Chapter 16 in I Chronicles is the chapter where the psalm "Hodu LaHashem kir'u vishmo," which we recite every morning in our prayers, originally appears. If you were to ask most people where "Hodu LaHashem kir'u vishmo" comes from, most would answer: in Tehillim. However, anyone who has ever read Tehillim discovers that it is not identical to the text in the siddur: here it is written "l'Yitzchak" and there "l'Yischak", along with other textual variations. The answer is that the source of the psalm as we recite it is right here, in Divrei HaYamim. (Much like the child who, after praying and reading Tehillim, said to his father: "Abba, what is the big deal? King David copied everything straight from the siddur!...") Let us, therefore, study the psalm today in its original setting, and examine the meaning behind these differences as well.
וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים וַיַּצִּיגוּ אֹתוֹ בְּתוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל אֲשֶׁר נָטָה־לוֹ דָּוִיד, וַיַּקְרִיבוּ עֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And they brought the Ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before God.
"And they set it" - they placed it standing, as Metzudat Tzion explains. The first three verses here also appear in Sefer Shmuel, where the text concludes: "And all the people departed, each to his house; and David returned to bless his household." The Malbim explains: Ezra found in the chronicles of the kings of the House of David that even before the people went home, David organized the watches of the Ark and the service of the Mishkan, as will be described later in this chapter. Ezra therefore repeats the entire episode to teach us that David first appointed those in charge of the watches, and only afterward did all the people return home. In Sefer Shmuel this was presented briefly, whereas here Ezra elaborates to describe how these events unfolded.
וַיְכַל דָּוִיד מֵהַעֲלוֹת הָעֹלָה וְהַשְּׁלָמִים, וַיְבָרֶךְ אֶת־הָעָם בְּשֵׁם ה'׃ - And when David finished offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the Name of Hashem.
What is meant by "he blessed the people in the Name of Hashem"? The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: in the Name of Hashem that is proclaimed over the Ark, just as it was stated above, "the Ark of God, Hashem Who dwells between the cherubim, where the Name is called." That is, he blessed them in the Name of Hashem Who dwells between the cherubim atop the Ark.
וַיְחַלֵּק לְכׇל־אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאִישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁה, לְאִישׁ כִּכַּר־לֶחֶם וְאֶשְׁפָּר וַאֲשִׁישָׁה׃ - And he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to each a loaf of bread, a choice portion of meat, and a flagon of wine.
"Eshpar" - Chazal interpret this as an acronym for *echad mishishah b'far* (one-sixth of a bull): he took a bull, divided it into six portions, and gave one to each person. "Ashishah" - a type of vessel in which wine was placed, as in "flagons of raisins" (*ashishei anavim*), which Chazal also expounded homiletically: *echad mishishah b'hin*, one-sixth of a *hin*. Metzudat Tzion explains that Chazal's exposition is a *derash*, whereas the plain meaning of "eshpar" is from the root denoting beauty and excellence - a choice portion, as in "yea, a goodly heritage is mine" (*nachalat shaferah alai*). *Eshpar* is related to *meshupar*, *shapir*, good - meaning he provided them with the finest of the fine (*mishupra d'shupra*). Similarly, Shiphrah and Puah are named because they improved (*meshaprot*) the newborn, and the word *shofar*, which Chazal expounded as "improve (*shapru*) your deeds," also derives from improvement. And "ashishah" refers to the vessel containing wine, as in "Sustain me with flagons of wine, comfort me with apples."
וַיִּתֵּן לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן ה' מִן־הַלְוִיִּם מְשָׁרְתִים, וּלְהַזְכִּיר וּלְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לַה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And he appointed from among the Levites ministers before the Ark of Hashem, to invoke, to thank, and to praise Hashem, God of Israel.
אָסָף הָרֹאשׁ וּמִשְׁנֵהוּ זְכַרְיָה, יְעִיאֵל וּשְׁמִירָמוֹת וִיחִיאֵל וּמַתִּתְיָה וֶאֱלִיאָב וּבְנָיָהוּ וְעֹבֵד אֱדֹם וִיעִיאֵל בִּכְלֵי נְבָלִים וּבְכִנֹּרוֹת, וְאָסָף בַּמְצִלְתַּיִם מַשְׁמִיעַ׃ - Asaph was the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with harps and with lyres; and Asaph sounded the cymbals.
This is precisely the point for which Ezra recounted the story, as the Malbim explains: before David sent the people away, he appointed caretakers over the Ark - "and he appointed from among the Levites ministers before the Ark of the Lord," ministers of the Ark, whose duty was also "to commemorate, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel."
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: "to commemorate" - to recite the two psalms that state "A psalm of David, to commemorate"; "to give thanks" - this refers to "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name"; "and to praise" - the psalms that open with "Halleluyah." David appointed them to recite these psalms before the Ark, to praise and laud the Lord.
The Malbim elaborates further: What is meant by "ministers" - what kind of service does the Ark require? Sweeping and sprinkling before it, cleaning and sweeping the area in front of the Ark. Regarding "to commemorate," the Malbim explains that this does not refer specifically to the psalms titled "to commemorate" (which appears more like a midrashic exposition), but rather to recall the deeds of Hashem from days of old, recounting the praise of the Omnipresent for His ancient wonders. For anyone who reflects upon it sees that a significant portion of the Book of Tehillim recounts the praises of Hashem: taking us out of Egypt, the plagues of Egypt, our journey in the wilderness, the salvations Hashem wrought for us over the years, and the rescues He performed for David himself. This is the meaning of "to commemorate": to praise and laud Hashem with psalms recalling His wonders of old. "To give thanks" - to thank Hashem for the goodness He bestowed upon them. "And to praise" - by recounting His praises.
"Asaph the chief" - Asaph was the head of them all, in charge of everyone, and his second-in-command was Zechariah. The rest played harps and lyres, and Asaph sounded the cymbals. Cymbals, as we noted earlier, were two large instruments usually made of copper, like two pot lids, struck together to produce a loud sound.
וּבְנָיָהוּ וְיַחֲזִיאֵל הַכֹּהֲנִים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת תָּמִיד לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - "And Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the Ark of the Covenant of God."
Trumpets were the musical instruments of the Kohanim, as we saw earlier: "Benaiah and Eliezer the priests blew the trumpets," distinct from the musical instruments of the Levites, which were generally harps and lyres. The Malbim explains: the halachah requires two Kohanim to sound the trumpets, as the Gemara in Arachin states, and they themselves were apparently also among those who sang vocal song. In total there were twelve, in keeping with the rule that "the number of Levites standing on the platform is not less than twelve." Since this was only a commemorative reflection - as this was not actual standing on the platform in the Beit HaMikdash - there were twelve in total, including the Kohanim with the trumpets, as a reminder that there may be no fewer than twelve on the platform.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָז נָתַן דָּוִיד בָּרֹאשׁ לְהֹדוֹת לַה' בְּיַד־אָסָף וְאֶחָיו׃ - "On that day David first delivered this psalm to give thanks to the Lord, through the hand of Asaph and his brethren."
The Malbim explains: they would offer praise with several psalms, but David designated only two psalms "at the head" - that is, he assigned them to be recited first. The commentary attributed to Rashi explains what is meant by "to give thanks to the Lord through the hand of Asaph and his brethren": Asaph would begin reciting "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name," and all his brethren would respond after him. We find a similar idea in the Book of Nechemiah: "And Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer" - the leader of thanksgiving was the head of the praisers, the one who initiates the praise.
This form of singing is very familiar: one person begins and the others respond. This is common in Middle Eastern singing, in the singing of Bakashot, and in Yemenite singing. The Gemara already mentions this responsive singing: "When men start and women respond - it is like fire in tow," where the men begin and the women respond. "To respond" (la'anot) here does not mean answering a question, but rather chiming in with song: one sings a stanza and the other answers, one sings one part and the other sings the second part. The one who opened was generally the most prominent among them, and was therefore called "the leader of praise," the foremost of the singers. Similarly, in the Book of Ezra: "And the Levites: Yeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brethren" - over the thanksgiving, meaning they led the praise, singing first.
הוֹדוּ לַה' קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ, הוֹדִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילֹתָיו׃ - "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations."
First, a grammatical point: “Kir’u vishmo” (with a chirik under the beis) rather than “b’shmo”, meaning the beis is soft (rafeh). Although this is one of the beged-kefes letters at the beginning of a word, as we have already explained, since there is an adjoining ehevi letter - the word “kir’u” ends with the letter vav, adjacent to “vishmo” - the dagesh drops. Similarly, “hodi’u va’amim” (with a kamatz) rather than “b’amim”.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: “Make known His deeds among the nations” - His mighty acts and wonders that He performed in connection with the Ark. Note: this entire psalm is an expression of thanksgiving, song, and praise to the Creator for the kindnesses He performed for them when they brought up the Ark. “Call upon His name” - call out that Hashem should help His Ark, similar to the phrasing, “and call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of Hashem.” It is an expression of calling out over Hashem’s wonders - recount the praise of the Omnipresent, Who performed wonders with His Ark.
Radak likewise writes that this psalm was sung on that day before the Ark, and it is also recorded in the Book of Tehillim, with only slight variations in a few words, while the subject matter remains identical. In Tehillim it is shorter - ending at “and do My prophets no harm.” Radak emphasizes: “And the conclusion of the psalm Hodu LaHashem” - that is, its ending - is at “and do My prophets no harm.” Do not be confused by the fact that the chapter continues: “Sing to Hashem, all the earth” in verse 23 is already a new psalm, and it also appears in Tehillim elsewhere, in chapter 96. Although they appear as a single continuation, they are two separate psalms. The second psalm also has slight variations from the text in Tehillim, yet the subject matter is the same. Malbim explains the differences between the psalms and provides a guiding principle through which we can understand them all.
Radak begins: “Give thanks to Hashem” - these are David’s words to the singers and the congregation, that they should thank Hashem, may He be blessed. “Call upon His name” - like “and Avraham called there on the name of Hashem,” to praise and laud Him. “Make known His deeds among the nations” - what Hashem wrought upon the Philistines when they took the Ark to themselves: the Holy One, blessed is He, afflicted them, Dagon fell, and the mice and hemorrhoids struck them. “His deeds” (alilotav) is like “how I mocked Egypt” (hit’alalti) - recount what deeds Hashem wrought and how He made mock of them because they took His Ark. For as mentioned, the entire psalm is a song of praise over the return of the Ark.
Malbim explains: Seder Olam records that the first psalm, up to verse 23, was recited in the morning, while the second psalm - “Sing to Hashem, all the earth,” from verse 23 onward - was recited in the afternoon (bein ha’arbayim). David established the first psalm in the Book of Tehillim, chapter 105, and there Malbim commented on it according to his approach; the reader can seek his commentary there (and whoever wishes may consult the shiurim on the Book of Tehillim), although here it appears with minor variations.
The theme of the psalm is to recall that Hashem promised the land to Avraham and commanded the nations not to harm them, and this command endures for a thousand generations. Thus we see that Hashem displayed His wonders in the fields of the Philistines, ensuring that they would not harm the Ark and would not harm the Jewish people.
From this emerges the explanation for the central change: in Tehillim it is written, “offspring of Avraham His servant,” whereas here it says, “offspring of Yisrael His servant.” Malbim explains: there it mentions Avraham because the inception of the promise was to Avraham; but here it says “offspring of Yisrael” because His wonders regarding the Ark were for the sake of Yisrael - Yaakov Avinu is the forefather unique to our nation. From Avraham descended Yishmael and the sons of Keturah as well, and from Yitzchak descended Eisav, whereas the forefather unique strictly to us is Yaakov. Similarly, in Tehillim it says, “He remembers His covenant forever,” whereas here it says, “Remember His covenant forever” - here he commands the Jewish people to remember His covenant and observe it. The same applies to the remaining variations, because here he is addressing the nation directly.
שִׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּרוּ־לוֹ, שִׂיחוּ בְּכׇל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו׃ - Sing to Him, make music to Him, speak of all His wonders.
Radak explains: “Sing to Him” - singing with the mouth; “make music to Him” - playing harps and musical instruments; “speak of all His wonders” - converse with one another about the wonders of the Omnipresent.
הִתְהַלְלוּ בְּשֵׁם קׇדְשׁוֹ, יִשְׂמַח לֵב מְבַקְשֵׁי ה'׃ - Glory in His holy Name; let the heart of those who seek Hashem rejoice.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: "*Hithalelu* (Glory)" - say that whoever believes in our God, He will help him, just as in the verse, "and in the Holy One of Israel shall you glory" - rely on the Holy One, Blessed be He, and glory in Him, and you will see that Hashem assists you. "*B'shem kodsho* (in His holy Name)" - that you have a holy God, as it says, "For who is a great nation that has a god so close to it, as Hashem our God is whenever we call upon Him?" Glory in the fact that you have merited that His holy Name accompanies you and that He governs you. "*Yismach lev mevakashei Hashem* (let the heart of those who seek Hashem rejoice)" - whoever seeks Hashem whole-heartedly, his heart will rejoice.
This is similar to what the Vilna Gaon said to Rav Chaim of Volozhin. Concerning a person who prays and trusts in Hashem, it is said: "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope for Hashem" - whoever hopes for Hashem can strengthen and fortify his heart and be confident in His salvation. But notice, said the Vilna Gaon, the verse we recite in *Ashrei*: "Hashem is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." In all the verses of *Ashrei*, the conjunctive letter *vav* appears in the middle: "*Gadol Hashem u-mehullal me'od, ve-ligdulato ein cheker*" ("Great is Hashem and exceedingly praised, and His greatness is unfathomable"), "*Dor le-dor yeshabach ma'asecha, u-g'vurotecha yagidu*" ("Generation to generation shall praise Your works, and recount Your mighty acts"), "*Hadar kevod hodecha, ve-divrei nifle'otecha asichah*" ("The splendid glory of Your majesty, and of Your wondrous deeds I shall speak") - yet here it does not say, "*u-lechol asher yikra'uhu*" ("*and* to all who call upon Him"), but rather "*lechol asher yikra'uhu ve-emet*" ("to all who call upon Him in truth"). Why is the *vav* omitted? To teach you that these are not two separate matters - it is not that Hashem is near to all who call upon Him as one general statement, and then to those who call in truth as a second group - rather, it is a condition: Hashem is near to all who call upon Him, provided that they call upon Him in truth. One who calls upon Him in truth and genuinely trusts in Him, Hashem is close to him. And that is what is meant here by "let the heart of those who seek Hashem rejoice" - one who seeks Hashem whole-heartedly.
The Radak explains "Glory in His holy Name" in relation to the nations: you can glory over all the nations, because His holy Name is called upon you. Every nation serves its own carved images and idols, which are vanity and emptiness, unable to avail or deliver, whereas you shall glory in the holy Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He - you have reason to take pride over them, in that we are attached to Hashem, may He be blessed; therefore, let your heart rejoice that you are seekers of Hashem.
The Radak brings an additional possibility: "Let the heart of those who seek Hashem rejoice" - even among the nations of the world, anyone who falls into the category of a seeker of Hashem, his heart will rejoice when he seeks Hashem and sees salvation. In a certain sense, we find that one of the nations who seeks Hashem sees salvation even more readily than Israel, as Shlomo said in his prayer regarding a foreigner who comes from a distant land: "Hear in heaven" - whether he is worthy or unworthy. Why? Because a non-Jew, if his prayer is not answered, will complain: "I visited that temple and I visited the Buddha, and here too I received no benefit." Therefore, grant his request even if he is not worthy. But regarding an Israelite - only grant it if he is worthy, for an Israelite, even if he does not receive, realizes within himself that he was not worthy and that it was not coming to him, and he will not complain against the Holy One, Blessed be He.
דִּרְשׁוּ ה' וְעֻזּוֹ, בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָיו תָּמִיד׃ - Seek Hashem and His strength; seek His presence continually.
What is meant by "*uzo*" ("His strength")? The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: this refers to the Temple and the Ark. The Ark is called "*uzo*", as in the verse, "and He delivered His strength into captivity" - this refers to the Ark, containing the Tablets; and similarly, "Hashem will give strength to His people"; and likewise, "Arise, Hashem, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength." From here we find an interesting insight: Eleazar, who guarded the Ark, was called "Uzza" - named after the Ark, because his role was to attend to and guard the *oz* (the strength).
The Metzudat David explains: "*Dirshu Hashem ve-uzo*" - seek from Hashem that He display His strength to you. For when the nations oppress us, the strength of Hashem, may He be blessed, is not apparent - where are His mighty deeds, and where are His awesome acts? Rather, on the contrary: demand of Hashem that He show His mighty and awesome deeds against the nations that distress and torment us. "Seek His presence continually."
זִכְרוּ נִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, מֹפְתָיו וּמִשְׁפְּטֵי־פִיהוּ׃ - Remember His wondrous deeds that He has done, His marvels, and the judgments of His mouth.
What wonders had occurred then with the Ark? The plague of mice and hemorrhoids with which the Philistines were struck. Furthermore, they took nursing cows and penned up their calves at home, yet "*vayisharnah haparot*" - nevertheless, the cows walked straight along the road and even sang, as Chazal expound, not turning back to their calves, but heading straight toward Israel. Even the breach that Hashem made against Uzza was among His wonders, demonstrating the grave danger awaiting anyone who comes and touches the Ark without permission. This entire song, notes the commentary attributed to Rashi, was composed concerning the Ark, and they would recite it continually - half during the morning *tamid* offering and the other half during the afternoon *tamid* offering - which is why it recalls here the specific wonders that occurred at that time. And "*mishpetei fihu*" ("the judgments of His mouth"), the Metzudat David explains: the judgments that Hashem executed upon the idol-worshiping nations through the utterance of His mouth - for the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not need to wage physical war; He spoke and it was, executing judgments upon them by the word of His mouth.
זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדּוֹ, בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב בְּחִירָיו׃ - O seed of Israel His servant, children of Jacob His chosen ones.
That is to say: Remember His wondrous deeds that He performed for the seed of Israel His servant, for the children of Jacob who are His chosen ones. Radak, like the Malbim, also addresses the variation from Tehillim, where it states "the seed of Abraham His servant." The answer is: the seed of Abraham is synonymous with the seed of Israel. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham that He would bring forth seed from him, it was stated, "for in Isaac shall seed be called to you." For anyone who comes to claim that Ishmael is also Abraham's seed and Esau is also Abraham's seed - it is stated, "in Isaac shall seed be called to you": not those born of the concubines, not the child of Hagar, and not Esau who came from Isaac. And our Sages expounded, "in Isaac - but not all of Isaac," so that you should not say both of Isaac's sons are included, but rather that within Isaac you shall have seed, namely Jacob specifically. Therefore, the verse here emphasizes "the seed of Israel" - the singular son who represents Abraham's continuation. And when it says "the seed of Abraham," it refers specifically to Abraham's chosen seed, not to the rest of his offspring.
הוּא ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, בְּכׇל־הָאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּטָיו׃ - He is Hashem our God, His judgments are in all the earth.
Even though His judgments are in all the earth - He is our God, and we are His people. Hashem's judgments encompass the entire world and are not confined to a specific place, as we say regarding the Day of Judgment on Rosh Hashanah, that all who enter the world pass before Him like sheep. Yet nevertheless He is "our God" - He is the Father uniquely designated for us. All inhabitants of the world are children of Hashem, but, if you will, stepchildren, whereas His truly chosen children are the people of Israel.
As the Malbim explains in several places: when Scripture speaks of "God" (Elohim), it refers to the Creator, may He be blessed, from the perspective of His greatness and dominion over the entire world; but when it speaks of "our God" (Eloheinu), it refers to His individual divine providence over us, in that the people of Israel were singled out to be "You are children to Hashem your God," "My son, My firstborn, is Israel." They hold a status that bears no comparison to that of other nations. The other nations are considered "as nothing and less than nothing, and vanity before Him," "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are counted as dust on the scales," "and Esau I hated." The ones who truly count are the people of Israel, whose souls originate beneath the Throne of Glory, whereas the nations stem from the realm of Adam Beliya'al, from the kelipot, as hinted in "when the Most High separated the nations." This has been discussed at length, and whoever wishes may consult the teachings on gilgulim to see the fundamental difference between the source of Jewish souls, which stems from the quarry of holiness, and the source of the souls of idolatrous nations, which stems from the realm of the kelipot - an animalistic soul, as the Ben Ish Chai writes.
זִכְרוּ לְעוֹלָם בְּרִיתוֹ, דָּבָר צִוָּה לְאֶלֶף דּוֹר׃ - Remember His covenant forever, the word He commanded to a thousand generations.
What is "His covenant"? The holy Torah. "The word He commanded to a thousand generations" - yet how many generations after the creation of the world did we receive the Torah? Twenty-six generations. Pseudo-Rashi explains: Hashem originally ordained that the Torah should be revealed to the world after one thousand generations, but He saw that the world could not endure without the Torah, so He bypassed nine hundred and seventy-four generations - meaning He waived them and gave the Torah after twenty-six generations, because the world cannot endure without Torah.
Radak explains the phrasing in Tehillim, "He remembered His covenant forever": the covenant He made with Abraham - He remembered it forever and for his children after him, and the matter He established with him, the promise He made to him, He commanded to endure for a thousand generations. Another possibility: "commanded" means decreed, just as He decreed at the Covenant between the Parts to give the land of Canaan to their children, that this promise should endure for a thousand generations. And why does it say here, "Remember His covenant"? Because here he addresses the people, telling them: you must remember this covenant, that Hashem is constantly with you and upholds His covenant. Look at His promise to grant the land of Canaan, and His promise to establish the Davidic dynasty, and all the promises He made to the holy Patriarchs that there would be a people of Israel and that they would receive the Torah - behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, remembered His covenant; therefore, you too must remember it, fulfilling your obligation to observe the Torah and mitzvot that Hashem commanded.
אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת־אַבְרָהָם, וּשְׁבוּעָתוֹ לְיִצְחָק׃ וַיַּעֲמִידֶהָ לְיַעֲקֹב לְחֹק, לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרִית עוֹלָם׃ - Which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac; and He established it for Jacob as a statute, for Israel as an everlasting covenant.
Radak notes: "Which He made with Abraham" - as it says, "On that day Hashem made a covenant with Abram, saying: Unto your seed have I given this land." And that covenant and oath were designated for Isaac, not for Ishmael and not for the children of Keturah, as it is explicitly stated, "for in Isaac shall seed be called to you." What do we learn from this? When Hashem promises something to Abraham's seed, let the descendants of Ishmael not imagine that they are included in the celebration - the promise was made to the seed, and who is called seed? Isaac.
The oath was also stated at the Binding of Yitzchak - "By Myself I have sworn," and to Yitzchak himself it was said, "And I will establish the oath that I swore to Avraham your father." No such thing was said to Yishmael, but only to Yitzchak. Here again is proof that the oath spoken to Avraham was not intended for all his descendants, but specifically for Yitzchak, as with him too the oath is reaffirmed: "And I will establish." And that covenant and oath Hashem established as a statute for the Children of Israel, an "everlasting covenant" - for eternity, because the covenant and oath were made only with this designated seed, not with Esav and not with Yishmael. And so Yitzchak says to Yaakov: "And may He give you the blessing of Avraham" - and we find neither with Esav nor with Yishmael that either of them passed on the blessing of Avraham. We learn that the blessing of Avraham is reserved exclusively for Yitzchak, Yaakov, and the Children of Israel, and not for the other nations, nor for the sons of Keturah.
לֵאמֹר לְךָ אֶתֵּן אֶרֶץ־כְּנָעַן, חֶבֶל נַחֲלַתְכֶם׃ - Saying: "To you I will give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance."
Notice, highlights Pseudo-Rashi: "Which He made with Avraham, and His oath to Yitzchak, and He established it for Yaakov" - all three Patriarchs are mentioned here, and with each and every one of them the covenant was forged, "Saying: To you I will give the land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance." And what is "chevel" (portion)? "The portion of your inheritance" - that which you are now inheriting, which is the Promised Land.
בִּהְיוֹתְכֶם מְתֵי מִסְפָּר, כִּמְעַט וְגָרִים בָּהּ׃ - When you were few in number, very few, and strangers in it.
"Metei" means "men of," as in "ir matim" (a city of men) - people. "Metei mispar" - when you were few in number. And why is it important to state this? Pseudo-Rashi explains: Lest you think that we conquered the land of Canaan because we were numerous and strong, that a mighty nation arrived and a mighty nation conquers. Not at all - for when you were few in number, you went to live in it.
And if you should say, even a thousand or more is a countable number, so what does "few in number" mean? To this the verse adds, "very few, and strangers in it." Pseudo-Rashi clarifies the point: Had Hashem said to an established inhabitant of the land - to Avraham, Yitzchak, or Yaakov alone, had they been settled here permanently - "I will give you the land of Canaan," that would not have been astonishing, since he already lives here and is part of this land. But come and see: Hashem swore to give them the land while they were merely sojourners in it - "Chevron, where Avraham and Yitzchak sojourned." A sojourner (ger) means just that: someone who is only residing there temporarily. Imagine someone taking a temporary trip to America, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, promises him: "I will give you America." If he were a tenth-generation resident there, that would be one thing, but they were not even in the status of a resident alien; they were genuine wanderers, moving from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another people. Likewise, Yaakov was not rooted here, for he spent twenty years in the house of Lavan.
וַיִּתְהַלְּכוּ מִגּוֹי אֶל־גּוֹי, וּמִמַּמְלָכָה אֶל־עַם אַחֵר׃ - And they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.
Pseudo-Rashi notes with precision: It does not say "vayelchu" (and they went), but "vayithalchu" (and they wandered/moved about). As noted many times, there is a distinction between the light verb conjugation (kal) and the intensive/heavy conjugation (kaved): an action stated in the light form is performed with ease, whereas an action expressed in the heavy form is done with difficulty and heaviness. "Rotzeach" in kal vs. "meratzeach" in kaved - with all one's might and intense force; "shover" and "meshabber" - the light form is easy on the organs of speech, whereas "meshabber" is heavy on the organs of speech and requires exertion to pronounce. So too here: "vayithalchu" comes to teach that even when they went, it was not done with ease, but under duress and having no other choice. Parting from the Land was exceedingly difficult for Yaakov Avinu, and we see how quickly he hurried to return when he could; and Avraham Avinu went down only out of lack of choice, and the Ramban rebukes and speaks harshly about Avraham having left the Land, arguing that he should have trusted in Hashem. It was agonizing for them to leave: Hashem promised me the Land, this is the Holy Land, and I am leaving it to find sustenance in Egypt on account of the famine! Therefore it says "vayithalchu" and not "vayelchu." "Vayelchu" would mean that one went easily - left, obtained a visa, and settled down there in America. But for them, the difficulty of leaving was immense, and they had to drag themselves along, as it were, forcibly extracting themselves from the place. Similarly we find regarding Esther: concerning the other women it says that they came to the king's palace, whereas regarding her it is written, "and Esther was taken" - taken against her will; she did not bring herself, and did not go until they came and took her, showing that it was entirely against her desire.
לֹא־הִנִּיחַ לְאִישׁ לְעׇשְׁקָם, וַיּוֹכַח עֲלֵיהֶם מְלָכִים׃ - He permitted no man to oppress them, and He rebuked kings for their sake.
Metzudat David explains: The usual way of the world is that someone who wanders from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another people is among the disenfranchised, not among the wealthy and influential but among the common folk, and such people are routinely oppressed - their rights violated and their property seized, for a wanderer has no standing. Yet despite this, come and see: even though they wandered from nation to nation, Hashem permitted no man to oppress them, and He did not allow the people of the places they arrived at to exploit them or fabricate false charges against them.
And even more than that - "He rebuked kings on their account." Pseudo-Rashi explains: one might have thought that others did not oppress them because they hid themselves, because people did not see them, or because they traveled along side paths. Therefore Scripture states, "He rebuked kings on their account" - for kings indeed attempted to oppress them, but Hashem did not permit it. "He permitted no man" does not mean they never began to oppress them, but rather that they tried and Hashem did not deliver them into their hands. Pharaoh toward Avraham, Avimelech toward Yitzchak, Lavan and Shechem toward Yaakov - the Holy One, blessed is He, rebuked all of them: "Now therefore return the man's wife, for he is a prophet and he will pray for you," "I did not know that she was your wife," and Hashem closed up every womb. And regarding Yaakov, Lavan tried several times to defraud him, and Scripture states, "The God of my father... rebuked you last night" - the Holy One, blessed is He, protected him and warned Lavan against speaking either good or bad, and even the sheep that Lavan took deceitfully were transferred by the ministering angels from Lavan's flock to Yaakov's flocks. Thus they tried to oppress them and Hashem delivered them, and even though they lived as wanderers, He permitted no one to oppress them, and every king who sought to distress them was rebuked by Hashem with severe plagues.
אַל־תִּגְּעוּ בִּמְשִׁיחָי, וּבִנְבִיאַי אַל־תָּרֵעוּ׃ - "Do not touch My anointed ones, and do no harm to My prophets."
This verse is the continuation of "He rebuked kings on their account" - what was the rebuke? "Do not touch My anointed ones, and do no harm to My prophets." Pseudo-Rashi explains: regarding Avraham it is written, "And Hashem plagued Pharaoh with great plagues," and it is written, "And God came to Avimelech in a dream of the night and said to him: Behold, you are going to die because of the woman you have taken"; and regarding Yaakov it is written, "And God came to Lavan the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him: Take heed to yourself," and Yaakov said to Lavan, "and He rebuked you last night." And "do no harm to My prophets" corresponds to "Return the man's wife, for he is a prophet and he will pray for you."
What is meant by "My anointed ones" (meshichai)? The Radak explains: My great ones and My princes. A mashiach is one who was anointed with the anointing oil, and who was anointed? Someone whom they wished to elevate to greatness. Every elevation to greatness was effected through anointing with the oil of anointing: kings were anointed, the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash underwent anointing as their consecration, and the Kohen who exhorted the people was called the Kohen Mashiach - the Kohen anointed for war, who would admonish the people and say, "What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house." Anointing thus expresses greatness, and "Do not touch My anointed ones" refers to My great ones and My princes - who were regarded with honor by kings, says the Radak, as though they were anointed kings themselves.
And so you see that the children of Chet said to Avraham, "You are a prince of God among us," even though Avraham never stood in any primaries or elections. And Avimelech pursued Yitzchak to make a covenant of peace with him - and who was Yitzchak? What political appointment did he hold, what title or official authority did he possess? Rather, they recognized him as a man of God, just as they recognized Avraham as a man of God. "You are a prince of God among us" does not mean he had been elected to the office of prince.
And do not imagine that a presidency is such a great prize. In his day, when Ben-Gurion wanted to remove Chaim Weizmann as chairman of the Jewish Agency and did not know how, he created the institution of the state presidency specifically for him - a post devoid of real content, mere pomp, so that he would feel as though they had made something of him. He once quipped that every president of the State of Israel must carry a handkerchief at all times. When asked why, he replied: so that he will have somewhere to stick his nose! Do not get involved in anything; take a handkerchief and stick your nose in there. In the United States, the president wields immense power, everything is determined by his word, and if he wants something he drives everyone crazy (though he must take care that Congress does not turn adversarial), whereas here - signing pardons, and even that according to lists he receives rather than his own discretion, and one photograph every four months at the swearing-in of a new government, and that is where the role ends. With Avraham it was not like that: he received an appointment from no one, yet everyone recognized him - "You are a prince of God among us," a true prince, not a figurehead.
The chapter opens with the bringing of the Ark into the tent that David pitched for it, and Ezra repeats the account from the Book of Shmuel to teach us that before the people departed for their homes, David arranged the watches of song and service before the Ark. From there we transition to the psalm "Give thanks to Hashem, call upon His name," whose source is here, and whose primary focus is a song of praise for the wonders Hashem performed surrounding the Ark: the deeds wrought among the Philistines, the kine that sang, and the breach of Uzzah. The guiding principle behind the textual variations between here and Tehillim is that here David directly addresses the people - "seed of Yisrael," "remember His covenant" - urging them to remember the covenant and observe it. Further along in the psalm, the covenant with the Patriarchs and the inheritance of the Land are recalled, emphasizing that "when you were few in number, hardly anything, and strangers in it" - it was not by our own power that we merited it, but by Hashem's promise, and it was He Who guarded the Patriarchs throughout their wanderings: "He permitted no man to oppress them, and He rebuked kings on their account: Do not touch My anointed ones, and do no harm to My prophets."