(1) A psalm. A song; for the sabbath day. (2) It is good to praise the Eternal,
to sing hymns to Your name, O Most High, (3) To proclaim Your steadfast love at daybreak,
Your faithfulness each night (4) With a ten-stringed harp,
with voice and lyre together.
(5) You have gladdened me by Your deeds, O Eternal;
I shout for joy at Your handiwork. (6) How great are Your works, O Eternal,
how very subtle Your designs! (7) A brutish person cannot know,
a fool cannot understand this: (8) though the wicked sprout like grass,
though all evildoers blossom,
it is only that they may be destroyed forever.
(9) But You are exalted, O Eternal, for all time.
(10) Surely, Your enemies, O Eternal,
surely, Your enemies perish;
all evildoers are scattered. (11) You raise my horn high like that of a wild ox;
I am soaked in freshening oil. (12) I shall see the defeat of my watchful foes,
hear of the downfall of the wicked who beset me. (13) The righteous bloom like a date-palm;
they thrive like a cedar in Lebanon; (14) planted in the house of the Eternal,
they flourish in the courts of our God. (15) In old age they still produce fruit;
they are full of sap and freshness, (16) attesting that the Eternal is upright,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
The assignment of Psalm 92 for Shabbat is crucial for understanding its Sitz im Leben during Temple times. For example, many have noted the centrality of the number seven in the psalm, which suggests a numerological link to the seventh day: seven iterations of the tetragrammaton (four-letter divine name) in verses 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, and 16; the transitional or pivoting function of verse 9 (But You are exalted, O Lord, for all time), which is seven verses from the beginning (minus the superscription) and seven verses from the end; and seven epithets each for the wicked and the righteous (vv. 10-16). 16 These sevens might indicate that the psalm was originally written for Shabbat, or that its selection for Shabbat was informed, at least partly, by their presence. Another possibility is that the sevens “resulted from a later attempt to polish the already selected psalm for its role on Shabbat.”
- Kabbalat Shabbat, Friday night
- Additional Morning Psalms, Shabbat and Festival mornings
- Psalm of the Day for Shabbat
- In some traditions: Sung during the Shabbat Afternoon (Minchah) service
The Temple setting is an important hermeneutical key to understanding the relationship between Psalm 92 and Shabbat. The psalm’s explicit and implicit themes of victory, enthronement, the Temple, and creation connected the text to Shabbat as the day was conceived by the Levitical editors and presenters.
In Near Eastern cultures, the victory of a god over enemies was believed to bring about the god’s eternal enthronement. Specific to the Canaanite mythological tradition, which the Israelites shared, the high god assumed the throne only after the eradication of enemies. Such a victory is described in Psalm 92:8-10: [The wicked] may be destroyed forever. But You are exalted, O Lord, for all time. Surely, Your enemies, O Lord, surely, Your enemies perish; all evildoers are scattered. This appears to be a revision of material known from the Canaanite Baal epic, wherein Baal defeats the rebellious sea: “Look, your enemies, O Baal; look, your enemies you will smash; look, you will destroy your foes.” 20 Significantly, this is followed by a story of the building of Baal’s temple.
In Psalm 92, victory and enthronement similarly precede the Temple, referred to as the house of the Lord (v. 13). This progression is found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The psalm-like Song of the Sea (Ex.15), which was presumably sung in cultic ritual, begins with the defeat of the Egyptians and concludes with God’s enthronement at the Temple: The place You made to dwell in, O Lord, the sanctuary; O Lord, which your hands established. The Lord will reign for ever and ever (vv. 17-18). Psalm 93, which the Septuagint and Tamid 7:4 identify as a psalm for Shabbat eve, builds on the enthronement imagery with God ascending the Temple throne after defeating the primordial forces of chaos (represented by the sea). Psalms 92 and 93 can thus be read as “companion psalms”; one follows the other “with good reason.”
This leads to another central theme of Shabbat: creation. As noted, Psalm 92 extols God’s “deeds,” “handiwork” and “designs” (vv. 4-5). In numerous Near Eastern cultures, the enthronement of a deity was synonymous with both the building of a temple and the creation of the world. For instance, the Babylonian creation myth ends with a temple being built for the god Marduk and his retinue. The Ugaritic Baal epic places the post-creation temple construction on the seventh day. This is suggested in Exodus 31:12-17, where the commandment to observe Shabbat on the seventh day appears after the completion of the Tabernacle, the proto-Temple, implying a link between the erection of God’s abode and Shabbat.
Temple imagery comes to the fore with the cedars of Lebanon. Psalm 92:14 states that the sturdy and durable trees were planted in the house of the Lord, [and] flourish in the courts of our God (v. 14). As intimated with the “planting” metaphor, cedars of Lebanon were used to construct the Second Temple (Ezra 3:7), just as they were for Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs. 6:9; 15; 16; 18; 20; 36). Furthermore, the psalm likens the cedars to the righteous, who desire to be in God’s presence at the Temple (vv. 13-14; cf. Ps. 23:6).
by Nancy L. Declaisse-Walford
We turn now to Psalm 92. The words of verses 13 and following are particularly intriguing from a gender standpoint. In verse 13, the righteous are likened to the palm tree and the cedar of Lebanon. I suggest that what we have here are two common images of strength and longevity from the ancient Near East, set alongside one another in poetic parallelism—one feminine and one masculine. The palm tree mentioned here—the Hebrew word is תָּמָר --is most likely the date palm, a long-lived tree that provided many staple items of the ancient Near Eastern diet of both humans and animals as well as wood for various household projects. It is a symbol of life-giving water in the biblical text. Just after crossing the Reed Sea, you will recall, the wandering Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. תָּמָר is, of course, the name of three significant female biblical characters. The word is used in Song of Songs 7:7-8 as a metaphor for a desirable woman, and we read in Judg 4:5 that Deborah sat under a palm tree as she judged Israel. The palm tree, thus, was often associated with the feminine and fertility.
The cedars (אֶ֣רֶז) of Lebanon convey a more masculine imagery. They were connected with longevity, majesty, strength, and were symbols of royal power. The palm tree and the cedar of Lebanon, thus, were two powerful images of the strength and resilience of the people of God—one overtly feminine; the other seemingly masculine.
(ד) הַשִּׁיר שֶׁהָיוּ הַלְוִיִּם אוֹמְרִים בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (תהילים כ״ד:א׳), לַה' הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ. בַּשֵּׁנִי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים ... בַּשִּׁשִּׁי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם צג), ה' מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ וְגוֹ'. בְּשַׁבָּת הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם צב), מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, לְיוֹם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת מְנוּחָה לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָמִים:
(4) The psalms that the Levites would recite in the Temple. On the first day of the week they would recite "The earth is the Eternal’s and all it contains, the world and all who live in it” (Psalms 24). On the second...
On the sixth they would recite: “The Eternal reigns: Robed in majesty; the Eternal is robed, girded with strength” (Psalm 93).
On Shabbat they would recite: “A psalm, a song for Shabbat day” (Psalms 92), a psalm, a song for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.
מזמור שיר ליום השבת. ...
עשירית חטא. אחת עשרה נידון. שתים עשרה נתגרש. בא ליתן לו איפופסין נכנס השבת פינהו משם ... בא יום שבת נעשה לו סניגור ואמר לפני הקב"ה רבון העולמים בששת ימי המעשה לא נענש אדם בעולם ובי אתה מתחיל זו היא קדושתי וזו היא מנוחתי.
ובשביל השבת ניצל מדינה של גהינם.
כיון שראה אדם כחה של שבת בא אדם לומר הימנון לשבת מזמור שיר ליום השבת. אמר לו השבת לי אתה אומר הימנון אני ואתה נאמר הימנון להקב"ה שנאמר טוב להודות לה'':
A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day...
In the tenth [daylight] hour [of the first Friday] he [Adam] sinned. In the eleventh he was judged. In the twelfth he was banished. [God] came to issue his sentence; the Sabbath entered and [Adam] was ushered out [of court]...
The Sabbath day came and became an advocate for Adam. It said to the Holy One, "Master of the Worlds, during the six days of creation no person (no Adam) was punished in the world. Would you start on me? Is this my holiness, is this my rest?!" It was on account of the Sabbath that Adam was saved from the punishment of Gehinnom. When Adam saw the power of Shabbat, Adam began to declare a hymn to Shabbat, "a psalm, a song for the Sabbath day." Sabbath said to him, "would you declare a hymn to me?! Let you and me sing a hymn to the Holy Blessed One, as it is written, "it is good to praise the Name."
(יג) וַיֵּצֵא קַיִן מִלִּפְנֵי ה' (בראשית ד, טז), ... רַבִּי חָמָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר רַבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, יָצָא שָׂמֵחַ, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (שמות ד, יד): הִנֵּה הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ וגו', פָּגַע בּוֹ אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן אָמַר לוֹ מַה נַּעֲשָׂה בְּדִינְךָ, אָמַר לוֹ עָשִׂיתִי תְּשׁוּבָה וְנִתְפַּשַּׁרְתִּי. הִתְחִיל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן מְטַפֵּחַ עַל פָּנָיו, אָמַר, כָּךְ הִיא כֹּחָהּ שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה וַאֲנִי לֹא הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ, מִיָּד עָמַד אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְאָמַר (תהלים צב, א): מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וגו'. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי הַמִּזְמוֹר הַזֶּה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲמָרוֹ וְנִשְׁתַּכַּח מִדּוֹרוֹ וּבָא משֶׁה וְחִדְּשׁוֹ עַל שְׁמוֹ, מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַה' וגו'.
(13) “Cain departed [vayetze] from the presence of the Eternal, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden” (Genesis 4:16).
“Cain departed from the presence of the Eternal” ... Rabbi Chama said in the name of Rabbi Chanina bar Rabbi Yitzchak: He departed joyfully, just as it says: “Here he is going out [yotze] to meet you [and he will see you and he will rejoice in his heart]” (Exodus 4:14). Adam the first man encountered him. He said to him: ‘What became of your sentence?’ He said to him: ‘I repented and reached a settlement.’ Adam the first man began beating himself on the face, saying: ‘Such is the power of repentance, and I did not know.’ Immediately, Adam the first man stood and said: “A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day, it is good to give thanks to the Eternal...” (Psalms 92:1).
(ד) לָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שָׁבַת מִכָּל הַמַּעֲשים. בַּיּום הַשְּׁבִיעִי הִתְעַלָּה וְיָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא כְבודו. תִּפְאֶרֶת עָטָה לְיום הַמְּנוּחָה. ענֶג קָרָא לְיום הַשַּׁבָּת. זֶה שֶׁבַח שֶׁל יום הַשְּׁבִיעִי. שֶׁבּו שָׁבַת אֵל מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּו: וְיום הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְשַׁבֵּחַ וְאומֵר. מִזְמור שִׁיר לְיום הַשַּׁבָּת. טוב לְהודות לה': ...
To God who rested from all works. / On the seventh day God ascended and sat on the throne of glory. / Wrapped in beauty for the day of rest. / God called the Sabbath Day 'delight.'
This is the praise of the Seventh Day, / on which God ceased all labor. / The Seventh Day pronounces in praise: / "A psalm, a song for the Sabbath Day. It is good to praise the Eternal."...
Good [It is good to praise the Name]: The Sabbath Day is better for praising the Name than the other days of the week. For one is free of the business of the world and one's spirit rests from physical troubles. The spirit occupies itself in Wisdom and the service of God. And it is good to say [praise] "to your name, O Exalted one." For the exalted soul finds an opportunity to praise You, who are Exalted.
"Even in old age ... being invigorated, and fresh": On Yom Kippur, we earnestly entreat God not to "cast us away when we are old / When our strength is gone, do not abandon us" (Shma kolenu).
That prayer resonates especially urgently in our youth-worshiping American culture, where wrinkles, sags, and diminished vigor loom as threats to be warded off at all costs. Of course, human beings have always feared old age, since it is the harbinger of our decline and death. But in traditional cultures, including Jewish culture, old age was also venerated as a time of harvest and reflection. The old were prized for their wisdom and, in many cases, turned to for leadership and judgment. The capstone of Psalm 92 is, therefore, the promise of a creative "old age ... being invigorated, and fresh."
This psalm is well known to those who pray on Shabbat, for it is regularly sung in the morning and evening on the seventh day, as well as on festivals. The midrash that we have quoted above, along with other comments to verse 1, are some ways of understanding the relationship of this psalm to Shabbat. But how might it assist our own observance?
It is interesting that this psalm encourages us to sing God’s praises on musical instruments, which Rabbinic law discourages on Shabbat. Many Jews do play instruments on the seventh day, out of a belief that they enhance their joy at the culmination of God’s Creation. In creating human beings, God also created humans who crafted musical instruments as an integral part of human culture (see Gen. 4: 21).
This psalm also encourages us to look at some phenomena of nature as teaching us about human beings: that while some grasses threaten to overtake other plantings in our gardens, eventually they will dry up, leaving the intentional plantings to thrive. Wickedness, too, does not last forever; and if we continue to nurture the plantings of beauty and rootedness, eventually it is in the natural order that enough of them will survive to ensure a harvest of beauty in the world.
But just as flowers need to be planted in the divine courts to fully take root, so do our actions. Are our words rooted in the language of love and caring, of gentle reproof and robust support? Are our actions rooted in God’s mitzvot, in the Torah’s understanding of right actions, and the demands of our consciences as well? Shabbat is an excellent day to reflect on such questions, to look into the Torah portion and see how it can interpret the week that has passed, to enter into Shabbat prayer with the desire to come close to the God who formed this sweet day. Shabbat, with its candles and wine and white tablecloths, is a time to reflect on the holiness that surrounds us, that is helping us to be fruitful in our thoughts and our deeds. Shabbat is a day when we can join with the seventh day in singing a song to God. -Levy, Rabbi Richard N.. Songs Ascending: The Book of Psalms (Vol. 2)