Before us is the continuation of Chapter 18, David's song of praise for his deliverance from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Shaul. In this passage, David continues to describe the Divine assistance that accompanied him in his battles - an assistance disproportionate to his human capabilities and preparations, representing a supernatural force. From this, the Malbim embarks on a fundamental exploration: the relationship between the fixed laws of nature and the Holy One, Blessed be He's providence over man in accordance with his deeds.
כִּי בְךָ אָרֻץ גְּדוּד וּבֵאלֹהַי אֲדַלֶּג שׁוּר׃ (ל) - For by You I run through a troop, and by my God I leap over a wall. (30)
"I run through a troop" (arutz gedud) can be explained in several ways: I run toward the enemies, or run against the enemy battalion, or run at the head of my troop toward the adversary. According to all these interpretations, the meaning is that I run forward and succeed in fighting against the enemy. However, there is another explanation: arutz is related to lerotzetz, meaning to crush or shatter - through You, Master of the Universe, and through Your strength, I shatter the troop against which I march out to battle.
"And by my God I leap over a wall" - through Divine power, the siyata diShmaya (Heavenly assistance) granted by the Holy One, Blessed be He, I leap over enemy ramparts to conquer them. Shur means a wall, as in the verse "daughters tread upon the wall" (alei shur). It is cited in the holy sefarim that a wall is called a shur because guards would climb upon it to look out and scan the horizon, and shur connotes gazing and viewing - as in "he gazes (yashor) upon men," or the military command "eyes right" (liymin shur). In other words: through Divine strength, even a towering wall presents no barrier before me.
Midrash Shocher Tov teaches that the verse "For You illuminate my lamp" was spoken concerning the war against Amalek, while the verse "For by You I run through a troop" was spoken concerning the conquest of Zion. Let us begin with the preceding verse:
כִּי אַתָּה תָּאִיר נֵרִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי יַגִּיהַּ חׇשְׁכִּי׃ (כט) - For You illuminate my lamp; the Lord my God enlightens my darkness. (29)
The Midrash says: A massive army of Amalekites attacked David, and David waged war against them for two nights and one day - a night, a day, and a night. This is as Scripture states, "And David smote them from twilight until the evening of their morrow." Now who illuminated the way for him during those two nights? How does one fight at night without light? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, provided light for him by means of lightning. This is the meaning of "For You illuminate my lamp" - Hashem illuminated David's battle with flashes of lightning, and through this, David triumphed over his enemies.
"For by You I run through a troop" speaks of a different battle. When David went to Yevus - the site that would later become Jerusalem - to wage war against them, David proclaimed: Whoever strikes the Jebusite first shall be a chief and a commander (as recounted in I Chronicles 11:6). What did Yoav do? He went and brought a fresh cypress tree, planted it beside the wall, and bent down its supple top. David held onto it, Yoav jumped onto David's head, caught hold of the cypress, and leaped onto the wall. Here we see an unconventional method of warfare: the cypress was tall and flexible; they planted it on one side and bent its top down close to the ground; David held the bent cypress, Yoav leaped onto David's head and grabbed hold of the top of the tree, David released the cypress - and like a slingshot, it catapulted Yoav to the other side. And how did he land? Siyata diShmaya, no questions asked - a soft landing. In this manner, he succeeded in vaulting over the wall.
But King David, who had said "Let the righteous strike me in kindness and rebuke me," remained behind. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He lowered the wall until David scaled it after him, as it is said, "and by my God I scale a wall." David had no need for cypresses: the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the wall down for him, and David crossed over it merely by walking - everything opened before him.
The Malbim explains that here we have an example of something Hashem does on His own - not in a measure-for-measure correspondence or its inverse as explained earlier, but a matter that is entirely from Hashem: protection and guarding against harm, and especially the victory of Hashem's servants over their enemies. And in this, come and see: the Holy One, blessed be He, assists not according to your preparation and not according to your capabilities, but far beyond your preparation and your abilities. There is no restraint for Hashem to save by many or by few - even if you come with a small troop, and even if you are weak, the Holy One, blessed be He, will help and assist you. Just as it is written: "He desires not the strength of the horse... Hashem favors those who fear Him... to rescue their soul from death." The Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who fights the battle, "and I have waged wars." And this is what David says: "For through You I run through a troop" - when I run, I feel as though vast troops are with me, because I am with You, trusting in You, and You assist me. Consequently, "and by my God I scale a wall" - even high walls are no barrier; with my God I leap over the enemies' walls and fortifications to conquer them.
הָאֵל תָּמִים דַּרְכּוֹ אִמְרַת יְהֹוָה צְרוּפָה מָגֵן הוּא לְכֹל הַחֹסִים בּוֹ׃ (לא) - As for God, His way is perfect; the word of Hashem is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (31)
God's way - the Holy One, blessed be He's conduct with man - is perfect, a complete and flawless path. And the "word of Hashem," which is the creation of the world, what Hashem spoke and created, is refined, purified of all dross. And through this, "He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Here the Malbim points out a matter that requires reflection. The Holy One, blessed be He, directs the world on two planes that on the surface appear contradictory. The first plane is the laws of nature: realities that exist no matter what you do - the sun rises and sets, fire burns, water flows downward, the heavens yield dew and rain, the earth yields its produce, the water cycle, and so forth. These are fixed laws. In contrast, there is the system of providence written in the Torah: "If you walk in My statutes" - "then I will give your rains in their season," the earth will yield its produce and the tree of the field will yield its fruit. These things do not depend on the laws of nature, but on human deeds: if we choose good, it will be good, and if not, the opposite.
To one who looks superficially, there seems to be a contradiction here. If there is a natural law, rain should fall. Did water cease to evaporate? Why is there no rain? After all, the laws of nature dictate that everything functions according to what Hashem enacted at the beginning, so how does it suddenly become dependent on my deeds? And if everything depends on my deeds, it is no longer a law of nature. It seems to him that these two systems are completely distinct and far apart: what is the connection between my deeds and rainfall, and what is the connection between my deeds and blight in the grain or a bountiful, satisfying harvest?
To this the Malbim responds: reflect upon it. The laws of nature were established by Hashem, and the Holy One, blessed be He's providence over man according to his free choice was also established by Hashem - consequently, the question disappears. If natural laws existed and someone else came along and said, "I will direct you according to your deeds," one might well ask how that could align with the laws of nature. But the One who enacted the laws of nature is the very One who ordained that His providence over you should correspond to your deeds - where is the problem? And nature, as the Chazon Ish said, is simply the more constant will of the Holy One, blessed be He. For in truth, as the Ramban writes at the end of Parashat Bo, all our occurrences and experiences are miracles; there is no inherent nature or ordinary course of the world in them at all. That is true - yet there is a more constant pattern of providence, and there is a providence guided by the specific, immediate will of the Holy One, blessed be He.
And this is what Scripture means by "As for God, His way is perfect" - this refers to the way He governs man according to his deeds. When a person performs the deeds of Hashem and observes His commandments, Hashem directs him with goodness, in a path of lovingkindness and grace toward good people, and this way is "perfect" - an absolute, flawless path without defect. And know that the laws of nature do not hold Hashem back, as it were, from acting in this manner, and that is "the word of Hashem is refined": "the word of Hashem" refers to that which Hashem spoke and it came to be, what He spoke and brought the world into being, "Let there be light," and the establishing of natural laws. And how is this connected to man's deeds? Hashem says: I established the laws. And when there is a need on behalf of Yehoshua - "Sun, stand still at Gibeon." Does the sun not have a fixed orbit? True, and I established it as a constant, but when the need arises, I alter the laws of nature as I will. Since the Creator of nature's laws is also the Dispenser of reward, and He is the One who directs and alters them whenever necessary - there is no contradiction here whatsoever. "As for God, His way is perfect" in rewarding man according to his deeds, and on the other hand, "the word of Hashem is refined" - that which He spoke at the creation of the world consists of fixed laws through which the world operates constantly without change, which is the natural order, unless Hashem chooses to alter it in accordance with the deeds of mankind.
Consequently, when the need arises - "He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." When needed, the Holy One, blessed be He, brings down hailstones from heaven; when needed, the sun stands still, or sets early for Yaakov Avinu, or rains fall when required, or the reverse - the earth withholds its produce when Israel defies Hashem's word. All these matters operate from Hashem so that He may be a shield to all who take refuge in Him, bestowing good upon the good.
כִּי מִי אֱלוֹהַּ מִבַּלְעֲדֵי יְהֹוָה וּמִי צוּר זוּלָתִי אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ (לב) - For who is God besides Hashem, and who is a rock except our God?
The Malbim explains: the Four-Letter Name Havayah always signifies Creation, bringing all existence into being - He was, He is, and He will be; the Holy One, blessed be He, continuously brings all existing things into being. By contrast, the Name "Elo'ah" always signifies governance and providence. This is why judges are called elohim - "the matter of both shall come before the judges (elohim)" - and likewise every leader, every action and power is called "el". And we say that Hashem is the God of gods (Elohei ha-Elohim), meaning the Master of all powers, for every power and every form of governance in creation is called elohim.
When we apply this to the Holy One, blessed be He, it refers to the power that governs us. "Havayah" is the power that brought all reality into being, that created the world and sustains its existence; "Elokim" is the Overseer. When one says "my God" (Elohai), it means the One Who watches over me with individual providence (hashgachah pratit), since the Name is applied uniquely to oneself. Likewise, "our God" (Eloheinu) means the One Who watches over us with divine providence. Know that the Holy One, blessed be He, governs and oversees according to a person's deeds. "For who is God besides Hashem" - He Himself brings all creation into being, and He Himself is also the "Elo'ah" Who governs according to your actions.
If you are worthy, He gives to you; if not, the very nature of creation changes. Consider: the Land of Israel yielded its produce for thousands of years; when Israel was exiled from it, it suddenly ceased yielding its produce and became a desolate land. Travelers who visited here centuries ago described journeying an entire day without seeing a single tree. Why? Because the Torah stated, "and your enemies who dwell therein shall be desolate upon it." Is this not nature? Indeed, there is a natural order that the Holy One, blessed be He, embedded in creation, yet He metes out reward and punishment according to man's deeds and overturns the laws of nature at His will - and this is the aspect of "Elo'ah". There is the aspect of the Name Havayah, the constant aspect of the One Who brings all creatures and all creation into being, and there is the aspect of "Elo'ah", in which the Holy One, blessed be He, governs as needed for that specific moment. The laws of nature conform to the laws of divine governance: if one is worthy, there will be reward; if not, there will not be. Even if the laws of nature dictate that rain should fall, it will not fall, because by divine providence, rain is not warranted right now.
הָאֵל הַמְאַזְּרֵנִי חָיִל וַיִּתֵּן תָּמִים דַּרְכִּי׃ (לג) - The God Who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless.
Following the introduction explaining how a person is saved from all afflictions through his good deeds - how the Holy One, blessed be He, guides him along a benevolent path: "I will grant your rains in their season," "and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit," "and no sword shall pass through your land" - David returns to the theme he began in verse 21: how through a person's good deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, saves him in a miraculous way that transcends nature. For everything depends on a person's actions, and through them, man has the power to transcend the natural order, as though natural governance has no dominion over him.
He presents two examples, followed by a third. The first manner: even though the Holy One, blessed be He, grants you strength, agility, valor, and the ability to fight, nevertheless He says: "You possess all these abilities, but step aside; I will perform the action. I will act on your behalf and deliver you, and you will not need to do anything. You will stand in your place and I will save you - 'Hashem will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'" This is the example in our verse: "The God Who girds me with strength" - on the one hand, the Holy One, blessed be He, gives me strength (the word me'azreini comes from ezor, a belt, as in "girding the loins") and empowers me for battle. Yet despite this, "and makes my way blameless" - He does not lead me into the battle itself, but rather ensures that my path remains in integrity and perfection, so that I harm no one. He tells him: "David, stay in your home; I will fight the battle for you."
מְשַׁוֶּה רַגְלַי כָּאַיָּלוֹת וְעַל בָּמֹתַי יַעֲמִידֵנִי׃ (לד) - He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
Another example: the Holy One, blessed be He, also gave me swiftness. Rashi explains why it says "like hinds (ayalot)" rather than "like stags (ayalim)" - because the females' legs stand more erect and steady than those of the males. Hashem makes my feet as nimble as hinds, so that I can easily run after the enemy. Yet despite this - "and sets me upon my high places": Hashem says, "There is no need; do not run. Stand upon your high places, stay in your place, do not pursue anyone. I will strike down the enemies before you, and you will not have to do a thing."
In the language of the verse: meshaveh relates to placing (shima), as in the Talmudic phrase "place your beauty upon us" (shavei alan), and also to equality and similarity. Thus, "He makes my feet like hinds' feet" means He fashioned my feet to be equal and similar to those of hinds. For anyone who observes hinds stands amazed: a hind stands upon a sheer rock cliff, and one wonders how it does not fall, how it keeps its footing, how it climbed there - it is truly awe-inspiring. To stand upon a high place, one needs the feet of a hind. Therefore he says: He makes my feet like hinds and stations me upon the high place - yet you need not do anything; I will fight the battle for you.
מְלַמֵּד יָדַי לַמִּלְחָמָה וְנִחֲתָה קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה זְרוֹעֹתָי׃ (לה) - He trains my hands for battle, so that a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.
A third element is battle tactics. You can be a mighty warrior with a vast army, but without strategy - "by wise counsel you shall wage war" - you will lose the battle. For large and powerful armies that were caught by surprise and thrown off balance fell and collapsed. David says: Know that Hashem also teaches me battle tactics - "Who trains my hands for battle." Yet despite all this, Hashem says to me: You do not need to fight; I will fight. And this is the meaning of "and a bow of bronze is broken by my arms."
What is the meaning of venichatah? The Malbim explains that it is an expression of breaking, as in "do not fear and do not be dismayed [techat]" - do not be broken. That is, the bow of bronze was broken, as it were, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: You do not need to do a thing; I am the One who fights the battle and the war for you, breaking the bow, as it were, so that my arms will not even need to use it in battle. Rashi, on the other hand, explains that nichatah denotes stringing the bow - I bent my bow.
וַתִּתֶּן לִי מָגֵן יִשְׁעֶךָ וִימִינְךָ תִסְעָדֵנִי וְעַנְוַתְךָ תַרְבֵּנִי׃ (לו) - You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has sustained me, and Your humility has made me great.
Reflect upon this: even though I was granted all these abilities and it is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who fights my battle, come and see Hashem's immense goodness - for despite all this, He gives me the sense and feeling that I did it and that I won. In battle, one needs a shield - the shield is meant to protect against the sword and the enemy's arrows; and one also needs to attack, for one cannot remain on the defensive at all times, which is why "Your right hand has sustained me" - the right hand wages the battle and achieves victory. Now, Hashem gave me the shield, and it was as if I held the shield during the war. Even though it says "the shield of Your salvation" - that the shield is He Himself - what feeling did He give me? David, you are protecting yourself; the shield is in your hand. So too with the victory: "Your right hand has sustained me" - who truly achieves victory? You do, Your right hand; yet despite this, You give me the feeling that I won.
This is "and Your humility has made me great": out of Your boundless humility, as it were, Master of the Universe, You do not claim the success for Yourself. Instead, You say to me: Well done, David! You won the battle; you fought magnificently. "And Your humility has made me great" - it magnifies me, as though I were great, as though I were the one who acted, and You attribute the victory to me.
In this section, David teaches us three fundamental principles: First, that divine assistance is not limited by human preparation and ability - "For by You I run through a troop, and by my God I leap over a wall," as we saw with the lightning bolts that illuminated the battle against Amalek and the wall of Yevus that shrank before David. Second, that there is no contradiction between the fixed laws of nature and divine providence based on human deeds, for the very same Lawgiver established both, and therefore "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of Hashem is pure" - and consequently, "He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." And third, that although Hashem grants a person strength, agility, and battle tactics, He tells him: Stand in your place, and I will fight for you - yet out of His humility, He attributes the shield and the victory to the person: "and Your humility has made me great."