Introduction: Natural Guidance and Supernatural Guidance
In Psalm 89, we are in the section where the Psalmist transitions from the general guidance of the Holy One, blessed be He, in His world, to the specific, unique providence with which He leads the Jewish people. Throughout the verses before us, we will see two recurring dimensions accompanying us: the guidance of justice and faithfulness (truth) - what a person deserves according to his deeds and the preparation he has made, and the guidance of lovingkindness and righteousness (tzedakah) - what the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows beyond what is deserved, without regard to the recipient. These two dimensions are the key to all of the Malbim's explanations here.
"In Your name they rejoice all day" - Gilah within Nature
בְּשִׁמְךָ יְגִילוּן כׇּל הַיּוֹם וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ יָרוּמוּ׃ - In Your name they rejoice all day, and through Your righteousness they are exalted.
The Radak explains: When they mention Your name and are helped through it - like those who "know the teruah," who know how to sound the blast and the blast of the King is among them, and Hashem saves them - they rejoice in Your name all day, because You save them and have been their help.
The Malbim looks closely at the wording. Hashem's "Name" always denotes His fixed, natural governance, as Scripture says, "Hashem, Your name is forever; Hashem, Your memorial is from generation to generation" - the "Name" refers to the constant, fixed order of nature, whereas the "memorial" (zecher) refers to an act Hashem performs intermittently through which people remember Him. When He halts the sun or the moon, that act leaves an indelible impression and people remember Him. "Your Name" signifies constant guidance; "Your memorial" signifies occasional, miraculous intervention.
From here arises a difficulty: the verse says yagilun (they will exult), and there is a distinct difference between gilah and simchah. Simchah refers to constant, ongoing joy, whereas gilah refers to delight over something new that has just occurred. When someone wins the lottery, we do not say he is filled with simchah, but with gilah, for something brand new has just happened to him. When a child is born, he is filled with gilah. But regarding his daily life, people say to him: "Baruch Hashem, you are happy" - that is constant simchah. If so, if "In Your Name" refers to constant, natural providence, the verse should have said "they will have simchah all day" (yismechu kol hayom), while gilah should belong specifically to miraculous intervention.
Rather, here the Malbim teaches a profound principle. It would not be accurate to say that a person feels gilah over having two hands, two eyes, and robust health - that is simply the natural order. Certainly, it is fitting for him to be joyous (lasmo'ach) and thank Hashem for it, but in practice, a person does not experience gilah from this, since he has had it for thirty, forty, or fifty years, and it is the shared lot of humanity; only in rare cases is someone lacking these faculties. This falls into the category of simchah, which is continuous, whereas gilah is reserved for a temporary, newly revealed miracle. Yet all this holds true only regarding ordinary, general providence. In the unique providence reserved for the Jewish people, even natural governance is experienced as gilah.
To what can this be compared? To a father who has a son, whom he guides at every moment with close, attentive supervision - asking what he needs now, providing for him in that moment, spending for him, caring for him continually. The child is filled with gilah at every moment, not because he received something extraordinary, but because the father does not watch over anyone else in this way; only over him, individually, does he provide such care. Even if what he received is merely the natural thing he needs, the very reality of constant, individual providence is itself the extraordinary privilege, and it serves as a reason for gilah.
Therefore it says, "In Your name they rejoice all day": within our natural guidance, we experience gilah at every moment. This differs from rejoicing over miracles and wonders, for a miracle does not occur "all day" - it happens once in a while. Natural providence, by contrast, continues all day long; it is what accompanies you at every moment. And yet, "they rejoice" (yagilun), because Hashem watches over us with intimate, personal providence.
And corresponding to supernatural guidance - how Hashem guides us individually above the laws of nature - the verse says: "and through Your righteousness they are exalted." The category of tzedakah is the category of chesed (lovingkindness), and "Your righteousness" - righteousness ascribed to Hashem, blessed be He - is what Hashem bestows in accordance with human preparation: if you are worthy, Hashem acts toward you with kindness and pours forth bounty upon you. This differs from the guidance of strict justice (mishpat), which is the standard, ongoing order; tzedakah knows no bounds, just as Hashem is infinite. Therefore, "through Your righteousness they are exalted" constantly to the highest heights; they are elevated through the kindness You perform beyond the course of nature, and their exalted standing is revealed above all creations.
"For You are the glory of their strength" - Finding Glory Even in Nature
כִּי תִפְאֶרֶת עֻזָּמוֹ אָתָּה וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ תָּרוּם קַרְנֵינוּ׃ - For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
The Radak explains: In the past, You were the glory of their strength - all their power came from You, and they were victorious over the nations through Your might. Through this, "our horn is exalted [tarum karnenu]." Although the text is written as tarim, it is read as tarum, functioning interchangeably: You would raise our horn, and through this our horn was exalted in Hashem.
Regarding the word "karnenu" (our horn): in some manuscripts of Tehillim it appears as "קרנינו" with a yud, while in others it is written "קרננו" without a yud, which is our version. The Radak explains that where it is written with a yud, it does not mean two horns, for the term "horn" is always used in the singular - "Through You we will gore our adversaries," "our horn is exalted," "and his horn shall be exalted through Your salvation" - like a single horn used to gore enemies. Rather, the plural form refers to each and every individual horn, meaning all the kings of Israel: every single horn will be exalted; You, Hashem, will raise it up against the enemies. Elsewhere, the root denotes light, as in "the skin of his face beamed [karan]" - two beams of light that emanated from him like horns, and similarly, "He raised a horn for His people."
The Malbim explains that here the psalmist elaborates on what he stated earlier: "In Your Name they rejoice all day." Why indeed should they rejoice over the natural order of life? "For You are the glory of their strength." Strength (oz) always denotes natural power, and one does not boast of an ordinary natural attribute - for a person does not boast of something that everyone possesses. Granted, boastful people might take pride even in what is common to all, but under normal circumstances, a person boasts only of what is unique to him. I have a hand - but who doesn't have a hand? The other person has one too, in fact two! If so, it makes no sense to boast of strength, which is entirely natural, and consequently even rejoicing (gilah) would not apply to it, since gilah is joy over something newly revealed.
However, the Jewish people can boast even of the natural realm, because it stems from a unique, individual Divine Providence: their natural strength comes directly from Hashem, and that itself testifies that we are a treasured nation and a holy people. This is the "glory," and therefore they rejoice in it all day long. What among the nations of the world offers no cause for celebration - at most, cause for routine contentment, since it is merely a fixed natural fact - is for us a revelation of our special status through Divine Providence. Consequently, even in the natural ways through which Hashem guides us, we have a distinction above all nations and a true source of pride, even in our natural strength. This is not merely constant contentment, but a special rejoicing (gilah), for "He did not do so for any other nation," but for the people of Israel alone.
Testimony of Israel's Eternal Existence
If one merely reflects upon the ongoing, eternal survival of the Jewish people - as the Ya'avetz (Rav Yaakov Emden) wrote: "By my life, this is greater in my eyes than all the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt." The Ya'avetz says: Disregard everything else; simply take a history book and explain to me historically how it is possible that this nation has existed for thirty-three hundred years! This is the most persecuted nation in human history; there was hardly a ruler who did not make it his ambition to destroy and hunt them down - massacres, autos-da-fé, inquisitions, holocausts, what did we not endure? Yet this nation still endures. This shows that our natural existence, which is taken for granted by every other nation, is in our case an outright miracle, revealing the guiding hand of Hashem directing our history. If so, it is fitting to rejoice over this all day.
And corresponding to "and through Your righteousness they are exalted," which refers to the supernatural realm of pure lovingkindness, the end of the verse states: "and by Your favor our horn is exalted." Divine righteousness, through which Hashem performs wondrous deeds, stems from His absolute Divinity - "by Your favor," in that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows kindness and righteousness without looking at the worthiness of the recipient, whether deserving or undeserving. It depends solely upon the will of the Creator, blessed be He, and not on the demands of strict justice. In His goodwill, even when it is not earned - through that Divine favor our horn is exalted, as the Holy One, blessed be He, grants us far beyond what is naturally due to us, performing miracles for us even when we fall short.
"For Our Shield Belongs to Hashem" - A Shield in Nature and a King Above Nature
כִּי לַה' מָגִנֵּנוּ וְלִקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְכֵּנוּ׃ - For our shield belongs to Hashem, and to the Holy One of Israel, our king.
The Radak, consistent with his usual approach, explains this as a parallel idea expressed in different words: "our shield" is synonymous with "our king." Hashem is the shield and Hashem is the King, and by virtue of this, King David prevailed over his enemies.
The Malbim explains that here the psalmist returns to the two modes of Divine guidance discussed earlier: the natural order and the spiritual order that transcends nature. Corresponding to natural Providence: "For our shield belongs to Hashem"; and corresponding to miraculous, supernatural Providence: "and to the Holy One of Israel, our king."
And this principle has already been explained several times: there is a difference between mentioning the Tetragrammaton on its own and mentioning it in connection with Israel. The Four-Letter Name on its own indicates that Hashem brings the world into existence, sustains it, and guides the general order of reality, not necessarily in relation to the Jewish people. But when the Name is mentioned in connection with us - the God of Israel, the Mighty One of Israel, the Holy One of Israel - it refers to the individual divine providence unique to us, to the miracles and the special bond the Holy One, blessed be He, shares with us, through which He performs acts for us that transcend the laws of nature. And when it mentions "the Holy One of Israel," it comes to describe Hashem's bond with us through our good deeds, through our holiness and stature, and through the deeds by which we sanctify ourselves.
Therefore: corresponding to natural providence, we have "our shield" - Hashem protects us through nature, and this is "For to Hashem belongs our shield," from the perspective of the general governance of the world. And corresponding to the supernatural miracles, we have "and to the Holy One of Israel belongs our king" - this refers to the Davidic dynasty, the individual divine providence and the extraordinary miracles that Hashem performs for us. Here, the Holy One, blessed be He, is our unique King, on account of our special deeds: through the power of our deeds, providence is, as it were, elevated and becomes more spiritual, a providence of salvation from all harm in a miraculous, supernatural manner. And from here on, the Malbim explains, the text elaborates on "to the Holy One of Israel belongs our king" - how the Holy One, blessed be He, chose a unique king for us, through whom He guides the Jewish people in a supernatural reality.
"Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones" - The Choice of David
אָז דִּבַּרְתָּ בְחָזוֹן לַחֲסִידֶיךָ וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁוִּיתִי עֵזֶר עַל גִּבּוֹר הֲרִימוֹתִי בָחוּר מֵעָם׃ - Then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones and said, "I have placed help upon a mighty warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people."
Radak explains that "Your pious ones" refers to Shmuel the Prophet. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Shmuel, "I have placed help upon a mighty warrior" - I have provided for the Jewish people so that they will have someone to help and support them, namely the mighty king whom I am sending you to anoint, as it says, "and I will send you to Yishai the Bethlehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for Me." And "I have exalted one chosen from the people" - bachur is an expression of selection, the one chosen from all of Israel, whom Hashem raised above the people and selected to reign. Rashi explains that this refers to Natan the Prophet and Gad the Seer, and this is also the view of the Malbim: that the verse refers back to Natan the Prophet, to whom the prophecy concerning David was given.
The Malbim explains that the verse comes to detail how the Holy One, blessed be He, extended both loving-kindness (chesed) and faithfulness (emunah) to David on an individual level, to David in his own right. Faithfulness represents truth - what is earned according to one's deeds; whereas loving-kindness is a bestowal that exceeds what is deserved, beyond the preparation of the recipient.
Corresponding to faithfulness, the verse says, "I have placed help upon a mighty warrior." The term shiviti ("I have placed/set") inherently indicates giving according to value (shovi), even though here it denotes conferring upon him, as in "splendor and majesty You lay upon him" and "I have set Hashem before me always." Why was this specific phrasing used? To teach that the assistance was given according to what was fitting for him, according to his worth - because he was worthy and had prepared himself. "Mighty warrior" (gibor) denotes strength (gevurah), one who conquers his inclination. King David was a man of lofty stature, holy to Hashem, and because he developed his spiritual strength - I placed help upon him. This is the dimension of truth, according to what is earned. And corresponding to loving-kindness, it says, "I have exalted one chosen from the people" - in that I chose him, through My loving-kindness with him: I exalted him; it is My own doing.
"I have found David My servant" - In the Physical and the Spiritual
מָצָאתִי דָּוִד עַבְדִּי בְּשֶׁמֶן קׇדְשִׁי מְשַׁחְתִּיו׃ - I have found David My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed him.
Radak explains: I know that he is My servant, and I will find none like him - a servant like David, the fourth leg of the Heavenly Chariot, cannot be found. And I have anointed him with the anointing oil, which is "My holy oil."
Our Sages expound: "'I have found David My servant' - and where did I find him? In Sodom." That is to say, there in Sodom, out of the deed of Lot's daughters, the lineage was eventually born from which Ruth the Moabitess came, and from her King David was subsequently born. This is the homiletic teaching of the Sages, but we will continue with the plain meaning of the verses and their contextual flow.
The Malbim explains: corresponding to faithfulness, which is truth - what is earned according to one's preparation - the verse says, "I have found David My servant": I found him worthy and fitting for this, as a servant who subjugates all his desires to the Creator, and therefore he deserves it through his own preparation. And corresponding to the supreme loving-kindness, it says, "with My holy oil I have anointed him": I bestowed upon him oil of holiness from Above, without regard to his deeds on their own, and this is the dimension of loving-kindness - a bestowal, as it were, of My own holiness through the anointing.
The Malbim raises a difficulty: Did he not already speak earlier of these two types of success - from the perspective of Hashem's choice and from the perspective of his own good deeds - so why the repetition? The answer is that earlier the text spoke of temporal successes - David's prowess and his victories over his enemies - where both truth and loving-kindness are present. Here, however, he speaks of spiritual successes, which also contain both dimensions: "David My servant" - from his own perspective, that he serves Hashem, which is his spiritual stature from the standpoint of truth; "with My holy oil I have anointed him" - spiritual bestowal from the standpoint of loving-kindness. In both material and spiritual matters, there is what is deserved by virtue of truth, and there is what Hashem bestows beyond that out of loving-kindness.
"My Hand" and "My Arm" - Two Levels of Bestowal
אֲשֶׁר יָדִי תִּכּוֹן עִמּוֹ אַף זְרוֹעִי תְאַמְּצֶנּוּ׃ - With whom My hand shall be established; My arm also shall strengthen him.
Radak explains: "My hand is established with him" means to help him, and he does not need to explain "My arm" separately, for according to his approach, this is parallelism - a repetition of the same idea in different words. But according to the Malbim's method, there is no mere repetition in Scripture, and we must understand the difference between "My hand" and "My arm," and between "shall be established with him" and "shall strengthen him."
Corresponding to faith, which is truth - what is due to a person according to his own preparation - it says, "with whom My hand shall be established": in accordance with how he has prepared himself, I will be a help and a support to him, as though My hand is aiding him. And when does one person help another? When the other person is actively working and preparing himself, and the help joins him. The initiative must begin with him, and then "My hand shall be established with him" - you take action and I will help you; I will assist you and bring matters to completion according to your preparation.
And corresponding to loving-kindness, which is bestowal beyond one's deeds, it says, "My arm also shall strengthen him." The distinction between "hand" and "arm" has already been explained several times: the hand is the lower extremity, the part with which we grasp, whereas the arm is the upper portion. Any divine bestowal that comes in accordance with the deeds of the lower realm, according to the actions of human beings here in this world, is expressed through the term "hand," since the hand is the lower limb acting here, and it bestows according to your conduct and your good deeds.
The arm, by contrast, represents the upper part, which is always an expression of the primary cause that initiates influence. If the hand is the lower limb that acts, the arm is what sets it in motion. Notice: a person turns his hand, moves his fingers, closes and opens them, and no movement is visible in the arm at all. Yet when we examine where all these movements originate, we find that everything stems from the muscles of the arm; the one performing the action feels how he engages the muscles of his arm, and even if he does not feel it, we all know that everything is connected to the arm, and the power originates from there. The arm, therefore, alludes to the primary cause, to the transcendent spiritual bestowal that operates without regard to the deeds of the lower realm: the hand is the actual result, while the arm is the cause, the exalted spiritual reality that activates the deeds of the lower realm.
Therefore, regarding that which is established with him according to his deeds, he says "My hand" - the lower part; and regarding Hashem's choosing David and strengthening him from His own side, without regard to whether he is worthy or unworthy, he says "My arm also shall strengthen him" - the dimension of miracles and exalted bestowals from Above. This is why the specific word "shall strengthen him" is used: He strengthens him with His arm without even looking at whether he is worthy or not. This is the bestowal of loving-kindness: giving without scrutinizing whether the recipient is deserving.
In summary: The verses before us reveal the two modes of divine providence through which the Jewish people are guided. "In Your name they rejoice all day" - the natural order of providence, which for other creatures is merely a source of steady joy, but for us is a source of constantly renewed jubilation at every moment, for it is close, individual divine providence like a father watching over his only son; "and in Your righteousness they are exalted" - the supernatural providence, the limitless loving-kindness through which we are elevated above all creation. "For You are the glory of their strength" - even in natural strength we have reason to take pride, as the Ya'avetz testified regarding the very eternal survival of the Jewish people, which is a miracle more wondrous than the miracles of Egypt. "For our shield belongs to Hashem" corresponds to the natural realm, "and our king to the Holy One of Israel" corresponds to miracles and the Davidic monarchy. And in the very selection of David, both dimensions reappear: "I have set help upon a mighty one," "I have found David My servant," and "with whom My hand shall be established" - from the standpoint of truth and his personal preparation; "I have exalted one chosen out of the people," "with My holy oil I have anointed him," and "My arm also shall strengthen him" - from the standpoint of transcendent loving-kindness, bestowed without calculation of whether the recipient is deserving.