This chapter is the prayer of King David from the depths of distress, and he also speaks on behalf of the Congregation of Israel in her exile. In the section before us, David continues his plea for deliverance, details the great disgrace and shame that the nation suffers at the hands of its enemies, asks that the Holy One, blessed be He, exact retribution from them, and concludes with thanksgiving and song over the future salvation. We will proceed through the pesukim in order, explaining them according to the Malbim, Radak, and Ibn Ezra.
וְאַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מֵעַבְדֶּךָ כִּי־צַר־לִי מַהֵר עֲנֵנִי׃ - And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress; answer me speedily.
"Do not hide Your face" is a continuation of "turn to me" stated earlier: when a person does not want to see his fellow, he hides his face from him. David asks: do not hide Your face from me. The Malbim notes with precision - it is not enough that You answer me and turn to me, but that the deliverance itself should not be hidden. Sometimes there is deliverance and we do not see it; it is not evident. David asks that the rescue be manifest, that I see the "face" of Hashem in how He rescues me - like hearing the rescue planes drawing near. Furthermore: "For I am in distress; answer me speedily" - that the rescue should not come with delay, but swiftly, because the distress I am in requires immediate salvation.
קׇרְבָה אֶל־נַפְשִׁי גְאָלָהּ לְמַעַן אֹיְבַי פְּדֵנִי׃ - Draw near to my soul, redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies.
The Radak explains: "Draw near" - as though Hashem were distant from the soul, for I am in exile, and in exile a person is, as it were, at a distance from Hashem. Therefore: draw near to my soul and redeem it, take it out of exile. And what is "ransom me because of my enemies"? So that the enemies will not say that You lack the power to ransom me. In other words, to silence the mouths of my enemies - ransom me. By extension, this implies: even if on my own account I am neither worthy nor deserving of Your kindness and Your abundant mercies mentioned in verse 17, still, "ransom me because of my enemies." This is the same sufficient justification as "Why should the nations say" - the nations argue: look how much they suffer, Hashem has abandoned them, there is no God. To prevent His Name from being desecrated in the world - that alone is reason enough.
The Malbim distinguishes between redemption (ge'ulah) and ransoming (pediyah): redemption comes through closeness of relationship, as in the redemption by kin - "either his uncle or his uncle's son shall redeem him"; whereas ransoming is on account of the object itself, on its own merit. These correspond to the soul and the body: "Draw near to my soul, redeem it" - the soul is a portion of God from above, and it has no closer redeemer than You; therefore, redeem it by virtue of this kinship. But the body is corporeal, dust from the earth, and is not Your kin; therefore, "ransom me because of my enemies" - ransom it on its own account, since it has fallen into the hands of its enemies, so that they do not destroy it.
The Chasidim say regarding "Draw near to my soul, redeem it": although we anticipate the complete redemption of all Israel, until then each individual must also ask for a personal redemption. A redemption from all troubles, from subjugation to worldly powers, and from everything a person endures; and also a spiritual redemption - from the yetzer hara and from all struggles, so that a person may be redeemed from all his afflictions and merit drawing close to Hashem and serving Him with wholeness.
אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ חֶרְפָּתִי וּבׇשְׁתִּי וּכְלִמָּתִי נֶגְדְּךָ כׇּל־צוֹרְרָי׃ - You know my reproach, my shame, and my humiliation; all my adversaries are before You.
The Radak explains that this repetition comes to teach that every kind of disgrace has passed over me - reproach, shame, and humiliation, all of which are forms of degradation, and none is hidden from You. "All my adversaries are before You" - the tormentors do not fear You at all; they oppress me right before Your face, as though they imagine You do not see.
The Malbim draws a parallel between this verse and what preceded it: Corresponding to spiritual redemption is "You know my reproach and my shame," which is borne for Your sake, as it says, "Because for Your sake I have borne reproach" - for they reproach me because I serve You and cling to faith in You. And corresponding to the redemption "because of my enemies," so that my foes do not destroy me, is "all my adversaries are before You" - You see them and have seen how they harass me with their plots.
And what is the distinction between these three terms? The Malbim refers back to his explanation above on verses 7-8: "Let not those who hope in You be ashamed through me... let not those who seek You be humiliated through me... for for Your sake I have borne reproach." Boshet (shame) comes from within oneself; a person feels ashamed on his own. Kelimah (humiliation) occurs when others humiliate him. And cherpah (reproach) is even worse than humiliation, for it is not enough that they humiliate him, but they also reproach and insult him. Moreover, humiliation is specifically to his face, whereas reproach comes about due to a specific reason, while humiliation can occur even without any reason - meaning that humiliation adds another layer of distress beyond reproach.
חֶרְפָּה שָׁבְרָה לִבִּי וָאָנוּשָׁה וָאֲקַוֶּה לָנוּד וָאַיִן וְלַמְנַחֲמִים וְלֹא מָצָאתִי׃ - Reproach has broken my heart, and I am desperately sick; I hoped for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
The reproach with which they revile me has already broken my heart. The Malbim consistently emphasizes that the heart is the source of life, meaning that the very source of life has been shattered - to the point of "and I am desperately sick" (va'anushah), a mortal blow, as in the expression for a critically ill person (choleh anush). David depicts himself as one who has died, for whom people seek comfort: "I hoped for sympathy" - that someone would nod their head and share in my sorrow. "To nod" (lanud) is like a person who shakes his head and says, "Oy, oy, oy"; that is the nodding referred to here. I hoped that someone would feel my pain, but there was none. "And for comforters, but I found none" - I longed for people to come and console me in the manner that one comforts a mourner who has lost a relative, yet I found none.
And what is the difference between nodding in sympathy and offering comfort? The Malbim cites Yeshayahu 59 to show that shaking the head in sympathy typically comes from close relatives, which is why it says "and there was none" - for I have no relatives left. Consolation, on the other hand, also comes from others, and regarding this he says, "and I found none" - even among others, I could not find anyone who would come to console me.
וַיִּתְּנוּ בְּבָרוּתִי רֹאשׁ וְלִצְמָאִי יַשְׁקוּנִי חֹמֶץ׃ - They put gall into my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
All the commentators explain that baruti is an expression of eating a meal, as in "Let my sister Tamar come... that I may eat (ve'evrah) from her hand." The Radak explains: Even when I seek to dine in exile, hoping for a bit of rest and respite from them - like a hungry person wishing to eat - even that they do not grant me. Instead, they put rosh (gall) into my meal, as in "gall and wormwood," types of poison. And when I am thirsty and hope to rest a little and drink, they give me vinegar to drink. In other words, even in the moments when I hope for a brief respite - even then they torment and harass me.
The Malbim explains that this refers specifically to the seudat havra'ah (the mourner's meal), continuing the previous imagery of a mourner who needs comforters and someone to sympathize with him. The seudat havra'ah is not, as people often mistakenly think, what is served on the seventh day of mourning; rather, it is the first meal provided for mourners upon returning from the cemetery, which they do not eat from their own food, but from what neighbors and relatives provide. And here, at the mourner's meal, to compound my grief, they serve me poison; and instead of offering me wine - as was their custom, "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those of bitter heart" - they give me vinegar to drink.
יְהִי־שֻׁלְחָנָם לִפְנֵיהֶם לְפָח וְלִשְׁלוֹמִים לְמוֹקֵשׁ׃ - May their table before them become a snare, and their peace a trap.
Radak explains that this corresponds to "for my food": just as they put poison in my food, so may their table before them become a snare - this is their punishment for what they did to my table. "And their peace a trap" - in contrast to what they hope will bring peace, it will be a trap for them, an ensnaring snare, a pit into which one falls and an obstacle upon which one stumbles.
Malbim explains the distinction between a *pach* (snare) and a *mokesh* (trap): When one wished to hunt a bird, one would prepare a snare, placing food inside, and the snare would close or prevent the bird from escaping, leaving it trapped inside - like a mousetrap designed as an enclosure, where the mouse enters and is captured alive rather than killed. Therefore he asks, "May their table before them become a snare" - that they be trapped in it; whereas the *mokesh* is that which harms, and therefore "and their peace a trap" - what they imagine to be peace will become a trap that injures them. And all of this is measure for measure for what they did to me.
תֶּחְשַׁכְנָה עֵינֵיהֶם מֵרְאוֹת וּמׇתְנֵיהֶם תָּמִיד הַמְעַד׃ - May their eyes grow dark from seeing, and cause their loins to falter continually.
After asking that a trap be set for them, he asks that their eyes grow dark so they will not see the trap, causing them to be ensnared and harmed by it. "And cause their loins to falter continually" - through this they will stumble and fall into the snare. Radak explains that *hama'ad* ("cause to falter") is an imperative in the *Hif'il* form - cause them to falter, cause them to fall, similar to "Remove Your hand far from me" (Iyov 13:21), meaning cause Your hand to be far from me. The primary intent is that they fall from their pride.
And why did he mention the loins in particular? Because the primary vital strength of a person in his stature and vigor lies in the strength of the loins. If a person's loins are weak, he cannot stand, walk, or even sit; damage to the lumbar vertebrae and the spinal cord in that area causes total paralysis. Therefore scripture says, "She girds her loins with strength," "Strengthen the loins, fortify your power," and likewise, "Crush the loins of his adversaries and his foes, that they rise not" - crushing and striking at the loins.
שְׁפׇךְ־עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמֶךָ וַחֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ יַשִּׂיגֵם׃ - Pour out Your wrath upon them, and let the fierceness of Your anger overtake them.
Radak explains: They will not be able to escape Your indignation and the fierceness of Your anger; rather, these will pursue and overtake them. Malbim distinguishes: *za'am* (indignation) refers to the curse - "pour out Your curse upon them" - while *charon af* (fierceness of anger) refers to fury and wrath. The imagery here depicts Hashem's rod as an entity waiting to come and exact retribution, the afflictions themselves with which the Holy One, blessed be He, chastises, as it is written: "Woe, Assyria, the rod of My anger, and the staff in their hand is My fury." That is to say, this reality called the rod of Your anger, and the fierceness of Your anger that goes forth on Your mission - pour and empty them out upon them, and afflict them as they deserve.
תְּהִי־טִירָתָם נְשַׁמָּה בְּאׇהֳלֵיהֶם אַל־יְהִי יֹשֵׁב׃ - May their palace be desolate; let there be no dweller in their tents.
"Their palace" (tiratām) refers to their royal fortress or palace. "Desolate" (neshamah) is not derived from neshamah (soul), but from shemamah (desolation): their fortress and their settlements shall become desolate. The Malbim explains that their "palace" represents their permanent dwelling place, while their "tents" refer to their temporary, roving residences, like a nomad's tent moved from place to place - and even there, let there be no dweller, meaning they should not possess even a makeshift tent. In his lexical analysis, the Malbim adds that "their palace" also denotes their grand mansions and public edifices, the places where they would gather - their council chambers, what would today be called a parliament, and their houses of idol worship. It is fitting to direct this prayer against the towers and strongholds of our enemies in our day as well: "May their palace be desolate; let there be no dweller in their tents; pour out Your wrath upon them, and let Your fierce anger overtake them" - and with Hashem's help, may He fulfill this upon them speedily.
כִּי־אַתָּה אֲשֶׁר־הִכִּיתָ רָדָפוּ וְאֶל־מַכְאוֹב חֲלָלֶיךָ יְסַפֵּרוּ׃ - For they persecute him whom You have smitten, and they recount the pain of those You have slain.
The nation whom You have smitten - they pursue and persecute. This reflects what the prophet says: "I was only a little angry, and they helped for evil" (Zechariah 1:15). They see us stumble, and immediately they gang up on us together, thinking this is their chance to bring us down completely. "And they recount the pain of those You have slain" - they constantly confer and discuss how to destroy us in our hour of grief.
This is an exact depiction of Israel's plight among the nations. When we are struck by missiles, when people here are murdered - the world takes no interest, and no emergency debate is convened. If we do not react, there is radio silence. But if we mount any response at all, suddenly there is an uproar, and the entire world is up in arms. "They persecute him whom You have smitten" - we are struck, and on top of that they persecute us, demanding: Why are you retaliating? You are powerful, so you are forbidden to respond. In other words, because we possess strength, we are expected to remain silent and keep taking blows, while that strength is never allowed to be put into action.
The Ibn Ezra explains in the name of Rabbi Moshe: "And to pain" - in order to cause pain, they recount Your slain. To torment us, they broadcast how battered we are and tally our casualties. This is precisely our enemies' method: constantly parading our dead and celebrating their triumphs over us, airing footage of soldiers weeping at the bedside of a fallen comrade. In their eyes, this projects weakness, since among them a fighter does not cry, but supposedly goes cheerfully to his death. They delight in publicizing our suffering and pain, and that very spectacle magnifies the agony.
The Radak notes the precision of the opening words: "For You" - You brought all of this about. Had You not willed it, they would have had no power to harm me and could never prevail against me, as it says, "Woe, Assyria, the rod of My anger!" (Yeshayahu 10:5). We must remember this in all of our wars: our conflict is not fundamentally with Hezbollah, with the Palestinians, or with Iran. Our reckoning is with the Holy One, Blessed be He. When we distance ourselves from Him, He brings various agents to steer us back to the right path. This is what is written in the Torah: "And if you reject My statutes and your soul abhors My ordinances... the sword of your enemies shall pursue you" (Vayikra 26:15-25), and "the sound of a driven leaf" (ibid. 26:36) - a person hears an ambulance siren and rushes into the safe room, only to discover it was merely an ambulance and not a missile attack. There is nothing there, yet a person flees. The moment we resolve our standing with the Master of the Universe, everything else will be resolved.
This does not mean one should not respond militarily. But anyone seeking a true root cure will not find it in flattening Gaza; that is an illusion. If you flatten Gaza, another front will emerge tomorrow. Every time we thought we eliminated an enemy leader, a far worse serpent's head arose in his place. We eliminated the previous head of Hezbollah, and a more cunning, dangerous, and vile leader replaced him; the predecessor was like a lapdog compared to the Doberman that followed. This is not to say targeted eliminations are unnecessary, but to imagine that this alone provides the solution is a complete mistake. "For You have smitten" - all the blows stem from You, from Hashem. One who fails to see this is blind, and one who refuses to acknowledge it denies the truth.
The Radak adds an explanation of "those You have slain": they say to one another, "They are struck down by God; let us strike them down as well." This is one of the core theological arguments of both Islam and Christianity: the fuel behind their hostility is the claim that we are rejected, that we abandoned Hashem's Torah, and therefore, on the contrary, it is a virtue to persecute us, and whoever torments us is fulfilling the will of God. Their argument goes: Hashem exiled them - not because they were righteous, but because they were wicked - and therefore He chose us instead. This was the foundational stance of Christianity, which is why the Church saw it as a religious mission to oppress Jews and cause them suffering: they killed that man, so God surely desires their torment. This is comparable to King Saul pursuing David: if someone were to come and tell Saul that he had struck David, Saul would rejoice and say, "You are pursuing my enemy; thank you very much." In this very way, they imagine they are pleasing Hashem by persecuting us.
The Malbim explains how this thought is embedded in the words of the verse: "They persecute him whom You have smitten" - they claim that whoever is persecuted by them was already struck down by God, smitten by the Holy One, Blessed be He; and those they kill are "those You have slain" - You have already marked them as casualties, and we are merely stepping in to finish the job and give You satisfaction. We pursue and strike the one You struck, and add grief to those You made casualties, as if this were pleasing in Your sight.
תְּנָה־עָוֺן עַל־עֲוֺנָם וְאַל־יָבֹאוּ בְּצִדְקָתֶךָ׃ - Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness.
The Radak explains that avon (iniquity) here refers to the punishment for iniquity, as in the verse, "for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full" (Bereishit 15:16), which means that the point has not yet been reached when they must be punished and driven from the land. So too here: place upon them punishment for the iniquity they committed against us and for persecuting us. "And let them not enter into Your righteousness" - let them have no share in the righteousness and goodness that You are destined to bestow upon Israel, in the words of Yeshayahu, "Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness" (Yeshayahu 26:10). This can also be interpreted as referring to the World to Come, as the next verse details.
The Malbim explains in his characteristic approach: that very iniquity concerning which they claim that You caused it and they are merely completing Your task - place it "upon their iniquity." "Upon" means on top, in the sense that robbery prosecutes at the head, standing above all others as the first to leap forward and demand retribution. That is, this sin - wherein they attribute everything happening to me to You and use it as a pretext to continue striking me - should float to the top, above all their other iniquities.
And what is the meaning of "and let them not enter into Your righteousness"? All the commentators struggle with this, for after stating that iniquity is added onto their iniquity, it is obvious that they would not be considered righteous before You. The Radak explained it as referring to the righteousness and benevolence You will bestow in the future, that they should have no share in it - yet this too is perplexing: could anyone have entertained a thought that they deserved good? Hashem will redeem us, and for all we have been persecuted, "as in the days of your coming out of Egypt I will show him wonders" swiftly in our days, but for them, after all the anguish they caused?
According to the Malbim, the explanation is magnificent: they seek to justify their actions by claiming, "We are merely persecuting the one whom You struck, completing the work and bringing You satisfaction" - meaning, we are righteous, we are the emissaries of Hashem. Regarding this, David pleads: "let them not enter into Your righteousness" - do not let this claim of righteousness succeed. Rather, through Your punishment of them, let it be revealed to all that there was neither the will of Hashem nor any righteousness here at all, but that they acted purely out of malice and hatred, with nothing in it for the glory of the Creator, blessed be He. And how will this become evident? Through "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living."
יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים וְעִם צַדִּיקִים אַל־יִכָּתֵבוּ׃ - Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
The Radak explains: let them not be inscribed in the book of life, which refers to the life of the World to Come.
וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְכוֹאֵב יְשׁוּעָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי׃ - But as for me, afflicted and in pain, may Your salvation, O God, set me on high.
The Radak explains: do not grant Your salvation to the nations, but to me, for I am afflicted and in pain in exile and need Your salvation - "may Your salvation, O God, set me on high," because I am lowly, poor, and in pain. The Malbim explains that tesagveini means that the salvation itself will be exalted: not only will You save me, but it will be a great, towering salvation that will make me exalted and elevated.
The Malbim further explains that here he confronts the argument of the nations, who came and declared: see, Israel is stricken, and stricken by Hashem - a sign that Hashem has rejected them, and therefore, on the contrary, one should strike them further to show them that they are despised in His eyes. To this David responds: the matter is not as they claim, that You struck me, but rather "I am afflicted and in pain" - at their hands. On the contrary, with You, "may Your salvation, O God, set me on high": the blows I received came from them, and when salvation comes, it will come from You, Master of the Universe.
The sefer Be'er Avraham, cited in Me'am Lo'ez, explains that David is saying: since I am poor and in pain, I do not wish to wage war against them, and therefore all my hope rests in You. "May Your salvation, O God, set me on high" - from You alone, not from me and not through my own exertion. He infers this from the precise wording: wherever the word ezer (help) appears, it implies that I am acting and You are helping; but wherever yeshuah (salvation) appears, it comes without any contribution from the one being saved, for the recipient did nothing, and it is entirely from Hashem. Therefore he says: I have no strength to act so that You might assist me; rather, it is a complete salvation from You alone that will rescue me.
In the sefer Derash Moshe, which is also cited in Me'am Lo'ez, this matter is explained according to the holy Zohar in Parashat Mishpatim: in exile, the Name Elokim is divided, and instead of "Elohim" (אלוהים) it reads "mi eleh" (מי אלה - "who are these?") - the very same letters. That is, in the reality of exile, the Holy One, blessed be He's attribute of justice executing retribution upon the nations is not apparent, and from "Elohim" it becomes "mi eleh" - an aspect of concealment of the Divine face (hester panim), where the nations ask: "Who are these? Who is this nation?" A nation that has no God, and Hashem's hand is not seen. Yet in the redemption, it is said: "They desire the nearness of Elokim" (kirvat Elokim yechpatzun) - that the letters of Elohim draw near, and instead of "mi eleh", the letters reunite into the Name Elohim. And this is what David asks: "May Your salvation, O Elokim, set me on high" - that the salvation come about through the Name Elohim becoming whole and complete rather than "mi eleh", and through this reuniting of the letters, salvation will come, setting him on high and rescuing him from the hand of the enemies.
אֲהַלְלָה שֵׁם־אֱלֹהִים בְּשִׁיר וַאֲגַדְּלֶנּוּ בְתוֹדָה׃ - I will praise the Name of Elokim with song, and magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Radak explains: "I will praise the Name of Elokim with song" - when You take me out of exile; "and magnify Him with thanksgiving" - I will give thanks for His lovingkindness when I bring a thanksgiving offering (korban todah) before Him, for a thanksgiving offering expresses gratitude to Hashem, may He be blessed, for His salvation. The Malbim explains that "I will praise the Name of Elokim" refers to recounting the praises of the Holy One, blessed be He, in general, while "and magnify Him with thanksgiving" is even greater - bringing a thanksgiving offering, which is a specific acknowledgment of the personal miracles He performed for me. Thus, there are two aspects here: general praise (hallel) to the Name of Elokim for all His wonders, and a personal expression of gratitude - "and magnify Him," recounting at length how greatly Hashem saved me on an individual level.
וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְכוֹאֵב יְשׁוּעָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים תְּשַׂגְּבֵנִי׃ - But as for me, afflicted and in pain, may Your salvation, O Elokim, set me on high.
It must be understood: when we say "Elokim" and ask Hashem to send salvation, it means that Hashem will execute judgment upon the enemies. Therefore, it is always an aspect of strict justice (din), that Hashem act with might (gevurah). This is also the case regarding the intention (kavvanah) of Hashem's Name in the blessing "Go'el Yisrael": each blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh has a different vocalization, and one should be mindful of this; as Rav Ovadia Yosef noted, these are straightforward intentions, not esoteric secrets. The vocalization in "Go'el Yisrael" is a sheva, and in the Sefirot, a sheva corresponds to Gevurah. Thus, the aspect of "Go'el Yisrael" is Gevurah, for when Hashem exacts retribution from the enemies, His Name is magnified and sanctified in the sight of many nations, and this is His might. So too here: the aspect of "Elokim" signifies that Hashem execute judgment upon his pursuers.
In this section, David asks for an open and swift salvation, distinguishing between the redemption of the soul - which stems from closeness, as the soul is a portion of God from above - and the physical deliverance of the body from the hands of his enemies. He spreads before the Holy One, blessed be He, the full measure of his disgrace, shame, and humiliation, the absence of comforters, and the gall and vinegar they offered him at his meal of condolence. From there, he prays that their table become a trap and a snare to them, that their eyes darken and their loins falter, that indignation and fierce anger be poured out upon them, and that their castles and tents be desolated. Most of all, he uproots their claim: they boast that they are merely carrying out Hashem's blow and persecuting those He struck down - and concerning this, he asks that this iniquity rise above all their iniquities, and that their pretext never be accepted. And against it all: "But as for me, afflicted and in pain" - the blows come from them, but the salvation comes from You: an exalted, complete salvation entirely from Hashem, for which I will praise Him with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving.