Introduction: Psalm 7 - Who is Cush the Benjamite?
Psalm 7 in Tehillim opens with an obscure heading, and the entire understanding of the psalm stems from this title. As is our practice, we try in every chapter to understand the context in which it was recited, and what historical incident prompted David to compose it. Here the commentators disagree: some say that the entire psalm revolves around King Saul, while others - notably the Malbim, whose approach we will primarily follow - explain that it refers to an entirely different person.
שִׁגָּיוֹן לְדָוִד אֲשֶׁר־שָׁר לַיהוָה עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כוּשׁ בֶּן־יְמִינִי׃ - A shigayon of David, which he sang to Hashem concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.
What is a "Shigayon"?
Rashi cites Menachem that shigayon is a term for song, named after a musical instrument, and he similarly interprets the verse in Chavakuk, "A prayer of Chavakuk, upon shigyonot." The Radak likewise writes that it refers to a type of musical melody. However, Chazal offer additional interpretations: shigayon derives from the root of mishgeh and shegagah, an error or unintentional transgression. King David prayed concerning an error - that he had sung praise upon the downfall of Saul, as it is written, "And David spoke to Hashem..." Thus, he saw a need to do teshuvah for this, and this is the meaning of "A shigayon of David, which he sang to Hashem" - concerning what he had sung to the Holy One, Blessed be He, over Saul's fall. Yet Rashi himself remarks that the rest of the psalm does not bear this out; that is, the continuation of the psalm does not indicate that this is what it is discussing.
Rashi's Explanation: The Incident of Yishbi-Benov
Rashi explains that the psalm was composed concerning the incident of Yishbi-Benov. It is taught that the Holy One, Blessed be He, confronted David with a reckoning, saying to him: Through you, Doeg the Edomite was banished; through you, Saul and his sons were killed. David prayed before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the Almighty said to him: I will give you a choice - either you will be delivered into the hand of an enemy and your descendants will not be wiped out, or your descendants will be delivered. Initially, David asked that he himself be delivered. But when he and Avishai encountered Yishbi-Benov and David faced grave danger, Avishai said to him: Reverse your prayer! Better that you live well, even if your sons must peddle wax - meaning, a person should not sacrifice himself for his children. David then reversed his prayer and pleaded that he not fall into the enemy's hands. This is "A shigayon of David" - David's misjudgment in asking the Holy One, Blessed be He, to be delivered into enemy hands, "concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite," referring to the matter of Saul, who was killed because of him. Therefore, he reversed his prayer and asked that he be saved and his descendants be delivered.
Another explanation: "A shigayon of David" refers to the error David committed when he cut off the corner of Saul's robe. According to this view as well, "Cush the Benjamite" is Saul. The Radak states that according to all the commentators, the reference is to Saul - though he obviously had not seen the Malbim, who lived several centuries later and took a completely different approach.
Why is Saul Called "Cush"?
"The Benjamite" is understandable, as he came from the tribe of Benjamin. But what is the significance of "Cush"? Chazal explain: Just as a Cushite is distinguished by his skin, so too Saul was distinguished in his deeds. According to the Radak's version: Just as a Cushite's skin does not change, so Saul did not change in his hatred toward David. A Cushite does not become lighter, his appearance does not change, and likewise Saul's hatred of David remained unyielding. Another possibility is that "distinguished in his deeds" is meant favorably, that his deeds were uniquely righteous, as Scripture states that there was none better than him in Israel, and it says, "Saul was one year old when he began to reign" - which Chazal interpret to mean like a one-year-old infant, free of sin, showing that in his righteousness he was distinct from ordinary men and on an exceptionally lofty level.
The Radak adds another explanation: He was called Cush because he was remarkably handsome, as in the verse regarding "the Cushite woman," which the Targum renders as ita shapirta - a beautiful woman. This was used as a euphemism, just as a person might affectionately refer to his handsome child as "Cushite" to shield him from the evil eye. According to this, "the words of Cush the Benjamite" refers to the handsome king of Israel, Saul the Benjamite. The Midrash offers another view: Why was he called Cush? Because it is written, "Even in your thoughts, do not curse a king." Since David was about to express something critical regarding Saul, he did not wish to mention him explicitly, but instead used an alias to spare him humiliation, following the principle that even in one's mind and private thoughts, one must not curse a king.
The Malbim's Explanation: Cush as an Individual in His Own Right
Thus far according to the interpretations that the psalm refers to Shaul: either that David regretted cutting the corner of the robe, or regretted praying that Shaul be delivered into the hands of his enemies, or regretted praising and singing to Hashem over Shaul's downfall. However, the Malbim explains that Cush ben Yemini was not Shaul, but rather an individual named Cush ben Yemini. This Cush pursued David, and not satisfied with that, took a group of men with him to fight against him. This counsel proved to be his undoing, for in the end, "He dug a pit and hollowed it out, and fell into the ditch he had made" - the very men he brought along fell through his own advice and actions, so their downfall came directly from their own doing.
Incidentally, even if we interpret that it refers to Shaul, the matter is explained in the same way - that his downfall came through his own doing. For Shaul was killed as a consequence of the episode of Nov, the city of the Kohanim, as it is said, "Through your hand he was banished" - David was blamed, because when he fled to Achimelech ben Achituv he implicated him, and Doeg the Edomite, who was there, reported this to Shaul, and Shaul slew all of Nov, the city of the Kohanim. Thus David was the catalyst for the deaths of the Kohanim of Nov, of Doeg, and of Shaul. And consider: Shaul killed Nov, the city of Kohanim, and was later killed in battle himself - his sword entered his own heart! He intended to strike David by killing those he perceived as David's accomplices, but in the end he struck himself, for by doing so he brought about his own death. And as we will see further on: he dug a pit, and into that very pit he made he fell.
The Malbim adds, and this is the central axis of the entire psalm: Cush and the group with him served, as it were, as the rod of the Holy One, Blessed be He's wrath to punish David; but once the Holy One, Blessed be He looks at the deeds of these wicked men in contrast to David's good deeds, His anger turns away from him, and He exacts retribution specifically from the pursuers. They pursued David - and the sword turns back upon them.
Verse 2: Seeking Refuge and Salvation
יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי בְּךָ חָסִיתִי הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִכָּל־רֹדְפַי וְהַצִּילֵנִי׃ - Hashem, my God, in You have I taken refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me.
"In You have I taken refuge" - and this itself is the reason You should save me. It is well known what the Vilna Gaon explains regarding the difference between trust (bitachon) and taking refuge (chasayah). "To trust" (livto'ach) stems from the root of a promise (havtachah) - someone made you a promise. "To take refuge" (lachasot) means no one promised you anything, but you go and shelter under their protection, like that kid that came to take shelter under Rebbe's cloak. It is like a person who, during a rocket barrage in the south, enters and takes shelter in a protected room: was he promised salvation? No - he takes refuge there without the protector having promised him anything. Concerning this, the Vilna Gaon says: "It is better to take refuge in Hashem than to trust in princes" - it is better to take refuge in Hashem even without a promise, than for a benefactor to come and promise to save you. With the Holy One, Blessed be He, taking refuge is more secure than any promise made by flesh and blood.
And what does deliverance add beyond salvation? The Malbim explains: "And deliver me" - that even if one has already been captured by the enemy, the Holy One, Blessed be He will deliver him from his hand, and afterwards bring him to complete salvation. Deliverance refers to a case where one has already fallen into the captor's hand and must be extricated from there.
Verse 3: Lest He Tear Like a Lion
פֶּן־יִטְרֹף כְּאַרְיֵה נַפְשִׁי פֹּרֵק וְאֵין מַצִּיל׃ - Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it into pieces, with none to deliver.
If You do not rescue me, he will tear my soul like a devouring lion. And see, Master of the Universe, that he is already rending my limbs, with none to deliver! The Malbim explains that after the lion tears its prey, it disarticulates the bones and separates them, and this is the meaning of porek. Ibn Ezra offers an intriguing interpretation: the lion is called porek because it breaks the neck (mifreket), from the same root. Either way, porek means that it tears the prey limb from limb. In other words: Master of the Universe, I am already in a state where I require immediate rescue.
Verse 4: If There Is Iniquity in My Hands
יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂיתִי זֹאת אִם־יֶשׁ־עָוֶל בְּכַפָּי׃ - Hashem, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands.
As we explained, that Kush was trapped by his own handiwork; David did not kill him, but rather the pit he dug was what brought him down. Nevertheless, there were those who blamed David for his downfall. It was not enough that the pursuer hunted him, and not enough that he fell by his own doing - they even blamed the pursued. It is always like this: they prepare explosives, blow up by their own devices - and in the end we are blamed; they dig tunnels, and blame us for interfering and sealing them with concrete. In the end, the righteous are always blamed. And so they blamed David because that Kush who pursued him was ensnared in the work of his own hands and fell into the pit he had dug.
To this David responds: Even if I had done it myself, and even if I had killed him - there would be no injustice in my hands, for he came to kill me, and if someone comes to kill you, rise up early to kill him first. "Hashem my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands" - is there any wrongdoing in killing someone who comes to kill me?
According to the Metzudat David and the commentaries that follow Chazal's approach, that the psalm addresses David's remorse regarding Shaul, the verse refers to the cutting of the corner of the robe, about which it is written, "David's heart struck him." Regarding this, David says: Is there injustice in my hands for having shamed him and leaving the king in a torn robe like a common person?
Verse 5: If I Have Repaid with Evil One at Peace with Me
אִם־גָּמַלְתִּי שׁוֹלְמִי רָע וָאֲחַלְּצָה צוֹרְרִי רֵיקָם׃ - If I have repaid evil to one at peace with me, or stripped my oppressor without cause.
"Sholemi" - one who was at peace with me, as the Radak explains. The Malbim takes the same approach, interpreting it as "my ally," but he explains the end of the verse differently: "va'achaletzah" comes from the language of arming for battle (chalutzim). That is to say: Did I repay my ally with evil by arming myself to fight against one who oppresses me without cause and for nothing? Is there anything wrong with going to fight someone who pursues me for no reason?
The Radak, on the other hand, explains: One who was at peace with me - did I repay him with evil as he does to me? For I was at peace with him; I was Shaul's son-in-law, I fought his battles - yet he pursues me and repays me evil for good. On the contrary, Master of the Universe, see that not only did I not repay him with evil, but "I rescued my oppressor empty-handed" - I spared the one who oppressed me and let him go empty-handed, meaning I saved him from death and did not exact any price from him.
And where do we see this? When David and Avishai went at night to take the water jug from beside Shaul as he lay inside the encampment, Avishai said: "Please let me strike him with the spear into the earth with one stroke, and I will not need a second one" - do not fear that he will get up and be able to fight. But David replied: "Who can stretch forth his hand against Hashem's anointed and remain innocent?" and refused under any circumstances. Likewise in the cave: "And David restrained his men with words, and did not permit them to rise up against Shaul." They told him: Here, this is what Hashem said, that He would deliver your enemy into your hand, the time has come - yet David was completely unwilling. Thus, I sent away empty-handed the one who oppressed me.
Verse 6: Let the Enemy Pursue My Soul
יִרַדֹּף־אוֹיֵב נַפְשִׁי וְיַשֵּׂג וְיִרְמֹס לָאָרֶץ חַיָּי וּכְבוֹדִי לֶעָפָר יַשְׁכֵּן סֶלָה׃ - Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and trample my life down to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust, Selah.
The enemy pursues my soul, and also overtakes and tramples my life down to the earth, and in addition lays my honor in the dust, bringing it down to the very ground. How was this expressed? In that he not only pursued David, but even gave his pursuit a supposed legal justification - that David was the one pursuing him and seeking to usurp the kingship. It was not enough that he pursued me, but he also portrayed me in a humiliating manner, as someone deserving of death and someone trying to snatch the throne.
This is according to the approach of the Malbim. However, the Malbim also addresses the interpretation of Chazal that Kush ben Yemini is Shaul, according to which David's intention was: It was in my power to strike him down, as we saw when I cut the corner of his robe, and had I killed him, it would have been fully justified by law, since the halachah is that if someone comes to kill you, rise up early to kill him first. "Let the enemy pursue my soul" - he had the legal status of a rodef (pursuer), and one who pursues my life is permitted to be killed - and yet I did not do so. And "Selah," as we have always explained according to the Malbim, signifies that here the matter concludes; from this point forward, David begins to describe the downfall of Kush.
Grammar: "Yirdof" - Kal and Kaved Combined
Before that, let us examine the word "yirdof" itself. The Malbim explains that it is a compound word blending both the *kal* (simple) and *kaved* (intensive) verb forms. As noted several times, many words in Lashon HaKodesh can be phrased either in the *kal* form or in the *kaved* form: "rotze'ach" in the *kal*, and "meratze'ach" in the *kaved*. It is called *kaved* ("heavy") because it is heavier on the vocal organs - "rotze'ach" emerges easily from the mouth, whereas "meratze'ach" emerges with heaviness. So too with "rodef" versus "meradef". The general rule is that the *kal* form indicates that the action is done simply, while the *kaved* form indicates that the action is done with intensity.
Here, the Malbim says, there is a combination of both: "yirdof" is on the one hand like *kal*, and on the other hand like "meradef", which is *kaved*. Why? Because "meradef" does not necessarily mean that he alone is the pursuer, but is a causative form - he causes others to pursue, just as "ma'aseh" causes others to act. Thus, two meanings are present here: he pursues on his own, and not content with that, he also incites others to pursue him. Therefore, it is phrased in a form that encompasses both, conveying a dual meaning: he pursues on his own and causes others to pursue after him.
In summary:
We opened with "Shiggayon of David" and the dispute among the commentators: according to Rashi, the Radak, and Chazal, this refers to Shaul, who is called "Cush" because he did not change in his hatred, or on account of his beauty, or so as not to explicitly disgrace a king; whereas according to the Malbim, Cush the Benjamite was a distinct individual who pursued David, incited others along with him, and fell into the pit he had dug. David opens with taking refuge - "in You I have taken refuge", which itself is the cause of salvation - and asks for immediate rescue from the tearing lion. Afterward, he submits himself to judgment: there is no injustice in my hands, I did not repay evil to someone at peace with me, and I even released my oppressor empty-handed when it was in my power to kill him. The entire progression leads to one fundamental principle: the pursuers fall through the power of their own actions, and the sword they aimed at the righteous person turns back into their own heart.