Psalm 89 is the psalm of Eitan HaEzrachi, and it revolves entirely around two concepts: chesed (lovingkindness) and emunah (faithfulness). In the portion before us, we stand in the midst of the promise that the Holy One, blessed be He, makes to David His servant - the promise of the eternal nature of the Davidic dynasty. We will follow the order of the verses, examine the precise linguistic nuances addressed by the Malbim (the distinctions between tzar, oyeiv, sonei, and mesanei; between hand and right hand; between willful transgression and iniquity), and see how each such distinction opens a doorway to understanding Divine Providence.
לֹא־יַשִּׁא אוֹיֵב בּוֹ וּבֶן־עַוְלָה לֹא יְעַנֶּנּוּ׃ - No enemy shall exact upon him, nor shall a wicked man afflict him.
Rashi explains yashi as related to nosheh (a creditor) - the enemy will not act toward him like a creditor; he will not overpower him. The Ibn Ezra cites an explanation in the name of Rabbi Moshe HaKohen that yashi is like "a loan of anything" (mas'at me'umah), meaning that no creditor will hold sway over him. However, the Ibn Ezra also presents another interpretation: yashi derives from the root of "The insolence of your heart has deceived you [hishi'acha]" and "The serpent deceived me [hisi'ani]" - expressions of incitement and instigation, having pushed him toward a deed and given him this counsel. According to this: Hashem will not arouse or embolden an enemy against him.
A person can be a sonei without being an oyeiv: the term "hatred" applies even to abstract concepts, which does not apply to "enmity." "A hater of falsehood" (sonei sheker), "a hater of unjust gain" (sonei vatza) - can one say that he harbors enmity toward falsehood, or that he is an adversary of unjust gain? And conversely, enmity can exist without hatred: a person may be hostile to an accomplished individual, yet one cannot say that he despises him, for the man is of noble stature. Hatred is directed at something base and inferior, whereas enmity can be directed even at something good - because he envies him, since the other person possesses a higher stature than his own.
Another distinction is between sonei and mesanei. One frequently finds among the grammarians the terms "comes in the light form" (kal) or "comes in the heavy form" (kaved). This refers to how much effort it requires of the vocal organs to articulate the word. Sonei is light; mesanei is heavy, containing modifications and added weight. The general principle is: when an expression appears in the light form, the action is performed simply or mildly; and when it appears in the heavy form, the action is carried out with force and intensity. This is like the difference between rotze'ach (a killer) and meratze'ach (a murderer): rotze'ach drew a knife and killed; meratze'ach performs deliberate, forceful actions to carry the deed out.
Therefore, the Malbim explains: a sonei hates on his own. A mesanei is not satisfied with his personal hatred; rather, he has taken it on as an active project - he causes others to hate him as well, running a campaign of slander against him. The intensive (heavy) verb is always weightier, conveying a far more concerted and impactful action.
Based on this, the Malbim explains: "The enemy shall not incite against him" - for it is not the nature of an enemy to lay siege himself, as his enmity remains hidden in his heart and he does not personally oppress; rather, he brings others to oppress you, inciting and stirring up adversaries against you. Europe, for example, is not our direct oppressor - the oppressors are Hamas and Hezbollah. Europe represents the enemies: they finance acts of terror under the guise of charitable organizations and humanitarian operations, and in the end it is always revealed how those funds reach the terrorist organizations. The enemy sits on the sidelines, taking no direct action himself, but providing backing and funds to the oppressors and launching all sorts of new initiatives - washing his hands clean of guilt, like a pig stretching out its split hooves to proclaim, "I am pure."
And then they come with complaints: Why do you not come help us? Help whom - Ukraine? There is no land more saturated with blood than Ukraine, where locals volunteered to slaughter Jews even before the Nazis demanded it of them. The blood of our brethren cries out from Babi Yar and countless other sites, where neighbors took axes and rifles and murdered the Jews living beside them, without any Nazi directive, and welcomed the Nazis with open arms. And today, "He Who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord mocks them."
The Chafetz Chaim remarked in his day about the Spanish Civil War, which some say claimed about a million lives: Do you think the Holy One, Blessed is He, forgot what happened four hundred years ago? Do you think He forgot the Spanish Expulsion? And here, four hundred years have not even passed. Do you think the Holy One, Blessed is He, forgot what the Ukrainians did to us, the butchery and the slaughter in the forests?
Someone once asked: I do not know what to pray for. On the one hand, we all know what the Ukrainians did to us, and they deserve retribution, so I want Russia to win; on the other hand, Russia erased Jewish life for decades and waged war against everything holy, so I want the Ukrainians to win. He was told: Pray that the Holy One, Blessed is He, grants success to all those engaged in the conflict - to both sides.
And what should one truly pray for? For our brethren, the entire House of Israel, who are in distress and captivity, that the Holy One, Blessed is He, have mercy on them and deliver them from distress, darkness, and anguish, and bring them to the Land of Israel. It is hard to comprehend what they are still doing there: in a place where their parents were murdered with horrific cruelty - what business does one have in the valley of slaughter? You have the Holy Land; come here. This is not speaking of the Chabad shluchim, who go to provide help and support to those who are already there. In any event, the fact that they are in an improper place is one matter, but one must certainly feel compassion for them, for they are our brethren, and this is literal redemption of captives. But not a single drop of compassion can be felt toward those whose parents brutally murdered their peaceful neighbors who had never done them any harm - what did the Jew living next door ever do to you that you came at him with axes and pitchforks?
There is an enemy who is also a son of iniquity. The enemy incites with speech - he stirs up and encourages others to come and oppress us; whereas the son of iniquity actively afflicts. Regarding both of them, the verse states that they will not prevail against him: neither the son of iniquity who acts in practice, nor the enemy who incites others to oppress him.
וְכַתּוֹתִי מִפָּנָיו צָרָיו וּמְשַׂנְאָיו אֶגּוֹף׃ - "And I will crush his adversaries before him, and strike down those who hate him."
Not only will they fail to harm him, but the Holy One, Blessed is He, says: I will also champion his cause. "And I will crush" (vechatoti) is from the language of crushing and pounding - referring to the active oppressor, so that when he comes to besiege and wage war against us, the Holy One, Blessed is He, will crush him in the battle itself. "And strike down those who hate him" (umesan'av egoff) - those who besmirch our name in the eyes of the world and cause others to hate us, them I will strike with a plague (magefah), until everyone keeps their distance from them just as one distances himself from a place of plague.
וֶאֱמוּנָתִי וְחַסְדִּי עִמּוֹ וּבִשְׁמִי תָּרוּם קַרְנוֹ׃ - And My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My Name his horn shall be exalted.
The Radak explains: The kindness was at the beginning, when the Holy One, blessed be He, chose David as king. And the faithfulness is afterward, when He promised him the continuity of the monarchy forever and fulfilled His promise - raising up from his sons Solomon, and after him Rehoboam, and the kingdom of David continues. "And through My Name" - that My Name will be to his aid, and in the words of the Radak: when he mentions My Name; and He is His Name and His Name is He. We have discussed this several times: in a human being, the person is one entity and his name is another - after all, a person's name can be changed; someone was called Jackie and is now called Yaakov, has his essence changed? He is the same person. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, His Name and His essence are not two separate things: He is His Name and His Name is He.
"His horn shall be exalted" is a metaphor: the horn is that with which enemies are gored, and therefore the raising of the horn is an expression of strength and victory, in the sense of "with them he shall gore peoples." And the Malbim explains: "And My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him" - both My faithfulness, which is what I do with him according to his deeds, according to truth and strict justice; and My kindness, which is beyond what he deserves based on his deeds, stemming from the fact that I chose him without regard to merit or good deeds - both will be with him. And because everyone will see that the Divine Providence over him is a close, constant providence from Hashem, blessed be He, therefore "through My Name his horn shall be exalted": "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall revere you" - when they see how the Holy One, blessed be He, aids him in all his deeds, through this his horn will be exalted and his stature elevated.
וְשַׂמְתִּי בַיָּם יָדוֹ וּבַנְּהָרוֹת יְמִינוֹ׃ - I will set his hand upon the sea, and his right hand upon the rivers.
The Radak explains that he would have dominion over those who dwell on the seashores and in the river cities. For we find that Hiram king of Tyre sent tribute to David by way of the sea, and likewise, "the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought cedar trees in abundance to David" along with carpenters and stonemasons - showing that they came and assisted him. And so too regarding the rivers: the kings of Aram who lived across the river sent tribute by way of the river, vessels of silver and vessels of copper, as well as what he took from the cities across the river in his wars against Aram - all of this indicates that he had dominion even over those beyond the river.
The Malbim does not comment on this verse, but the straightforward understanding is that there is a distinction between "his hand" and "his right hand." As explained earlier, "right" is always an expression of the flow of kindness, the higher spiritual realm; whereas an unqualified "hand" refers to the left hand, which represents influence through the natural order. If so, this reflects what we saw here, that the conduct with David encompasses both natural leadership and spiritual providence that transcends nature: "I will set his hand upon the sea" - the conduct of the left, nature; "and his right hand upon the rivers" - the spiritual conduct that is beyond what is deserved, a flow from Above without regard to the deeds of those below.
And why specifically the hand upon the sea and the right hand upon the rivers? One could suggest: the sea consists of the waters gathered from the six days of Creation, and it is ever-present, fixed in its place and stationary (there are waves, yet the body of water does not travel from place to place) - and therefore it is an aspect of the left, the fixed, natural order. Rivers, on the other hand, flow and stream, and they are not always permanent - the concept of "intermittent streams" applies to them, as a river sometimes dries up. And such is miraculous providence: it is not constant, but comes at intervals, when we are worthy and upright and in need of help and assistance from on High.
הוּא יִקְרָאֵנִי אָבִי אָתָּה אֵלִי וְצוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי׃ - He shall call to Me: You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.
The Malbim explains that here David HaMelech's bond with the Holy One, blessed be He, is described through two examples of those who bestow well-being upon a person. The first example is the father who fathered him and brought him into existence; the father endows his son with physical faculties and many benefits, raising him and caring for him until he becomes a man and can stand on his own. And the second example is the teacher and the king: the teacher shows a person spiritual well-being, teaching him Torah, wisdom, and faith, and bestowing upon him spiritual fulfillment; while the king bestows civic governance upon him, for "were it not for the fear of the government, people would swallow each other alive," and through the king's rule, a person enjoys proper and orderly governance.
אַף־אָנִי בְּכוֹר אֶתְּנֵהוּ עֶלְיוֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָרֶץ׃ - I too will make him a firstborn, supreme among the kings of the earth.
Corresponding to "You are my Father," the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I too will make him a firstborn" - you relate to Me as a father, and I will act toward you as a father: I will endow you with all the natural faculties, just as a father completes his son and his primary vigor is invested in his firstborn son, "his son in strength." And corresponding to "my God and the rock of my salvation" - which represents the Teacher and King, You are the One Who teaches me faith and Torah and You are the One Who saves me from all distress - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "Supreme among the kings of the earth," I will place him supreme and elevated above all the kings of the earth. Here, "supreme" refers to spiritual standing, for the material realm was already included in "You are my Father"; because Hashem is our God, He elevates us to be supreme over all the nations.
לְעוֹלָם אֶשְׁמׇר־לוֹ חַסְדִּי וּבְרִיתִי נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹ׃ - Forever I will keep My kindness for him, and My covenant shall remain faithful to him.
Radak explains: The kindness that I performed for David by establishing him as king, I will keep for him forever, for we await Mashiach ben David. David's kingship was never severed: although currently there is no active ruler, it is not that an entirely new king will emerge - the king who is to come will be of the Davidic dynasty.
Do not confuse the matters: Mashiach ben Yosef represents the political and material redemption, whereas Mashiach ben David represents the spiritual redemption, and he is the ultimate future king. Regarding Mashiach ben Yosef, it is written that he is destined to die at the hands of the wicked Armilus, and it is for this that we pray: the holy Ari explains that during the words "Speedily cause the sprout of David Your servant to flourish" in the blessing of Boneh Yerushalayim, as well as in "and speedily establish within it the throne of David Your servant," one should focus one's prayer that Mashiach ben Yosef should live and not perish at the hands of the wicked Armilus. We find something similar with Ezra and Nechemyah: Nechemyah spearheaded the physical, material redemption, the rebuilding of Jerusalem; while Ezra the Kohen spearheaded the spiritual redemption, and concerning him our Sages said that the Torah was worthy of being given through his hand.
The Malbim explains: The kindness and faithfulness spoken of will be preserved forever. That is to say, even when the good deeds for which Hashem promised him the monarchy should cease, nevertheless kindness and faithfulness will never depart. For "faithfulness" is that which is due to you strictly by the truth of your deeds - and when the deeds cease, the promise might ostensibly cease as well. Kindness, too, even though it does not depend strictly on deeds, if another person were found who is more deserving of this kindness and more fitting, it would be appropriate for it to depart from you and pass to him.
However, here, the Malbim explains, what the Holy One, blessed be He, does is wrought from kindness and faithfulness combined, and both exist within the Davidic dynasty: there is faithfulness and truth - it is due to him, for David was truly righteous; and there is kindness - in that He gave him far beyond what was strictly deserved. The starting point was through faithfulness, David's righteous deeds, but deeds alone do not suffice: that Hashem established for him an enduring dynasty for future generations was already an act of kindness, for one's own deeds merit a personal reward, but that the dynasty continue through one's seed is beyond strict entitlement. Despite all this, says the Malbim, the kindness that originated through those deeds, where the deeds served as its catalyst, will never be annulled: the Holy One, blessed be He, will ensure that the merit on account of which he attained this kindness will not depart - He will fashion his descendants so that they are always upright and worthy, and thereby continue to remain deserving of that kindness.
We have addressed this matter at length in the books of Melachim and Divrei HaYamim. To Yarov'am, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the ten tribes and said to him: If you walk in My ways, the kingdom will remain, and if not, it will be terminated. But to David He said: If your sons walk in My ways the kingdom will remain, and if they sin, I will chastise them, but the kingdom will not cease. The promise to David was absolute and unconditional, whereas to Yarov'am it was conditional. Why? Because David earned it justly through his deeds, whereas Yarov'am did not earn it through deeds but received it merely as a deposit - the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to punish Shlomo, so He took the ten tribes and gave them to him. With a deposit, if you safeguard it, it remains in your possession, but if you fail to safeguard it, it is taken from you. David, by contrast, acquired it as a lasting possession, and it remains his; therefore, even if his descendants sin, the Holy One, blessed be He, will chastise them, but the kingship will never pass from them. This is the meaning of "Forever I will keep My kindness for him" - the kindness will be preserved for him forever, and "My covenant shall remain faithful to him" - the covenant I forged with him will remain faithful to him eternally.
וְשַׂמְתִּי לָעַד זַרְעוֹ וְכִסְאוֹ כִּימֵי שָׁמָיִם׃ - And I will establish his offspring forever, and his throne like the days of heaven.
This accords with what we noted, that the Holy One, blessed be He, will shape his descendants so that they remain worthy: "And I will establish his offspring forever" - I will establish his seed so that they endure forever; "and his throne like the days of heaven" - his throne will endure as long as the heavens endure.
אִם־יַעַזְבוּ בָנָיו תּוֹרָתִי וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי לֹא יֵלֵכוּן׃ - If his sons forsake My Torah and do not walk in My judgments.
Here the verse details what will happen if they sin. "If his sons forsake My Torah" - that they abandon the Torah and its study; "and do not walk in My judgments" - that they fail to observe the practical mitzvos.
אִם־חֻקֹּתַי יְחַלֵּלוּ וּמִצְוֺתַי לֹא יִשְׁמֹרוּ׃ - If they profane My statutes and do not keep My commandments.
"If they profane My statutes" - that they violate the chukim, the divine decrees beyond human reason; "and do not keep My commandments" - that they fail to observe the mitzvos that possess rational explanations.
וּפָקַדְתִּי בְשֵׁבֶט פִּשְׁעָם וּבִנְגָעִים עֲוֺנָם׃ - Then I will punish their transgression with a rod, and their iniquity with plagues.
Regarding this, the Holy One, blessed be He, promises: I will steer them back onto the proper path, and I will not destroy them. The Malbim explains: If the sin is in the category of pesha, which is willful rebellion, I will punish them with a rod (shevet), which is a staff; and if the sin is in the category of avon, which is heresy or corrupt belief, I will punish them with plagues (nega'im). What is the connection? It is measure for measure. Avon is something that clings to the soul, to the intellect which is the person's very essence. Therefore, an affliction must strike his body, for a physical plague arises from within the body itself - nega'im emerge from the inside of the body, caused by an internal illness that drives the affliction outward. But pesha has no root in the soul; rather, it is a physical rebellion of the body. Therefore, the rod corresponds to it: striking with a rod is like beating the dust out of a garment - it has external dust on it, and one strikes it with a rod to knock the dust out. In the same way, the rod shakes the person and strips away those external rebellions.
In these verses, Scripture sets forth Hashem's promise to David in all its details. First came the promise of protection against harm, in which we learned to distinguish between the active oppressor (tzar), the open enemy (oyev) who harbors hostility and incites others to besiege, the hater (soneh) who despises in his heart, and the instigator (mesaneh) who turns others against him - and corresponding to each one, a heavenly response: the oppressors will be crushed and the instigators struck down. Next came the promise of faithfulness and loving-kindness united together, natural providence ("His hand upon the sea") and miraculous providence ("His right hand upon the rivers"), and the dual relationship of Father and King - "You are my Father" corresponding to "I will make him a firstborn," and "my God and the Rock of my salvation" corresponding to "supreme over the kings of the earth." And finally, a great foundation: the promise to the House of David is unconditional, for David acquired his kingship as a permanent possession and not as a conditional deposit. Therefore, even if his descendants sin, afflictions will come upon them - with a rod for rebellion and with plagues for iniquity - but the loving-kindness and the covenant endure forever, until the coming of Mashiach ben David swiftly in our days.