Introduction: Two Modes of Providence in One Chapter
Chapter 138 of Tehillim has challenging phrasing, and in each and every verse we must trace its underlying progression. The key to understanding the chapter, following the approach of the Malbim, is that the Holy One, blessed be He, guides His world through two modes of providence: the constant, fixed providence of nature - sunrise in the morning, sunset in the evening, summer and winter - a routine order in which the hand of God is not overtly visible, and everything appears to function naturally; and miraculous providence, in which the Holy One, blessed be He, does not act through intermediaries or emissaries, but He alone overturns the order of nature. Natural providence is conducted, as it were, through intermediaries, the agents of nature, whereas miraculous providence comes directly from Him, blessed be He. King David opens with miraculous providence, and continues in the second verse to natural providence.
Verse 1: Gratitude in the Heart and Song in Public
לְדָוִד אוֹדְךָ בְכָל לִבִּי נֶגֶד אֱלֹהִים אֲזַמְּרֶךָּ׃ - Of David: I will thank You with all my heart; before judges I will sing praise to You.
Rashi explains "before elohim I will sing to You" - in the sight of the princes, referring to the angels. Ibn Ezra highlights the distinction between "with all my heart" and "before elohim": "with all my heart" is hidden, in secret, praising You, Master of the Universe, deep within my heart; whereas "before elohim" refers to the judges, those who administer the laws of God here on earth, and before them I sing to You openly and publicly.
Radak explains that "with all my heart" means with all my mind and all my intellect, while "before elohim" refers to the judges and sages, in line with Ibn Ezra's approach, as it says, "the matter of both shall come before the judges (ha-Elohim)." And regarding the difference between the terms: thanksgiving (hoda'ah) is in the heart, even though it may also be expressed with the mouth, whereas song (mizmor) is always with the mouth. Therefore, "before elohim I will sing to You" - song is always something public.
The Malbim interprets the verse as corresponding to miraculous providence. "Before Elohim" means directly opposite Him, face to face, without an intermediary. Natural providence is carried out by the officers of nature, but miraculous providence comes directly from the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, when coming to give thanks for miraculous providence, one stands directly before God: as if seeing the King Himself, seeing how the Holy One, blessed be He, in His own glory and essence did good for him, and giving Him thanks as one standing directly in His presence.
Joy Sweetens Strict Judgments
The Me'am Lo'ez explains, based on holy books, that the way to nullify strict judgments and sweeten them is through joy. Through joy, all harsh decrees and judgments are nullified.
It is told that Reb Elimelech and Reb Zusha were once falsely accused and thrown into prison. Reb Elimelech saw Reb Zusha weeping. He asked him: "Why are you crying? After all, whatever the Merciful One does is for the best, so why are you distressed?" He answered him: "Heaven forbid, that is not why I am crying. Rather, there is a waste bucket standing right in the middle of the room, pardon the expression, and the foul odor fills the whole room with nowhere to remove it. It is impossible to learn Torah, impossible to connect with the Master of the Universe - that is why I am weeping." Reb Elimelech said to him: "Tell me, to learn Torah and connect with the Master of the Universe - is that a mitzvah?" He answered: "Yes." He asked: "And in a place where there is filth?" He replied: "There, it is the opposite; on the contrary, the mitzvah is not to learn." Reb Elimelech said to him: "If so, mitzvos must be performed with joy - let us dance with joy over the fact that we are now fulfilling the mitzvah not to learn!" They began to dance and rejoice, and when the other prisoners saw this, they joined in. The prison warden came and demanded: "What is this noise? What is this commotion?" They pointed to the bucket in the center as the source of their joy. He ordered: "Take that out of here immediately! And I want quiet, no more noise and no more commotion."
"For you shall go out with joy" - a person must rejoice, and then see how the Holy One, blessed be He, brings him out of all his troubles. Through joy, strict judgments are sweetened: there is a mitzvah here, rejoice in it, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will ensure that everything works out for the very best.
This is what the Me'am Lo'ez explains on our verse: the way to nullify and sweeten strict judgments is for a person to remain in joy and gladness of heart, and this is "I will thank You with all my heart." The verse continues, "before Elohim" - the name Elohim represents the attribute of strict judgment (middat hadin). How can one act against the attribute of judgment, so that it does not treat him with harshness, but rather with mercy? "I will sing to You" - by singing, praising, and being filled with joy, one removes the aspect of Elohim and draws down the aspect of the Four-Letter Name (Havayah), the dimension of lovingkindness and mercy.
Verse 2: Prostrating toward the Sanctuary and Giving Thanks to Hashem
אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ וְאוֹדֶה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ עַל חַסְדְּךָ וְעַל אֲמִתֶּךָ כִּי הִגְדַּלְתָּ עַל כָּל שִׁמְךָ אִמְרָתֶךָ׃ - I will prostrate myself toward Your holy sanctuary and give thanks to Your Name for Your lovingkindness and for Your truth, for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name.
This verse is difficult to decipher: What is the difference between prostrating before Hashem and giving thanks to His Name? What are His lovingkindness and His truth? And what is the meaning of "for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name"?
Ibn Ezra cites an opinion that "Your holy sanctuary" refers to heaven, but rejects this as far-fetched and difficult to accept: the verse states "I will prostrate myself," implying that one arrives at a specific location and bows down. A person bows facing a tangible site, whereas one cannot prostrate toward the sky. Rather, the correct interpretation is that it refers to the place where the Ark rested, and it is toward there that one bows. Radak explains similarly.
And for what am I prostrating? "For Your lovingkindness and for Your truth." Radak explains: the lovingkindness is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, granted David the kingship; and the truth is that He fulfilled that promise of kingship just as He had pledged. David endured many hardships, yet ultimately attained the throne as Hashem had promised him. This is always the connotation of "truth" in this context: fulfilling one's word, verifying one's promise. Kindness is an act of benevolence that is not owed; but once a promise has been made, an obligation is formed, and when that promise is actualized, that is "Your truth."
Radak also senses the difficulty at the end of the verse and explains it through an inverted phrasing: "for You have magnified Your Name above all Your words." He cites numerous biblical examples where the text inverts word order, such as "a place there of burial" meaning "a place of burial there." Thus he explains: regarding what was said concerning "Your truth" - that Hashem fulfilled what He promised David - the verse states that You magnified Your Name through every utterance; You speak and act, decree and fulfill, and everyone will proclaim that Hashem's Name be magnified, glorifying and exalting Him, blessed is He who speaks and fulfills.
Just as You did with me what You promised me - You told me I would be king, and ultimately brought it to fruition - through this it becomes evident to all that the Holy One, Blessed be He, promises and fulfills. Even though everyone claimed it was impossible for David to reign, especially after the sins attributed to him, and especially since detractors constantly sought to find flaws and blemishes in him, nevertheless, even though Hashem brought David a hairsbreadth from death, He fulfilled His promise. It reached the point where David said, "I said in my haste: All men are deceitful" - Shmuel said I would be king, yet seemingly even Shmuel proved mistaken, for how could I become king when I am moments from death? Yet at the final moment, the Holy One, Blessed be He, saved him, when word came to Shaul that the Philistines had raided the land, and they immediately abandoned their pursuit just as they had encircled David around the mountain, as recorded in the Prophets. Then everyone sees how faithfully the Holy One, Blessed be He, fulfills His word, and they declare: by fulfilling Your word You have magnified Your Name above all greatness, for all can see how great Hashem is, who promises and fulfills even against nature, against logic, and against all odds.
The Essential Name and Descriptive Titles
Ibn Ezra explains that "and give thanks to Your Name" refers to the Essential Name, which is written but not pronounced as written, and that You magnified this revered Name, which You revealed to Moshe, above every other name You possess. As is well known, our Sages distinguish between the Tetragrammaton (Shem Havayah) and all other divine names: Shem Havayah is termed by early commentators the Essential Name (shem ha'etzem), as it were, the very essence of His Name, blessed be He. In truth, as discussed previously, the Holy One, Blessed be He, in His absolute Essence has no name at all, for a name imposes a framework and limitation, and all reference to the Name Y-H-V-H applies only after the tzimtzum (constriction). Beyond the tzimtzum He has no definition and no aspect of a name whatsoever. But here, within the realm of tzimtzum, the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed His Name, which is Y-H-V-H - functioning in this reality as the Essential Name - while all other names are descriptive titles: Elokim signifies that all powers are His; Kel means mighty and all-capable; Tzevaot means Master of all legions; Shaddai indicates that He said to His world, "Enough!" All these names serve to describe His actions. Therefore, You have magnified the revered Name above all other names, which are descriptive titles.
The Malbim's Explanation: The King Concealed in His Palace
The Malbim explains that here David transitions to speaking about the second mode of divine governance: natural providence. In the first verse, which addressed miraculous providence, he stands "before the powers (elohim)," directly before Him, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, personally conducts miraculous providence. In natural providence, however, the Holy One, Blessed be He, conceals Himself; Hashem is hidden within nature, and His direct guidance is not overtly obvious: neither in sunrise nor in sunset, neither in clouds nor in rain, where nothing appears outside the natural order. The King is concealed in His heavenly palace, and His emissaries are the forces of nature and celestial ministers, through whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, performs all operations and hidden miracles.
Therefore, "I will prostrate myself toward Your holy sanctuary" - Hashem is concealed in His sanctuary, representing hidden miracles. For rainfall, sunrise, and sunset are all miracles, except that they are hidden miracles. As the Ramban writes, a person has no share in the Torah of Moshe until he believes and knows that all our events and occurrences are miracles, with no inherent nature or ordinary course of the world whatsoever. Even the mere fact that the sun is shining right now is a miracle, as it is Hashem's will to shine the sun at this moment, but it is a hidden miracle. Thus, we bow toward His holy sanctuary, rather than standing, as it were, directly face-to-face before Him.
And why "I will give thanks to Your Name" rather than "I will give thanks to You"? The Malbim explains: when a king sits in his innermost chambers within his palace, he himself remains unseen, and what is known of him is only his name. The Malbim explains this principle in several places: a "name" describes the medium through which something becomes known and publicized, not the essence of the thing itself. Similarly, in the ordinary, natural order of providence, we know the Name, not His very essence. This is like a king of whom one might say his name is such-and-such; have you seen him? Have you spoken with him? Never. In ancient times, a person might never have seen the king in his entire life - in later eras his image was already stamped on coins and monuments, but earlier there could be a king named Nimrod, and no one knew what he looked like, only that his name resonated far and wide. A resounding name means that the essence is hidden and only the reputation spreads. Therefore, here: "I will give thanks to Your Name" - since I do not see Your essence and You are not openly revealed, for this is the natural order of providence and not a miraculous one, what remains for me? To give thanks to Hashem's Name, since through this the Name of the Creator, blessed be He, is revealed to me, rather than His essence, as it were.
Corresponding to the first, miraculous providence, he said "for Your lovingkindness"; and corresponding to the second, natural providence, he said "for Your truth." Lovingkindness (chesed) always expresses wondrous providence, which is not the set, constant routine: Hashem acts with lovingkindness toward us and splits the sea, acts with lovingkindness toward us and brings down hailstones from heaven to strike the enemies. Wondrous providence corresponds to chesed and to the right side. In contrast, the natural order corresponds to the left side, the aspect of constant gevurah, and it is always an expression of truth (emet) - the true, constant, and enduring reality.
And this is the meaning of "for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name": although Your Name denotes natural providence, and through the renown of Your Name in the constant order of nature You were magnified and made known before many nations, nonetheless "Your word" - meaning when Your word is revealed, which is not like a king hiding in his palace, but like a king who reveals himself, with everyone hearing his decrees and commands, when You answer the righteous who pray to You and perform supernatural miracles for them - through this, "You have magnified above all Your Name," for this is greater and loftier than Your Name. For "Your Name" signifies hidden providence, where one does not perceive Your essence but only the Name; whereas in miraculous providence, we witness an open guidance, wherein one stands "before the rulers," as if standing directly opposite the Creator of the world and beholding His guidance.
The Power of Torah Transcends the Power of Holy Names
In the book Tehilot Maharit, "for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name" is explained in another way: the righteous have the ability to utilize holy Names to effect changes, but they refrain from doing so, because acting through holy Names is like forcing Heaven to carry out one's personal will. Therefore, it is written that there is great danger in this, as it harms the one who uses them - "he who uses the crown shall pass away" - and retribution is also exacted from him for burdening Heaven.
What, then, is the proper path? Not through the use of holy Names, but through the Torah: to draw down divine abundance through the study of Torah. The power of Torah study is far greater than the power to effect change through holy Names. This is the meaning of "for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name" - You have exalted and prioritized Your word, which is the Torah and mitzvot, above all Your Name, above what can be achieved through holy Names. For the will of the Creator, blessed be He, is that nature be altered through the power of Torah and mitzvot, not through the invocation of holy Names, which is an easy way, as it were, to bypass the divine will. Rather, one should exert influence by being righteous - "a tzaddik decrees and the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills" - for through the power of his Torah he holds dominion over nature, not through decrees issued by holy Names.
Verse 3: On the Day I Called, You Answered Me
בְּיוֹם קָרָאתִי וַתַּעֲנֵנִי תַּרְהִבֵנִי בְנַפְשִׁי עֹז׃ - On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me with strength in my soul.
This verse holds a special personal significance for someone whose name begins with Bet and ends with Zayin (such as Boaz), as it is customary to recite such a verse at the conclusion of prayer so that one will not forget one's name on the Day of Judgment. For it is written that a person should recite a verse whose first letter matches the first letter of his name and whose last letter matches the last letter of his name. A question was once posed to Hagaon Rav Yitzchak Ratsabi: Wouldn't it be preferable to recite a verse in which the name itself appears explicitly, such as, "And Boaz said to the reapers, Hashem be with you" (Ruth 2:4), where the person's name is written outright rather than merely hinted at, given that the goal is for a person to remember his name? Rav Ratsabi asked in return: "And how does this practice work?" The questioner replied: "I do not know; it is a segulah." Rav Ratsabi answered: "One does not ask logical questions about a segulah; that is how it works - by the first letter and the last letter." Indeed, it is taught that only if one cannot find such a verse should one recite a verse containing the name itself; but as long as one has a verse that begins and ends with the letters of one's name, one should not substitute one in which the name merely appears.
The Radak explains: when I was in distress and wandering as a fugitive, I called out to You and You answered me, bringing me out of distress into broad relief; "You emboldened me with strength in my soul" - through this You fortified the strength within my soul. Rashi interprets "tarhivani" as: You magnified me, magnifying the strength of my soul. And what was this fortification? The Radak explains: "For I knew that there is no god besides You." When a person calls out to Hashem and Hashem saves him, he receives tremendous reinforcement in his faith: here I was in distress, I cried out, and Hashem saved me. This emboldened strength in my soul; it gave inner strength and fortitude to see that there is an address - when one is in distress and cries out, salvation comes, for You see and watch over the affairs of mankind.
Verse 4: All the Kings of the Earth Shall Give Thanks to You
יוֹדוּךָ ה' כָּל מַלְכֵי אָרֶץ כִּי שָׁמְעוּ אִמְרֵי פִיךָ׃ - All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to You, Hashem, for they have heard the words of Your mouth.
The Malbim connects the verses: "On the day I called, You answered me" - when I called out to You in prayer and You answered me Yourself, not through cosmic forces or intermediaries, but You Yourself, and You fulfilled Your word to answer the petitioner and perform a miracle for him. And through this, "All the kings of the earth shall praise You, Hashem, for they have heard the words of Your mouth." This is comparable to the wealthy and powerful when one seeks help through them: such a figure sits exalted somewhere in ivory palaces, and who can even reach him - passing through so many gates, intercoms, and officials before one can even catch a glimpse of his face; and he will not answer you even if you scream or call out to him, nor are his words heard. But here - I called out to Hashem, and Hashem Himself answered me. Therefore, all the kings of the earth will acknowledge that the Holy One, blessed is He, is the living and enduring God, "for they have heard the words of Your mouth" - unlike those wealthy mortals whom no one hears and no one sees; here we witness how the Holy One, blessed is He, answers, as it were, by Himself and delivers when we turn to Him.
And the Malbim explains "You emboldened me with strength in my soul" as a kind of parenthetical remark: when You answer my call, You embolden strength within my soul to think this way. That is, the fact that Hashem answers the tzaddik in his prayer demonstrates the strength and greatness of his soul, for his soul is a part of God Above. "You emboldened me with strength in my soul" - I have strength within my soul, and the proof is that here I cry out to Hashem and the Holy One, blessed is He, answers me, which demonstrates how deeply my soul is bound to Hashem. Consequently, this provides immense encouragement, showing how close I am to Him.
An Opening of the Mouth for Those Who Hope for You
In the sefer Tehillot Maharit, it is explained that if a person feels he has accomplished something through his prayer, it encourages him to pray and grants him the strength and fortitude to continue, for he sees that his prayer brings salvation. Rav Pincus noted - as we have mentioned previously - that by Hashem's grace, he was privileged to have every single prayer answered, seeing with his own eyes how everything he prayed for was fulfilled; and we noted that on one occasion this even worked to his detriment, as recounted at length. In any event, this gives a person reinforcement, strength, and fortitude to redouble his efforts in prayer.
By contrast, if a person feels that he prayed and cried out but was not answered, he develops a sense that his prayer was in vain and that the gates of Heaven are closed. This weakens his resolve: "What is the point of continuing to pray? Here I prayed and was not answered" - and he may come to despair. This is precisely what we ask for in the prayers of the Yamim Noraim: "And so, bestow honor upon Your people, a good hope to those who seek You, and an opening of the mouth to those who wait for You." We ask Hashem to grant us a sign and a good hope that our prayer has been accepted in Heaven, to show us in some small way that the prayer made an impact, so that we will have an opening of the mouth to pray and will continue to multiply our prayers before Him. "Bestow honor upon Your people" - that the prayer will be effective and through its power bring honor to the Jewish people; "a good hope to those who seek You" - that what we hope for will be brought to fruition by the Holy One, blessed is He; and then "an opening of the mouth to those who wait for You" - we will feel that our prayer truly makes an impression, and this will encourage us and open our mouths to continue praying before Him.
And this is what David says here: "On the day I called, You answered me" - when I call out and You, Hashem, willingly answer me, "You emboldened me with strength in my soul" - You instill courage and fortitude in my soul to pour out prayer before You at all times, for You hear my voice when I call to You.
In summary:
The chapter is structured around two modes of divine providence: "I will thank You with all my heart; before the powers I will sing to You" corresponds to miraculous providence, where the Holy One, blessed is He, reveals Himself directly and one stands, as it were, face-to-face before Him; "I will bow down toward Your holy Sanctuary and praise Your Name" corresponds to natural providence, where the King hides in His palace and only His Name is known, and therefore the praise is directed to His Name. Lovingkindness (chesed) represents the wondrous, miraculous providence, while truth (emet) represents the fixed, natural providence; and when the Holy One, blessed is He, fulfills His word and answers the righteous through a miracle - "You have magnified Your word above all Your Name" - this greatness transcends the hidden, natural order. From here we also learned that the proper channel for drawing down divine bounty is through the power of Torah and mitzvot, not through holy names; that joy sweetens harsh judgments; and that an answered prayer emboldens strength within a person's soul, opening his mouth to continue calling upon Hashem at all times.