Forty three verses that open Book Five of the psalms, built out of four rescue stories told in the same shape: people in trouble, a shout, a rescue, a call to give thanks. Wanderers in the desert, prisoners in irons, the sick, and sailors in a storm. Two refrains hold it together, the cry at verses 6, 13, 19 and 28 and the thanksgiving at verses 8, 15, 21 and 31, so a learner who reads those eight verses first will recognise most of the vocabulary of the rest. The last eleven verses drop the refrain and turn into a hymn about reversal, water into desert and desert into water. Watch the word for covenant kindness: it is the last word of verse 1 and the second to last of verse 43, and everything in between is what it looks like in practice.
1
הֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי טוֹב
כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
חַסְדּוֹ
chas-DO
His kindness
for His kindness is forever.
The same opening line stands at the head of Psalms 106, 118 and 136. The claim is made flat, before any story is told to support it.
2
יֹאמְרוּ גְּאוּלֵי יְהֹוָה
אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָם מִיַּד צָר
יֹאמְרוּ
yom-RU
let them say
גְּאוּלֵי
ge-u-LEI
the redeemed of
Let the redeemed of the LORD say it,
גְּאָלָם
ge-a-LAM
He redeemed them
מִיַּד
mi-YAD
from the hand of
those He redeemed from the hand of an adversary,
The thanks is assigned to a named group rather than to everyone. The next forty verses are the answer to who these people are.
3
וּמֵאֲרָצוֹת קִבְּצָם
מִמִּזְרָח וּמִמַּעֲרָב מִצָּפוֹן וּמִיָּם
וּמֵאֲרָצוֹת
u-me-a-ra-TZOT
and from the lands
קִבְּצָם
kib-TZAM
He gathered them
and whom He gathered in from the lands,
מִמִּזְרָח
mi-miz-RACH
from the east
וּמִמַּעֲרָב
u-mi-ma-a-RAV
and from the west
מִצָּפוֹן
mi-tza-FON
from the north
וּמִיָּם
u-mi-YAM
and from the sea
from east and from west, from north and from the sea.
Four directions, and the fourth is the sea rather than the south. That is how a writer on this coastline says every direction at once.
4
תָּעוּ בַמִּדְבָּר בִּישִׁימוֹן דָּרֶךְ
עִיר מוֹשָׁב לֹא מָצָאוּ
בַמִּדְבָּר
va-mid-BAR
in the wilderness
בִּישִׁימוֹן
bi-shi-MON
on a wasteland
They wandered in the wilderness, on a wasteland road;
מוֹשָׁב
mo-SHAV
of habitation
מָצָאוּ
ma-tza-U
they found
a city to live in they did not find.
The first of the four stories. The trouble is not danger but disorientation: a road going nowhere and nothing at the end of it.
5
רְעֵבִים גַּם צְמֵאִים
נַפְשָׁם בָּהֶם תִּתְעַטָּף
נַפְשָׁם
naf-SHAM
their soul
תִּתְעַטָּף
tit-a-TAF
grew faint
their soul grew faint inside them.
The body is named before the inner state it produces. The soul does not collapse on its own; hunger and thirst wear it down first.
6
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר לָהֶם
מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם יַצִּילֵם
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ
va-yitz-a-KU
and they cried out
בַּצַּר
ba-TZAR
in the distress
לָהֶם
LA-hem
that was theirs
Then they cried out to the LORD in the distress that was theirs;
מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם
mim-tzu-ko-TEI-hem
from their straits
יַצִּילֵם
ya-tzi-LEM
He rescued them
from their straits He rescued them.
The first appearance of the refrain that runs the psalm. No repentance is mentioned and no merit is claimed. They shout, and that is the whole condition.
7
וַיַּדְרִיכֵם בְּדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה
לָלֶכֶת אֶל עִיר מוֹשָׁב
וַיַּדְרִיכֵם
va-yad-ri-CHEM
and He led them
בְּדֶרֶךְ
bde-RECH
on a road
יְשָׁרָה
ye-sha-RA
straight
He set them walking on a straight road,
מוֹשָׁב
mo-SHAV
of habitation
to reach a city to live in.
The rescue answers verse 4 phrase by phrase: a straight road instead of a wasteland track, a city to settle in instead of none.
8
יוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה חַסְדּוֹ
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם
יוֹדוּ
yo-DU
let them give thanks
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD
חַסְדּוֹ
chas-DO
for His kindness
Let them thank the LORD for His kindness,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
לִבְנֵי
liv-NEI
for the children of
and for His wonders toward the children of humankind.
The second refrain, the one that answers rescue. The verb is a jussive, someone urging: gratitude is being asked for, not reported.
9
כִּי הִשְׂבִּיעַ נֶפֶשׁ שֹׁקֵקָה
וְנֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה מִלֵּא טוֹב
הִשְׂבִּיעַ
his-BI-a
He satisfied
For He satisfied a craving soul,
וְנֶפֶשׁ
ve-NE-fesh
and a soul
and a hungry soul He filled with good.
The reason clause behind the refrain. Craving and hunger are answered by satisfying and filling, and what is given is named simply as good.
10
יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת
אֲסִירֵי עֳנִי וּבַרְזֶל
יֹשְׁבֵי
yosh-VEI
those who sit in
וְצַלְמָוֶת
ve-tzal-MA-vet
and deepest gloom
Those who sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
אֲסִירֵי
a-si-REI
prisoners of
וּבַרְזֶל
u-VAR-zel
and iron
prisoners of affliction and iron,
The second story. These are not lost travellers but captives, and the pair of words for their darkness is the one the psalms keep for the edge of death.
11
כִּי הִמְרוּ אִמְרֵי אֵל
וַעֲצַת עֶלְיוֹן נָאָצוּ
אִמְרֵי
im-REI
the words of
because they defied the words of God,
וַעֲצַת
va-a-TZAT
and the counsel of
עֶלְיוֹן
eli-ON
the Most High
נָאָצוּ
na-a-TZU
they spurned
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
Unlike the wanderers, this group is given a cause. The psalm is willing to say that some trouble is earned.
12
וַיַּכְנַע בֶּעָמָל לִבָּם
כָּשְׁלוּ וְאֵין עֹזֵר
וַיַּכְנַע
va-YACH-na
and He humbled
בֶּעָמָל
be-a-MAL
with hard labour
He bent their heart down with hard labour;
כָּשְׁלוּ
kash-LU
they stumbled
וְאֵין
ve-EIN
and there was no
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
The humbling is God's own act. That makes the release that follows a reversal by the same hand, not a rescue from someone else.
13
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר לָהֶם
מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ
va-yiz-a-KU
and they cried out
בַּצַּר
ba-TZAR
in the distress
לָהֶם
LA-hem
that was theirs
Then they cried out to the LORD in the distress that was theirs;
מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם
mim-tzu-ko-TEI-hem
from their straits
יוֹשִׁיעֵם
yo-shi-EM
He saved them
from their straits He saved them.
The refrain returns with two verbs swapped and nothing else changed. The repetition is the argument: the same shout works in a prison as in a desert.
14
יוֹצִיאֵם מֵחֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת
וּמוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם יְנַתֵּק
יוֹצִיאֵם
yo-tzi-EM
He brought them out
מֵחֹשֶׁךְ
me-cho-SHECH
from darkness
וְצַלְמָוֶת
ve-tzal-MA-vet
and deepest gloom
He brought them out from darkness and deepest gloom,
וּמוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם
u-mos-ro-TEI-hem
and their bonds
יְנַתֵּק
ye-na-TEK
He snapped
and snapped their bonds apart.
Release told in two moves, out of the dark and out of the irons, matching the two halves of verse 10 in the same order.
15
יוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה חַסְדּוֹ
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם
יוֹדוּ
yo-DU
let them give thanks
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD
חַסְדּוֹ
chas-DO
for His kindness
Let them thank the LORD for His kindness,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
לִבְנֵי
liv-NEI
for the children of
and for His wonders toward the children of humankind.
The thanksgiving refrain repeated without a single change. Its sameness is how the psalm says these are four instances of one event.
16
כִּי שִׁבַּר דַּלְתוֹת נְחֹשֶׁת
וּבְרִיחֵי בַרְזֶל גִּדֵּעַ
שִׁבַּר
shi-BAR
He shattered
נְחֹשֶׁת
ne-CHO-shet
bronze
For He shattered doors of bronze,
וּבְרִיחֵי
uv-ri-CHEI
and bars of
גִּדֵּעַ
gi-DE-a
He cut down
and cut through bars of iron.
Bronze doors and iron bars are city gate fittings, not cell locks. The release is described as the breaching of a fortification.
17
אֱוִלִים מִדֶּרֶךְ פִּשְׁעָם
וּמֵעֲוֺנֹתֵיהֶם יִתְעַנּוּ
מִדֶּרֶךְ
mi-de-RECH
because of the way of
פִּשְׁעָם
pish-AM
their rebellion
Fools, because of the way of their rebellion,
וּמֵעֲוֺנֹתֵיהֶם
u-me-a-o-no-TEI-hem
and because of their iniquities
יִתְעַנּוּ
yit-a-NU
they were afflicted
and because of their sins, were afflicted.
The third story. The sick are called fools and their state is tied to their conduct, which makes this the harshest of the four diagnoses.
18
כׇּל אֹכֶל תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁם
וַיַּגִּיעוּ עַד שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת
נַפְשָׁם
naf-SHAM
their soul
Their soul loathed all food,
וַיַּגִּיעוּ
va-ya-gi-U
and they reached
שַׁעֲרֵי
sha-a-REI
the gates of
and they came as far as the gates of death.
Loss of appetite is the clinical detail the verse turns on, and these gates answer the broken gates of verse 16.
19
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר לָהֶם
מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ
va-yiz-a-KU
and they cried out
בַּצַּר
ba-TZAR
in the distress
לָהֶם
LA-hem
that was theirs
Then they cried out to the LORD in the distress that was theirs;
מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם
mim-tzu-ko-TEI-hem
from their straits
יוֹשִׁיעֵם
yo-shi-EM
He saved them
from their straits He saved them.
Identical to verse 13 word for word. Nothing about the folly named in verse 17 changes what is required of them now.
20
יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיִרְפָּאֵם
וִימַלֵּט מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם
יִשְׁלַח
yish-LACH
He sends
וְיִרְפָּאֵם
ve-yir-pa-EM
and heals them
He sends His word and heals them,
וִימַלֵּט
vi-ma-LET
and delivers
מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם
mish-chi-to-TAM
from their pits
and delivers them from their pits.
Healing arrives as a sent word rather than as touch or medicine, and the second verb is one of escape rather than cure.
21
יוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה חַסְדּוֹ
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם
יוֹדוּ
yo-DU
let them give thanks
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD
חַסְדּוֹ
chas-DO
for His kindness
Let them thank the LORD for His kindness,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
לִבְנֵי
liv-NEI
for the children of
and for His wonders toward the children of humankind.
The refrain a third time. By now a reader supplies it before it arrives, which is what a refrain is for.
22
וְיִזְבְּחוּ זִבְחֵי תוֹדָה
וִיסַפְּרוּ מַעֲשָׂיו בְּרִנָּה
וְיִזְבְּחוּ
ve-yiz-be-CHU
and let them offer
זִבְחֵי
ziv-CHEI
sacrifices of
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
וִיסַפְּרוּ
vi-sap-RU
and let them recount
מַעֲשָׂיו
ma-a-SAV
His deeds
בְּרִנָּה
bri-NA
with glad song
and recount His deeds with glad song.
This group alone is asked for more than words: the todah offering and a public telling of what happened to them.
23
יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם בׇּאֳנִיּוֹת
עֹשֵׂי מְלָאכָה בְּמַיִם רַבִּים
יוֹרְדֵי
yor-DEI
those who go down to
בׇּאֳנִיּוֹת
bo-o-ni-YOT
in ships
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
בְּמַיִם
be-MA-yim
on waters
doing business on the great waters,
The fourth story, and the only group not overtaken by circumstance. They went out on purpose, and for trade.
24
הֵמָּה רָאוּ מַעֲשֵׂי יְהֹוָה
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו בִּמְצוּלָה
מַעֲשֵׂי
ma-a-SEI
the works of
they saw the works of the LORD,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
בִּמְצוּלָה
bim-tzu-LA
in the deep
and His wonders in the deep.
The sailors are the only ones said to have seen anything. Their trouble and their view of God's work are the same weather.
25
וַיֹּאמֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד רוּחַ סְעָרָה
וַתְּרוֹמֵם גַּלָּיו
וַיֹּאמֶר
va-YO-mer
and He spoke
וַיַּעֲמֵד
va-ya-a-MED
and He raised up
He spoke and raised up a storm wind,
וַתְּרוֹמֵם
vat-ro-MEM
and it lifted high
and it lifted its waves high.
The storm is not weather. It is spoken into place, which makes the calm later a reversal of an order rather than a victory over chaos.
26
יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ תְהוֹמוֹת
נַפְשָׁם בְּרָעָה תִתְמוֹגָג
שָׁמַיִם
sha-MA-yim
to the heavens
יֵרְדוּ
yer-DU
they go down
תְהוֹמוֹת
te-ho-MOT
to the depths
They rise to the sky, they drop to the depths;
נַפְשָׁם
naf-SHAM
their soul
בְּרָעָה
bra-A
in the misery
תִתְמוֹגָג
tit-mo-GAG
melts away
their soul melts away in the misery.
Sky and depth in one line, and the fainting soul repeats the idiom used of the desert wanderers in verse 5.
27
יָחוֹגּוּ וְיָנוּעוּ כַּשִּׁכּוֹר
וְכׇל חׇכְמָתָם תִּתְבַּלָּע
יָחוֹגּוּ
ya-cho-GU
they reel
וְיָנוּעוּ
ve-ya-nu-U
and they stagger
כַּשִּׁכּוֹר
ka-shi-KOR
like a drunkard
They reel and stagger like a drunkard,
חׇכְמָתָם
choch-ma-TAM
their skill
תִּתְבַּלָּע
tit-ba-LA
is swallowed up
and all their skill is swallowed up.
Skill fails before strength does. These are professionals, and the verse removes the one thing that made them professionals.
28
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל יְהֹוָה בַּצַּר לָהֶם
וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם יוֹצִיאֵם
וַיִּצְעֲקוּ
va-yitz-a-KU
and they cried out
בַּצַּר
ba-TZAR
in the distress
לָהֶם
LA-hem
that was theirs
Then they cried out to the LORD in the distress that was theirs,
וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם
u-mim-tzu-ko-TEI-hem
and from their straits
יוֹצִיאֵם
yo-tzi-EM
He brought them out
and from their straits He brought them out.
The fourth and last cry, with a third pair of verbs. The vocabulary rotates and the structure never moves.
29
יָקֵם סְעָרָה לִדְמָמָה
וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ גַּלֵּיהֶם
לִדְמָמָה
lid-ma-MA
to a hush
He brought the storm to a hush,
וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ
va-ye-che-SHU
and they fell silent
גַּלֵּיהֶם
ga-LEI-hem
their waves
and their waves fell silent.
The noun for the hush is the rare one that appears in the thin silence of 1 Kings 19:12. Rescue here is the removal of noise.
30
וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כִי יִשְׁתֹּקוּ
וַיַּנְחֵם אֶל מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם
וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ
va-yis-me-CHU
and they rejoiced
יִשְׁתֹּקוּ
yish-to-KU
they grew quiet
They were glad because it grew quiet,
וַיַּנְחֵם
va-yan-CHEM
and He guided them
מְחוֹז
me-CHOZ
the harbour of
חֶפְצָם
chef-TZAM
their desire
and He guided them to the harbour they wanted.
Relief comes before arrival. The gladness is at the quiet, and the harbour is named by what they wanted rather than by where it is.
31
יוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה חַסְדּוֹ
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם
יוֹדוּ
yo-DU
let them give thanks
לַיהֹוָה
lai-ho-VA
to the LORD
חַסְדּוֹ
chas-DO
for His kindness
Let them thank the LORD for His kindness,
וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו
ve-nif-le-o-TAV
and His wonders
לִבְנֵי
liv-NEI
for the children of
and for His wonders toward the children of humankind.
The fourth and final refrain closes the four stories. What follows is a different kind of poem with no refrain in it.
32
וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם
וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ
וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ
vi-rom-mu-HU
and let them exalt Him
בִּקְהַל
bik-HAL
in the assembly of
Let them raise Him high in the assembly of the people,
וּבְמוֹשַׁב
uv-mo-SHAV
and in the seat of
יְהַלְלוּהוּ
ye-hal-lu-HU
let them praise Him
and praise Him in the seat of the elders.
Gratitude moves into two public settings, the crowd and the council. Private relief is being made into an institution.
33
יָשֵׂם נְהָרוֹת לְמִדְבָּר
וּמֹצָאֵי מַיִם לְצִמָּאוֹן
לְמִדְבָּר
le-mid-BAR
into wilderness
He turns rivers into wilderness,
וּמֹצָאֵי
u-mo-tza-EI
and springs of
לְצִמָּאוֹן
le-tzi-ma-ON
into thirsty ground
and water sources into thirsty ground.
The hymn opens with the reversal that costs: water withdrawn. The same verb starts verse 35 and runs the other way.
34
אֶרֶץ פְּרִי לִמְלֵחָה
מֵרָעַת יוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ
לִמְלֵחָה
lim-le-CHA
into salt flat
A land of fruit into salt flats,
מֵרָעַת
me-ra-AT
because of the evil of
יוֹשְׁבֵי
yosh-VEI
those who dwell
because of the evil of those living in it.
The one moral cause given in this section, and it is attached to the land rather than to the people who suffer on it.
35
יָשֵׂם מִדְבָּר לַאֲגַם מַיִם
וְאֶרֶץ צִיָּה לְמֹצָאֵי מָיִם
מִדְבָּר
mid-BAR
wilderness
לַאֲגַם
la-a-GAM
into a pool of
He turns wilderness into a pool of water,
וְאֶרֶץ
ve-E-retz
and a land of
לְמֹצָאֵי
le-mo-tza-EI
into springs of
and parched land into water sources.
The exact mirror of verse 33, with the two halves traded. Wilderness becomes pool and drought becomes springs.
36
וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם רְעֵבִים
וַיְכוֹנְנוּ עִיר מוֹשָׁב
וַיּוֹשֶׁב
va-YO-shev
and He settles
רְעֵבִים
re-e-VIM
the hungry
And there He settles the hungry,
וַיְכוֹנְנוּ
vai-chon-NU
and they establish
מוֹשָׁב
mo-SHAV
of habitation
and they found a city to live in.
The hungry of verse 5 reappear and the city nobody could find in verse 4 gets built. The four stories are being replayed as one.
37
וַיִּזְרְעוּ שָׂדוֹת וַיִּטְּעוּ כְרָמִים
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ פְּרִי תְבוּאָה
וַיִּזְרְעוּ
va-yiz-re-U
and they sow
וַיִּטְּעוּ
va-yit-U
and they plant
כְרָמִים
chra-MIM
vineyards
They sow fields and plant vineyards,
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ
va-ya-a-SU
and they produce
and produce a fruitful harvest.
Three farming verbs in a row, all with human subjects. What is given is not food but conditions in which work yields food.
38
וַיְבָרְכֵם וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד
וּבְהֶמְתָּם לֹא יַמְעִיט
וַיְבָרְכֵם
vai-var-CHEM
and He blesses them
וַיִּרְבּוּ
va-yir-BU
and they multiply
He blesses them and they multiply greatly,
וּבְהֶמְתָּם
uv-hem-TAM
and their cattle
יַמְעִיט
yam-IT
He lets dwindle
and He does not let their cattle dwindle.
Blessing is counted in heads, human and animal. The verse ends on a negative, which is this psalm's way of saying a good thing holds.
39
וַיִּמְעֲטוּ וַיָּשֹׁחוּ
מֵעֹצֶר רָעָה וְיָגוֹן
וַיִּמְעֲטוּ
va-yim-a-TU
and they dwindle
וַיָּשֹׁחוּ
va-ya-sho-CHU
and they are bowed down
Then they dwindle and are bowed down
מֵעֹצֶר
me-O-tzer
from the pressure of
וְיָגוֹן
ve-ya-GON
and sorrow
by the pressure of misfortune and sorrow.
The turn back downward, and no cause is given for it. The psalm refuses to leave the pattern as a simple reward system.
40
שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז עַל נְדִיבִים
וַיַּתְעֵם בְּתֹהוּ לֹא דָרֶךְ
He pours contempt on nobles,
וַיַּתְעֵם
va-yat-EM
and He makes them wander
בְּתֹהוּ
be-to-HU
in a waste
and makes them wander in a trackless waste.
Two half lines shared with Job 12:21 and 12:24, though which text borrows from which is disputed. The great get the wasteland the poor were pulled out of.
41
וַיְשַׂגֵּב אֶבְיוֹן מֵעוֹנִי
וַיָּשֶׂם כַּצֹּאן מִשְׁפָּחוֹת
וַיְשַׂגֵּב
vai-sa-GEV
and He sets high
מֵעוֹנִי
me-o-NI
out of affliction
He sets the needy safely high above affliction,
וַיָּשֶׂם
va-YA-sem
and He makes
כַּצֹּאן
ka-TZON
like a flock
מִשְׁפָּחוֹת
mish-pa-CHOT
families
and makes their families like a flock.
The verb is the one used of a fortress out of reach. The flock image at the end puts a shepherd back into a psalm about roads and ships.
42
יִרְאוּ יְשָׁרִים וְיִשְׂמָחוּ
וְכׇל עַוְלָה קָפְצָה פִּיהָ
יְשָׁרִים
ye-sha-RIM
the upright
וְיִשְׂמָחוּ
ve-yis-ma-CHU
and they rejoice
The upright see it and are glad,
and all wrongdoing shuts its mouth.
Two reactions to one sight, gladness and silence. The psalm gives wrongdoing a mouth precisely so that it can be closed.
43
מִי חָכָם וְיִשְׁמׇר אֵלֶּה
וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ חַסְדֵי יְהֹוָה
וְיִשְׁמׇר
ve-yish-MOR
and will keep
Who is wise? Let him keep these things,
וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ
ve-yit-bon-NU
and let them contemplate
חַסְדֵי
chas-DEI
the kindnesses of
and let them study the kindnesses of the LORD.
A wisdom ending, close in form to Hosea 14:10. The psalm does not finish by praising; it finishes by setting the reader a task.
♦ 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
Four groups, one shape. Desert wanderers in verses 4 to 9, prisoners in 10 to 16, the sick in 17 to 22, sailors in 23 to 32. Each block states the trouble, then the cry, וַיִּצְעֲקוּ (va-yitz-a-ku, v.6), then the rescue, then the call to give thanks, חַסְדּוֹ (chas-do, v.8). The cry stands at verses 6, 13, 19 and 28; the thanksgiving at 8, 15, 21 and 31. Only the prisoners and the sick are told why they are in trouble, which means the psalm is not claiming that suffering is always earned. From verse 33 the refrains stop and a hymn takes over: rivers to desert, desert to pools, the great brought low and the poor set high. Verse 43 closes by asking the reader to notice the pattern rather than to sing about it.
רמז · Remez: allusion
Three words repay a slow look. The pair rendered as deepest gloom at וְצַלְמָוֶת (ve-tzal-ma-vet, v.10) is the word from the valley of Psalm 23, read by some as a compound of shadow and death and by others as a single noun for thick darkness; both readings are current. The word for pits at מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם (mish-chi-to-tam, v.20) is ambiguous in the same way: it can be read as graves, or from a root meaning ruin, so translations split between rescue from the grave and rescue from their own destructive ways. And the calm of יָקֵם (ya-kem, v.29) uses a causative of the verb to stand, which is why some render it as stilling the storm and others as raising up a hush in its place. The Masoretic tradition also marks part of the sailors section with the rare inverted nun sign found at Numbers 10:35 and 36; its exact placement here and its purpose are both disputed.
דרש · Drash: midrashic reading
The Talmud in Berakhot 54b reads the four groups as a legal list: four people must offer the blessing hagomel, one who crossed the sea, one who crossed the desert, one who was ill and recovered, and one who was released from prison. The psalm becomes the source text for a still living liturgical practice, said in public after the Torah reading, which is exactly the public setting verse 32 asks for. A second reading, common but not tied to one named source, takes the four as four exiles and the return of verse 3 as the ingathering. Note what the plain text does not say: in none of the four cases is the cry described as prayer, and in none of them are the people said to deserve their rescue.
סוד · Sod: mystical reading
The psalm is bracketed by one word. It ends verse 1 at חַסְדּוֹ (chas-do, v.1) in the singular, His kindness, and returns in verse 43 at חַסְדֵי (chas-dei, v.43) in the plural, the kindnesses, so the forty one verses between them are that single quality broken into instances. In the mystical reading the four descents are not accidents to be avoided but the shape of the movement itself: the wanderer, the prisoner, the sick and the sailor each go down before anything rises, and the storm of verse 25 is spoken by the same voice that hushes it in verse 29. The cry in each block is wordless, a shout rather than a formula, which is read as the point at which a person has nothing left to offer and is answered anyway.