Thou shalt not revile the judges" (ibid. xxii. 27); and the like, for he says that which is true, and as a matter of course the others (follow) ; for from tale-bearing, although its subject-matter may be true, great harm proceeds. And so he says, and speaketh truth in his heart, for the truth that is harmful he does not utter, and that is tale-bearing.

(1) Thou (fern.) hast said to the Lord, Thou art my Sovereign Lord : - He addresses his soul and says : Thou hast said and confessed to the Lord that He is thy God and Sovereign Lord ; and such (address) is proper for thee ; and thou shalt say unto Him likewise :

(2) The good I do is not unto Thee : - They (Rashi and Rabbi Moses ha-Cohen ibn Giktilla) have interpreted (the clause): "The good which Thou doest to me it is not incumbent upon Thee to do, for I am not worthy of it, but it is entirely due to Thy loving-kindness." And my revered father, of blessed memory, has interpreted : "The good I do is not done to Thee," meaning that it does not reach Thee (personally), for one cannot dispose for, or help, or give to Thee ; but it is

(1) Their sorrows shall be multiplied which after another hasten : - viz. away from them (the holy and excellent) - the men, that is, who hasten to another god. This form, מהרו, is the only instance of its use in the Kal in the sense of "hastening"; but there is the possibility that it is used in the sense of dowry (מהר) and gift (Gen. xxxiv. 12) ; and as "a dowry shall he pay him for her" (ימהרנה מהר, Exod. xxii. 15). Or the sense in which מהרו אחר is to be taken is : I shall cleave to the holy and excellent ones and the sorrows of the men shall multiply - the sorrows, that is, of those who hasten to other men to walk in other ways which are not the ways of the Lord ; and this is the correct interpretation.

(2) Yea, by night : - This was the beginning (of help) for me from the Lord, that He gave me counsel and helped me when I chose this good part for my own ; and likewise within me every day do

(3) my reins admonish me : - that I should not abandon this way, but hold to it with all my might. And he says by night, because at night a man is isolated from the preoccupations of the world and his mind is free. And he says my reins, for they are the counsellors, as they say (Babli, Berakhoth 61 a) "The reins counsel an understanding heart."

(1) Thou wilt shew me the path of life : In Thy presence is fulness of joy : At Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore : - (To be understood) as a prayer that God may teach him the way by which he may attain to the life of the world to come ; meaning, that He will make him understand and discern the way in which the soul shall live when it is separated from the body and attain to fulness of joy in Thy presence and to pleasures at Thy right hand; for those joys and pleasures will be for evermore, for all eternity, and to them there shall be no end ; and this is the soul's delight. The reason (for using the expressions) in Thy presence and at Thy right hand is : that the "presence" and "the right hand" are the Glory, as, "the upright shall dwell in Thy presence" (Ps. cxl. 14); and so it is written of the right hand (ibid. ex. 1) : "Sit thou at My right hand."

(1) A Prayer of David. Hear right, Lord, attend unto my ringing cry : Give ear to my prayer, that goeth out of no feigned lips. - Hear my prayer, which is (uttered) in righteousness ; Hear it for my mouth and heart are at one ; and this is the meaning of righteousness, and of no feigned lips. The whole verse is a repetition of the one idea in different terms. רנתי (my ringing cry) also is of the same meaning as צעקתי (my cry), for he who prays sometimes cries with a ringing voice and sometimes in a low tone. Every use of the expression רנה denotes a cry, such being employed sometimes of singing and rejoicing, sometimes of public announcement, sometimes of prayer and entreaty, and sometimes of weeping and groaning ; and each (nuance) is distinct, according to its context.

(2)

(1) Keep me as the pupil (אישׁון) of the ball of the eye : - as a man guards the pupil of his eye - that is, the black part through which the light (passes). It is called the אישׁון (lit. little man), because the image of a man is seen in it ; and the waw and nun mark the diminutive, because the image is diminutive ; so also the ון of שׁבתון (sabbath keeping), with the idea of emphasising its holiness. So also, with the addition of yodh, אמינון in 2 Sam. xiii. 20. אישון is in the construct before בת, and (with it) forms one expression ; בת (lit. daughter) is a substantive, (denoting) the eyeball through which the light (passes), while pupil is a descriptive term because the image of a man is seen in it.

(2) And hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, -

(4) (with.) Thy likeness : - as "and the likeness of the Lord shall he behold" (Num. xii. 8), which is the same as saying, "the likeness of the Lord he has seen." (What is meant) is mental apprehension of the glory of God according to the soul's capacity after its separation from the body. Moses our teacher (upon him be peace !) experienced this during the lifetime of the body, which was not the case as regards the rest of the Prophets ; for his intelligence was active, while all the functions of the body were suspended - "he did neither eat bread nor drink water" (Exod. xxxiv. 28) and then the face of the Lord did he behold. This was not so with Elijah, when it is related of him that" in the strength of that meat," as we have interpreted in Kings (1. xix. 8). And as regards the rest of the Prophets, this (experience) will be theirs after death. The learned Rabbi Abraham ben Ezra has expounded this verse of this world, and he expounds it thus : "I delight to behold Thy face, for the righteousness which I have observed has become the cause of the delight I feel in seeing Thy face. The sense (of the phrase) is the recognition and contemplation of the works of God that they in general are wrought in wisdom and endure for ever. I then am satisfied with the enjoyment of Thy likeness" being in this unlike the wicked men of the world, who are satisfied "when Thou fillest their belly ; and this is not in dream, but only when I am awake. And this beholding is not in visions of the eye, but only in visions of the mind, which are visions of God in truth."

(2) I shall be satisfied : - He says, I shall be satisfied, balancing Their children are satisfied : they shall be satisfied in this world, while I shall be satisfied in the world to come.