Psalm 21 is a psalm of thanksgiving for the successes that the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestowed upon King David, from the very first moment of his anointing, to the eternal promise of the Davidic dynasty, and ultimately to the retribution against the enemies of Hashem. In this section, we will follow the verses according to the commentary of the Malbim, examining how each verse portrays another stage in David's ascent, and how the chapter concludes with a supplication for the exaltation of Hashem's Name in the world.
כִּי־תְקַדְּמֶנּוּ בִּרְכוֹת טוֹב תָּשִׁית לְרֹאשׁוֹ עֲטֶרֶת פָּז׃ - For You anticipate him with blessings of good; You set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
Here begins the description of King David's triumphs, and the very first is his anointing by Samuel. This is where it all began. Until then, David was "an alien to my brothers, and a stranger to my mother's sons." They sent him out to tend the sheep in the hope that a lion or a bear would kill him, thereby removing their disgrace, as they were convinced that David was a mamzer (as discussed at length in the teachings on the holiday of Shavuot). And when Samuel came to anoint him as king, his greatness was suddenly revealed.
"You anticipate him with blessings of good" - blessings of goodness and abundance greeted him at the time of his anointing, a blessing he had not even yearned for, never imagining that he would attain such greatness. This blessing served as the foundation for all his future successes. "You set a crown of fine gold upon his head" - and subsequently, the crown of royalty, a golden diadem, was set permanently upon his head. That is to say: this was the blessing that initiated his ascent, and it was also the blessing that remained permanently upon his head.
חַיִּים שָׁאַל מִמְּךָ נָתַתָּה לּוֹ אֹרֶךְ יָמִים עוֹלָם וָעֶד׃ - He asked life of You; You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever.
Following the anointing, Saul began to pursue him, recognizing that here stood the one destined to succeed him. At that moment, David asked for life - that he not perish at the hand of Saul - and You granted it to him. Afterwards, he asked for length of days, since life could be short, and You granted him that as well. And to what extent? "Length of days forever and ever" - David, King of Israel, lives and endures, living and enduring before Hashem for all eternity.
Metzudat David cites the Sages' exposition applying "He asked life of You" to Mashiach ben David: during the war of Gog and Magog, when he sees that Mashiach ben Yosef is on the verge of being killed - as we pray that Mashiach ben Yosef should not die at the hands of the wicked Armilus - Mashiach ben David will pray for the life of Mashiach ben Yosef. Mashiach ben David represents the spiritual redemption, while Mashiach ben Yosef represents the physical redemption, akin to Ezra and Nechemiah. He will plead for his life, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will promise to grant him life.
And Rashi explains: "He asked life of You" - when David fled outside the Land of Israel from Saul, he prayed, "I will walk before Hashem in the lands of the living" (Psalm 116), that he might merit returning to the Land of Israel. This was the plea for life, and "You gave it to him" - meaning You returned him to the Land of Israel, and he was privileged to return and serve before Hashem.
גָּדוֹל כְּבוֹדוֹ בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ הוֹד וְהָדָר תְּשַׁוֶּה עָלָיו׃ - Great is his glory through Your salvation; splendor and majesty You place upon him.
After Shaul died, his honor grew even greater through the salvation of Hashem: all of Israel came to anoint him as king, and he succeeded in his wars, until "splendor and majesty You place upon him." Rashi notes that Menachem interpreted "תשוה" (teshaveh) as synonymous with "תשים" (tasim) and "תשית" (tashit) - they share a single root meaning, the act of placing.
However, we are already accustomed to the Malbim's precise approach, and we know that no two words in the Torah are identical; each word expresses a distinct concept. The Malbim already taught us in chapter 16, verse 8, in his linguistic analysis (be'ur hamilot), that wherever the term "תשוה" (teshaveh) appears - beyond the basic sense of placing or setting (as in "I have set [shiviti] Hashem before me always," meaning I have placed Hashem before me) - it also carries the connotation of equality, parity, and worth. Therefore, the term "תשוה" is used: there is a virtue here of balance, suitability, and proportion.
And this is what is being said here: not merely "splendor and majesty You place upon him," but "תשוה עליו" - the splendor and majesty that rested upon David were commensurate with him, fitting for him, matched to his stature, befitting him, and deserved by him according to his deeds. A person can place one thing onto another even when there is no connection or suitability between them, but "תשוה" teaches that there is harmony and proportion between David and the splendor and majesty placed upon him.
כִּי־תְשִׁיתֵהוּ בְרָכוֹת לָעַד תְּחַדֵּהוּ בְשִׂמְחָה אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ׃ - For You have set blessings upon him forever; You gladden him with joy in Your presence.
Afterward, when David wished to build the Beit HaMikdash, the promise came to him through Natan the prophet that the monarchy would never depart from him. As stated in II Shmuel, chapter 7: "When your days are fulfilled and you lie with your forefathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who will issue from your body, and I will establish his kingdom... But My lovingkindness will not depart from him as I removed it from Shaul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be steadfast forever before you; your throne shall be established forever." The son who would reign after him - Hashem's lovingkindness would accompany him. (Incidentally, the Malbim here quoted by a slip of the pen "וחסדי לא אפיר מעמו," which is the phrasing of a different verse in Tehillim, whereas the verse he was referencing says "וחסדי לא יסור ממנו" - an understandable mix-up of two similar verses.)
This does not mean that David himself would reign forever, for David does not reign today. Rather, it means that the kingship endures forever: at any stage when a king is to be crowned, he must come from the Davidic dynasty. It is never said that "David's time has passed," as was said regarding Shaul; rather, the monarchy was granted to him for all eternity.
David then came and sat before Hashem, saying: "Who am I, My Lord Hashem, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And this was yet small in Your eyes, My Lord Hashem, so You spoke also of Your servant's house regarding the distant future - and is this the custom of man, My Lord Hashem?" And he concluded in thanksgiving: "And now, You are Hashem, God, and Your words are truth... and may the house of Your servant be blessed forever with Your blessing."
And this is what the verse is saying: "For You have set blessings upon him forever" - You placed blessings upon him forever, so that from his son onward, the Davidic kingdom would continue eternally; and then, "You gladden him with joy in Your presence" - when he sat before Hashem, You brought him joy. And what is the difference between "תחדהו" (techadeihu, gladness) and "שמחה" (simchah, joy)? The Malbim explains that the term chedvah always denotes spiritual joy, whereas simchah can also refer to non-spiritual joy. For example: "For the joy [chedvat] of Hashem is your strength." Here, he experienced spiritual joy in the privilege that he and his descendants would always stand before Hashem.
כִּי־הַמֶּלֶךְ בֹּטֵחַ בַּיהֹוָה וּבְחֶסֶד עֶלְיוֹן בַּל־יִמּוֹט׃ - For the king trusts in Hashem, and through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not falter.
"For the king trusts in Hashem" - just as David said immediately following the promise, "and Your words shall be truth," meaning: I trust in Hashem and have no doubt that Your words will be truth. "And through the kindness of the Most High he shall not stumble" - the supernal kindness will not collapse, and I do not doubt Hashem's promise. The throne of David is established upon Hashem's kindness, and the kindness of Hashem never ceases.
To explain: had David's throne been established based on David's own deeds, one might argue that as long as his actions are proper and worthy he merits the promise, but the moment his deeds are not worthy - the promise was not made to you in the state you appear today. But if the promise is not based on David's deeds but rather on Hashem's kindness, then Hashem's kindness will never stumble; it undergoes no changes and never collapses. Therefore: "For the king trusts in Hashem" - in supernal kindness and not based on my own deeds, and therefore, even if I am not worthy, the promise remains firm, for it does not depend on the merits of the recipients, but rather on His benevolence, blessed be He.
תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לְכָל־אֹיְבֶיךָ יְמִינְךָ תִּמְצָא שֹׂנְאֶיךָ׃ - Your hand shall reach all your enemies; your right hand shall find those who hate you.
Following the vision revealed to him, David fought great wars against the Philistines, Moab, Aram, and Ammon. There it is written, "and he measured Moab... two lines to put to death." As explained at the beginning of the chapter: David struck Moab because they had murdered his parents, whom he had sent to Moab so they would protect them from fear of Saul, but it turned out they killed them. And Yishai, David's father, was a tremendous tzaddik, one of the greatest among those who died only on account of the instigation of the serpent. When David saw this, he went and waged war against them and dealt them a severe blow: he took a measuring line, laid them down on the ground, measured two portions to be put to death, and spared one portion.
The Malbim teaches us a general rule: wherever "hand" and "right hand" appear together, the first "hand" refers to the left hand, for scripture would not speak twice of the exact same hand. "Your hand shall reach all your enemies" - you will find a way to strike all your enemies with your left hand; "your right hand will find those who hate you" - and the right hand will find the haters. We must understand: why is the left hand directed at enemies and the right hand at haters, and what is the difference between an enemy and a hater, and between the left hand and the right?
The difference between an enemy and a hater, as the Malbim has already explained several times and as we saw in Psalm 18 (and as we say, "protect me from my enemies and from my haters"): an enemy is worse than a hater. A hater hates only in his heart; he does not commit evil in practice - he simply hates. An enemy is not satisfied with hatred in the heart; rather, he actively seeks how to put it into action, how to strike and inflict harm. The difference between left and right: the left represents natural providence, while the right represents miraculous providence that transcends nature - "the right hand of Hashem acts valiantly." Miraculous providence is always in the realm of the right, whereas nature is in the realm of the left.
The Malbim adds: there are two types of suffering. At times the Holy One, blessed be He, abandons a person to the happenstance of nature, and at times the Holy One, blessed be He, pursues him through direct providence. We might have thought that it is preferable to be left to the happenstance of nature, but the Malbim says: no. It is better that Hashem pursue him through direct providence, for when Hashem pursues through providence, a person pays the price precisely for what he did. But when Hashem abandons him to the happenstance of nature, many troubles may befall him, far beyond what he actually did, for Hashem has, as it were, forsaken him, and if natural circumstances bring misfortune - he will suffer all the troubles that come. On one hand, there is an apparent advantage: when Hashem leaves a person to natural chance, he might not suffer at all, because if natural conditions are favorable - there is no war, no plague, no calamity - he will not suffer. But if he does suffer, he will suffer far more than one who suffers through providence, for one who suffers under providence receives an exact measure.
According to this, we can explain: "Your hand shall reach all your enemies" - the left hand represents the conduct of nature, through which You will abandon the enemies to natural circumstances, and this is far more severe, as they can suffer much more than what they actually did. In contrast, "your right hand will find those who hate you" - the haters, who do not fall into the category of active enemies and are less culpable, will be struck by Your right hand, through providence, precisely according to what they did: if it was merely hatred in the heart, they will receive their measure accordingly, under full providence.
One may also add: why does it say "find those who hate you"? Because enemies are obvious, but haters - only Hashem knows what is in their hearts. A hater can be very pleasant outwardly, while inwardly consumed with hatred. And who knows this? Only Hashem. Therefore, "your right hand will find those who hate you" - in a supernatural way You discover them, for one must search, and only You, Hashem, know what is in the heart of man, and You will seek out those who hate in their hearts.
תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ כְּתַנּוּר אֵשׁ לְעֵת פָּנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה בְּאַפּוֹ יְבַלְּעֵם וְתֹאכְלֵם אֵשׁ׃ - You will make them like a fiery oven at the time of Your presence; Hashem in His wrath will swallow them, and fire will consume them.
"You will make them" - they will be in Your hand as though they were inside a fiery furnace, and this furnace is prepared for the time of the Holy One's wrath. Just as one heats an oven for baking and prepares it beforehand, so too this furnace is prepared and well-heated, and in a single moment, at the time of Hashem's anger against them, they will be cast into it as it were.
The holy Alshich offers an intriguing explanation: these verses were spoken regarding Titus. Chazal tell us that when he was about to die, he commanded that they burn him and scatter his ashes over seven seas and rivers, so that the God of Israel would not find him. The Holy One blessed be He said: in this case, "He fulfills the desire of His wicked ones" - he will be judged by what he decreed upon himself. And so, each and every day they take Titus, burn him, scatter his ashes across the seven seas, and then recreate him anew.
And this is what is meant by "You will make them like a fiery furnace at the time of Your wrath": an oven is stoked and cools down, stoked and cools down, and each day it is heated anew - it is not left burning permanently; every day it is fired up again and cools off. So shall You do to him at the time of Your wrath, like a fiery furnace rekindled every day: "Hashem in His anger will swallow them, and fire will consume them." Indeed, Rashi as well, two verses later, on the words "For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot they could not fulfill," comments that this was said in reference to the wicked Titus. Shortly we will seek to understand how this connects to Titus, but let us proceed in order.
פִּרְיָמוֹ מֵאֶרֶץ תְּאַבֵּד וְזַרְעָם מִבְּנֵי אָדָם׃ - You will destroy their fruit from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of men.
"Their fruit" - what a person produces as fruit and acquires in this world: possessions, houses, fields. "You will destroy from the earth" - You will destroy them from the earth. "And their offspring from among the children of men" - and aside from the fruit, which refers to physical acquisitions, You will also destroy their offspring, their children after them, from among humankind. Rashi explains that this petition refers back to the seed of Amalek, whose sentence is total eradication.
כִּי־נָטוּ עָלֶיךָ רָעָה חָשְׁבוּ מְזִמָּה בַּל־יוּכָלוּ׃ - For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot they could not fulfill.
The Malbim explains: why will You destroy their fruit? Because "they intended evil against You" - they wanted to do actual evil against You. And if you ask, who can possibly harm the Holy One blessed be He? To this the verse says, "they devised a plot they could not fulfill" - judge them for their intention. Even though they plotted something that could never possibly be executed, nevertheless, judge them as they deserve for their wicked schemes.
This is what Chazal teach, that the Holy One judges the nations of the world even for their evil thought alone. With Israel, the Holy One does not judge for an evil thought; rather, for a good thought He grants reward even if it was not actualized, such as when one was prevented by circumstances beyond one's control from performing it. As for an evil thought, if a person intended to commit a transgression and did not - provided it is an isolated occurrence and not habitual - the Holy One does not judge him for it, for the Holy One does not combine an evil thought with an action. But with the nations, He does. Therefore he pleads: Master of the Universe, they directed evil against You, and even though they only conceived a plot that was utterly impossible for them to carry out, nevertheless judge them as they deserve.
And where is this principle exemplified? In the context of Titus, as Rashi notes that this was spoken regarding the wicked Titus. What did Titus do? He took a sword and slashed the Parochet (the Temple curtain), and it is recorded that blood emerged from the Parochet - some say this was the blood of the sacrifices that had been sprinkled upon the curtain, while others say a miracle occurred to mislead him. And he believed that he had killed "Himself" (a euphemism for God): he thought the God of Israel was inside, and behold, he had stabbed Him and blood emerged.
Incidentally, this is also the delusion of the Christians: they have their "communion wafer," wafers of impurity and kelipah, and they believe that if someone takes and crushes them, he is killing that man all over again and blood comes out of the wafers. See how intellectually stunted they were - it is simply unbelievable to read how devoid of reason those pagans were. And several centuries ago, about eight hundred years ago, one of the most horrific pogroms occurred because Jews were suspected of doing this to their communion wafer - taking it, grinding it, stabbing it, drawing blood from that man, and as it were killing him again. And you see where they got this from: Titus too slashed the curtain, blood emerged, and he thought he had slain Hashem, blessed be He. Regarding this it is said, "they devised a plot they could not fulfill" - he plotted to do something that is utterly inconceivable, and yet we ask that He hold them accountable even for the thought itself.
As we have already explained when studying Nefesh HaChaim, this is also what was said concerning Titus: "You have ground ground flour" - Titus ground flour that had already been ground, for the Beis HaMikdash had already been destroyed through the sins of Israel, and what remained was merely the physical, external structure, since the Temple was truly destroyed by us and through our deeds. And the Netziv, in his gloss there, cites that this is what King David pleads in Tehillim: "It is considered as one who lifts up axes in the thicket of trees" - Master of the Universe, please hold it against him, against Titus, against Nevuchadnezzar, against those who destroyed the Beis HaMikdash, as though they truly succeeded in destroying the Heavenly Temple with their axes in the thicket of trees! For when we say "you have ground ground flour," we are seemingly exonerating him - oh, it is not so terrible, you merely destroyed an already ruined house. No! Master of the Universe, attribute it to him as if he destroyed the Heavenly Temple, and let him thereby receive the punishment he deserves. And so too here, he asks that Hashem punish them, even though it was a scheme they could not accomplish, a plot that could never be brought to fruition.
כִּי תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ שֶׁכֶם בְּמֵיתָרֶיךָ תְּכוֹנֵן עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם׃ - For You shall make them a portion; with Your cords You will aim at their faces.
The Malbim explains that this refers back to what we explained: King David made the Moabites lie down and measured them - one portion to keep alive and two to put to death, one part to live and two parts to die. "Your cords" refers to the ropes with which he measured, and with them "You will aim at their faces" - you pass them across their faces, and by them their death is decreed.
רוּמָה יְהֹוָה בְּעֻזֶּךָ נָשִׁירָה וּנְזַמְּרָה גְּבוּרָתֶךָ׃ - Be exalted, Hashem, in Your strength; we will sing and chant praise of Your might.
The Malbim notes that King David concludes with the very theme with which he opened. He began with, "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" - that through Hashem's strength, the king, David, rejoices. And now he pleads, "Be exalted, Hashem, in Your strength": Master of the Universe, be exalted through the strength with which You exact vengeance upon the nations. And as Chazal say, when Hashem exacts retribution from the nations - "And I will be magnified and sanctified in the eyes of many nations" - the Name of Hashem is magnified. Through this, Your Name will be exalted in Your strength, in the might You wield against the nations, and thereby "we will sing and chant praise of Your might" - we will sing and chant praise to the might of Hashem as He exacts retribution from the nations, speedily in our days, Amen.
The psalm guides us through a precise sequence in the life of David: the blessing that preceded him through the anointing of Shmuel, which became an enduring crown of fine gold upon his head; the life and length of days he requested during the persecutions of Shaul; the honor, majesty, and splendor that were commensurate with and fitting for him according to his deeds; the eternal promise conveyed by Nasan the prophet and the spiritual joy that accompanied it; and the trust that does not rely upon the deeds of the recipient, but upon the supreme lovingkindness that never falters. From there, the psalm turns to the enemies and foes - the left hand of the natural order and the right hand of Divine Providence, the fiery furnace prepared for the time of wrath, the destruction of fruit and offspring, and judgment for the scheme itself even though it could never be carried out. And David concludes with that which he began: the exaltation of the Holy One, Blessed be He, in His strength, and singing and chanting praise to His might as He exacts retribution from the nations.