Introduction
In this part of Chapter 64, we reach the climax of the psalm: the description of the pursuers searching for fabrications and false pretexts, and opposite it, a sudden turnaround - the Holy One, Blessed be He, shoots His arrow at them, and the traps they laid become their own blows. We will follow the order of the verses and explore the approaches of the commentators: Rashi, who interprets the psalm as referring to Daniel; Radak and Ibn Ezra, who apply it to David and his pursuers; and the Malbim, who analyzes every single word and nuance of language.
"They search out iniquities" - A Pretext or Iniquity
יַחְפְּשׂוּ עוֹלֹת תַּמְנוּ חֵפֶשׂ מְחֻפָּשׂ וְקֶרֶב אִישׁ וְלֵב עָמֹק׃ - They search out iniquities; they have completed a diligent search; the innermost thoughts of a man and a deep heart.
At first glance, "olot" sounds like a positive thing - what is wrong with an olah offering (burnt offering)? However, none of the commentators interpret it here as referring to a sacrifice, but rather either as a fabricated pretext (alilah) or as an iniquity (avlah).
Rashi explains: "They search out iniquities (olot)" - they were seeking pretexts and false accusations, as it says in Daniel Chapter 6: "They sought to find a pretext against Daniel" - they searched for an excuse, a reason to bring Daniel down, to dig a pit for him and place an obstacle before him so that he would stumble into it.
And what is the meaning of "tamnu chefes mechupas"? Rashi explains: they concealed in their hearts and did not reveal their intent regarding the search for the pretext that was sought out by them. In other words, Rashi reads "tamnu" (תמנו) as if it were written "tamnu" (טמנו, with a tet) - they hid or buried - even though it is spelled with a tav. This is an approach of Derash, for this entire exposition is a homiletical reading of the psalm, as the psalm itself makes no mention of Daniel at all, and it is Chazal who interpreted it as applying to him. They concealed it in their hearts so that people would not know they were searching for a pretext against Daniel.
And regarding this the verse continues, "the innermost thoughts of a man and a deep heart" - these thoughts remained within their inward thoughts and in the depths of their hearts, and they did not reveal that their target was Daniel. And why does it use the singular "an inward thought of a man" (kerev ish) when referring to many people? It is a general rule: when the text shifts from plural to singular, the intention is each and every one of them - every single one of them concealed his thought deep within himself.
Radak and Ibn Ezra: They Exhausted the Search
Radak explains "olot" as "avlot" (iniquities), as if eliding the letter vav. These individuals, who slandered David to Shaul and spoke ill of him, were men of deceit and treachery, workers of iniquity. They continuously probed, investigated, and pursued David, searching for faults, wrongdoing, and flaws in him.
And what is the meaning of "tamnu chefes mechupas"? Ibn Ezra and Radak explain "tamnu" as related to "tamemu" - meaning they completed and exhausted the search. Everything a person could possibly think of, everything a person could possibly investigate - they reached the absolute limit of the search. Anything a person could imagine: perhaps David did this, perhaps David planned that - all through their stratagems, such that no man could delve deeper than they did in schemes and calculations. They reached the ultimate extreme of cunning plots and evil schemes against me, until they had exhausted every possible search. There is no greater extremity than the lengths to which they went in searching out iniquities against me.
The Malbim: Blackening Reputations to Justify Persecution
The Malbim also explains "olot" as derived from avlot (iniquities, injustices): they seek to show that David committed an injustice, thereby justifying their own actions. As we explained in previous chapters, this was the way of David's enemies - to smear him and tarnish his reputation. When someone hates someone else and wants everyone to hate him, he must find reasons that seem real; otherwise, he will not succeed in convincing others why they should hate him. Therefore, he must show: he is an evil person, he commits evil deeds, he is someone from whom one must keep one's distance. For this reason, they constantly sought to pin negative deeds on David.
This is why the episode of Batsheva fell into their hands like ripe fruit: "Look, we told you all along that this man is wicked, that he acts in secret - now his shame is exposed, now everyone knows who David really is!" They were constantly looking to fabricate stories about him, as David himself said: "That which I did not steal, I must then restore" - whenever anything was stolen, surely it was David; whenever anything was taken, it was David. This was how they constantly accused him, in order to justify their persecution of him.
And if you will, this is a pattern that repeats in every generation: in place of David stand the observant community, and in place of Doeg and Achitophel stands the media. This is always the scheme: to show how negative they are, how bad they are, and thus justify the relentless campaign against them - "look, here are the facts!" But have you ever tried to present the other side as well? Have you ever tried to show the observant community in its positive light, or do you always search for every flaw and place a magnifying glass over it? "Look, they held a wedding there - do you see who is spreading disease?" On the other hand, when filming crowds at the beach, they explain that people were feeling suffocated and needed some fresh air, interviewing people who describe how they just could not take it anymore. The exact same picture - only the interpretation given to it is different.
In this manner, they scrutinized David's actions with a magnifying glass in order to accuse him, "until they completed a diligent search" - searching in every conceivable place. Yet they found no open wrongdoing on King David's part. What was the next stage? "The inward thought of man, and the heart, is deep" - the Malbim applies "they search out iniquities" to the end of the verse as well: once they found nothing externally, they began to search for iniquities within his heart and his hidden motives, claiming that his inner character was corrupt.
This is a well-known reality: when a person cannot accuse his fellow of an actual misdeed, he shifts to claiming that he at least planned to do something wrong. You cannot show what he actually did, so instead you claim: "I will tell you what is in his heart; I know what his plans are." When there is no evidence of an action, people point to intent. This is common even in courts of law: when there is no tangible wrongdoing to attach, they argue, "True, but he plotted it, he had that desire, and everything was leading in that direction." As was argued against Netanyahu: you claim he bought favorable media coverage with money - where is this favorable media coverage? Who covered him favorably? The reply: "True, but he wanted it. It is enough that he wanted it." When there are no actions, people level accusations based on intentions: what is he planning in his heart? "The inward thought of man, and the heart, is deep" - who knows what evils lie buried there?
"God will shoot them with an arrow suddenly"
וַיֹּרֵם אֱלֹהִים חֵץ פִּתְאוֹם הָיוּ מַכּוֹתָם׃ - But God shall shoot an arrow at them; suddenly they shall be wounded.
Rashi continues his homiletical interpretation regarding Daniel: they cast Daniel into the lions' den, and in the end the king rushed to the den to see whether the God of heaven had saved Daniel - and found him alive and well. Then, "The king commanded, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and cast them into the lions' den" - the king took all those who had slandered Daniel and cast them into the lions' den. This is "God will shoot them with an arrow suddenly": Hashem struck them like an arrow, all of a sudden. Just as they sought to "shoot in secret at the innocent suddenly," so too their own downfall came upon them suddenly.
The Conversive Vav - Past in Place of Future
The Radak makes a precise grammatical observation: "vayorem" is not a standard future form, but rather a past form used in place of the future. As is well known, the letter vav serves several functions: there is the conjunctive vav (vav ha-chibur) - as in "Moshe and Aharon," connecting the two. There is the disjunctive vav (vav ha-chiluk) - when one says such and such, the meaning is either this or that, the vav distinguishing between them (which is why contracts today use "and/or"). And there is the conversive vav (vav ha-hiphuch), which transforms past into future and future into past.
For example: yikach is future - he will take tomorrow, not yesterday. But when a vav is prefixed - vayikach et ha-ma'achelet ("and he took the knife") - the meaning is that he took it in the past; the vav converted the future into the past. Conversely: lakach is past, but when the Torah commands, ve-lakach et shene ha-se'irim ("and he shall take the two goats") - the meaning is that he will take them; the vav converted the past into the future.
Accordingly, in "vayorem Elohim chetz pit'om" - the patach under the vav teaches that this is past in place of future, and likewise with "vayachshiluhu," "vayira'u," and "vayagidu" - all are past forms functioning as future, as is the common idiom throughout prophetic writings. David is saying: just as they shot the arrow of their words at me suddenly, so will God suddenly shoot an arrow at them, and their blow will come upon them without warning. According to the Radak, this refers to the Ziphites and those who spoke ill of David to curry favor with Saul. Furthermore, the word "suddenly" (pit'om) modifies both what precedes it and what follows it: "God will shoot them with an arrow suddenly," and also "suddenly they shall be wounded" - either the arrow is sudden or their wounds are sudden, and both are true, as the Radak explains.
The Malbim explains: they sought "to shoot in secret at the blameless," and therefore Hashem shot an arrow at them. And "their wounds will be" refers back to the snares they laid - the very snares they set for me were their blows and the cause of their downfall. This is like the concept of "He dug a pit and hollowed it out, and fell into the ditch he made" - the very pit he dug was the place into which he fell.
"And their own tongue will cause them to stumble"
וַיַּכְשִׁילוּהוּ עָלֵימוֹ לְשׁוֹנָם יִתְנֹדְדוּ כׇּל רֹאֵה בָם׃ - And they will cause them to stumble, their tongue is upon themselves; all who see them will shake their heads.
Rashi explains: the downfall with which they intended to bring Daniel down - their tongue was turned against them. That very evil speech you uttered against Daniel in order to harm him was turned back upon you: your aim was to cast him into the lions' den, and you yourselves were thrown there.
And what is "yitnodedu"? Rashi explains: like shaking their heads (yanidu berosham). When people mock someone, they shake their heads at him - similarly, all who see them will shake their heads in mockery and say: look, this is what you wanted to do to him, and in the end you fell into that very trap yourself. It is like what we sometimes hear about a "workplace accident" involving someone who tried to assemble an explosive charge, where a person shakes his head and says: he had it coming; what you tried to do has fallen back on you.
Radak also interprets the past tense here as future: they will bring their own tongue's downfall upon themselves, and the evil things they spoke against me will rebound upon them, in the spirit of "and he fell into the ditch he made." In his view, "yitnodedu" denotes fear: out of the great panic and downfall, everyone who sees them will be terrified and flee from his place, fearing lest the same fate befall him.
The Malbim writes: their tongue caused them to stumble, and in the end they fell into those very snares. All commentators point in the same direction; the only question is what specific incident this refers to. According to the Malbim, they sought to entrap David and therefore slandered him - such as what Doeg the Edomite said regarding Nov, the city of Kohanim, that Achimelech son of Achituv helped David flee from Saul and gave him a sword; and as we explained in previous chapters, it was all a lie in the way he presented the facts. And who ended up having to slaughter the Kohanim? He himself. Doeg was caught like a fish, and he went and murdered them himself - trapped and condemned by his own tongue, "your mouth has testified against you."
Likewise, we saw earlier in the Malbim that Doeg claimed Saul had to kill David because David was seeking to kill him - whereas that was never the case, and David never pursued Saul. And who ultimately killed Saul? Doeg. Chazal teach that the Amalekite youth who came and said that convulsions had seized Saul and Saul asked him, "Kill me" - that was Doeg the Edomite. Even though it is not certain that he actually did so, he came to curry favor with David, saying: I am the one who killed your enemy. David answered him: "Your mouth has testified against you" - you yourself testified against yourself, so now pay the price, and he had him killed. Achitophel, as is well known, hanged himself, and Doeg was killed because of his own words. You see: you spoke lashon hara against David, claiming he wanted to kill Saul, and in the end your own mouth brought your downfall, when you said, "I killed Saul," and for that you were put to death. "All who see them will shake their heads" - all who witness this will say: see, your own mouth brought your downfall; you uttered an untruth, and by that very thing you stumbled and died.
"And all men shall fear" - Recognizing Divine Providence
וַיִּירְאוּ כׇּל אָדָם וַיַּגִּידוּ פֹּעַל אֱלֹהִים וּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ הִשְׂכִּילוּ׃ - And all men shall fear, and they shall declare the work of God, and they shall understand His deed.
Through this, all people will become fearful and reverent when they see how the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes measure for measure. Consequently, "they shall declare the work of God" - they will recognize that the retribution came from Hashem. Whenever one sees a punishment that is measure for measure, the hand of Hashem is clearly visible: it is not a coincidence, for in the very thing he plotted, he stumbled, and through the very words he spoke, he was put to death. Thus everyone will say: this is the work of Hashem; there is Divine providence in this judgment. And through this, "they shall understand His deed" - they will reflect upon the works of Hashem and understand that they must follow in His ways. It will not be as they used to say earlier, as Radak explained on "Who shall see them?" - who will see us? Now people will understand: there is One who sees, there is One who observes, and He repays measure for measure. In this way, they will come to recognize Hashem's governance.
The Malbim notes the precise distinction between "po'al" (work or action) and "ma'aseh" (completed deed): "po'al" is the active engagement in an endeavor, the process prior to the result - as in, "I am working on the matter" - whereas "ma'aseh" is the completion of the thing, brought to final execution. Consequently, they will understand that not only is Hashem actively involved in the matter, but He also brought it to completion and brought about the finished deed.
"The Righteous Shall Rejoice in Hashem"
יִשְׂמַח צַדִּיק בַּיהֹוָה וְחָסָה בוֹ וְיִתְהַלְלוּ כׇּל יִשְׁרֵי לֵב׃ - The righteous shall rejoice in Hashem and take refuge in Him, and all the upright of heart shall glory.
Rashi explains this regarding Daniel: he had no fear of the king's decree forbidding prayer to any god, remaining steadfastly attached to Hashem, and ultimately Hashem saved him. "And all the upright of heart shall glory" - they will take pride in the uprightness of their heart and praise it, for since Daniel was saved, we too know that if we cling to Hashem, He will save us. Consequently, they will have no fear, for they witnessed a person who cleaved to Hashem and made Hashem his trust, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, saved and redeemed him.
Radak explains that David is referring to himself. How can he call himself "righteous"? Just as we have already seen him describe himself as "wholesome and innocent." He does not intend to declare, "I am righteous" in an absolute sense, but rather that in this dispute between them and him, he is the righteous party and they are the wicked ones: they heap false accusations upon me, claiming that I seek to kill Shaul and that I am pursuing him - and in this regard, I am righteous. "The righteous shall rejoice" - the one who is in the right in his dispute, who truly merits salvation.
The Malbim explains "The righteous shall rejoice in Hashem" along the lines of the verse, "It is joy to the righteous to do justice": the wicked fear judgment, but the righteous person, on the contrary, rejoices in it. "And take refuge in Him" - he will see that Hashem saves those who take refuge in Him. "And all the upright of heart shall glory" - in the fact that they serve Hashem and find salvation in Him, and through this they will glory in Hashem, Blessed be He, for "in His Name they shall glory." Alternatively, this can be understood to mean that people will praise them, saying: look at the one who took refuge in Hashem and made Hashem his trust - the Holy One, Blessed is He, saved and redeemed him.
In Summary:
The pursuers "devise iniquities" - inventing false pretexts and injustices: they searched David under a magnifying glass until they had exhausted every conceivable investigation, and when they found no actual misdeed, they accused him based on what they claimed was deep in his heart and thoughts. Yet in the end, the arrow they shot boomeranged back at them: the snares they concealed became their own undoing, and their very own tongue caused them to stumble. Doeg, who spoke slander, was condemned by his own mouth and slain through his own mouth; similarly, those who maliciously accused Daniel were themselves cast into the lions' den. Through the punishment that arrives measure for measure, everyone recognizes Hashem's hand: "And they declare the work of God" - that He did not merely act, but brought the matter to absolute completion. Ultimately, "The righteous shall rejoice in Hashem" - the righteous person rejoices in justice and in taking refuge in Hashem, and all the upright of heart glory in His Name, seeing that whoever makes Hashem their trust - the Holy One, Blessed is He, saves and redeems them.