We begin the study of Sefer Tehillim according to the commentary of the Malbim. As is our practice, we will first examine the Malbim's introduction to the book, followed by a general introduction regarding the virtue and greatness of Tehillim, and then proceed to the first chapter. A brief note at the outset: the Malbim's introduction is written in a lofty, poetic style. Anyone who finds this language difficult or does not feel drawn to it may skip ahead to the introduction regarding the virtue of Tehillim, and anyone who wishes may proceed directly to the study of the Tehillim itself. The text will be presented and explained where clarification is needed.
This Holy of Holies, this precious treasury, full of every sacred treasure, full of all splendor, glory, and might, stores within itself all our coveted treasures that we possessed from ancient times.
The Book of Tehillim stores within itself all the delights of ancient times, as he will explain further on.
While the spirit of song was yet alive in the mouths of holy princes, while the spirit of Hashem hovered over the sweet singer of Israel upon the melody of the harp, in His sanctuary where all proclaim glory: praises and prayers, songs and melodies, precious stones and pearls, precious onyx and hidden treasures, vast wealth and secrets.
Almost all of the Malbim's phrases are drawn from Biblical verses, and he weaves them together; we will not labor each time to cite the verse from which every phrase is taken, but we should recognize this characteristic of his style. The Malbim explains that this book includes everything - praises and prayers, songs and melodies, precious stones and pearls, costly onyx and hidden treasures, vast wealth and secrets. The word machmonim ("secrets") refers to hidden treasures.
From the treasury of the pious king, the anointed of the God of Jacob, who sang to Hashem and prayed to Him when he shepherded the flock of his pasture, and when he shepherded the flock of His people, in distress and in prosperity, up to the final prayer that he prayed before his death, after anointing his son Solomon to sit upon the throne of Hashem as king in his stead.
This is the treasury of King David. He prayed both in times of distress and in times of prosperity, up to the final prayer before his death, after he anointed his son Solomon as king; and there, at its conclusion, it is stated: "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended" (Psalm 72).
Whether he prayed for himself, or whether he prayed for the community, whether he prayed for a specific matter, or whether he prayed continually. All these he gathered and compiled in his old age into a dedicated book, so that they would be prepared for the guidance of one who secludes himself with God.
Anyone who wishes to seclude himself in devotion with his Creator has the Book of Tehillim to turn to and lean upon.
Every person will find within it every prayer and every supplication, every thanksgiving and every praise, for every matter and every circumstance - distress or salvation, trouble or relief - whether concerning an individual or the multitude, through the passing of the seasons and the turbulent vicissitudes of time upon all who traverse the sea of life amid its surging breakers and roaring waves.
Whatever one seeks in this book, one will find - whether for times of anguish or times of relief, whether for an individual or for the public. "Through the passing of the seasons" - everything a person experiences amid the shifting times and the turbulent circumstances of life that affect all who cross the sea of life, with its pounding breakers and roaring waves.
It also contains precious segulot and hidden treasures from the secret of Hashem for those who fear Him, remedies and elixirs of life, and keys to the gates of Heaven.
For example: "Whoever desires an elixir of life" - "Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see good?" Here in Tehillim we have an elixir of life, guidance, remedies and cures, and keys to the gates of Heaven.
And at the end of his book he wrote, 'These are the last words of David,' which the author of Sefer Shmuel transcribed, wherein he signed his name upon his book and made known its essence and theme, along with a future proclamation concerning the kingdom of his offspring in the end of days.
As the Malbim explains in his commentary on Sefer Shmuel, David reveals there regarding the end of days which of his descendants will reign.
As long as the spirit of Hashem walked upon the earth and His glory rested upon His prophets and seers, upon those who found good understanding and a generous spirit to speak or sing through Ruach HaKodesh, the gates of this treasury were not closed. For the elders of each generation continued to fill its storehouses with the harvest of the generations among the saplings of ancient days.
As long as the spirit of Hashem walked upon the earth - meaning that prophecy still existed - and His glory rested upon His prophets and seers, and upon those endowed with good understanding and a noble spirit, they would speak and sing through Ruach HaKodesh. The Malbim explains: Know that the gates of this treasury were never closed. One should not imagine that King David uttered his words and the matter came to an end, for the elders of generation after generation continued to fill its storehouses with the harvest of the generations among the saplings of antiquity. In the generations that followed, further chapters were added, filling the granaries with additional grain alongside what the ancients had planted.
Such is the case with "A prayer of Moshe, the man of God," and among the plantings of the spiritual giants who followed him: "A song of ascents, of Shlomo," "Upon Shoshannim, by the sons of Korach," a love song concerning Shlomo on his wedding day, a psalm for Menashe son of Chizkiyahu after he returned to the God of his fathers, the Great Hallel over the miracle of Sancheiriv, the melodies of Asaf concerning that miracle, as well as psalms from Eitan HaEzrachi, Heiman HaEzrachi, Yedutun, and the sons of Korach, continuing up to the prayers instituted during the Babylonian exile over the destruction of the Temple and the exile itself, until Hashem brought about the return to Zion in the days of Cyrus. We see that even after prophecy ceased, there were still great and wise individuals throughout the generations who continued to compose sacred song, and their words were gathered and appended to Sefer Tehillim.
Incidentally, while Sefer Tehillim contains one hundred and fifty psalms, a hundred and fifty-first psalm was found among the Qumran scrolls and other ancient texts. Ancient sources are indeed cited noting that there were once 151 chapters in Sefer Tehillim, though the traditional canon contains only one hundred and fifty.
Many psalms are also devoted to deep inquiry and philosophical contemplation: the elevated stature of man in Psalm 8; Divine Providence in Psalms 36 and 128; the purpose of man in Psalm 39; the problem of the righteous who suffer and the wicked who prosper in Psalms 10, 11, and 73; the wondrous song sung in uprightness after the advocate breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and formed for him a mouth, a tongue, and the speech of lips, and many more like them.
I shall not blend here, like an apothecary compounding incense, a mixture such as commentators prepare to offer fragrance at the openings of their commentaries in their introductions to the sacred scriptures, multiplying investigations and conjectures regarding the nature and identity of the musical instruments mentioned in the headings of the psalms.
The Rav says: Do not expect me to concoct here in my introduction that same concoction that other commentators make, who, at the outset of their commentaries - in the introduction they provide to Tehillim - focus on all kinds of inquiries and conjectures regarding the nature and identity of the musical instruments mentioned in the psalm headings. For example: "For the conductor, on Nechilot" - what is nechilot? What kind of instrument was it? What kind of melody did it produce? Was it a plucked string instrument or a wind instrument, a drum or percussion? "For the conductor, on the Sheminit" - what kind of musical instrument was that? What is a shigayon, what is gitit, alamot, shoshanim, shushan edut, michtam, yonat elem rechokim, ayelet hashachar, machalat, yedutun, hama'alah - and similar inquiries.
Anyone familiar knows that this is the academic-university style. When they study something like Tehillim, the research begins immediately: what kind of instrument was it, when was it played, was it an ancient Greek instrument or did it come from Cyprus or various other places, what was its origin, did the later Hellenistic culture recognize this instrument? Who cares about all these trivialities? Let the researchers investigate this emptiness and busy themselves with it; why should that interest us?
And by the way, this is their approach in every area. A person studies Mishnah, studies Masechet Keilim: what kind of vessel was this, how many spouts did it have, what does the Bartenura explain, and according to the conjectures of other researchers it was this type of vessel. Who cares about this? What is the halachah here: is it tamei or tahor? He does not deal with that; he deals with researching the vessel. He studies Gemara in order to understand the style of clothing at the time, what kinds of foods they ate, who those Sages were and how to categorize their disputes. All these things are empty trivialities; he does not penetrate inside, but deals only with the peel, the superficial exterior. He does not study anything so that it will change him, so that it will make him a Jew with more yirat Shamayim, more devoted to serving Hashem - that does not interest him; that is academic research.
For why should I dive into the depths of imagination, into an unfathomable abyss, given that it is concealed from us whether these are names of musical instruments or names of musical melodies? And if they are the names of musical instruments, we do not know whether they still exist in the world today, or if only the memory of their melodies has ceased. And if they still exist, who can tell us what they are called upon the earth?
"An unfathomable abyss" - a place that cannot be investigated. It is possible that these refer to types of melodies, just as people speak of maqamat, and not to musical instruments at all. And if we say that these are musical instruments, perhaps nothing like them exists anymore, so what practical difference does it make to debate what kind of instrument it was and how many strings it had? And if you say that we still have these instruments today, who can tell you that this instrument is the one King David intended? Therefore, the Rav says: "And they build towers hovering in the air on the wings of the wind" - all these commentators and researchers build theories, castles in the air floating on the wings of the wind, with no basis in reality. And I will not occupy myself with that.
Aside from this, I found it proper to inform the reader that although in the commentary to this book I have not deviated from the paved path before me in all holy writings of its kind - which rise to speak sublime matters in the spirit of elevated expression - this palace of silver, too, is built as a complete quarried stone of towering grandeur, founded upon touchstones, precious hewn stones, and its details also rest upon bases that follow the faithful rules I maintain throughout Tanach.
Here too, in the study of Tehillim, the Malbim will follow the rules we find throughout Tanach, and we will see this later on: when multiple words appear, no two words are synonymous, and there is no such concept as repeating an idea in different words. Whenever there appears to be repetition, it is a sign that the text comes to express an additional idea. And when the same word is repeated twice in the same place, it is a sign that it refers to two distinct things, not the same thing. And many other rules that the Malbim taught us, which we have had the opportunity to learn in the books we studied until now - and he will follow this same approach in the commentary to Tehillim as well.
All of them are weighed on the scales of justice; there is nothing crooked or perverse in them. Therefore, it would be deemed utterly superfluous to add anything further regarding this matter, since I have already made known the rules and principles in the introductions to the books that were published first.
All his methods in explaining Tanach - how to explain, what he saw fit to elucidate, and in what manner - he has already included these rules in the introductions to earlier books, and therefore he sees no need to repeat them. "Which were published first (bikru rishonah)" - bikru with a chaf, from the root of bechor (firstborn), referring to those that were published first.
Nonetheless, the task of interpreting this book is wondrous and heavier in my eyes than the task of interpreting the other books, for several reasons.
In any case, interpreting Tehillim was no simple task, and it is unlike other books of Tanach. The Malbim now explains why.
First, because in most of the psalms - indeed, in nearly all of them - the statements that make up the psalm appear disjointed from one another, lacking any connection, flow, link, or relation at all.
This is a challenge that the Malbim also addressed and resolved wonderfully in his commentary on Sefer Iyov, and it is present here as well. There are chapters in Tehillim that describe, for instance, the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, where one can easily follow verse after verse and trace the entire historical progression. But most chapters are not like that; in them, each verse appears entirely disconnected from the next: "A psalm of praise by David: I will exalt You, my God, the King, and bless Your Name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and praise Your Name forever and ever. Great is Hashem and exceedingly praised..." - what is the connection between "Great is Hashem and exceedingly praised" and "Every day I will bless You"? One sees no direct continuation. And so it is in most verses of Tehillim: each verse stands on its own. When trying to discern a complete, unified idea, it is exceedingly difficult - unless the psalm describes an explicit event, such as David fleeing from his pursuers, and even then it is framed more as a prayer than as a narrative account. Therefore, explains the Malbim, a great difficulty arises in weaving the verses together and discovering the overarching message David HaMelech is conveying.
Therefore, the intention of the psalmist is hidden from the reader's eyes, concealed from his sight, too sublime for him to grasp; for throughout every psalm he finds many bones scattered across its entirety, with no breath of life in them.
"Hidden" (nifla'ah) means exalted and beyond human grasp. This is a poetic metaphor: throughout each psalm, one encounters many scattered bones with no spirit in them.
Therefore, I toiled with great effort until I found the axis and central theme of each psalm, until bone drew near to bone. Then I prophesied to the spirit, saying, "Come, O spirit, and breathe into these holy bones, that they may live" - and they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly vast army.
"The axis and central theme of each psalm" - its focal point and core subject. Through deep explanation, those dry, unexplained bones drew close to one another, bone to bone, just as Yechezkel prophesied to the wind to revive the dry bones. One then sees all those seemingly fragmented verses unite into a single living body: tightly woven, clear, valiant, all proclaiming the praise of Hashem, His might, and the wonders He has shown. This, then, is the first difficulty - the apparent lack of connection between the verses, making it hard to see how one verse continues from the previous one and what central theme the entire chapter revolves around.
Secondly, most of the songs, psalms, and prayers were founded upon events, chronicles, and circumstances experienced by the psalmist or his community during his lifetime or in days of old. It is the nature of poetry and rhetoric to condense expansive narratives into few words, as is well known. How, then, can we unravel the mysteries of these poems now, when the great Book of Chronicles, in which all the historical accounts and events that befell them were recorded, has been lost to us? Memories like proverbs of ashes have plunged into the abyss of oblivion; they have faded away, removed from mankind.
Many passages in Tehillim refer to specific situations David HaMelech experienced, yet not everything is recorded in Tanach - we lack historical descriptions for many of them. Where would they have appeared? "Behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles." Ancient kings kept royal annals recording the events of their reigns. Let there be no confusion: this does not refer to the biblical books of Divrei HaYamim I and II, but to ancient royal chronicles, and those works have been lost to us. If they are lost, how can we understand the historical context of many chapters in Tehillim? They describe situations from that era, yet the background story remains unfamiliar to us. Had we known the background, we would understand who is being spoken of, who that person was, what transpired, why David rebukes him, why he speaks so harshly of him, why he pleads for deliverance from him, and what the conflict was about. "Memories like proverbs of ashes" - figures who are now reduced to dust and ash; "have plunged into the abyss of oblivion" - the depths of forgetfulness; "they have faded away, removed from mankind" - they have drifted beyond human recall, and those historical events are no longer known.
And who can descend for us to the gates of the underworld to retrieve from there deeds and narratives of which no memory remains among the living who walk beneath the sun?
Who will come and bring those lost stories back to light, when we have no record of what they were?
Regarding this, too, I applied myself with God's salvation, watching diligently at the doors of the song and its words, until each and every word seemed to say to me, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." Every phrase I perceived winking with its eyes and gesturing with its fingers became eyes for me, through which I could peer through the lattice at the events of ancient days - bringing clarity and understanding to the text, and engraving it upon tablets so that one who reads it may run.
While we may not possess the background story itself, through the poem and its words one can decipher what transpired, even without any outside source. Every word, as it were, says: "Listen closely to me, I will teach you." "Winking with his eyes, pointing with his fingers" - an expression that hints, that points with a finger. "Through the lattice" - through the window, to peer into what occurred in history. And this is what the Malbim discerned in the text and elucidated in his commentary, so that the reader may run with it and understand what King David was speaking of here, what the composer of the psalm addressed.
Third: for unlike the simple poetic diction in which most sacred scriptures were written, the sublime poetic speech upon which this book was founded - by the sweet singer of Israel - is a tower of strength reaching into the heavens, with angels of God ascending and descending upon it. Exalted and lofty, exceedingly high, it surpasses the poetic rhetoric of all the sacred scriptures combined.
Another point: in the Book of Tehillim, the poetic expressions - the figurative language employed by King David - surpass those of all other books. The difference between poetic and ordinary language is that ordinary language is everyday spoken vernacular, and most of Tanakh is written in a fairly accessible, spoken style. But one who opens the Book of Iyov will quickly find himself lost: it contains many poetic idioms that are exceedingly difficult to comprehend, to the point that some suggest it was translated, which would explain why its expressions are so difficult. In the Book of Tehillim, too, we find many phrases that are not part of our everyday vocabulary, which are harder to understand and require contemplation and close study. Here lies sublime, exalted poetic speech - a book that is a tower of strength with its top in the heavens, angels of God ascending and descending upon it, high and exalted, surpassing the figurative prose of all the holy books.
All of its utterances were spoken in verse and weighed in poetic meter, all set on a balance and scale, in exact number and measure, with wisdom and understanding, all constructed with a measuring line and plumb bob. A plumb line and lead weight were set upon them. A tower of strength, a silver fortress, upon which the birds of heaven dwell, and from between the branches they sing all manner of praises to Him Who rides across the ancient heavens of heavens.
"Anach" (a plumb line) is an instrument used to check vertical alignment; "the lead weight" is a plumb bob, a weight suspended by a cord to measure whether a wall is straight. Here, the expressions and utterances are set with a balance, in number and measure, with wisdom and discernment - everything is composed with extreme precision.
Do not imagine this to be like the verses of contemporary poets, where someone tosses together a few words and calls it a poem. One flips through a dictionary, grabs a word from here and another from there: "It was like the weeping willows." Is that so? Truly? Completely weeping? Really, weeping with tears or without tears? What sort of willows were they, exactly? There are all sorts of ridiculous compositions out there; people write nonsense, and you sit there reading, trying to decipher what the poet meant.
Once, Nachman Bialik hosted an "Oneg Shabbat" - I believe at the Habima theater - where people would gather and discuss poetry, prose, and the like. There was a time when people considered themselves intellectuals, holding an Oneg Shabbat and charging admission at the door. The story goes that one day, someone approached Bialik and said that he interpreted a certain line in such-and-such a way, and surely Bialik had intended this meaning and that meaning. Bialik replied: "Is that so? I had no idea. Really, that is what I meant? I never knew." People attributed all sorts of ideas and fabrications to him. Some modern writers think: write something lofty and pretentious; whether people understand it or not, they will search for profound meaning and try to decipher it. But with King David, this is not the case. Every word is calculated with utmost precision, weighed on a scale, and perfectly aligned - crowned like a tower of strength and a silver palace, offering song and praise to the Holy One, Blessed be He, at the highest echelon of exactitude and depth.
Its sons shout for joy like divine beings with the morning stars, and its daughters in the Eden of God's garden also guard the song; among delightful blossoms they conduct upon the roses, amid maidens playing timbrels. Its musicians sing a maskil with deep contemplation upon the harp, and its choirmasters stride upon the vault of heaven, the sound of their wings like the voice of the Almighty as they go.
These are wondrous poetic expressions, depicting just how meticulously and magnificently the words were composed.
Who shall ascend for us unto this holy mountain of God? Who, on joyful wings, will soar like an eagle, spreading his wings over the cherubim and over the revolving flame of the song?
Who possesses such great and exceptional wings that they can reach so high? "The flame of the revolving song" - like the flame of the revolving sword. Who can truly fathom the depth of these expressions?
"Who would grant me, as my soul within me bows low; who would grant me wings like a dove, that I might fly and dwell in the secret stronghold of God's singers, these sweet chanters of melodies."
Once again he uses poetic language. Eiver means a wing - who would give me wings like a dove. (And incidentally, "to the holy Zion indeed" is not in Tehillim; it is not mentioned there.) Thus my soul bows low, yearns, and prays: that I may merit to reach the secret realm of these singers, the singers of God, these sweet chanters of melodies, and merit to understand their poetic allegories, their words, and what they are centered upon.
"Who will bring me into the Holy of Holies; who will bring me into the council of these holy ones, into the great assembly of the holy? Who will grant me understanding of their hidden secrets and mysteries, and cause an enlightened mind to rest upon me regarding their allegories and allusions? Who would grant that I might know - though I have not learned wisdom - what captivates their heart and what their eyes intimate? I would know the words he speaks, and understand what they say to me."
Who will grant me the merit to understand the secret of these holy ones, their hidden depths and mysteries, and gain insight into this? What their heart intends and what their eyes hint at - I have not learned wisdom; who would grant that I might know and understand their allusions? All these are biblical expressions: that I may know what words the poet speaks here, what he is saying, and what he wishes to hint at.
"Who would grant that I might understand when the daughters of song bow low and when they are exalted; when they walk with delicate, mincing steps, and when they walk into the House of God with deep emotion; when they sound a great roaring noise, and when, after the earthquake, a still, small voice; when they laugh and when they weep; one moment raging and the next moment appeased; when sparks soar aloft, kindlers of fire girded with sparks, flashes of fire, a divine flame; and when they pour pure water from tranquil streams, from the brook of their delights, to extinguish the blaze; when it moves like the appearance of torches among the Chayot, and the Chayot run and return like a flash of lightning; and when beneath the expanse of the awesome ice, their wings are straight, one toward the other, and when they stand, they drop their wings."
All of this is said about the words of the psalm: would that I might delve into them and understand them. There are expressions of wrath and expressions of conciliation; at times sharp, harsh expressions that emerge like flaming fire, and at times gentle expressions brimming with emotion.
"Why are you downcast, my soul, and why do you murmur; why do you fear, and why are you dismayed? Hope in God, lift your hands to Him, hope for the salvation of His presence. Stand on this holy ground, remove your shoes, draw near to the thick darkness, cast off your cloak, strike the waters so they part hither and thither, arise and cross over."
Tirhi is from the root of fear (yirah, spelled with a hei). Until now he was intimidated: he stood before a formidable task and a great burden, to attempt to understand what the words of the song express and to comprehend the depth of their message. But now he encourages himself: Why are you downcast, my soul - why should you be bowed low and humbled - and why do you murmur, why do you fear, and why are you dismayed? It is indeed difficult, but "Hope in God" - pray to God to come to your aid, lift your hands to Him, hope for the salvation of His presence. "Stand on this holy ground" - which is the commentary on Tehillim; "remove your shoes" - take off your shoes from your feet; "draw near to the thick darkness" - just as it is written of Moshe, who approached the thick darkness; "cast off your cloak, strike the waters so they part hither and thither" - just as Eliyahu struck the waters with his cloak and they parted; "arise and cross over."
"Do not fear to approach the thick darkness, so spoke to me the man clothed in linen with the scribe's inkhorn at his waist. And behold, a small cloud like a man's palm arose; hitch your chariot and go up, lest the rain stop you."
As it were, an angel appears to him and says: Do not fear to approach the thick darkness. There is indeed great obscurity here - the chapters of Tehillim are obscure and sealed - but do not fear; enter within. "The man clothed in linen with the scribe's inkhorn at his waist" - expressions from the Book of Daniel. "And behold, a small cloud like a man's palm" - this describes what occurred after Mount Carmel and the divine revelation of "Hashem is God": for three years there had been no rain, and then they saw a small cloud, a cloud the size of a man's palm, and Eliyahu the Prophet told Achav to hitch his chariot and go up, for if he did not rush home, the rain would catch him on the way.
Behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire; hasten, my soul, ascend! Ascend in the tempest of song and upon melodies heavenward, where is the dwelling of these holy princes? Ask, where is the council of the exalted? Inquire and search: behold, a band of prophets is descending toward you from the high place, with drum, lyre, and harp before them, and they are prophesying.
They too are holy advocates singing and chanting; they too are masters of riddles, composers of parables, speaking exalted things through the spirit of Hashem that speaks within them, His word upon their tongue. All these are expressions drawn from verses in the Prophets and the Writings, and he tells his soul to go, explain them, and delve deeply into them.
Behold, from afar they appeared to you, that you might enter their intimate council. Therefore they drew you with lovingkindness; they shall hold your right hand to open before you double doors and gates that shall not be shut; they shall bring you to the holy mountain, to the songs of praise and to their sanctuary, and you shall enter their secret and draw living waters from their springs.
In other words, the verses themselves will illuminate our path. Through a deep understanding and contemplation of them, and through grasping their subtle hints, it is as though they take us by the hand and usher us inside to comprehend the inner meaning of the words.
Yet beware of the 'stone of the strayers'; you have walked amidst stones of fire. Beware of any false notion, lest it profane you and cast you out from the holy mountain where you once stood.
Great caution is required, for otherwise one might fail to grasp the words correctly and distort them. You are walking amidst stones of fire, where the slightest stumble is perilous fire. Therefore, beware of the 'stone of the strayers' - of any place that may lead to error - and beware of any false notion, for that would banish and profane you from the holy mountain where you stood: you were privileged to ascend the holy mountain and delve into Tehillim, but if you distort it, that profanes the sanctity of the holy mountain.
Awake, harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn; awake, sweet singer of songs, I will sing to Hashem! Throughout all my being, Hashem, until now You have magnified Your lovingkindness; upon a worm such as myself You had compassion, and showed me all these things, which You emanated in Your wisdom; I will sing to You, for You have dealt bountifully with me.
For this I thank Hashem, Who had mercy on me to understand all the verses and all the scriptures, according to Hashem's kindness upon me.
As for me, may my prayer to You, Hashem, be at an acceptable time; gather Your lovingkindness unto me, be my help! How I love Your Torah; all day long it is my study. Your testimonies are my delight, the men of my counsel. May my soul live and praise You, and may Your judgments help me; I have delighted exceedingly, Hashem, for Your words have revived me. Uphold me according to Your promise that I may live, and do not put me to shame from my hope; Your mercies are abundant, Hashem, revive me according to Your judgments.
"And do not put me to shame from my hope" (mishibri) - do not dash my hopes. And here he signs: 22 Cheshvan 5628, Meir Leibush Malbim.
In his introduction, the Malbim unfolds the grandeur of Sefer Tehillim: a treasure house of praises and prayers, songs and melodies, beginning from the treasury of David HaMelech, who prayed in distress as in prosperity, through the contributions added by the elders of the generations - Moshe, Shlomo, Asaf, the sons of Korach, and down to the Babylonian exile and the return to Zion. He declares that he will not engage in investigations and speculations regarding the names of musical instruments at the headings of the psalms - castles in the air - but will follow the principles of interpretation he established throughout Tanach. He enumerates three difficulties in his task: verses scattered like dry bones without connection, until he found the central axis of each psalm and breathed spirit into it; the loss of the royal chronicles through which we might have understood the historical background of the psalms, until he deciphered it from the hints within the words themselves; and a sublime poetic language, measured with the utmost precision on balance and scale - unlike the poems of contemporary poets - standing like a tower of strength whose summit reaches the heavens. At the end, he encouraged his own soul: fear not to approach the thick cloud, but beware of the stumbling stones of error and every false notion. From here, with the help of Hashem, we set out on our path in the study of Tehillim itself.