Introduction: A Psalm of the Ill and the Persecuted
Chapter 6 of Tehillim is a short yet poignant psalm, entirely the prayer of a person experiencing dual distress. We will begin with the title and identity of the psalm, and from there we will proceed verse by verse in light of the commentary of the Malbim.
לַמְנַצֵּחַ בִּנְגִינוֹת עַל הַשְּׁמִינִית מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃ - For the conductor, with instrumental music, on the sheminis; a psalm of David.
What is "the sheminis"? Rashi explains that it refers to an eight-stringed harp - an instrument that had eight strings and was therefore called "sheminis", as it says in Divrei HaYamim concerning a certain Levite and his sons, "on the sheminis to direct." Ibn Ezra brings one explanation like Rashi, and a second explanation: a melody that has eight musical themes, which is why it says "binginos" in the plural, having several tunes and types of melody. And Chazal expounded "on the sheminis" as referring to circumcision, which was given on the eighth day, since milah is a mitzvah performed on the eighth day.
What the Psalm Is About
As is our practice, we seek to understand the situation in which the psalm was uttered, for David sang his psalms against the backdrop of circumstances in which he found himself. The Radak writes that David may have recited it regarding his own illness, or that it may have been composed for any person afflicted by illness - and we will see later that the psalm indeed addresses sickness. It turns out, then, that David composed here a psalm for a person enduring illness, so that he may find in it comfort, respite, and a pathway to prayer. And so the Radak says: David composed many psalms of prayer and supplication so that they would be readily available for any petitioner. David did not merely express his own personal plight, but prepared a formula for every individual on how to entreat Hashem. The Radak further cites in the name of "some say" that the psalm was spoken regarding the exile, and the sicknesses mentioned in it allude to the afflictions that the Jewish people endure in their exile.
We will study the psalm according to the Malbim, who explains that the psalm was composed concerning a very specific illness: after the incident of Batsheva, King David fell into a severe and prolonged illness, and he is now praying over that affliction. At the same time, David also suffered from his enemies, who hated him, persecuted him, and harassed him - particularly following the incident of Batsheva, as they now had an axe to grind, something to seize upon to supposedly demonstrate David's wickedness: "Now you see that everything we said was correct." Concerning both of these, David saw a need to pray. Thus, two enemies surrounded him: the external enemy - the adversaries tormenting him, and the internal enemy - the illnesses and bodily afflictions. It was against these two that he composed the psalm.
Anger and Wrath, Rebuke and Chastisement
יְהֹוָה אַל בְּאַפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי וְאַל בַּחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי׃ - Hashem, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
Anyone familiar with the Malbim immediately understands that there is much to say here: af (anger) versus cheimah (wrath), and tochechah (rebuke) versus yisurin (chastisement). The distinction between af and cheimah: af denotes outward anger - "for a fire has kindled in My nostril" - when a person is angry, his nose reddens, and in the cold steam even issues from it; af expresses the external. In contrast, cheimah is always internal - "and his wrath burned within him" - an internal burning that is not overtly visible. Importantly, the anger of af might not involve any internal anger at all, as is said concerning one who wishes to educate his children, that he should show them an angry countenance but not anger in the heart. On the other hand, internal cheimah may not be visible on the outside at all - a person burns inside, yet it is not apparent. That internal burning reflects hatred, enmity, and inner fury toward that person.
Likewise, there is a difference between tochechah and yisur. Rebuke (tochechah) is generally delivered through gentle words, and it shares an etymological root with debate (vikuach) - "and let us debate between the two of us" - to argue and see who can prove his righteousness, not through physical suffering. Furthermore, rebuke pertains to the future: when the Holy One, blessed be He, rebukes a person, He guides him toward the future so that he acts properly. Chastisement (yisur), on the other hand, comes through harsh words and sometimes actual physical afflictions, and it comes over the past, for a sin that has already been committed.
According to this, David's request is exact. "Do not rebuke me in Your anger" - the rebuke pertaining to the future, may it not be in af, in outward anger. The Malbim notes: he did not need to ask that the rebuke not be in cheimah, because rebuke is delivered through gentle words and certainly does not stem from wrath, hatred, or enmity; yet it is entirely possible that it be done with outward anger, and from this he asks to be spared. This is like a father who wishes to rebuke his son: he does not chastise him or strike him, but he shows him an angry countenance so that he will take the words to heart - "I am very displeased with you, do not do this, I am upset by what you did" - while inside he is calm, doing so only to deter him. Concerning this, David asks: at least save me from that outward anger.
And in contrast: "nor chasten me in Your wrath." Suffering comes on account of past sin, and it certainly comes with anger, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting about evil deeds, there is wrath and He is angry with man. Therefore David does not ask, "Do not chasten me in Your anger" - one cannot escape anger. What then does he ask? At least let there not come with it internal fury, an anger born of hatred and enmity; not like an enemy who inflicts suffering out of bearing a grudge, but rather "as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you" - "he who loves him disciplines him early," out of love. A child also knows that when his parents are angry with him, it is an outward anger, and he does not think that because of this they hate him. This is David's request.
The Illness That Spread to Body and Soul
חׇנֵּנִי יְהֹוָה כִּי אֻמְלַל אָנִי רְפָאֵנִי יְהֹוָה כִּי נִבְהֲלוּ עֲצָמָי׃ - Have mercy on me, Hashem, for I am languishing; heal me, Hashem, for my bones are terrified.
"For I am languishing" - my strength has been weakened by the illness. Radak explains that umlal is an expression denoting something cut off, as in "she who has many children languishes" - her children and her seed were cut off; and similarly "the feeble Jews" in Nechemiah, and "she who bore seven languishes" in Yirmiyahu. The source of this is from what is written, "for I will cut them down" (amillam), and from this also comes the word "to circumcise" (lamul) - to cut off the foreskin. "Heal me, Hashem, for my bones are terrified" - the illness is not merely superficial, but has already penetrated deep into the bones.
וְנַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָה מְאֹד וְאַתָּה יְהֹוָה עַד מָתָי׃ - And my soul is greatly terrified; and You, Hashem, how long?
And even more than this: the illness already touches the soul, which indicates something penetrating deep within. How long, Master of the Universe, will You not pity me and show me grace, when my soul is also in danger, meaning that this is a life-threatening situation? The Malbim adds that this also includes the spiritual soul - a matter of spiritual harm, of a soul being injured.
שׁוּבָה יְהֹוָה חַלְּצָה נַפְשִׁי הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ׃ - Return, Hashem, rescue my soul; save me for the sake of Your lovingkindness.
Please, Hashem, turn back from the wrath and the burning anger directed at me. "Rescue my soul" - extract my soul from the illness. "Save me for the sake of Your lovingkindness" - even if I am not worthy, do so for the sake of Your lovingkindness, for Your kindness, for You, Hashem, are abundant in kindness.
"For in Death There Is No Remembrance of You" - The Purpose of Creation Is Thanksgiving
כִּי אֵין בַּמָּוֶת זִכְרֶךָ בִּשְׁאוֹל מִי יוֹדֶה לָּך׃ - For in death there is no remembrance of You; in Sheol, who will give thanks to You?
"The remembrance of Your Name" means that the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is mentioned in connection with reality and existence, for He sustains the world, since Hashem brought everything into being, created everything, and fashioned everything. But regarding death, Hashem's Name is not mentioned. As Chazal say, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not link His Name with evil: in the account of Creation it is said, "And God called the light Day," whereas regarding darkness it says, "and the darkness He called Night" - it does not say "and God called." So too here: death is nothingness and absence, something upon which Hashem's Name is not mentioned.
Therefore David adds: "In Sheol, who will give thanks to You?" One who is absent from existence receives no goodness and no kindness from Hashem, and one who receives no goodness and kindness - how can he give thanks? Yet this is the very purpose of the creation of the world: "Everyone who is called by My Name, and whom I have created for My glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him" - the world was created so that man would give thanks to Hashem, blessed be He. Hashem asks no more of man than this: He bestows upon him all abundance, and only asks that he say thank you. If so, Master of the Universe, do not bring me to death and to Sheol, for there I will not be able to give thanks to You - "rescue my soul."
And what is the difference between death (mavet) and the grave (Sheol)? The Malbim explains: Sheol is the grave, which is already after death. Notice the exact phrasing of the verse: regarding death it says "there is no remembrance of You," yet thanksgiving can still exist - for a person can thank Hashem for the manner of death: there is a difficult death, there is an easy death, and there is death by a divine kiss. But there is no remembrance of Hashem's name for death itself. In contrast, "in the grave, who will give thanks to You?" - in Sheol, even thanksgiving ceases, as it says in Yeshayahu, "For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You." If so, Master of the Universe, do not bring me to this state.
Nights of Weeping
יָגַעְתִּי בְּאַנְחָתִי אַשְׂחֶה בְכׇל לַיְלָה מִטָּתִי בְּדִמְעָתִי עַרְשִׂי אַמְסֶה׃ - I am weary with my sighing; every night I drench my bed, with my tears I melt my couch.
Here David turns to speak about the enemies who oppress him, those who came to cause him anguish. I am weary from the multitude of my sighs, to the point that every night my bed becomes loathsome and melts from so much crying. There are several explanations for the expression ascheh. Rashi and the Malbim explain it from the root of sechi u'maos (refuse and loathsomeness) - my bed becomes loathsome from so many tears, until it is repulsive to lie upon. Rashi cites another explanation in the name of Menachem, that ascheh comes from the concept of swimming (sechiyah) - the tears on the bed are so plentiful that one could swim in them, as in the verse in Yeshayahu, "as the swimmer spreads out his hands to swim." The Ibn Ezra also cites this explanation, adding that some interpret ascheh as "I wash," from the Aramaic expression sechi benahra - "washed in the river," and mesuta as maschuta, a bathhouse. That is to say: every night I bathe in my tears in my bed.
And why specifically at night? The Radak offers two reasons. First: illness intensifies at night, for it is well known that sick people feel better in the morning and worse at night - hence the anomaly in what was said of Amnon, "Why are you so depressed morning after morning?" Second: men weep at night, when the members of the household are asleep and no one sees them, for they are embarrassed to cry during the day, whereas at night there is no discomfort.
And what is the difference between "my bed" (mitati) and "my couch" (arsi)? The Malbim explains: a mitah is anything a person leans and reclines upon, which is why it is called a mitah - because one reclines (sheyitu) upon it. An eres, however, is a special bed for young children, women, or the sick, as we learned in Tractate Keilim (chapter 16, mishnah 7), "the bed and the cradle (arisah)," and Rashi in Sanhedrin explains that an arisah is for infants - a specialized bed. "With my tears I melt my couch (arsi amseh)" - an expression of melting: the couch is as if dissolved from the abundance of my tears.
Eyes Wasted Away from Grief
עָשְׁשָׁה מִכַּעַס עֵינִי עָתְקָה בְּכׇל צוֹרְרָי׃ - My eye is wasted away from grief; it has grown aged because of all my oppressors.
Asheshah is related to ash (moth) - something that consumes, as in "and my bones are consumed (asheshu)." Rashi interprets it as related to ashashit (a glass lantern), meaning that the eye sees as though through glass and cannot see clearly. That is: from the intense anger and grief over what is happening to me, my eyes have decayed, or they have a covering over them, and have grown dislocated from their place. And the Malbim emphasizes: this is not because of the tears and weeping mentioned earlier, but rather "because of all my oppressors" - because of those who torment him, who are harder on him than the illness itself.
Depart from Me - For Hashem Has Heard
סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כׇּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן כִּי שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי׃ - Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for Hashem has heard the voice of my weeping.
You workers of wickedness, when Hashem hears the sound of my weeping - through that very fact He will remove you from upon me.
שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה תְּחִנָּתִי יְהֹוָה תְּפִלָּתִי יִקָּח׃ - The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will accept my prayer.
When Hashem hears all my weeping and my supplication, the Malbim explains, misfortune will overtake those enemies. And 'the Lord will accept my prayer' is like a parenthetical remark: there is no doubt that Hashem will take my prayer and accept it. What is the distinction between supplication (*techinah*) and prayer (*tefillah*)? *Tefillah* is greater than *techinah*, for the essence of *tefillah* is the pouring out of the soul, spiritual cleaving, and the soul's yearning to bond with its Source - and it is addressed solely to God. *Tefillah* is related to *petilah* (a twisted wick or cord) and *niftalti* (entwined), signifying that the one who prays binds himself and attains *deveikus* (cleaving) with God. *Techinah*, by contrast, does not possess that same dimension of cleaving, which is why the term can also be used toward a human being: a person may plead (*mitchanen*) with his fellow, yet one would never say 'I pray (*mitpalel*) to a person.' Supplication is a request on a lower level than prayer. Therefore, David says: Hashem will certainly take and accept the *tefillah*, and beyond that - Hashem has even heard my *techinah*, my very pleading.
Better to Be Ashamed for a Moment Now
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲלוּ מְאֹד כׇּל אֹיְבָי יָשֻׁבוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ רָגַע׃ - Let all my enemies be ashamed and terribly dismayed; let them turn back and be ashamed in an instant.
Two things will happen to the enemies: first, 'they shall be ashamed' - their shame will be immense; and second, 'and terribly dismayed' - the Holy One, blessed be He, will judge them and hold them accountable for their deeds. From here, David turns to his enemies with a moral plea: Is it not far better for you to repent now, rather than waiting until divine wrath overtakes you, bringing you overwhelming shame and profound dread?
This is the meaning of 'let them turn back and be ashamed in an instant': if you repent now, your shame will last only a fleeting moment - you regret what you did and ask for forgiveness; it is uncomfortable, but it is momentary and passes. But if you wait until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebukes you for what you have done to me - 'let them be ashamed and terribly dismayed,' an overwhelming shame and immense panic. It is therefore far better to endure a little embarrassment before me, to repent and ask forgiveness for what you did, than to have Hashem hear my prayer, remove all the workers of iniquity from me, and humble you as you deserve - for then the shame and dismay will be exceedingly great.
In Summary:
Psalm 6 is David's prayer from the depths of severe illness and under the siege of enemies - both an internal enemy and an external enemy. He opens with a precise plea: rebuke - not in anger, and chastisement - not in wrath, so that it is free of the anger born of hatred and hostility, but rather like the pain a father inflicts when disciplining his child out of love. From there, he describes the sickness that has penetrated from the body into his bones and soul, pleading: 'Return,' 'release me,' 'save me for the sake of Your lovingkindness' - for the very purpose of creation is to give thanks, whereas in death there is no mention of Hashem's Name and in Sheol there is no praise at all. Next, he describes nights of weeping and eyes wasted away from the grief inflicted by his tormentors, before declaring with firm confidence: 'Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity' - for Hashem has heard the sound of my weeping, accepted my prayer, and heard my supplication. He concludes with a call to his enemies: better for you a brief shame of repentance now, than overwhelming shame and terror when the Holy One, blessed be He, answers my prayer.