Seventy-two verses, the second longest psalm in the book, and the only one that tells the whole national story from the exodus to the choice of David. It opens like a teacher, not like a singer: listen, incline your ear, I will speak in a parable. Then it runs the wilderness generation through a cycle that repeats four or five times, rescue, forgetting, craving, anger, mercy, and it does not resolve the cycle so much as relocate it, ending at Zion and at a shepherd from the sheepfolds. For a learner it is the best place in the psalter to watch the vav-consecutive narrative past at work: verse after verse begins with the same prefix and the same jolt forward in time.
1
מַשְׂכִּיל לְאָסָף
הַאֲזִינָה עַמִּי תּוֹרָתִי
הַטּוּ אׇזְנְכֶם לְאִמְרֵי פִי
מַשְׂכִּיל
mas-KIL
a maskil
A maskil of Asaph.
הַאֲזִינָה
ha-a-zi-NA
give ear
תּוֹרָתִי
to-ra-TI
my teaching
Give ear, my people, to my teaching;
אׇזְנְכֶם
oz-NE-chem
your ear
לְאִמְרֵי
le-im-REI
to the sayings of
incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
The psalm opens as instruction, not as prayer. Nothing is addressed to God in these first four verses; the audience is the people, and the speaker claims the authority of a teacher.
2
אֶפְתְּחָה בְמָשָׁל פִּי
אַבִּיעָה חִידוֹת מִנִּי קֶדֶם
אֶפְתְּחָה
ef-te-CHA
I will open
בְמָשָׁל
ve-ma-SHAL
with a parable
I will open my mouth with a parable;
אַבִּיעָה
a-bi-A
I will pour out
I will pour out riddles from long ago.
History is announced as a riddle. What follows is a plain narrative, so the difficulty is not in the events but in what they mean, which is the problem the psalm sets its listener.
3
אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְנוּ וַנֵּדָעֵם
וַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ סִפְּרוּ לָנוּ
שָׁמַעְנוּ
sha-ma-NU
we have heard
וַנֵּדָעֵם
va-ne-da-EM
and we knew them
What we have heard and come to know,
וַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ
va-a-vo-tei-NU
and our fathers
and our fathers told us.
The chain of transmission is named before any content is transmitted. Knowledge here arrives by ear, from the previous link, not by witness.
4
לֹא נְכַחֵד מִבְּנֵיהֶם לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן
מְסַפְּרִים תְּהִלּוֹת יְהֹוָה וֶעֱזוּזוֹ וְנִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה
נְכַחֵד
ne-cha-CHED
we will hide
מִבְּנֵיהֶם
mib-NEI-hem
from their children
לְדוֹר
le-DOR
to a generation
We will not hide it from their children, from the coming generation,
מְסַפְּרִים
me-sap-RIM
telling
תְּהִלּוֹת
te-hi-LOT
the praises of
וֶעֱזוּזוֹ
ve-e-zu-ZO
and His might
וְנִפְלְאֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
telling the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and the wonders He did.
The obligation runs forward, not backward. Having received, the generation now owes the telling, and hiding is named as the failure mode.
5
וַיָּקֶם עֵדוּת בְּיַעֲקֹב
וְתוֹרָה שָׂם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְהוֹדִיעָם לִבְנֵיהֶם
וַיָּקֶם
va-YA-kem
and He set up
בְּיַעֲקֹב
bya-a-KOV
in Jacob
He set up a testimony in Jacob,
וְתוֹרָה
ve-to-RA
and a teaching
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
byis-ra-EL
in Israel
and placed a teaching in Israel,
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ
a-vo-tei-NU
our fathers
לְהוֹדִיעָם
le-ho-di-AM
to make them known
לִבְנֵיהֶם
liv-NEI-hem
to their children
which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children,
The teaching is not the teacher's private idea. It was commanded, and the command included its own transmission, which makes forgetting a breach rather than an accident.
6
לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דּוֹר אַחֲרוֹן בָּנִים יִוָּלֵדוּ
יָקֻמוּ וִיסַפְּרוּ לִבְנֵיהֶם
יֵדְעוּ
yed-U
they would know
יִוָּלֵדוּ
yi-va-le-DU
will be born
so that the coming generation would know, children yet to be born,
יָקֻמוּ
ya-ku-MU
they will rise
וִיסַפְּרוּ
vi-sap-RU
and they will tell
לִבְנֵיהֶם
liv-NEI-hem
to their children
who would rise and tell their own children,
Three generations are stacked in one verse: the fathers, the children, and children not yet born. The purpose clause reaches past everyone alive.
7
וְיָשִׂימוּ בֵאלֹהִים כִּסְלָם
וְלֹא יִשְׁכְּחוּ מַעַלְלֵי אֵל
וּמִצְוֺתָיו יִנְצֹרוּ
וְיָשִׂימוּ
ve-ya-si-MU
and they would set
כִּסְלָם
kis-LAM
their confidence
so they would put their confidence in God,
יִשְׁכְּחוּ
yish-ke-CHU
they would forget
מַעַלְלֵי
ma-al-LEI
the deeds of
and not forget the deeds of God,
וּמִצְוֺתָיו
u-mitz-o-TAV
and His commandments
יִנְצֹרוּ
yin-tzo-RU
they would keep
and would keep His commandments.
The aim of the telling is stated in three verbs: trust, do not forget, keep. Memory sits in the middle, holding the other two together.
8
וְלֹא יִהְיוּ כַּאֲבוֹתָם
דּוֹר סוֹרֵר וּמֹרֶה
דּוֹר לֹא הֵכִין לִבּוֹ
וְלֹא נֶאֶמְנָה אֶת אֵל רוּחוֹ
יִהְיוּ
yih-U
they would be
כַּאֲבוֹתָם
ka-a-vo-TAM
like their fathers
and would not be like their fathers,
וּמֹרֶה
u-mo-RE
and rebellious
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation that did not set its heart right,
נֶאֶמְנָה
ne-em-NA
was faithful
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The frame ends by naming the counter-example, and it is the fathers themselves. The same ancestors who transmitted the teaching in verse 3 are the warning in verse 8.
9
בְּנֵי אֶפְרַיִם נוֹשְׁקֵי רוֹמֵי קָשֶׁת
הָפְכוּ בְּיוֹם קְרָב
אֶפְרַיִם
ef-RA-yim
Ephraim
נוֹשְׁקֵי
nosh-KEI
armed with
The sons of Ephraim, armed, shooting the bow,
הָפְכוּ
haf-CHU
they turned back
turned back on the day of battle.
An abrupt cut from instruction to a single tribe and a defeat the psalm never explains. It functions as a headline for everything the narrative is about to unfold.
10
לֹא שָׁמְרוּ בְּרִית אֱלֹהִים
וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ מֵאֲנוּ לָלֶכֶת
בְּרִית
brit
the covenant of
They did not keep the covenant of God,
וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ
uv-to-ra-TO
and in His teaching
מֵאֲנוּ
me-a-NU
they refused
and refused to walk in His teaching.
The military failure is immediately reread as a covenantal one. The psalm gives no tactical account of the rout because it is not interested in one.
11
וַיִּשְׁכְּחוּ עֲלִילוֹתָיו
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָם
וַיִּשְׁכְּחוּ
va-yish-ke-CHU
and they forgot
עֲלִילוֹתָיו
a-li-lo-TAV
His deeds
They forgot His deeds,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
הֶרְאָם
her-AM
He showed them
and the wonders He had shown them.
Forgetting is the hinge word of the whole psalm, and it lands here for the first time as an accomplished fact rather than a risk.
12
נֶגֶד אֲבוֹתָם עָשָׂה פֶלֶא
בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׂדֵה צֹעַן
אֲבוֹתָם
a-vo-TAM
their fathers
In front of their fathers He did a wonder,
בְּאֶרֶץ
be-E-retz
in the land of
מִצְרַיִם
mitz-RA-yim
Egypt
in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.
The narrative proper begins, and it begins by insisting on eyewitness: this happened in front of them. What was forgotten was not hearsay.
13
בָּקַע יָם וַיַּעֲבִירֵם
וַיַּצֶּב מַיִם כְּמוֹ נֵד
וַיַּעֲבִירֵם
va-ya-a-vi-REM
and He brought them across
He split the sea and brought them across,
וַיַּצֶּב
va-YA-tzev
and He made stand
and made the waters stand like a heap.
Two verbs of splitting will govern this psalm, one for the sea and one for the rock. Both make a way through something solid.
14
וַיַּנְחֵם בֶּעָנָן יוֹמָם
וְכׇל הַלַּיְלָה בְּאוֹר אֵשׁ
וַיַּנְחֵם
va-yan-CHEM
and He led them
בֶּעָנָן
be-a-NAN
with the cloud
He led them with a cloud by day,
הַלַּיְלָה
ha-lai-LA
the night
בְּאוֹר
be-OR
with a light of
and all the night with a light of fire.
Day and night are covered by the same guidance, in two forms. The verse is built as a pair, and the pairing is the point.
15
יְבַקַּע צֻרִים בַּמִּדְבָּר
וַיַּשְׁקְ כִּתְהֹמוֹת רַבָּה
יְבַקַּע
ye-VA-ka
He would split
בַּמִּדְבָּר
ba-mid-BAR
in the wilderness
He split rocks in the wilderness,
וַיַּשְׁקְ
va-yash-KE
and He gave drink
כִּתְהֹמוֹת
kit-ho-MOT
as from the deeps
and gave them drink as from the great deeps.
The word for the primeval deep is used for drinking water in a desert, which is a deliberate excess: not enough, but more than could be asked.
16
וַיּוֹצִא נוֹזְלִים מִסָּלַע
וַיּוֹרֶד כַּנְּהָרוֹת מָיִם
וַיּוֹצִא
va-yo-TZI
and He brought out
מִסָּלַע
mi-SA-la
from a rock
He brought streams out of a rock,
וַיּוֹרֶד
va-YO-red
and He brought down
כַּנְּהָרוֹת
kan-ha-ROT
like the rivers
and brought waters down like rivers.
The water miracle is told twice, in verse 15 and again here, before the complaint arrives. The abundance is established so the next verse can be measured against it.
17
וַיּוֹסִיפוּ עוֹד לַחֲטֹא לוֹ
לַמְרוֹת עֶלְיוֹן בַּצִּיָּה
וַיּוֹסִיפוּ
va-yo-si-FU
and they continued
But they went on sinning against Him,
לַמְרוֹת
lam-ROT
to rebel against
עֶלְיוֹן
eli-ON
the Most High
בַּצִּיָּה
ba-tzi-YA
in the dry land
rebelling against the Most High in the parched land.
The turn is marked by a verb that means to add, to do more of the same. The rebellion is presented as accumulation, not as a single lapse.
18
וַיְנַסּוּ אֵל בִּלְבָבָם
לִשְׁאׇל אֹכֶל לְנַפְשָׁם
וַיְנַסּוּ
vai-na-SU
and they tested
בִּלְבָבָם
bil-va-VAM
in their heart
They tested God in their heart,
לְנַפְשָׁם
le-naf-SHAM
for their appetite
asking food for their appetite.
The offence is not hunger but testing. The request is real and the psalm still calls it a trial set for God, because of what the heart was doing while the mouth asked.
19
וַיְדַבְּרוּ בֵּאלֹהִים אָמְרוּ
הֲיוּכַל אֵל לַעֲרֹךְ שֻׁלְחָן בַּמִּדְבָּר
וַיְדַבְּרוּ
vai-dab-RU
and they spoke
בֵּאלֹהִים
be-lo-HIM
against God
They spoke against God; they said,
הֲיוּכַל
hai-u-CHAL
is He able
לַעֲרֹךְ
la-a-ROCH
to lay out
בַּמִּדְבָּר
ba-mid-BAR
in the wilderness
Can God set a table in the wilderness?
The complaint is quoted rather than described, so the reader hears the sarcasm directly. A table in a wilderness is exactly the image the psalm will grant them.
20
הֵן הִכָּה צוּר וַיָּזוּבוּ מַיִם וּנְחָלִים יִשְׁטֹפוּ
הֲגַם לֶחֶם יוּכַל תֵּת
אִם יָכִין שְׁאֵר לְעַמּוֹ
וַיָּזוּבוּ
va-ya-zu-VU
and they gushed
וּנְחָלִים
un-cha-LIM
and streams
יִשְׁטֹפוּ
yish-to-FU
they overflowed
Look, He struck a rock and water gushed, and streams overflowed.
Can He give bread as well?
יָכִין
ya-CHIN
will He provide
לְעַמּוֹ
le-a-MO
for His people
Or provide meat for His people?
The people argue from the miracle they have just received to the miracle they doubt. Their evidence is sound and their conclusion is the opposite of trust.
21
לָכֵן שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה וַיִּתְעַבָּר
וְאֵשׁ נִשְּׂקָה בְיַעֲקֹב
וְגַם אַף עָלָה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל
וַיִּתְעַבָּר
va-yit-a-BAR
and He was enraged
Therefore the LORD heard and was enraged,
נִשְּׂקָה
nis-KA
was kindled
בְיַעֲקֹב
vya-a-KOV
against Jacob
and a fire was kindled against Jacob,
בְיִשְׂרָאֵל
vyis-ra-EL
against Israel
and anger also rose against Israel.
The response is to the speech, not to the appetite. God heard, which puts the offence in verse 19 and not in verse 18.
22
כִּי לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ בֵּאלֹהִים
וְלֹא בָטְחוּ בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ
הֶאֱמִינוּ
he-e-mi-NU
they believed
בֵּאלֹהִים
be-lo-HIM
in God
because they did not believe in God,
בָטְחוּ
vat-CHU
they trusted
בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ
bi-shu-a-TO
in His salvation
and did not trust in His salvation.
The verse supplies the charge in plain terms, twice over. Two verbs of trust are negated, and nothing else is alleged.
23
וַיְצַו שְׁחָקִים מִמָּעַל
וְדַלְתֵי שָׁמַיִם פָּתָח
וַיְצַו
vai-TZAV
and He commanded
שְׁחָקִים
shcha-KIM
the skies
מִמָּעַל
mi-ma-AL
from above
Yet He commanded the skies above,
וְדַלְתֵי
ve-dal-TEI
and the doors of
and opened the doors of heaven.
Immediately after the anger, the giving resumes. The psalm does not soften the sequence or explain it away; the two simply follow each other.
24
וַיַּמְטֵר עֲלֵיהֶם מָן לֶאֱכֹל
וּדְגַן שָׁמַיִם נָתַן לָמוֹ
וַיַּמְטֵר
va-yam-TER
and He rained
He rained manna on them to eat,
וּדְגַן
ud-GAN
and the grain of
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Food falls like weather. The verb is the ordinary one for rain, which puts the manna in the same category as the hail that will fall on Egypt later in the psalm.
25
לֶחֶם אַבִּירִים אָכַל אִישׁ
צֵידָה שָׁלַח לָהֶם לָשֹׂבַע
אַבִּירִים
a-bi-RIM
the mighty
Each man ate the bread of the mighty;
לָשֹׂבַע
la-SO-va
to satisfaction
He sent them provisions to the full.
The phrase rendered bread of the mighty is unusual and has been read in more than one way. Whatever it names, the point is that ordinary people ate it.
26
יַסַּע קָדִים בַּשָּׁמָיִם
וַיְנַהֵג בְּעֻזּוֹ תֵימָן
בַּשָּׁמָיִם
ba-sha-ma-YIM
in the heavens
He set the east wind moving in the heavens,
וַיְנַהֵג
vai-na-HEG
and He drove
בְּעֻזּוֹ
be-u-ZO
by His strength
תֵימָן
tei-MAN
a south wind
and drove the south wind by His strength.
The meat arrives by meteorology rather than by miracle language. Two named winds do the work, and the verb for driving is the one used for herding animals.
27
וַיַּמְטֵר עֲלֵיהֶם כֶּעָפָר שְׁאֵר
וּכְחוֹל יַמִּים עוֹף כָּנָף
וַיַּמְטֵר
va-yam-TER
and He rained
כֶּעָפָר
ke-a-FAR
like dust
He rained meat on them like dust,
וּכְחוֹל
uch-CHOL
and like the sand of
and winged birds like the sand of the seas.
The two similes are the standard biblical images for uncountable multitude, and they are applied to a request that was meant to be impossible.
28
וַיַּפֵּל בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֵהוּ
סָבִיב לְמִשְׁכְּנֹתָיו
וַיַּפֵּל
va-ya-PEL
and He made it fall
בְּקֶרֶב
be-KE-rev
in the midst of
מַחֲנֵהוּ
ma-cha-ne-HU
his camp
He made it fall inside their camp,
לְמִשְׁכְּנֹתָיו
le-mish-kno-TAV
his dwellings
all around their dwellings.
Delivery is described with a precision the request never asked for: in the middle of the camp, and around every tent.
29
וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׂבְּעוּ מְאֹד
וְתַאֲוָתָם יָבִא לָהֶם
וַיֹּאכְלוּ
va-yoch-LU
and they ate
וַיִּשְׂבְּעוּ
va-yis-be-U
and they were filled
They ate and were well filled,
וְתַאֲוָתָם
ve-ta-a-va-TAM
and their craving
and He brought them what they craved.
The request is granted completely, in the exact words in which it was made. Getting what was craved is the setup for the next verse, not the resolution.
30
לֹא זָרוּ מִתַּאֲוָתָם עוֹד
אׇכְלָם בְּפִיהֶם
זָרוּ
za-RU
they turned away
מִתַּאֲוָתָם
mi-ta-a-va-TAM
from their craving
They had not yet turned from their craving,
בְּפִיהֶם
be-FI-hem
in their mouth
their food still in their mouths,
The timing is the whole verse. Judgement arrives while the mouth is full, which collapses the distance between the gift and its consequence.
31
וְאַף אֱלֹהִים עָלָה בָהֶם
וַיַּהֲרֹג בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶם
וּבַחוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִכְרִיעַ
וְאַף
ve-AF
and the anger of
when the anger of God rose against them,
וַיַּהֲרֹג
va-ya-ha-ROG
and He killed
בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶם
be-mish-ma-NEI-hem
among their stoutest
and killed among their strongest,
וּבַחוּרֵי
u-va-chu-REI
and the young men of
יִשְׂרָאֵל
yis-ra-EL
Israel
הִכְרִיעַ
hich-RI-a
He brought to the knees
and brought down the young men of Israel.
The dead are the fittest and the youngest, which is the opposite of what a plague of appetite would be expected to take. The reversal is deliberate.
32
בְּכׇל זֹאת חָטְאוּ עוֹד
וְלֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ בְּנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
For all this they went on sinning,
הֶאֱמִינוּ
he-e-mi-NU
they believed
בְּנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
bnif-le-o-TAV
in His wonders
and did not believe in His wonders.
The same verb of continuation from verse 17 returns, and it will return again. The psalm is showing a loop rather than a line.
33
וַיְכַל בַּהֶבֶל יְמֵיהֶם
וּשְׁנוֹתָם בַּבֶּהָלָה
וַיְכַל
vai-CHAL
and He finished
בַּהֶבֶל
ba-HE-vel
in the breath
יְמֵיהֶם
ye-MEI-hem
their days
So He ended their days in a breath,
וּשְׁנוֹתָם
ush-no-TAM
and their years
בַּבֶּהָלָה
ba-be-ha-LA
in the terror
and their years in sudden terror.
The word for breath is the one that dominates Ecclesiastes: vapour, nothing you can hold. A whole generation is spent as if it were that.
34
אִם הֲרָגָם וּדְרָשׁוּהוּ
וְשָׁבוּ וְשִׁחֲרוּ אֵל
הֲרָגָם
ha-ra-GAM
He killed them
וּדְרָשׁוּהוּ
ud-ra-shu-HU
then they sought Him
When He killed them, they would seek Him,
וְשָׁבוּ
ve-sha-VU
and they turned back
וְשִׁחֲרוּ
ve-shi-cha-RU
and they searched for
and turn back and search hard for God.
The verbs are iterative: this is what they did each time, not once. Repentance is presented as a reflex triggered by death, which is why the next verses distrust it.
35
וַיִּזְכְּרוּ כִּי אֱלֹהִים צוּרָם
וְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן גֹּאֲלָם
וַיִּזְכְּרוּ
va-yiz-KRU
and they remembered
צוּרָם
tzu-RAM
was their rock
They remembered that God was their rock,
גֹּאֲלָם
go-a-LAM
their redeemer
and God Most High their redeemer.
Remembering appears here as the counterweight to the forgetting of verse 11, and the psalm will withdraw it in the very next line.
36
וַיְפַתּוּהוּ בְּפִיהֶם
וּבִלְשׁוֹנָם יְכַזְּבוּ לוֹ
וַיְפַתּוּהוּ
vai-fa-tu-HU
and they deceived Him
בְּפִיהֶם
be-FI-hem
with their mouth
But they flattered Him with their mouth,
וּבִלְשׁוֹנָם
u-vil-sho-NAM
and with their tongue
יְכַזְּבוּ
ye-chaz-VU
they lied
and lied to Him with their tongue.
The repentance of the previous two verses is retracted as verbal only. Mouth and tongue are named as the organs of the failure, echoing the mouth full of meat in verse 30.
37
וְלִבָּם לֹא נָכוֹן עִמּוֹ
וְלֹא נֶאֶמְנוּ בִּבְרִיתוֹ
וְלִבָּם
ve-li-BAM
and their heart
Their heart was not steady with Him,
נֶאֶמְנוּ
ne-em-NU
they were faithful
בִּבְרִיתוֹ
biv-ri-TO
in His covenant
and they were not faithful to His covenant.
The wording deliberately repeats verse 8, heart and faithfulness both negated. The generation that was warned about the fathers has become them.
38
וְהוּא רַחוּם יְכַפֵּר עָוֺן וְלֹא יַשְׁחִית
וְהִרְבָּה לְהָשִׁיב אַפּוֹ
וְלֹא יָעִיר כׇּל חֲמָתוֹ
רַחוּם
ra-CHUM
compassionate
יְכַפֵּר
ye-cha-PER
would cover over
יַשְׁחִית
yash-CHIT
destroy
But He, being compassionate, would pardon guilt and not destroy;
וְהִרְבָּה
ve-hir-BA
and He did much
לְהָשִׁיב
le-ha-SHIV
to turn back
again and again He turned His anger back,
יָעִיר
ya-IR
He would rouse
חֲמָתוֹ
cha-ma-TO
His wrath
and did not rouse all His wrath.
The pivot of the first half. The cycle does not break because the people change; it continues because the anger is repeatedly withdrawn short of its full extent.
39
וַיִּזְכֹּר כִּי בָשָׂר הֵמָּה
רוּחַ הוֹלֵךְ וְלֹא יָשׁוּב
וַיִּזְכֹּר
va-yiz-KOR
and He remembered
He remembered that they were flesh,
a wind that goes and does not come back.
Now it is God who remembers, in the same verb the people used in verse 35. What He remembers is not their merit but their fragility.
40
כַּמָּה יַמְרוּהוּ בַמִּדְבָּר
יַעֲצִיבוּהוּ בִּישִׁימוֹן
יַמְרוּהוּ
yam-ru-HU
they rebelled against Him
בַמִּדְבָּר
va-mid-BAR
in the wilderness
How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness,
יַעֲצִיבוּהוּ
ya-a-tzi-vu-HU
they grieved Him
בִּישִׁימוֹן
bi-shi-MON
in the wasteland
and grieved Him in the wasteland.
An exclamation rather than a report, and the only place the psalm counts. The verb for grieving assigns pain to God, not just anger.
41
וַיָּשׁוּבוּ וַיְנַסּוּ אֵל
וּקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הִתְווּ
וַיָּשׁוּבוּ
va-ya-shu-VU
and they turned again
וַיְנַסּוּ
vai-na-SU
and they tested
Again they tested God,
וּקְדוֹשׁ
uk-DOSH
and the Holy One of
יִשְׂרָאֵל
yis-ra-EL
Israel
הִתְווּ
hit-VU
they set a bound for
and set bounds for the Holy One of Israel.
The final verb of this verse is rare and its sense is argued over. On any reading the charge is that they drew a line around what God was allowed to be able to do.
42
לֹא זָכְרוּ אֶת יָדוֹ
יוֹם אֲשֶׁר פָּדָם מִנִּי צָר
זָכְרוּ
zach-RU
they remembered
They did not remember His hand,
פָּדָם
pa-DAM
He ransomed them
the day He ransomed them from the adversary,
The failure to remember is what launches the second retelling. The psalm now goes back to Egypt and tells the plagues, which it had skipped the first time.
43
אֲשֶׁר שָׂם בְּמִצְרַיִם אֹתוֹתָיו וּמוֹפְתָיו
בִּשְׂדֵה צֹעַן
בְּמִצְרַיִם
be-mitz-RA-yim
in Egypt
אֹתוֹתָיו
o-to-TAV
His signs
וּמוֹפְתָיו
u-mof-TAV
and His portents
when He set His signs in Egypt,
בִּשְׂדֵה
bis-DE
in the field of
and His portents in the field of Zoan.
The line repeats verse 12 almost word for word, which marks the start of the second cycle and tells the listener to compare the two.
44
וַיַּהֲפֹךְ לְדָם יְאֹרֵיהֶם
וְנֹזְלֵיהֶם בַּל יִשְׁתָּיוּן
וַיַּהֲפֹךְ
va-ya-ha-FOCH
and He turned
יְאֹרֵיהֶם
ye-o-REI-hem
their canals
He turned their canals to blood,
וְנֹזְלֵיהֶם
ve-noz-LEI-hem
and their streams
יִשְׁתָּיוּן
yish-tai-UN
drink
so they could not drink their streams.
The plague sequence opens with water made undrinkable, the exact inverse of the rock that gave drink in verses 15 and 16.
45
יְשַׁלַּח בָּהֶם עָרֹב וַיֹּאכְלֵם
וּצְפַרְדֵּעַ וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵם
יְשַׁלַּח
ye-sha-LACH
He sent
וַיֹּאכְלֵם
va-yoch-LEM
and it ate them
He sent swarms among them, and they devoured them,
וּצְפַרְדֵּעַ
utz-far-DE-a
and a frog
וַתַּשְׁחִיתֵם
va-tash-chi-TEM
and it ruined them
and frogs, and they ruined them.
Two plagues in one verse, each with its own consuming verb. The psalm's list is shorter than the one in Exodus and in a different order.
46
וַיִּתֵּן לֶחָסִיל יְבוּלָם
וִיגִיעָם לָאַרְבֶּה
וַיִּתֵּן
va-yi-TEN
and He gave
לֶחָסִיל
le-cha-SIL
to the shearer-locust
יְבוּלָם
ye-vu-LAM
their produce
He gave their produce to the grub,
וִיגִיעָם
vi-gi-AM
and their labour
לָאַרְבֶּה
la-ar-BE
to the locust
and their labour to the locust.
Two different insect names in one line. Hebrew has several words for locust at different stages, and the parallelism is exploiting that vocabulary.
47
יַהֲרֹג בַּבָּרָד גַּפְנָם
וְשִׁקְמוֹתָם בַּחֲנָמַל
יַהֲרֹג
ya-ha-ROG
He killed
בַּבָּרָד
ba-ba-RAD
with the hail
גַּפְנָם
gaf-NAM
their vine
He killed their vines with hail,
וְשִׁקְמוֹתָם
ve-shik-mo-TAM
and their sycamores
בַּחֲנָמַל
ba-cha-na-MAL
with frost
and their sycamores with sleet.
The second noun here occurs nowhere else in the Bible, so its translation is a guess constrained only by the parallel with hail.
48
וַיַּסְגֵּר לַבָּרָד בְּעִירָם
וּמִקְנֵיהֶם לָרְשָׁפִים
וַיַּסְגֵּר
va-yas-GER
and He handed over
לַבָּרָד
la-ba-RAD
to the hail
בְּעִירָם
be-i-RAM
their cattle
He handed their cattle over to the hail,
וּמִקְנֵיהֶם
u-mik-NEI-hem
and their livestock
לָרְשָׁפִים
lar-sha-FIM
to the bolts
and their livestock to the lightning bolts.
The verb for handing over is a legal one, delivering a prisoner into custody. It will return in verse 62 with Israel as the prisoner.
49
יְשַׁלַּח בָּם חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ
עֶבְרָה וָזַעַם וְצָרָה
מִשְׁלַחַת מַלְאֲכֵי רָעִים
יְשַׁלַּח
ye-sha-LACH
He sent
חֲרוֹן
cha-RON
the burning of
He sent against them His burning anger,
וְצָרָה
ve-tza-RA
and trouble
fury and rage and trouble,
מִשְׁלַחַת
mish-la-CHAT
a deputation of
מַלְאֲכֵי
mal-a-CHEI
messengers of
a deputation of messengers of evil.
Four nouns for anger stacked in one line, then a phrase that turns the emotions into a delegation with an errand.
50
יְפַלֵּס נָתִיב לְאַפּוֹ
לֹא חָשַׂךְ מִמָּוֶת נַפְשָׁם
וְחַיָּתָם לַדֶּבֶר הִסְגִּיר
יְפַלֵּס
ye-fa-LES
He cleared
לְאַפּוֹ
le-a-PO
for His anger
He cleared a path for His anger;
מִמָּוֶת
mi-MA-vet
from death
נַפְשָׁם
naf-SHAM
their soul
He did not spare their soul from death,
וְחַיָּתָם
ve-cha-ya-TAM
and their life
לַדֶּבֶר
la-DE-ver
to the plague
הִסְגִּיר
his-GIR
He handed over
and handed their life over to the plague.
The image is road building. Anger is given a level highway, the same word used elsewhere for preparing a way for a king.
51
וַיַּךְ כׇּל בְּכוֹר בְּמִצְרָיִם
רֵאשִׁית אוֹנִים בְּאׇהֳלֵי חָם
וַיַּךְ
va-YACH
and He struck
בְּמִצְרָיִם
be-mitz-ra-YIM
in Egypt
He struck down every firstborn in Egypt,
רֵאשִׁית
re-SHIT
the first of
בְּאׇהֳלֵי
be-o-ho-LEI
in the tents of
the first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
The plague sequence ends where Exodus ends it. Egypt is called by the ancestral name Ham, which places the whole event in a genealogy.
52
וַיַּסַּע כַּצֹּאן עַמּוֹ
וַיְנַהֲגֵם כַּעֵדֶר בַּמִּדְבָּר
וַיַּסַּע
va-YA-sa
and He set out
כַּצֹּאן
ka-TZON
like sheep
He led His people out like sheep,
וַיְנַהֲגֵם
vai-na-ha-GEM
and He drove them
כַּעֵדֶר
ka-E-der
like a flock
בַּמִּדְבָּר
ba-mid-BAR
in the wilderness
and drove them like a flock in the wilderness.
The shepherd image enters, and it will be the psalm's last image seventy-two verses in. Everything between here and David is held inside it.
53
וַיַּנְחֵם לָבֶטַח וְלֹא פָחָדוּ
וְאֶת אוֹיְבֵיהֶם כִּסָּה הַיָּם
וַיַּנְחֵם
va-yan-CHEM
and He led them
לָבֶטַח
la-ve-TACH
in safety
פָחָדוּ
fa-cha-DU
they were afraid
He led them in safety and they were not afraid,
אוֹיְבֵיהֶם
oi-VEI-hem
their enemies
and the sea covered their enemies.
Two fates in one verse, arranged as a chiasm around the sea. The same water that made a road covers the pursuers.
54
וַיְבִיאֵם אֶל גְּבוּל קׇדְשׁוֹ
הַר זֶה קָנְתָה יְמִינוֹ
וַיְבִיאֵם
vai-vi-EM
and He brought them
קׇדְשׁוֹ
kod-SHO
His holiness
He brought them to His holy border,
יְמִינוֹ
ye-mi-NO
His right hand
this mountain His right hand had won.
The demonstrative points at something the audience can see. The psalm is being said somewhere the mountain is in view, which locates the whole recital.
55
וַיְגָרֶשׁ מִפְּנֵיהֶם גּוֹיִם
וַיַּפִּילֵם בְּחֶבֶל נַחֲלָה
וַיַּשְׁכֵּן בְּאׇהֳלֵיהֶם שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
וַיְגָרֶשׁ
vai-GA-resh
and He drove out
מִפְּנֵיהֶם
mip-NEI-hem
from before them
He drove out nations before them,
וַיַּפִּילֵם
va-ya-pi-LEM
and He apportioned them
בְּחֶבֶל
be-CHE-vel
with a measuring line
נַחֲלָה
na-cha-LA
an inheritance
apportioned them an inheritance by the line,
וַיַּשְׁכֵּן
va-yash-KEN
and He settled
בְּאׇהֳלֵיהֶם
be-o-ho-LEI-hem
in their tents
שִׁבְטֵי
shiv-TEI
the tribes of
יִשְׂרָאֵל
yis-ra-EL
Israel
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
Conquest is described as surveying. A measuring line, not a sword, does the decisive work in this account of the land.
56
וַיְנַסּוּ וַיַּמְרוּ אֶת אֱלֹהִים עֶלְיוֹן
וְעֵדוֹתָיו לֹא שָׁמָרוּ
וַיְנַסּוּ
vai-na-SU
but they tested
וַיַּמְרוּ
va-yam-RU
and they defied
Yet they tested and defied God Most High,
וְעֵדוֹתָיו
ve-e-do-TAV
and His testimonies
שָׁמָרוּ
sha-ma-RU
they kept
and did not keep His testimonies.
The cycle restarts on the other side of the Jordan, with the same two verbs used of the wilderness. Arrival changed the setting and nothing else.
57
וַיִּסֹּגוּ וַיִּבְגְּדוּ כַּאֲבוֹתָם
נֶהְפְּכוּ כְּקֶשֶׁת רְמִיָּה
וַיִּסֹּגוּ
va-yi-so-GU
and they turned back
וַיִּבְגְּדוּ
va-yiv-GDU
and they betrayed
כַּאֲבוֹתָם
ka-a-vo-TAM
like their fathers
They fell back and betrayed like their fathers;
נֶהְפְּכוּ
neh-pe-CHU
they twisted
כְּקֶשֶׁת
ke-KE-shet
like a bow
רְמִיָּה
re-mi-YA
of deceit
they twisted like a slack bow.
The bow returns from verse 9, now as a simile for the whole people. A bow that warps sends the arrow somewhere other than where it was aimed.
58
וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ בְּבָמוֹתָם
וּבִפְסִילֵיהֶם יַקְנִיאוּהוּ
וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ
va-yach-i-su-HU
and they angered Him
בְּבָמוֹתָם
be-va-mo-TAM
with their high places
They angered Him with their high places,
וּבִפְסִילֵיהֶם
u-vif-si-LEI-hem
and with their carved images
יַקְנִיאוּהוּ
yak-ni-u-HU
they made Him jealous
and made Him jealous with their carved images.
The offence in the land is idolatry, not appetite. The psalm has moved from a hunger story to a worship story without changing its diagnosis.
59
שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים וַיִּתְעַבָּר
וַיִּמְאַס מְאֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
וַיִּתְעַבָּר
va-yit-a-BAR
and He was enraged
God heard and was enraged,
וַיִּמְאַס
va-yim-AS
and He rejected
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
byis-ra-EL
Israel
and utterly rejected Israel.
The wording of verse 21 comes back, heard and enraged. What follows this time is not fire in the camp but the loss of the sanctuary.
60
וַיִּטֹּשׁ מִשְׁכַּן שִׁלוֹ
אֹהֶל שִׁכֵּן בָּאָדָם
וַיִּטֹּשׁ
va-yi-TOSH
and He abandoned
מִשְׁכַּן
mish-KAN
the dwelling of
He abandoned the dwelling at Shiloh,
שִׁכֵּן
shi-KEN
He had pitched
בָּאָדָם
ba-a-DAM
among men
the tent He had pitched among men.
A specific place with a known end. Shiloh housed the ark before Jerusalem, and its fall is the historical event this psalm is arguing from.
61
וַיִּתֵּן לַשְּׁבִי עֻזּוֹ
וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ בְיַד צָר
וַיִּתֵּן
va-yi-TEN
and He gave
לַשְּׁבִי
lash-VI
to captivity
He gave His strength into captivity,
וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ
ve-tif-ar-TO
and His splendour
בְיַד
vyad
into the hand of
and His splendour into the hand of the adversary.
Strength and splendour stand in for the ark without naming it. The psalm says God handed it over, rather than that it was taken.
62
וַיַּסְגֵּר לַחֶרֶב עַמּוֹ
וּבְנַחֲלָתוֹ הִתְעַבָּר
וַיַּסְגֵּר
va-yas-GER
and He handed over
לַחֶרֶב
la-CHE-rev
to the sword
He handed His people over to the sword,
וּבְנַחֲלָתוֹ
uv-na-cha-la-TO
and with His inheritance
הִתְעַבָּר
hit-a-BAR
He was enraged
and was enraged with His own inheritance.
The legal verb from verse 48 returns, and this time the property delivered up is Israel. The word inheritance makes the loss self-inflicted.
63
בַּחוּרָיו אָכְלָה אֵשׁ
וּבְתוּלֹתָיו לֹא הוּלָּלוּ
בַּחוּרָיו
ba-chu-RAV
his young men
Fire devoured his young men,
וּבְתוּלֹתָיו
uv-tu-lo-TAV
and his young women
הוּלָּלוּ
hu-la-LU
were praised in song
and his young women had no wedding song.
Catastrophe is measured by an absent ceremony. The verb in the second half is the one used for the songs sung to a bride.
64
כֹּהֲנָיו בַּחֶרֶב נָפָלוּ
וְאַלְמְנֹתָיו לֹא תִבְכֶּינָה
כֹּהֲנָיו
ko-ha-NAV
his priests
בַּחֶרֶב
ba-CHE-rev
by the sword
His priests fell by the sword,
וְאַלְמְנֹתָיו
ve-al-me-no-TAV
and his widows
תִבְכֶּינָה
tiv-kei-NA
they would weep
and his widows did not weep.
The silence is the horror. Either there was no one left to mourn or no time to, and the psalm does not choose between the two.
65
וַיִּקַץ כְּיָשֵׁן אֲדֹנָי
כְּגִבּוֹר מִתְרוֹנֵן מִיָּיִן
וַיִּקַץ
va-yi-KATZ
and He woke
כְּיָשֵׁן
kya-SHEN
like a sleeper
Then the Lord woke like a sleeper,
כְּגִבּוֹר
ke-gi-BOR
like a warrior
מִתְרוֹנֵן
mit-ro-NEN
shouting
מִיָּיִן
mi-ya-YIN
from wine
like a warrior shaking off wine.
The boldest image in the psalm, and it is offered without apology. Two similes, both of them about a delay that ends suddenly.
66
וַיַּךְ צָרָיו אָחוֹר
חֶרְפַּת עוֹלָם נָתַן לָמוֹ
וַיַּךְ
va-YACH
and He struck
He beat His foes back,
חֶרְפַּת
cher-PAT
a disgrace of
and put a lasting disgrace on them.
The enemies are driven backward, the same direction Ephraim went in verse 9. The reversal is exact and probably intentional.
67
וַיִּמְאַס בְּאֹהֶל יוֹסֵף
וּבְשֵׁבֶט אֶפְרַיִם לֹא בָחָר
וַיִּמְאַס
va-yim-AS
and He rejected
בְּאֹהֶל
be-O-hel
the tent of
He rejected the tent of Joseph,
וּבְשֵׁבֶט
uv-SHE-vet
and the tribe of
אֶפְרַיִם
ef-RA-yim
Ephraim
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
The rescue does not restore the north. Shiloh was in Ephraim's territory, and the psalm says plainly that it was not rebuilt.
68
וַיִּבְחַר אֶת שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה
אֶת הַר צִיּוֹן אֲשֶׁר אָהֵב
וַיִּבְחַר
va-yiv-CHAR
but He chose
שֵׁבֶט
SHE-vet
the tribe of
He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.
The choosing verb, negated in the previous verse, is now affirmative. Two lines decide between north and south, and the psalm gives no argument for the decision beyond love.
69
וַיִּבֶן כְּמוֹ רָמִים מִקְדָּשׁוֹ
כְּאֶרֶץ יְסָדָהּ לְעוֹלָם
וַיִּבֶן
va-YI-ven
and He built
מִקְדָּשׁוֹ
mik-da-SHO
His sanctuary
He built His sanctuary like the heights,
כְּאֶרֶץ
ke-E-retz
like the earth
יְסָדָהּ
ye-sa-DAH
He founded it
like the earth He founded forever.
The new sanctuary is compared to created things rather than to Shiloh. Permanence is claimed by analogy with the ground itself.
70
וַיִּבְחַר בְּדָוִד עַבְדּוֹ
וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ מִמִּכְלְאֹת צֹאן
וַיִּבְחַר
va-yiv-CHAR
and He chose
He chose David His servant,
וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ
va-yi-ka-che-HU
and He took him
מִמִּכְלְאֹת
mi-mich-le-OT
from the pens of
and took him from the sheep pens.
David appears for the first and only time, seventy verses in, and he arrives as a job description rather than a biography.
71
מֵאַחַר עָלוֹת הֱבִיאוֹ
לִרְעוֹת בְּיַעֲקֹב עַמּוֹ וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵל נַחֲלָתוֹ
מֵאַחַר
me-a-CHAR
from behind
עָלוֹת
a-LOT
the nursing ewes
הֱבִיאוֹ
he-vi-O
He brought him
From behind the nursing ewes He brought him,
לִרְעוֹת
lir-OT
to shepherd
וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵל
uv-yis-ra-EL
and Israel
נַחֲלָתוֹ
na-cha-la-TO
His inheritance
to shepherd Jacob His people, Israel His inheritance.
The same verb of shepherding that described God in verse 52 is now handed to a man. The transfer is the psalm's answer to the whole preceding disaster.
72
וַיִּרְעֵם כְּתֹם לְבָבוֹ
וּבִתְבוּנוֹת כַּפָּיו יַנְחֵם
וַיִּרְעֵם
va-yir-EM
and he shepherded them
כְּתֹם
ktom
according to the integrity of
He shepherded them with an upright heart,
וּבִתְבוּנוֹת
u-vit-vu-NOT
and with the skill of
יַנְחֵם
yan-CHEM
he led them
and led them with skilful hands.
The last word of the psalm is the verb for leading used of God in verse 14 and verse 53. The problem named in verse 8 was a heart not set right, and the closing line answers it with a heart that is.
♦ PARDES analysis: פרדס
The four levels of Jewish reading of the sacred text: פשט Peshat (literal meaning), רמז Remez (symbolic allusion), דרש Drash (midrashic interpretation), סוד Sod (mystical meaning). The word פרדס means "orchard", each level is a fruit.
פשט · Peshat: literal meaning
The psalm is a lesson with a shape. Verses 1 to 8 announce the method and the stakes: this is teaching handed down, and the failure it guards against is the fathers' own. Verses 9 to 39 tell the first cycle, exodus and sea and rock, then craving, quotation of the complaint in verses 19 and 20, anger, and mercy that stops short. Verses 40 to 64 tell it again from a different angle, this time with the plagues of Egypt, the conquest by measuring line, and an ending the first cycle did not have: Shiloh abandoned, the ark handed to an adversary, priests dead and widows not weeping. Verses 65 to 72 turn on a single waking. The two closing choices are stated flatly, Ephraim not chosen and Judah chosen, and no reason is given except love. Note what the psalm does not do. It never says the people repented and were forgiven. Mercy in רַחוּם (ra-chum, v.38) is grounded in God's character and in the observation of בָשָׂר (va-sar, v.39) that they are flesh, wind that goes and does not return. The relief at the end comes from a change of place and a change of shepherd, not from a change of heart in the people.
רמז · Remez: allusion
The opening claims a genre and then seems not to deliver it. Verse 2 promises בְמָשָׁל (ve-ma-shal, v.2), a parable, and חִידוֹת (chi-dot, v.2), riddles, and what follows is straight narrative. One resolution is that the riddle is not in the events but in why they repeat, which is the question the psalm never answers directly. Several words in the psalm are genuinely hard. The last verb of verse 41, הִתְווּ (hit-vu, v.41), occurs so rarely that translators split between marking a limit, wounding, and grieving, and the older versions do not agree. The noun in verse 47, בַּחֲנָמַל (ba-cha-na-mal, v.47), appears nowhere else in the Bible, so hail, frost and flooding have all been proposed on the strength of the parallel line alone. Verse 65 is the most exposed line in the book: God וַיִּקַץ (va-yi-katz, v.65), wakes, like a sleeper and like a fighter loud with wine. Ancient and medieval readers were uncomfortable enough with it to reach for figurative readings, and the Hebrew itself gives no signal that it is anything but a simile squarely stated. Watch also the vocabulary of turning, which stitches the whole psalm: Ephraim turns back in battle in verse 9, the people turn back in repentance in verse 34, they turn back in betrayal in verse 57, and God turns His anger back in verse 38.
דרש · Drash: midrashic reading
The psalm hands later readers a hard question and no answer, which is exactly the condition midrash works in. Why Ephraim, when nothing in the story of the exodus singles that tribe out? Readings offered over the centuries include a premature attempt to leave Egypt before the appointed time, the location of the shrine at Shiloh in Ephraimite territory, and the northern kingdom's later history read backward into its ancestor, since Ephraim is the standard name for the north in the prophets. The psalm supports the second and third without stating either. A second question the tradition presses: what is the status of the repentance in verses 34 and 35, which the psalm demolishes two lines later as flattery? It has been read as a warning that returning under duress is not returning, and also, more generously, as evidence that even a repentance made of fear is registered, since the God of verse 38 keeps pardoning people whose hearts verse 37 says are not steady. A third reading takes the whole psalm as an argument for Jerusalem addressed to an audience that remembered Shiloh, in which case the recital of sin is not accusation but proof that the transfer of the sanctuary was earned rather than arbitrary.
סוד · Sod: mystical reading
Read mystically the psalm is about two names and the traffic between them. Judgement and mercy alternate through it without resolution, and the alternation is the structure rather than a defect in it. Verse 38 is the axis: pardon, restraint, anger turned back before it is fully roused, which is read as strict measure deliberately held under its own capacity so that a world can keep standing. The image of not rousing all the wrath implies a wrath that has more in it, and the mystical readings take that surplus seriously rather than as a figure of speech. Verse 65 becomes, in this register, an account of concealment and its end: the sleeper is not absent but withdrawn, and waking describes the return of an attention that never actually left. The final movement is then not a reward but a repair. The shepherd of verse 52 is God and the shepherd of verse 71 is a man, and the same verb covers both, which is read as the pattern by which what is above works through what is below. Verse 72 places the whole thing in a human heart and a pair of hands, and ends the psalm on the word for leading rather than on any word for arriving.