The longest psalm in Book III of the Psalter and the one that ends it. Ethan the Ezrahite, named in the heading, is listed among the wise men in the book of Kings, and the family name is usually connected with Zerah of Judah. The poem does three things in sequence: it praises the LORD for kindness and faithfulness, it quotes at length an oath granting David a permanent throne, and then it reports that the throne has been thrown to the ground, using the vocabulary of the oath to say so. It does not resolve. For a learner it is a drill in two forms: the suffixed noun (Your faithfulness, My kindness, his throne, our horn), and the second person perfect verb, which carries the entire accusation from verse 39 on. The last verse is familiar from the weekday evening service.
1
מַשְׂכִּיל לְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי
מַשְׂכִּיל
mas-KIL
a maskil
לְאֵיתָן
le-ei-TAN
of Ethan
הָאֶזְרָחִי
ha-ez-ra-CHI
the Ezrahite
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
The heading names a singer who is not David, and marks the poem as a maskil, a psalm that teaches something rather than only praising.
2
חַסְדֵי יְהֹוָה עוֹלָם אָשִׁירָה
לְדֹר וָדֹר אוֹדִיעַ אֱמוּנָתְךָ בְּפִי
חַסְדֵי
chas-DEI
the kindnesses of
אָשִׁירָה
a-shi-RA
I will sing
I will sing of the LORD's kindnesses forever;
לְדֹר
le-DOR
to a generation
וָדֹר
va-DOR
and a generation
אוֹדִיעַ
o-DI-a
I will make known
אֱמוּנָתְךָ
e-mu-nat-CHA
Your faithfulness
to every generation I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth.
The vow comes before any argument. Kindness and faithfulness are the two words the whole psalm turns on, and both are given the widest span the language has.
3
כִּי אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה
שָׁמַיִם תָּכִן אֱמוּנָתְךָ בָהֶם
For I said: kindness is built forever;
שָׁמַיִם
sha-MA-yim
the heavens
תָּכִן
ta-CHIN
You establish
אֱמוּנָתְךָ
e-mu-nat-CHA
Your faithfulness
the heavens are where You set Your faithfulness firm.
The reason for the vow. Kindness is spoken of as a structure under construction, and the sky is named as the place the faithfulness is anchored.
4
כָּרַתִּי בְרִית לִבְחִירִי
נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְדָוִד עַבְדִּי
לִבְחִירִי
liv-chi-RI
with My chosen one
I cut a covenant with My chosen one,
נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי
nish-ba-TI
I swore
I swore to David My servant:
God begins to quote Himself. The covenant is introduced here in a single line and then quoted at length from verse 20.
5
עַד עוֹלָם אָכִין זַרְעֶךָ
וּבָנִיתִי לְדֹר וָדוֹר כִּסְאֲךָ סֶלָה
אָכִין
a-CHIN
I will establish
זַרְעֶךָ
zar-e-CHA
your seed
Forever I will establish your seed,
וּבָנִיתִי
u-va-ni-TI
and I will build
לְדֹר
le-DOR
to a generation
וָדוֹר
va-DOR
and a generation
כִּסְאֲךָ
kis-a-CHA
your throne
and build your throne for every generation. Selah.
The content of the oath: seed and throne. These are the two items the last third of the psalm will report as broken.
6
וְיוֹדוּ שָׁמַיִם פִּלְאֲךָ יְהֹוָה
אַף אֱמוּנָתְךָ בִּקְהַל קְדֹשִׁים
וְיוֹדוּ
vei-o-DU
and they will praise
שָׁמַיִם
sha-MA-yim
the heavens
פִּלְאֲךָ
pil-a-CHA
Your wonder
The heavens praise Your wonder, LORD,
אֱמוּנָתְךָ
e-mu-nat-CHA
Your faithfulness
בִּקְהַל
bik-HAL
in the assembly of
קְדֹשִׁים
ke-do-SHIM
holy ones
Your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
From the covenant back to the sky. The heavens that hold the faithfulness in verse 3 now answer with praise of their own.
7
כִּי מִי בַשַּׁחַק יַעֲרֹךְ לַיהֹוָה
יִדְמֶה לַיהֹוָה בִּבְנֵי אֵלִים
בַשַּׁחַק
va-sha-CHAK
in the cloud height
יַעֲרֹךְ
ya-a-ROCH
can rank
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
with the LORD
For who in the skies ranks with the LORD,
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
the LORD
בִּבְנֵי
biv-NEI
among the sons of
who among the divine beings resembles the LORD?
The first rhetorical question. Nobody in the upper assembly is a rival, which is the ground offered for trusting the oath.
8
אֵל נַעֲרָץ בְּסוֹד קְדֹשִׁים רַבָּה
וְנוֹרָא עַל כׇּל סְבִיבָיו
נַעֲרָץ
na-a-RATZ
held in awe
בְּסוֹד
be-SOD
in the council of
קְדֹשִׁים
ke-do-SHIM
holy ones
A God held in awe in the great council of the holy ones,
וְנוֹרָא
ve-no-RA
and feared
סְבִיבָיו
svi-VAV
those around Him
feared by all who surround Him.
The council of holy ones is a court, and the God who presides is feared by His own courtiers rather than merely obeyed.
9
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת מִי כָמוֹךָ חֲסִין יָהּ
וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ
כָמוֹךָ
cha-mo-CHA
is like You
LORD, God of hosts, who is mighty like You, Yah?
וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ
ve-e-mu-nat-CHA
and Your faithfulness
סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ
svi-vo-tei-CHA
surrounds You
Your faithfulness surrounds You.
The question is put again by name, and answered as a fact of position: the faithfulness stands around Him like a retinue.
10
אַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בְּגֵאוּת הַיָּם
בְּשׂוֹא גַלָּיו אַתָּה תְשַׁבְּחֵם
בְּגֵאוּת
bge-UT
over the swelling of
You rule the swelling of the sea;
תְשַׁבְּחֵם
tshab-CHEM
still them
when its waves rise, You still them.
The proof moves from the assembly to the water. Mastery of the swell is the standard demonstration of who actually holds power.
11
אַתָּה דִכִּאתָ כֶחָלָל רָהַב
בִּזְרוֹעַ עֻזְּךָ פִּזַּרְתָּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ
כֶחָלָל
che-cha-LAL
like a corpse
You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
בִּזְרוֹעַ
biz-RO-a
with the arm of
עֻזְּךָ
uz-CHA
Your strength
פִּזַּרְתָּ
pi-zar-TA
You scattered
אוֹיְבֶיךָ
oi-vei-CHA
Your enemies
with Your strong arm You scattered Your enemies.
Rahab is a name for the chaos monster of the sea. The victory is reported as finished business, which is exactly why verse 39 stings.
12
לְךָ שָׁמַיִם אַף לְךָ אָרֶץ
תֵּבֵל וּמְלֹאָהּ אַתָּה יְסַדְתָּם
שָׁמַיִם
sha-MA-yim
the heavens
Yours are the heavens, Yours also the earth;
וּמְלֹאָהּ
um-lo-AH
and its fullness
יְסַדְתָּם
ye-sad-TAM
founded them
the world and all that fills it, You founded them.
Ownership follows conquest. Heaven and earth are listed as property, and the verb is founding rather than merely holding.
13
צָפוֹן וְיָמִין אַתָּה בְרָאתָם
תָּבוֹר וְחֶרְמוֹן בְּשִׁמְךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ
וְיָמִין
ve-ya-MIN
and south
בְרָאתָם
vra-TAM
created them
North and south You created;
וְחֶרְמוֹן
ve-cher-MON
and Hermon
בְּשִׁמְךָ
be-shim-CHA
in Your name
יְרַנֵּנוּ
ye-ra-ne-NU
sing for joy
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at Your name.
Compass points, then two named mountains. The world answers from its corners and from its high places at the same time.
14
לְךָ זְרוֹעַ עִם גְּבוּרָה
תָּעֹז יָדְךָ תָּרוּם יְמִינֶךָ
Yours is an arm with might;
תָּרוּם
ta-RUM
is lifted high
יְמִינֶךָ
ye-mi-ne-CHA
Your right hand
Your hand is strong, Your right hand lifted high.
The arm of verse 11 returns as a permanent attribute rather than a single past act. The right hand here will be handed to the enemy in verse 43.
15
צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט מְכוֹן כִּסְאֶךָ
חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְקַדְּמוּ פָנֶיךָ
צֶדֶק
TZE-dek
righteousness
וּמִשְׁפָּט
u-mish-PAT
and justice
כִּסְאֶךָ
kis-e-CHA
Your throne
Righteousness and justice are the base of Your throne;
יְקַדְּמוּ
ye-kad-MU
go before
פָנֶיךָ
fa-nei-CHA
Your face
kindness and truth go before Your face.
The divine throne is described before the human throne is promised, and what holds it up is a pair of legal words, not force.
16
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם יֹדְעֵי תְרוּעָה
יְהֹוָה בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהַלֵּכוּן
Happy is the people who know the horn blast;
בְּאוֹר
be-OR
in the light of
פָּנֶיךָ
pa-nei-CHA
Your face
יְהַלֵּכוּן
ye-ha-le-CHUN
they walk
LORD, they walk in the light of Your face.
The people appear for the first time. What makes them happy is not property but knowing a sound, the blast of the festival horn.
17
בְּשִׁמְךָ יְגִילוּן כׇּל הַיּוֹם
וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ יָרוּמוּ
בְּשִׁמְךָ
be-shim-CHA
in Your name
יְגִילוּן
ye-gi-LUN
they rejoice
In Your name they rejoice all day,
וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ
uv-tzid-kat-CHA
and through Your righteousness
יָרוּמוּ
ya-ru-MU
they are raised high
and through Your righteousness they are raised high.
The joy is derived, not owned. The name and the righteousness are His, and only the lift belongs to them.
18
כִּי תִפְאֶרֶת עֻזָּמוֹ אָתָּה
וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ תָּרוּם קַרְנֵינוּ
תִפְאֶרֶת
tif-E-ret
the splendour of
עֻזָּמוֹ
u-za-MO
their strength
For You are the splendour of their strength,
וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ
u-vir-tzon-CHA
and in Your favour
קַרְנֵינוּ
kar-nei-NU
our horn
and by Your favour our horn is lifted.
The horn is the ordinary image for a people's standing. It rises here only by favour, which is what verse 25 will promise the king.
19
כִּי לַיהֹוָה מָגִנֵּנוּ
וְלִקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְכֵּנוּ
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD belongs
מָגִנֵּנוּ
ma-gi-ne-NU
our shield
For our shield belongs to the LORD,
וְלִקְדוֹשׁ
ve-lik-DOSH
and to the Holy One of
יִשְׂרָאֵל
yis-ra-EL
Israel
מַלְכֵּנוּ
mal-ke-NU
our king
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
The praise section closes by naming whose the king is. Shield and king are held by the LORD before any man wears either.
20
אָז דִּבַּרְתָּ בְחָזוֹן לַחֲסִידֶיךָ וַתֹּאמֶר
שִׁוִּיתִי עֵזֶר עַל גִּבּוֹר
הֲרִימוֹתִי בָחוּר מֵעָם
דִּבַּרְתָּ
di-bar-TA
You spoke
בְחָזוֹן
ve-cha-ZON
in a vision
לַחֲסִידֶיךָ
la-cha-si-dei-CHA
to Your faithful ones
וַתֹּאמֶר
va-TO-mer
and You said
Then You spoke in a vision to Your faithful ones and said:
שִׁוִּיתִי
shi-vi-TI
I have set
I have set help upon a warrior,
הֲרִימוֹתִי
ha-ri-mo-TI
I have raised
בָחוּר
va-CHUR
a chosen one
מֵעָם
me-AM
from the people
I have raised up one chosen from the people.
The oracle opens. Everything from here to verse 38 is quoted speech, introduced as a vision given to the faithful rather than to the king.
21
מָצָאתִי דָּוִד עַבְדִּי
בְּשֶׁמֶן קׇדְשִׁי מְשַׁחְתִּיו
I found David My servant;
בְּשֶׁמֶן
be-SHE-men
with the oil of
קׇדְשִׁי
kod-SHI
My holiness
מְשַׁחְתִּיו
me-shach-TIV
I anointed him
with My holy oil I anointed him.
The choice is told as a finding. David is discovered rather than produced, and the oil is said to belong to the sanctuary.
22
אֲשֶׁר יָדִי תִּכּוֹן עִמּוֹ
אַף זְרוֹעִי תְאַמְּצֶנּוּ
תִּכּוֹן
ti-KON
will be firm
My hand will stay firm with him;
תְאַמְּצֶנּוּ
te-am-tze-NU
will strengthen him
My arm too will strengthen him.
Hand and arm, the two words used of God in verses 11 and 14, are now put at the king's disposal.
23
לֹא יַשִּׁיא אוֹיֵב בּוֹ
וּבֶן עַוְלָה לֹא יְעַנֶּנּוּ
יַשִּׁיא
ya-SHI
will exact from
No enemy will exact from him,
יְעַנֶּנּוּ
ye-a-ne-NU
will afflict him
no son of wrongdoing will afflict him.
The first protection is phrased in legal and financial terms. The threat is a creditor with a claim, not only an army.
24
וְכַתּוֹתִי מִפָּנָיו צָרָיו
וּמְשַׂנְאָיו אֶגּוֹף
וְכַתּוֹתִי
ve-cha-to-TI
and I will crush
מִפָּנָיו
mi-pa-NAV
from before him
I will crush his foes before him,
וּמְשַׂנְאָיו
um-san-AV
and those who hate him
אֶגּוֹף
e-GOF
I will strike down
and strike down those who hate him.
The protection turns active. The enemies are not removed from the world, they are dealt with in his sight.
25
וֶאֱמוּנָתִי וְחַסְדִּי עִמּוֹ
וּבִשְׁמִי תָּרוּם קַרְנוֹ
וֶאֱמוּנָתִי
ve-e-mu-na-TI
and My faithfulness
וְחַסְדִּי
ve-chas-DI
and My kindness
My faithfulness and My kindness are with him,
וּבִשְׁמִי
u-vish-MI
and in My name
תָּרוּם
ta-RUM
will be lifted
and in My name his horn will be lifted.
The two key words of the psalm are attached to the king by name. This is the sentence the complaint will later hold up as unpaid.
26
וְשַׂמְתִּי בַיָּם יָדוֹ
וּבַנְּהָרוֹת יְמִינוֹ
וְשַׂמְתִּי
ve-sam-TI
and I will set
I will set his hand on the sea,
וּבַנְּהָרוֹת
u-van-ha-ROT
and on the rivers
יְמִינוֹ
ye-mi-NO
his right hand
and his right hand on the rivers.
The reach of the kingdom is measured in water. The king's hand is placed where God's own rule was demonstrated in verse 10.
27
הוּא יִקְרָאֵנִי
אָבִי אָתָּה אֵלִי וְצוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי
יִקְרָאֵנִי
yik-ra-e-NI
will call to Me
He will call to Me:
וְצוּר
ve-TZUR
and the rock of
יְשׁוּעָתִי
ye-shu-a-TI
my salvation
You are my Father, my God, the rock of my rescue.
The bond is named as sonship, and the king's own words are quoted inside the quotation, a speech within a speech.
28
אַף אָנִי בְּכוֹר אֶתְּנֵהוּ
עֶלְיוֹן לְמַלְכֵי אָרֶץ
אֶתְּנֵהוּ
et-ne-HU
will make him
I too will make him firstborn,
לְמַלְכֵי
le-mal-CHEI
of the kings of
highest of the kings of the earth.
Firstborn here is a rank conferred, not an order of birth. It gives precedence among kings rather than among brothers.
29
לְעוֹלָם אֶשְׁמׇר לוֹ חַסְדִּי
וּבְרִיתִי נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹ
אֶשְׁמׇר
esh-MOR
I will keep
חַסְדִּי
chas-DI
My kindness
Forever I will keep My kindness for him,
וּבְרִיתִי
uv-ri-TI
and My covenant
נֶאֱמֶנֶת
ne-e-ME-net
stands firm
and My covenant stands firm for him.
The promise is restated in the vocabulary of the vow in verse 2, with the covenant itself declared reliable.
30
וְשַׂמְתִּי לָעַד זַרְעוֹ
וְכִסְאוֹ כִּימֵי שָׁמָיִם
וְשַׂמְתִּי
ve-sam-TI
and I will set
I will set his seed to last forever,
וְכִסְאוֹ
ve-chis-O
and his throne
כִּימֵי
ki-MEI
like the days of
and his throne like the days of heaven.
Seed and throne again, matching verse 5. The unit of time offered is the sky, which is the longest thing the poem can point at.
31
אִם יַעַזְבוּ בָנָיו תּוֹרָתִי
וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי לֹא יֵלֵכוּן
תּוֹרָתִי
to-ra-TI
My teaching
If his sons abandon My teaching,
וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי
uv-mish-pa-TAI
and in My laws
יֵלֵכוּן
ye-le-CHUN
they walk
and do not walk in My laws;
The condition begins. The covenant is written to survive failure by the descendants, which is the clause the later complaint cannot use as an excuse.
32
אִם חֻקֹּתַי יְחַלֵּלוּ
וּמִצְוֺתַי לֹא יִשְׁמֹרוּ
חֻקֹּתַי
chu-ko-TAI
My statutes
יְחַלֵּלוּ
ye-cha-le-LU
they profane
If they profane My statutes,
וּמִצְוֺתַי
u-mitz-o-TAI
and My commandments
יִשְׁמֹרוּ
yish-mo-RU
they keep
and do not keep My commandments;
The second half of the condition, moving from teaching and law to statute and commandment. Four legal words in two verses.
33
וּפָקַדְתִּי בְשֵׁבֶט פִּשְׁעָם
וּבִנְגָעִים עֲוֺנָם
וּפָקַדְתִּי
u-fa-kad-TI
then I will visit
בְשֵׁבֶט
ve-SHE-vet
with a rod
פִּשְׁעָם
pish-AM
their rebellion
then I will call their rebellion to account with a rod,
וּבִנְגָעִים
u-vin-ga-IM
and with plagues
עֲוֺנָם
a-o-NAM
their guilt
and their guilt with blows.
The consequence is discipline rather than cancellation. The rod belongs to a father here, not to an executioner.
34
וְחַסְדִּי לֹא אָפִיר מֵעִמּוֹ
וְלֹא אֲשַׁקֵּר בֶּאֱמוּנָתִי
וְחַסְדִּי
ve-chas-DI
but My kindness
אָפִיר
a-FIR
I will break off
But My kindness I will not break off from him,
אֲשַׁקֵּר
a-sha-KER
I will be false
בֶּאֱמוּנָתִי
be-e-mu-na-TI
in My faithfulness
and I will not be false to My faithfulness.
The limit on the punishment. Whatever the sons do, the two nouns of verse 2 are declared non-withdrawable.
35
לֹא אֲחַלֵּל בְּרִיתִי
וּמוֹצָא שְׂפָתַי לֹא אֲשַׁנֶּה
אֲחַלֵּל
a-cha-LEL
I will profane
בְּרִיתִי
bri-TI
My covenant
I will not profane My covenant,
וּמוֹצָא
u-mo-TZA
and what came out of
אֲשַׁנֶּה
a-sha-NE
I will change
nor change what went out of My lips.
Restated as a matter of speech. What has already left the mouth cannot be revised, which is the strongest form the guarantee can take.
36
אַחַת נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי בְקׇדְשִׁי
אִם לְדָוִד אֲכַזֵּב
נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי
nish-ba-TI
I have sworn
בְקׇדְשִׁי
ve-kod-SHI
by My holiness
Once I have sworn by My holiness:
אֲכַזֵּב
a-cha-ZEV
will I lie
I will never lie to David.
The oath is sealed on holiness itself. From here the promise carries no condition at all, and the psalm has staked everything on that.
37
זַרְעוֹ לְעוֹלָם יִהְיֶה
וְכִסְאוֹ כַשֶּׁמֶשׁ נֶגְדִּי
His seed will last forever,
וְכִסְאוֹ
ve-chis-O
and his throne
כַשֶּׁמֶשׁ
cha-SHE-mesh
like the sun
and his throne like the sun before Me.
Sun and moon are brought in as guarantors. The throne is set where it stays permanently in view.
38
כְּיָרֵחַ יִכּוֹן עוֹלָם
וְעֵד בַּשַּׁחַק נֶאֱמָן סֶלָה
כְּיָרֵחַ
kya-RE-ach
like the moon
יִכּוֹן
yi-KON
it will stand firm
Like the moon it will stand firm forever,
בַּשַּׁחַק
ba-sha-CHAK
in the sky
a faithful witness in the sky. Selah.
The oracle ends on the sky as witness, and the selah closes the quotation. The next word breaks the poem in half.
39
וְאַתָּה זָנַחְתָּ וַתִּמְאָס
הִתְעַבַּרְתָּ עִם מְשִׁיחֶךָ
זָנַחְתָּ
za-nach-TA
have cast off
וַתִּמְאָס
va-tim-AS
and rejected
But You have cast off and rejected,
הִתְעַבַּרְתָּ
hit-a-bar-TA
You raged
מְשִׁיחֶךָ
me-shi-che-CHA
Your anointed
You have raged against Your anointed.
The break. The same You who founded the world has cast off, and every verb from here to verse 46 undoes something promised earlier.
40
נֵאַרְתָּה בְּרִית עַבְדֶּךָ
חִלַּלְתָּ לָאָרֶץ נִזְרוֹ
נֵאַרְתָּה
ne-ar-TA
You have renounced
בְּרִית
brit
the covenant of
עַבְדֶּךָ
av-de-CHA
Your servant
You have renounced the covenant with Your servant;
חִלַּלְתָּ
chi-lal-TA
You have profaned
לָאָרֶץ
la-A-retz
to the ground
You have profaned his crown to the ground.
The covenant of verse 4 and the anointing of verse 21 are both undone in one line, using the verb God swore not to use in verse 35.
41
פָּרַצְתָּ כׇל גְּדֵרֹתָיו
שַׂמְתָּ מִבְצָרָיו מְחִתָּה
פָּרַצְתָּ
pa-ratz-TA
You have broken through
גְּדֵרֹתָיו
gde-ro-TAV
his walls
You have broken through all his walls;
שַׂמְתָּ
sam-TA
You have made
מִבְצָרָיו
miv-tza-RAV
his strongholds
You have made his strongholds a ruin.
City imagery arrives. Walls down and strongholds ruined mean a military defeat, not a private grief.
42
שַׁסֻּהוּ כׇּל עֹבְרֵי דָרֶךְ
הָיָה חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנָיו
שַׁסֻּהוּ
sha-su-HU
they plunder him
עֹבְרֵי
ov-REI
those who pass on
Everyone who passes on the road plunders him;
חֶרְפָּה
cher-PA
a disgrace
לִשְׁכֵנָיו
lish-che-NAV
to his neighbours
he has become a disgrace to his neighbours.
The king becomes a roadside object. The specific injury is disgrace in front of the neighbours, which is what verse 51 comes back to.
43
הֲרִימוֹתָ יְמִין צָרָיו
הִשְׂמַחְתָּ כׇּל אוֹיְבָיו
הֲרִימוֹתָ
ha-ri-mo-TA
You have raised
יְמִין
ye-MIN
the right hand of
You have raised the right hand of his foes;
הִשְׂמַחְתָּ
his-mach-TA
You have gladdened
אוֹיְבָיו
oi-VAV
his enemies
You have gladdened all his enemies.
The reversal is exact. The right hand lifted high in verse 14 is now lifted for the other side.
44
אַף תָּשִׁיב צוּר חַרְבּוֹ
וְלֹא הֲקֵימֹתוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה
תָּשִׁיב
ta-SHIV
You turn back
You even turn back the edge of his sword,
הֲקֵימֹתוֹ
ha-kei-mo-TO
You made him stand
בַּמִּלְחָמָה
ba-mil-cha-MA
in the battle
and have not made him stand in battle.
The weapon fails and the man does not hold his ground. The help set upon a warrior in verse 20 is withdrawn in its own terms.
45
הִשְׁבַּתָּ מִטְּהָרוֹ
וְכִסְאוֹ לָאָרֶץ מִגַּרְתָּה
הִשְׁבַּתָּ
hish-ba-TA
You have ended
מִטְּהָרוֹ
mit-ha-RO
his brightness
You have ended his brightness,
וְכִסְאוֹ
ve-chis-O
and his throne
לָאָרֶץ
la-A-retz
to the ground
מִגַּרְתָּה
mi-gar-TA
You have hurled
and hurled his throne to the ground.
The throne of verses 5, 30 and 37 hits the floor. This is the sharpest single contradiction between the oracle and the complaint.
46
הִקְצַרְתָּ יְמֵי עֲלוּמָיו
הֶעֱטִיתָ עָלָיו בּוּשָׁה סֶלָה
הִקְצַרְתָּ
hik-tzar-TA
You have shortened
עֲלוּמָיו
a-lu-MAV
his youth
You have shortened the days of his youth,
הֶעֱטִיתָ
he-e-ti-TA
You have wrapped
You have wrapped him in shame. Selah.
The last accusation is about time. Youth cut short and shame put on like a garment, and the selah lets the charge stand unanswered.
47
עַד מָה יְהֹוָה תִּסָּתֵר לָנֶצַח
תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ אֵשׁ חֲמָתֶךָ
תִּסָּתֵר
ti-sa-TER
will You hide Yourself
לָנֶצַח
la-ne-TZACH
forever
How long, LORD, will You hide Yourself forever?
חֲמָתֶךָ
cha-ma-te-CHA
Your fury
How long will Your fury burn like fire?
The accusation becomes a question. Both halves ask how a state that is called permanent can be treated as temporary.
48
זְכׇר אֲנִי מֶה חָלֶד
עַל מַה שָּׁוְא בָּרָאתָ כׇל בְּנֵי אָדָם
Remember what my lifespan is;
בָּרָאתָ
ba-ra-TA
You created
for what emptiness You created all the sons of man.
The argument shifts to human frailty. If a life is this short, delay is not neutral, it is fatal to the one waiting.
49
מִי גֶבֶר יִחְיֶה וְלֹא יִרְאֶה מָּוֶת
יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל סֶלָה
יִחְיֶה
yich-YE
who will live
What man lives and does not see death,
יְמַלֵּט
ye-ma-LET
will he rescue
מִיַּד
mi-YAD
from the hand of
who rescues his life from the hand of Sheol? Selah.
Frailty is made universal. Nobody outlives the wait, so a promise deferred past a lifetime is a promise withdrawn.
50
אַיֵּה חֲסָדֶיךָ הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲדֹנָי
נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לְדָוִד בֶּאֱמוּנָתֶךָ
חֲסָדֶיךָ
cha-sa-dei-CHA
Your kindnesses
הָרִאשֹׁנִים
ha-ri-sho-NIM
the former ones
Where are Your former kindnesses, my Lord,
נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ
nish-ba-TA
You swore
בֶּאֱמוּנָתֶךָ
be-e-mu-na-te-CHA
in Your faithfulness
which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
The direct demand, and it asks for the two nouns of verse 2 by name. This is the whole strategy of the psalm in one sentence.
51
זְכֹר אֲדֹנָי חֶרְפַּת עֲבָדֶיךָ
שְׂאֵתִי בְחֵיקִי כׇּל רַבִּים עַמִּים
חֶרְפַּת
cher-PAT
the disgrace of
עֲבָדֶיךָ
a-va-dei-CHA
Your servants
Remember, my Lord, the disgrace of Your servants,
שְׂאֵתִי
se-e-TI
my bearing
בְחֵיקִי
ve-chei-KI
in my bosom
how I carry in my chest the insult of many peoples,
The petition widens from the king to the community. The disgrace of verse 42 is now carried by the servants and by the speaker in person.
52
אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְהֹוָה
אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶךָ
חֵרְפוּ
cher-FU
have taunted
אוֹיְבֶיךָ
oi-vei-CHA
Your enemies
with which Your enemies have taunted, LORD,
חֵרְפוּ
cher-FU
they have taunted
עִקְּבוֹת
ik-VOT
the footsteps of
מְשִׁיחֶךָ
me-shi-che-CHA
Your anointed
with which they taunt the footsteps of Your anointed.
The taunt is aimed at the anointed and therefore at the one who anointed him. The poem stops here, on the insult, with no answer given.
53
בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם
אָמֵן וְאָמֵן
בָּרוּךְ
ba-RUCH
blessed is
Blessed is the LORD forever.
This line closes Book III of the Psalter rather than the poem. The complaint is left open and the book is sealed over the top of it.
♦ 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
Three movements and a seam. Verses 2 to 19 are praise, built on two nouns, kindness and faithfulness, and on the claim that nobody in the divine council is a rival. Verses 20 to 38 are a quoted oracle in which God swears an unconditional throne to David, explicitly allowing the sons to sin and be punished without the covenant lapsing. Verses 39 to 52 report that the throne is on the ground, and they do it in the oracle's own vocabulary: covenant, crown, seed, right hand, sword, all reversed one by one. The hinge is a single word, וְאַתָּה (ve-a-ta, v.39), and after it the You who founded the world in verse 12 is the You who broke the walls in verse 41. Nothing is resolved: the last thing the poem says is that enemies are mocking the anointed. Verse 53 is the doxology that closes Book III of the Psalter, so it seals the book rather than answering the poem.
רמז · Remez: allusion
The two nouns to track are kindness and faithfulness. Each occurs seven times, opening in the vow at אֱמוּנָתְךָ (e-mu-nat-cha, v.2) and closing in the demand of verse 50, where the speaker asks back for exactly what he sang about, which is why the psalm reads as a legal claim rather than a lament. Several cruxes stay open. In verse 3 the word rendered forever also means world, and the line has long been read both as kindness is built forever and as the world is built by kindness. At אִם (im, v.36) the particle is literally if: a Hebrew oath states the first half of a self curse and leaves the rest unsaid, so if I lie to David functions as I never will. רָהַב (ra-hav, v.11) is Rahab, a name for the sea monster of the creation combat and elsewhere a byword for Egypt. צוּר (tzur, v.44) is spelled like the ordinary word for rock, the same word the king uses of God in verse 27, and most readers take it here as the flint edge of a sword. חָלֶד (cha-led, v.48) is a rare word for a lifespan, and the first half of verse 48 is broken enough that translators disagree about who its subject is.
דרש · Drash: midrashic reading
An old rabbinic identification reads Ethan the Ezrahite of the heading as Abraham, which turns the psalm into a complaint made by the first man to receive a promise of descendants, and lets the oracle be heard as older than David. The reading of verse 3 as the world is built by kindness has had a long life outside this psalm, as a claim that creation is held up by acts of kindness rather than by law. Firstborn at בְּכוֹר (be-chor, v.28) was taken as a rank granted rather than a fact of birth, and became one of the anchors of messianic reading here, since the throne promised in the oracle outlived every king who actually sat on it. The placement of the doxology at בָּרוּךְ (ba-ruch, v.53) was itself read as commentary: the book will not end on the taunt of verse 52, so it answers a complaint it cannot refute with a blessing instead of an argument.
סוד · Sod: mystical reading
In the kabbalistic reading the pair that governs the psalm, kindness and faithfulness, is a pair of measures rather than two moods, and the covenant with David is the tie between an upper throne and a lower one, so that damage below is spoken about as damage above. The hiding asked about in verse 47 is the standard term for the concealment of the face, a condition in which the relation is not cancelled but withdrawn from sight, which is what lets the psalm accuse and go on addressing at the same time. The throne thrown to the ground in verse 45 is read in this register as exile described from the divine side rather than the human one. The doxology at the end is then not a change of subject but the one move still available: to bless the source while the channel is shut.