יְקוּמוּן עֵדֵי חָמָס אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתִּי יִשְׁאָלוּנִי׃ - Malicious witnesses arise; they question me about things I do not know.
Regarding monetary possessions, David says: They hired witnesses to give false testimony against me in financial matters. And they were cunning about it: had they sued me over something I had done myself, I could have objected and refuted their claims. Therefore, they acted with guile - "they question me about things I do not know." When someone comes and claims that you owe him money, you can deny it. But when he says, "Your father borrowed from me" - what do I know about my father's business dealings? That is how they sued me: regarding matters of which I have no knowledge. They demanded payment and questioned me about things I knew nothing about, and then told me that I must pay - would you leave your father up in Heaven with unpaid debts?
יְשַׁלְּמוּנִי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה שְׁכוֹל לְנַפְשִׁי׃ - They repay me evil for good, bereavement to my soul.
Here he turns to discuss the harm they sought to inflict upon his soul. The Malbim explains: It is the way of the world that one who comes to harm his fellow does so out of revenge, because the other person harmed him first - "you did this to me, and now I will show you." David says: In my case, it was "evil in return for good." The word yeshalmuni ("they repay me") indicates that they came as though paying back and seeking vengeance - and for what? For the good I did for them. And regarding the soul - "bereavement to my soul," they sought to leave my soul bereaved, like a person bereaved of his children, a soul cut off from attaching itself to the inheritance of Hashem.
We have mentioned previously that a person who does a favor for his fellow often wants to perpetuate it - "do not repay me." Why? Because it feels comfortable to remain in a position of control, where the other is perpetually indebted to him. Rabbeinu Yerucham of Mir noted that this is a complete mistake: If you do someone a favor, create opportunities for him to repay you, as a person dislikes remaining indebted. Give him the opportunity to reciprocate, or at least the feeling that he is reciprocating - and by doing so, you perform a kindness with him.
And reality shows that because a person dislikes remaining indebted, in situations where he cannot repay, an absurd situation arises: he denies the debt. If he can repay, he repays. If he cannot, or if he is not the type to repay, he denies the debt; and not only does he deny it, but he even lashes out at you: "Why are you even asking this of me?"
The Chasam Sofer remarked: This is why we often see that the very people we treated with kindness are the ones who repay us with evil. Why? Because it is uncomfortable for a person to be in the position of the receiver, the one indebted to you; therefore, he repays you with evil, as if to say, "I owe you nothing." It is told that once someone intensely pursued and harassed the Chasam Sofer, and the Chasam Sofer said: "I do not know why he is pursuing me; I do not recall doing him so many favors that he should persecute me like this."
And this is what is stated here: "They repay me evil for good." I did good for them - and look what they return to me.
וַאֲנִי בַּחֲלוֹתָם לְבוּשִׁי שָׂק עִנֵּיתִי בַצּוֹם נַפְשִׁי וּתְפִלָּתִי עַל חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב׃ - As for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I afflicted my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned into my bosom.
David describes how he sought only their good: when they fell ill, it grieved me so deeply that I took to bed. I became sick over the fact that you were sick; my heart ached over your illness - yet when they saw me take to bed, they rejoiced. I fell ill over their sickness, and when I was sick, they were glad. And during their illness, I did everything possible: I wore sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting, and I fasted to pray for their recovery.
Not only that, but "and my prayer returned into my bosom": I prayed with such genuine intention, in the heart and in modesty, an inward prayer held close to the bosom - not to show others that I was praying for them. For otherwise, one might have claimed: David, deep down inside you prayed for them to die, and only outwardly did you show concern for them. To this he says: No, certainly not; my prayer was within, in my bosom, in privacy. And not merely once, but "it returned" ("tashuv") - I returned to pray again and again.
Radak explains differently: There were those who said of his enemies, Achitophel and Doeg the Edomite, that outwardly you only show that you ache over their illness, but in secret, behind the curtain, who knows what you pray - Master of the Universe, take them quickly, destroy them! David tells them: May the prayer I prayed for them return upon me! And he brings this as proof: Would King David ever say such a thing, inviting a curse upon himself? Rather, it is certain that I prayed for them only to live and that it be good for them, and therefore I could say "let it return into my bosom" - I wish that same prayer upon myself.
The mention of "my clothing was sackcloth" brings to mind a story: There was once a man who pretended to be a tzaddik and wore sackcloth, presenting himself as an ascetic. Everyone looked down on him, because they recognized it was an act, and they called him a fool. Once he came before the Maggid of Mezeritch, and the Maggid knew his story. Before entering, he pulled the sackcloth slightly outward - for sackcloth is always worn underneath, with a shirt and coat over it - so that it would be noticeable from the outside and the Rebbe would realize he was wearing sackcloth. He walked in, and heard the Maggid say to himself: "He is no fool." The man rejoiced, thinking: The Rebbe agrees that what people say about me is untrue! The Maggid said to him: "I was not speaking about you." The man asked: "Then about whom?" He told him: "Concerning the Yetzer Hara, it is written that he is an 'old and foolish king,' but if he managed to put you inside his sack - he is truly no fool; he is exceptionally clever. Look how he outsmarted you and trapped you in his sack, until you actually imagine that you are who-knows-what kind of tzaddik."
כְּרֵעַ כְּאָח לִי הִתְהַלָּכְתִּי כַּאֲבֶל אֵם קֹדֵר שַׁחוֹתִי׃ - I behaved as though he were my friend or brother; as one who mourns for a mother, gloomy, I bowed down.
Malbim explains: I conducted myself with them as though they were a friend and brother to me. Just as I worry for my sick brother and my sick friend, so I worried for them, and I went constantly to visit them. "As one who mourns for a mother" - like a person mourning for his mother, where out of the deep grief of mourning I became gloomy and bowed down, and it was evident upon me how much their illness pained me.
Rashi explains that "as one who mourns for a mother" can be interpreted in two ways: as a person mourning for his mother, or as a mother mourning for her son. Both are correct, for a person mourning his mother feels immense pain, and so does a mother mourning her son - either way, we reach the same result. Yet one must understand: why does it say "as one who mourns for a mother" and not "as one who mourns for a father"? Does a person not mourn for his father?
Radak explains that in truth, a person grieves more over the death of his mother than over the death of his father: from her he was formed in the womb, she nursed him, weaned him, and nurtured him until he grew, and even after he grew up, she is the one present in the home, preparing all his needs in food and drink. And as the Gemara brings, naturally a son loves his mother more, whereas his father he honors more and reveres more. Therefore it says, "Every person shall revere his mother and his father" - regarding reverence, the mother is mentioned first, because naturally he does not fear her; he feels very close to her, while toward the father there is more distance and awe. Conversely, "Honor your father and your mother" - for he is inclined to honor his mother naturally, since he is close to her and she dotes on him, whereas the father might otherwise receive less honor.
Incidentally, someone once noted: when a son calls home and the father picks up, the first question is, "Where's Mom?" A son tends to develop less of a close dialogue with his father. The father maintains distance: "Hello, how are things, Baruch Hashem, is Mom home?" Whereas the mother develops a conversation: "It's so good you called, how are you?" and shares what she has been going through. Men are brief and utilitarian, to the point that the father sometimes asks: "Why did you call, do you need something?" This is the idea of "one who mourns for a mother" - that a person grieves more deeply over the death of his mother.
The Radak brings another explanation in the name of his father: "like one who mourns for a mother" refers to the mourning of an infant whose mother has died. In those days, there were no milk substitutes, and when a mother died, there might be no wet nurse, which was the greatest pain of all. When a father dies, an infant still has his mother to nurse him, but when his mother dies, who will nurse him?
וּבְצַלְעִי שָׂמְחוּ וְנֶאֱסָפוּ נֶאֶסְפוּ עָלַי נֵכִים וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי קָרְעוּ וְלֹא דָמּוּ׃ בְּחַנְפֵי לַעֲגֵי מָעוֹג חָרֹק עָלַי שִׁנֵּימוֹ׃ - But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; wretched people gathered against me unawares; they tore at me without ceasing. With hypocritical scoffs for a cake, they gnashed their teeth at me.
The Radak explains: I cared for them in their illness, yet when I fell ill, they rejoiced greatly and celebrated. "At my limping" - when I was limping from the intense pain in my limbs, they rejoiced and gathered together to tell one another and celebrate, passing along the news: "Did you hear? David is sick. How is he doing? Do they say he will pull through or not?" "Wretched people" (nekhim) - the Radak explains that these were lowly and base individuals, as it says, "Children of scoundrels, even children of nameless men, they were beaten (nekh'u) from the land."
"And I did not know" - David says: I do not know what they saw in coming to rejoice at my misfortune, when on the contrary, I grieved at their trouble and never repaid them with evil. "They tore and were not silent" (kar'u velo damu) - they tore open their mouths in excessive laughter. Perhaps this is the origin of the colloquial Hebrew expression describing something hilarious as "tearing" (korea): tearing open one's mouth. The root for tearing here signifies opening wide, as in "though you enlarge (tikr'i) your eyes with kohl" - opening her eyes, and as in "he cuts out (vekar'a) windows for himself" - making an opening for a window. So too, they opened their mouths wide to mock and gloat over me. Others explain "they tore and were not silent" to mean that when they slandered me, it was as if they were tearing pieces of flesh from my body. And the Radak cites in the name of his father: they tore a rent that cannot be sewn back together, meaning they inflicted irreparable damage upon me.
Rashi explains: on account of the sycophantic mockery of food and drink, for they flattered Shaul so that he would feed them and give them drink, they gnashed their teeth against me. Here, as is often the case when the wording is obscure, the interpretations multiply: What is the meaning of "ma'og", what kind of word is it, and how does it connect to flattery and mockery? Rashi explains that "ma'og" relates to eating. To understand such a word, one looks to a concordance to see where else it appears and in what context. We find the word "ma'og" in the story of Eliyahu; when he asked the woman of Tzarfat if she had anything to eat, she replied that she had nothing except a cake (ma'og), showing that ma'og refers to food.
Incidentally, this was also the background of the Aramaic idiom achil kurtza, which always denotes informing or slander. Why? Because whoever went to inform to the king would receive a meal. Today, the tax authorities give an informant a percentage of what was recovered, but in ancient times, they were rewarded with a feast. A kurtza is a morsel or cake: the king would honor him and give him a pastry for reporting that so-and-so concealed assets or attempted to steal from the king. Here too, because they wanted to receive food from Shaul, they would flatter him, using mock flattery for the sake of food and drink, for the sake of the ma'og.
The Radak cites in the name of Menachem and others that "ma'og" derives from ugah (cake) - not merely food in general, but an actual baked cake, just as the woman told Eliyahu, "I have nothing baked (ma'og)." Incidentally, why is a cake called an ugah? Because it was round. This is what children sing in nursery school: "Ugah, ugah, ugah, bema'agal nachugah" - a child assumes it is a song about cake, but "ugah" here is from the expression "he drew a circle (ag ugah) and stood inside it." Because they meant dancing in a circle, the rhyme says "ugah ugah." Bialik needs no commentary, yet today people often lack familiarity with the nuances of Lashon HaKodesh and read unintended meanings into it. The same applies to the word challah: the loaf in those days was round, derived from machol (a circle dance), which is circular.
Accordingly, the Radak explains: these people are "flatterers with mocking over a cake" - self-indulgent people pursuing their desires, seeking pastries for themselves, and they are the ones who gnashed their teeth at me. And what is gnashing of teeth? We usually understand it as an expression of rage, but the Radak explains differently: it is an expression of joy. When a person witnesses his joy - namely, the downfall of his enemies - it leads to a baring or gnashing of teeth, as it says in Eichah, "they gnashed their teeth" - they saw our downfall and gnashed their teeth. This requires some explanation, since a joyful person smiles rather than gnashes his teeth, so how this relates to gnashing teeth needs to be understood. At any rate, in the Radak's view, "they gnashed their teeth at me" means they smiled with malicious delight when they saw my downfall and eagerly anticipated it.
The Malbim explains the verse differently: "At my limping" (u-vetzal'i) - because I was bowed down in gloom, I could not stand on my feet and tended to lie on my rib (tzela), that is, on my side, like the expression "the side (tzela) of the Mishkan." When I collapsed from exhaustion and took to bed, they rejoiced and gathered. When they came to visit me, they did not display their joy, as it would be inappropriate to smile in my presence. Therefore, "the abject (nekhim) gathered against me" - they gathered around me with dejected (nekha'ot) faces: "Ah, David, it breaks our hearts, what a terrible situation," putting on the face of a broken spirit, a grieving person. But in their hearts, they rejoiced. "They tore and were not silent" - out of their eager anticipation of my death, they tore their garments as if I were already dead. Yet while one who rends his garments for the deceased does so in silent mourning, after tearing their clothes they rejoiced, cheered, and spoke mockingly, and furthermore, "they gnashed their teeth at me," which according to the Malbim represents contempt - an explanation that is very intuitive. Thus, externally they put on a dejected face, and in practice they even tore their garments as one does for the deceased, yet it was not out of mourning and grief, but for rejoicing, mockery, and derision against me.
The Gemara in Sanhedrin (107a) expounds: Rava taught, what is the meaning of that which is written, "Yet at my limping they rejoiced and gathered; the crippled gathered against me, and I did not know; they tore and were not silent (velo damu)"? David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that had they torn my flesh, my blood would not have flowed. That is, they shamed me so deeply that even had they torn my flesh, no blood would have flowed from me. As the Gemara says regarding a person who suffers deep humiliation, "the red departs and the white comes": in the first stage his face flushes and the blood rushes forward, and if he has a response, well and good. But when he has nothing to answer, he is like a dead person: the blood drains from his face, and that is the second stage. For this reason our Sages said that whoever humiliates his fellow is considered as though he killed him - when one speaks shaming words to someone, it is like killing him. David said: This was my state, for they humiliated me until my blood drained, and had they torn me open, no blood would have flowed from me.
And not only that, but when they were engaged in the study of the four capital punishments of the court, they would interrupt their study and ask me: David, one who has relations with a married woman, what is his execution? Ostensibly an academic halachic inquiry, but their true intent was: What about Batsheva? You are guilty of such iniquities. David said to them: One who has relations with a married woman is executed by strangulation, yet he still has a share in the World to Come; but one who publicly humiliates his fellow has no share in the World to Come. And you who "tore and were not silent", shaming me in this way - you have forfeited your share in the World to Come. Whereas I, even according to your claim that an act with a married woman occurred here, still have a share in the World to Come.
אֲדֹנָי כַּמָּה תִרְאֶה הָשִׁיבָה נַפְשִׁי מִשֹּׁאֵיהֶם מִכְּפִירִים יְחִידָתִי׃ - My Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my only one from the young lions.
David says: I did not know their thoughts, that when they supposedly came to visit me, they came only to mock and sneer. But You, Master of the Universe - "how long will You look on": You see everything, and how much greater is Your vision than ours, how vast is this sight. If so, You surely know what is in their hearts.
"Rescue my soul from their destructions (misho'eihem)" - the word *sho'eihem* shares a root with *sha'on*, meaning tumult and uproar: when I am in their company I am in mortal danger, so rescue my soul from them. And if you say, separate from them, withdraw, and go out into the wilderness - David says: If I go to the wilderness, I will be endangered by the young lions and predators roaming there, for the Judean Desert has always harbored wild beasts. Therefore, "my only one from the young lions" - save my soul, my solitary essence, from the young lions if I isolate myself there.
אוֹדְךָ בְּקָהָל רָב בְּעַם עָצוּם אֲהַלְלֶךָּ׃ - I will give thanks to You in a great congregation; among a mighty people I will praise You.
And for saving me in either case - whether from their clamor or from the lions - I will thank You in a great congregation. For thanksgiving is far greater when offered before a multitude. A person who was delivered, who prayed for forty days and was answered and vowed to publicize it - the publicizing itself constitutes a higher form of thanksgiving. This is also the concept behind the Thanksgiving Offering (korban todah), which is accompanied by forty loaves of bread that must be consumed in a single day: because no one can eat forty loaves alone in one day, one inevitably gathers people to assist, and as a result the Thanksgiving Offering is widely publicized. We see that the very essence of thanksgiving is to praise Hashem in a great congregation for delivering us from wicked people and from savage beasts.
אַל יִשְׂמְחוּ לִי אֹיְבַי שֶׁקֶר שֹׂנְאַי חִנָּם יִקְרְצוּ עָיִן׃ - Let not those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me, nor let those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
What is the difference between an enemy (*oyev*) and a hater (*soneh*)? The enemy's hostility is open and overt, and his rejoicing when he witnesses our downfall is likewise open. Therefore it says, "Let not those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me", referring to the open gloating of those who fall into the category of active enemies. Typically, a person becomes an enemy to his fellow for a reason - because the other wronged him in some way, prompting him to become an foe. To this David says: "My enemies wrongfully (sheker)" - your enmity is baseless and false, for I did nothing to you and never brought harm upon you.
A hater, by contrast, harbors his malice in his heart, and his enmity is not displayed openly. He does not rejoice publicly, but with a wink: outwardly he feigns sympathy, saying, "Oh dear, what a tragedy, it breaks the heart" - yet at that very moment he winks an eye to his companion. This is "let those who hate me without cause wink the eye." And why "without cause" (*chinam*)? Because a person generally hates another on account of some flaw or fault he observed in him; yet here David says: There is no flaw or blemish they have found in me, and therefore their hatred is causeless hatred (*sinat chinam*). They do not exhibit their hatred openly, but wink to one another, secretly gloating over my downfall.
כִּי לֹא שָׁלוֹם יְדַבֵּרוּ וְעַל רִגְעֵי אֶרֶץ דִּבְרֵי מִרְמוֹת יַחֲשֹׁבוּן׃ - "For they do not speak peace, and against the quiet of the land they devise deceitful matters."
The Malbim explains: The enemies would spread malicious slander against him, accusing him of grave offenses that he never committed. And when asked what the proof is and who saw it - "He who wishes to lie distances his testimony" - they would say, "We heard it from so-and-so." And if you ask, "Can you produce them?" they tell you, "Go meet them below ten tefachim, that is where they are buried." Can I interrogate them to verify if you speak the truth? In this way, they leveled false accusations against me, attributing them to someone who is no longer among the living. This is the meaning of "For they do not speak peace" - they do not speak peaceful words but rather defame me, and "they devise deceitful matters" - they fabricate lies about me and pin them upon "the quiet of the land" (rigei eretz), those who rest and lie in the earth, namely the dead. One slanders me, and if you ask him from whom he heard it, he answers, "So-and-so, who is now deceased, told me while he was still alive." And perhaps he passed away precisely because he spoke lashon hara to you? But he does not think about that; rather, he insists, "He told me, and if they said it about David, it must certainly be true."
וַיַּרְחִיבוּ עָלַי פִּיהֶם אָמְרוּ הֶאָח הֶאָח רָאֲתָה עֵינֵנוּ׃ - "They opened wide their mouth against me; they said, 'Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!'"
Afterwards, they clung to that slander, and not only that, they went further and insisted that they themselves had witnessed it. Once the tale gained momentum, they gained greater boldness, and go prove that you have no sister! He now says, "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes." "Aha, aha" - the Radak explains that this is an expression of malicious joy, and its repetition indicates double rejoicing; he rejoices at seeing my downfall. "Our eyes have seen it" - we ourselves saw how David committed such and such evils. And it is the nature of falsehood to spread and establish itself, and the nature of lashon hara to gain traction and be readily accepted by its listeners. Through this, all those who open wide their mouths against him in mockery and speak of his "evil deeds" find their words believed by the listeners, especially when they claim, "Our eyes have seen it" - we saw it personally, it was not merely told to us.
The Radak cites in the name of Dunash, Rashi, and Rabbi Moshe ibn Gikatilla that rigei is related to "Who stirs up [roga] the sea so that its waves roar," where the root does not mean quiet, but clefts or tearing open - Hashem cleaves the sea. Accordingly, the meaning is: there are people whispering against me in secret places, in the clefts and hidden recesses of the land. But the Radak questions this: the verse speaks of thought - "they devise deceitful matters" - and thought is inherently concealed, requiring no physical hiding place. If the verse had spoken of speech and dissemination, it would be understandable that one must hide for fear of who might hear and expose it; but when it comes to inner thoughts, why would one need clefts and hidden places?
Therefore, the Radak says that the more likely explanation aligns with the alternative interpretation cited by Rashi, that rigei eretz is related to tranquility (margoa). This is also the Malbim's root meaning, except that the Malbim interpreted "those at rest in the earth" as the deceased, whereas here tranquility refers to peacefulness: these are the humble, pleasant people, who are gentler and less formidable or intimidating. And about whom is it easiest to gossip? About the humble, about those who will not retaliate, about the peaceful ones. But try saying something to a hothead - you would not think twice, or you might not be able to think at all after the response you receive! People do not get clever with them, nor do they say things that might blow up in their faces. Therefore, they speak specifically against the "quiet of the land," the lowly and humble people of calm disposition - against them do they spread malicious slander.
The Radak offers another explanation: "the quiet of the land" refers to the affluent and complacent who dwell peacefully in the land - the upper echelon, those whose homes and palaces are filled with luxury. According to this, "the quiet of the land" joins those who speak ill: "For they do not speak peace" - who? The wicked, "and upon the quiet of the land" - meaning, together with the quiet of the land. Those wicked people ally with those who dwell serenely in the land, joining forces with them to speak and devise evil against me. Those flatterers and mockers, together with the affluent and complacent, all speak deceitful words about me - while I am an exile, they sit in comfort and cast insults against me.
רָאִיתָה יְהֹוָה אַל תֶּחֱרַשׁ אֲדֹנָי אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי׃ - "You have seen, Hashem; do not keep silent; my Lord, do not be far from me."
The Malbim explains: You, Master of the Universe, see that they cast insults upon me regarding things they never witnessed, as they claimed, "They opened wide their mouth against me... 'Our eyes have seen it!'" - when in truth, they saw nothing. David says before the Holy One, Blessed be He: I have no proof to counter them; I cannot prove that they did not see it, for they will always claim that I am merely trying to clear my name. But "You have seen, Hashem" - You saw whether what they recount is true or not; You saw the truth, and You are the witness. And since I have no one to testify and refute their testimony, "do not keep silent" - You bring forth my innocence to light and declare the truth. And how? Through "do not be far from me" - by taking up my grievance, You will prove that my words are true and their words are false, and that their sole intention is to heap baseless accusations upon me.
הָעִירָה וְהָקִיצָה לְמִשְׁפָּטִי אֱלֹהַי וַאדֹנָי לְרִיבִי׃ - Arouse and awaken to my judgment, my God and my Lord, to my cause.
Both Rashi and the Malbim explain that the phrasing "arouse and awaken" (ha'irah vehakitzah) functions as a transitive verb. One could say to Reuven, "Arouse, awaken" - meaning, wake yourself up. Or one could say, "Reuven, awaken Shimon" - which is transitive, acting upon someone else. Here, both explain that it is transitive. According to Rashi: Master of the World, awaken the Heavenly retinue to execute my judgment against my enemies. And the Malbim explains that this corresponds to what they claimed: they spoke deceitful words and fabricated tales in the name of the dead - therefore, arouse and awaken the dead from their graves so they may prove that their words are lies.
This is similar to what occurred with the famous Rabbi Kalonymus. When the Jews were accused of murdering a Christian boy to bathe in his blood, Rabbi Kalonymus asked to attend the funeral. He went to the funeral, placed a holy Name upon the boy's mouth, and the boy sat up and said: "Priest so-and-so murdered me" - and returned to his bier. The entire city was in an uproar; they investigated and found that the priest had murdered him to frame the Jews. In the wake of this, the passage in Nishmat Kol Chai was expanded to include: "Who revives the dead and heals the sick, opens the eyes of the blind and straightens the bowed, makes the mute speak and deciphers hidden things" - reviving the dead and making the mute speak, for the dead person is already mute, and through this He deciphers hidden things. Incidentally, this passage does not appear in the Yemenite nusach, which indicates that it is a later addition. At any rate, we learn that there is an aspect of deciphering hidden things through the revival of the dead. And this is the meaning: Arouse and awaken, Master of the World, the dead in whose name they are slandering me, so that they may tell the truth. And corresponding to their claim, "our eyes have seen it," I ask: "And my Lord, to my cause" - stand to fight my cause against those who testify that they saw it with their own eyes.
The Malbim adds that awakening (yekitzah) is always an increase over arousal (he'arah): arousal is the initial stirring, whereas awakening is fully waking up. Similarly with the terms "my judgment" (mishpati) and "my cause" (rivi): judgment is the final verdict, while the quarrel is directed against the false witnesses, that Hashem contend with them. First comes the contention, and afterward comes the judgment, which is the conclusion. You, Hashem, contend against the false witnesses and bring my judgment to light.
שׇׁפְטֵנִי כְצִדְקְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָי וְאַל יִשְׂמְחוּ לִי׃ אַל יֹאמְרוּ בְלִבָּם הֶאָח נַפְשֵׁנוּ אַל יֹאמְרוּ בִּלַּעֲנוּהוּ׃ - Judge me according to Your righteousness, Hashem my God, and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their heart, 'Aha, our soul's desire!' Let them not say, 'We have swallowed him up!'
You will bring my judgment to light according to Your righteousness, and not according to the falsehood they fabricated. Then "let them not rejoice over me" - those deceitful enemies. "Let them not say in their heart, 'Aha, our soul's desire!'" - these are the ones who wanted my humiliation and would rejoice at my downfall; "Let them not say, 'We have swallowed him up!'" - these are the ones who wanted to kill him.
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ יַחְדָּו שְׂמֵחֵי רָעָתִי יִלְבְּשׁוּ בֹשֶׁת וּכְלִמָּה הַמַּגְדִּילִים עָלָי׃ - May they be shamed and disgraced together, who rejoice at my misfortune; may they be clothed in shame and humiliation, who magnify themselves against me.
"May they be shamed... who rejoice at my misfortune" - these are the ones saying, "We have swallowed him up"; "may they be clothed in shame and humiliation, who magnify themselves against me" - those who magnified shame and humiliation upon me, let them be clothed in shame. The meaning is that they should be struck with the very measure they sought to inflict upon me.
יָרֹנּוּ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ חֲפֵצֵי צִדְקִי וְיֹאמְרוּ תָמִיד יִגְדַּל יְהֹוָה הֶחָפֵץ שְׁלוֹם עַבְדּוֹ׃ - May they sing and rejoice, who desire my vindication, and let them say continually, 'Magnified be Hashem, Who desires the peace of His servant.'
And corresponding to those who said, "Aha, our soul's desire!" and rejoiced in my downfall - let those who always desire to vindicate me now sing and rejoice, in contrast to those who always seek to disgrace me. And they will say, "Magnified be Hashem continually": there will be a Sanctification of the Name in this, that the Holy One, blessed be He, protects His servants. And through the Holy One, blessed be He, executing judgment upon the wicked, and defending, guarding, and demanding the dignity of the righteous, His Name is magnified in the world - "Magnified be Hashem, Who desires the peace of His servant," for Hashem desires the welfare of His servant and even comes to his defense.
וּלְשׁוֹנִי תֶּהְגֶּה צִדְקֶךָ כׇּל הַיּוֹם תְּהִלָּתֶךָ׃ - And my tongue shall utter Your righteousness, Your praise all the day.
David concludes the psalm: If those who "desire my vindication" praise the Holy One, Blessed be He, for saving me - after all, they are praising Him for a kindness that was not done directly to them, yet they still laud, glorify, and exalt Hashem for bestowing goodness upon their friend - then how much more so is it fitting that I, the recipient of this kindness, should utter praise and give thanks: "And my tongue shall utter Your righteousness," thanking Hashem for the benevolence He showed me. And just as they will continually say, "Exalted be Hashem," so too will I say, "Your praise all the day."
The Malbim explains: "And my tongue shall utter Your righteousness" - this refers to the punishment of the wicked, in which one witnesses the justice of Hashem exacting retribution from them. "Your praise all the day" - this refers to the reward of the righteous, for which I will praise and laud Hashem for granting reward to the tzaddikim. This is very precise: "Your righteousness" means that Hashem enacted justice, and what is justice? Exacting retribution from the wicked. And "Your praise" is thanksgiving for the benevolence, and what is the benevolence? Granting reward to the righteous and safeguarding them. Regarding this David says: I thank Hashem, "Your praise all the day."