שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶל ה' בַּצָּרָתָה לִּי קָרָאתִי ויַּעֲנֵנִי

A song of ascents. I called out to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me.

ה' הַצִּילָה נַפְשִׁי מִשְׂפַת שֶׁקֶר מִלָּשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה

Lord, save me from lying lips, from the lies that people are spreading about me; save me from a deceitful tongue.

מַה יִּתֵּן לְךָ וּמַה יֹּסִיף לָךְ לָשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה

To this, the psalmist adds words of reproof: Lies, deceit, and slander offer nothing but twisted satisfaction to those who wish to harm others. What gain will it give you, deceitful tongue? What will it avail? While slander often spreads quickly and reaches a large number of people, causing great harm, it rarely benefits the slanderer.

חִצֵּי גִבּוֹר שְׁנוּנִים עִם גַּחֲלֵי רְתָמִים

Indeed, in some instances, the slanderer not only receives no benefit from his malicious speech, but is actually punished, whether directly or indirectly, and all he receives as a consequence of his malicious speech are the sharp arrows of the warrior that are aimed at him, and burning coals of the broom bush, which burn for a considerable amount of time. Far from being rewarded, the slanderer will be punished with prolonged suffering.

אוֹיָה לִי כִּי גַרְתִּי מֶשֶׁךְ שָׁכַנְתִּי עִם אָהֳלֵי קֵדָר

The psalmist shifts to the suffering that is experienced by a person who is being maligned. Such a person feels akin to one facing hostile forces on all sides. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshekh, a nation residing outside of the borders of the Land of Israel, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar, the Ishmaelites. Both groups displayed longstanding hostility toward Israel and posed a continual threat of war.

רַבַּת שָׁכְנָה לָּהּ נַפְשִׁי עִם שׂוֹנֵא שָׁלוֹם

My soul has long dwelled, that is, I find myself dwelling, with those who hate peace.

אֲנִי שָׁלוֹם וְכִי אֲדַבֵּר הֵמָּה לַמִּלְחָמָה

I am all peace, I desire peace; yet when I speak to them, they are for war.