This entire psalm revolves around a single theme: the location of the Beit HaMikdash. King David asks the Holy One, blessed be He, to remember all his exertion and affliction endured to find the place where the Shechinah would dwell. From this chapter we learn a fundamental principle: the location of the Beit HaMikdash was not previously known, and it required searching, inquiry, and intense yearning to discover it.
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת זְכוֹר־יְהֹוָה לְדָוִד אֵת כָּל־עֻנּוֹתוֹ׃ - A song of ascents: Remember, Hashem, for David, all of his affliction.
Rashi explains: "all his affliction" - the anguish of soul and toil that David endured to find a place for the Beit HaMikdash for the Master of the Universe. And since the rest of the psalm focuses entirely on the matter of the Temple, we understand what kind of affliction is meant: the suffering he underwent to locate the place where the Shechinah would reside.
The Ibn Ezra suggests that David may have composed this psalm when he and the elders of Israel were covered in sackcloth during the plague among the people. He could not find a place to offer a sacrifice on behalf of Israel, since the site of the Mishkan was far away. Therefore, he mentions: Remember all the anguish we endured while searching for a place to offer a sacrifice during that time of plague, in order to be saved from it.
The Radak explains that David uttered this psalm when he built the altar on the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite according to the word of Gad the prophet. There he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and Scripture relates that he called out to Hashem, Who answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of the burnt offering. In Divrei HaYamim it is recorded that he declared: "This is the house of Hashem God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel." At that moment, the site of the Beit HaMikdash was revealed. Note this carefully: until that time, the site of the Temple was not known, and only now did he learn where it was.
Indeed, the matter was not simple at all. When David fled from Saul to Samuel at Naioth in Ramah, Chazal teach that they engaged in the "beauty of the world" (noyah shel olam) - that is, the location of the Beit HaMikdash. They deliberated on what the place could be: it could not be an excessively high mountain peak, for it says, "and He rests between his shoulders," and the finest and most fitting place on an ox is precisely the slightly lower area between its shoulders. We see from this that thorough inquiry, seeking, and deep contemplation were necessary to understand where the site of the Beit HaMikdash was.
The Radak continues: Now, when the site was revealed to him, David thanked Hashem for revealing it. Natan the prophet had already told him that he would not build the House, but rather Solomon his son. Since David exerted all his strength and ability to prepare for the building of the House, and was even answered at the chosen site when fire descended from heaven upon the altar of the burnt offering, he pleaded: "Remember, Hashem, for David, all of his affliction." In other words: Since I was not privileged to build it, consider the intention as the deed. Remember how much I afflicted myself until I reached this place; thus, even if I was not privileged to see its construction, consider it as if I built it myself. For I deprived my eyes of sleep out of constant preoccupation with it, vowing and swearing that I would not rest until I found a house for Hashem, and even in my own home I had no peace until I built a house for the honor of Hashem, may He be blessed.
This gives rise to the question that will guide our study: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, not reveal the site of the Beit HaMikdash immediately? Why were inquiries and deep deliberations necessary? Why does the Torah say "the place that Hashem will choose" without explicitly stating which place it is? This will be explained further on.
אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַיהֹוָה נָדַר לַאֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב׃ - How he swore to Hashem, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
The Ibn Ezra explains that the "Mighty One of Jacob" is mentioned here because Jacob made a vow and fulfilled his vow at that very place of which he said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven," and upon that very site the Beit HaMikdash was built. The Radak addresses the repetition - "swore to Hashem, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob" - and explains, following his standard approach, that this is a repetition of the same idea in different words. The Malbim, however, as we will see, explains it differently.
And who is the "Mighty One of Jacob" (Avir Yaakov)? First, note that "Avir" is read with a soft beit - not to be confused with avir (air). Its meaning is: strong, mighty. And who called Him this? Jacob our forefather, who said, "from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob." And why did he call Him this? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, saved him and aided him in all his troubles - from the hand of Laban and from the hand of Esau - and was his strength and his might. He even showed him that he had the power to be saved even from an angel, as it is said, "for you have striven with divine and human beings and have prevailed." Where did this tremendous power come from? From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob - He is the Mighty One who fortified his strength.
And why does David mention Jacob specifically? Because Jacob was the first to grasp the concept of the Temple. Jacob saw the site of the Temple in his dream - that is the ladder he saw - and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." These words were spoken concerning the site of the Temple, not Beit El where he lay; rather, because he saw the dream there, he mentioned the place, set up a monument there, and built an altar. Likewise, upon returning from Haran, he declared that this place would be a house of God, a house of prayer - seeing it as the chosen site where the Temple would be built. Thus, the site of the Temple had already been revealed to Jacob.
Although Abraham our forefather performed the Binding (Akeidah) at the site of the Temple, we do not find that it was revealed to him that this would be the permanent site of the Temple. The Radak explains that from the verses this is not clear. It is very likely that he did know, for it is difficult to imagine that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not reveal to "Abraham My beloved" that this was the site of the Temple - yet we have no explicit revelation of this in the verses. With Jacob, by contrast, there is an explicit revelation, and therefore it says, "vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob."
Our Sages expounded: "Vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob" - Rabbi Abbahu said: It does not say "to the Mighty One of Abraham" or "to the Mighty One of Isaac," but "to the Mighty One of Jacob"; he linked the vow to the one who initiated it. Jacob was the first of all who vowed, as it is said, "And Jacob made a vow, saying (leimor)" - and "saying" implies for all generations: that in future generations, in a time of distress, you should make vows. And since Jacob was the first to initiate a vow, anyone who makes a vow links his vow only to him. Therefore, King David vows in the name of Jacob, the first to make a vow.
What is evident throughout the psalm is that the site of the Temple was concealed. So it is in verse 5, "Until I find a place for the Lord," which Rashi explains: until it becomes known where the site of the Temple will be. And as we have seen, when David fled from Saul and went to Samuel at Nayot in Ramah, they occupied themselves with "the beauty of the world" - identifying the site of the Temple. This raises a question: why did the Holy One, blessed be He, not announce in advance which site was chosen, so that they could treat it with reverence? Why leave it as a mystery, until David deduces it from seeing the angel during the plague, and from textual derivations such as identifying the finest location in the territory of the ox [Joseph]?
The Rambam in the Guide for the Perplexed already raises this question and offers three answers. First: had the nations known that there prayer is accepted and sacrifices find favor, every nation would have fought to possess it, and strife and bloodshed would have multiplied among them. Second: had the Canaanite inhabitants of the land known that Israel was destined to inherit their land, worship the Lord there, and offer their sacrifices there, they would have destroyed the site with all their might. And third: the tribes would have quarreled among themselves, each demanding that the site be within its tribal inheritance, and division would have broken out among them just as occurred over the priesthood in the dispute of Korah and his congregation. Therefore, Scripture concealed and obscured the place and did not publicize it - not only from the nations, but even Israel did not know it; for although everyone knew the spiritual stature of Mount Moriah, they did not know that it was "the place that the Lord shall choose."
Incidentally, today we see how true this is. For nowadays, when the place is already known, the nations went and built their own house of prayer there, and time and again stir up riots against us in the name of "Al-Aqsa" - even though this place is ours, and they stole it from us just as they stole everything else. They even stole the narratives: in their ethos appears the "Binding of Ishmael." Inventing something new is too burdensome for them, so everything comes through theft.
The book Chayei Levav cites from the Sifrei another reason why the site of the Temple was not revealed. It is said, "To the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes" - seek it through a prophet. Could it mean that you should wait until a prophet tells you? The verse teaches, "You shall seek His dwelling place and come there" - seek and find, and afterward a prophet will confirm it to you. That is to say, you are commanded to seek actively, to search out the site of the Temple. And so you find with David, as it is said, "Remember, O Lord, for David, all of his afflictions... if I give sleep to my eyes... until I find a place for the Lord." And from where do we know that he acted only according to a prophet? For it is said, "And Gad came to David that day and said to him: Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Aravnah the Jebusite" - and behold, the prophet reveals the location to him. So too, "Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, which had appeared to David his father" - again we see that it came through divine revelation.
From here we learn that the Beit HaMikdash requires longing and requires active pursuit; therefore, the site was not revealed on its own - so that we would yearn, search, and seek. Something that a person seeks and yearns for, he values; something given freely without effort, he does not appreciate. Therefore, "You shall seek His dwelling place": we must search and seek.
The book Toldot Yitzchak offers yet another reason: had the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the site of the Temple openly, David would have been forced to pay an exorbitant sum to Aravnah the Jebusite, who would have said to him: "Pay any fortune for my threshing floor; you have no choice, this is the house of your God." But because the matter was not widely known, Aravnah sold it as an ordinary threshing floor, and the price was set accordingly, allowing David to purchase the site at a reasonable price.
אִם־אָבֹא בְּאֹהֶל בֵּיתִי אִם־אֶעֱלֶה עַל־עֶרֶשׂ יְצוּעָי׃ - If I enter the tent of my home, if I ascend the couch of my bed.
אִם־אֶתֵּן שְׁנַת לְעֵינָי לְעַפְעַפַּי תְּנוּמָה׃ - If I give sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids.
The Malbim explains that this is the content of the oath and vow mentioned in the previous verse: "How he swore to Hashem, vowed to the Mighty One of Yaakov." And what was the oath? "If I enter the tent of my home," "if I ascend the couch of my bed," "if I give sleep to my eyes." The word "if" (im) here serves as the formulation of an oath, as is customary in Scripture.
And what exactly did David swear? That until he finds a place for Hashem, he will not enter the tent of his home - meaning he will not enter his palace in order to sleep there. "My bed" (yetzua'i), according to the Malbim, refers to the gallery surrounding the house, a kind of balcony encircling the residence; regarding this he said that even on the balcony he would not climb onto a couch, that is, onto a bed designated for sleeping. Inside the house he would not allow himself even a light slumber, whereas on the balcony he permitted himself to sleep - but not upon a bed. "If I give sleep to my eyes" refers to sound, regular sleep; "slumber to my eyelids" refers to even a brief doze.
The Radak explains "If I enter the tent of my home" in line with what David said to Natan the prophet: "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells within curtains" - this is what troubled him: I have a house, but the Shechinah does not. The phrasing is an exaggeration: as if to say, my dwelling in my home will bring me no pleasure, nor will resting upon my bed be sweet to me. The Radak interprets yetzua'i differently from the Malbim, in a more straightforward manner: as related to bedding (matza'im), a couch spread with dignified coverings befitting a king.
The Radak further notes regarding "If I give sleep (shenat) to my eyes" that it refers to regular sleep; and the letter tav in the word shenat is not a construct state (semichut) ending, but rather appears in place of a heh. This is similar to "a language (sefat) I did not know I heard" (Tehillim 81:6), where it is not in construct with anything and means safah; and like "greatly (rabbat) You enrich it" (Tehillim 65:10); and like "wisdom (chokhmat) and knowledge" (Yeshayahu 33:6), which is not connected in construct to anything. So too here: shenat appears in place of sheinah.
עַד־אֶמְצָא מָקוֹם לַיהֹוָה מִשְׁכָּנוֹת לַאֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב׃ - Until I find a place for Hashem, dwelling places for the Mighty One of Yaakov.
Rashi explains: "Until I find a place" - until it becomes known where the site of the Beit HaMikdash will be. Rashi seems to be resolving a difficulty: from the simple meaning of the verses, it sounds as though David swore not to sleep in his home until he built a house for Hashem - but could it be that from that point on he never slept in his home again? After all, we find the later episode with Natan the prophet. Rather, the oath was only until the site was found, not until the Temple was actually built; and once he found the site, the oath was fulfilled. Although Hashem told him that he would not be the one to build it, the site itself had already been found.
And why does the verse use the plural "dwelling places" (mishkanot), when there is only one sanctuary? The Radak resolves this: "dwelling places" alludes to three Temples - the First Temple, the Second Temple, and the Temple destined to be built in the future. The Malbim explains differently: "dwelling places" is plural because that single site encompassed the Courtyard (Azarah), the Sanctuary (Heichal), and the Holy of Holies (Kodesh HaKodashim).
The Malbim interprets the verse in two stages: first, "Until I find a place for Hashem" - that the location where the Beit HaMikdash would be built would be discovered, as it says, "the place that Hashem shall choose from among all your tribes," for initially the location was unknown. Then, "dwelling places for the Mighty One of Yaakov" - that once the site was found, he would build the sanctuary there where the Shechinah would dwell permanently. And because this is a place specifically designated for the presence of the Shechinah, as Yaakov said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven," it is called "dwelling places for the Mighty One of Yaakov": just as Yaakov made his vow there that this stone would become a house of God, so too David made a vow to the Mighty One of Yaakov.
David HaMelech opens the psalm with a plea that Hashem remember for him all the affliction he endured to find the site of the Beit HaMikdash, and that it be credited to him as though he had built it himself. He swore and made a vow - in the name of Yaakov, the first to make a vow and the first to whom the site of the Beit HaMikdash was revealed - that he would not enter his home nor grant sleep to his eyes until he found a place for Hashem. And why was the location concealed from the outset? Because the nations would have waged war over it, the Canaanites would have destroyed it, and the tribes would have quarreled over its territory (Rambam); because we were commanded, "To His dwelling shall you seek" - to search and yearn, for a person values that which he yearns for; and because otherwise David would not have been able to purchase the threshing floor from Aravnah at a reasonable price. From here emerges the profound foundation of the chapter: the Beit HaMikdash is acquired through yearning, seeking, and self-affliction.