לְדָוִד בָּרוּךְ ה' צוּרִי הַמְלַמֵּד יָדַי לַקְרָב אֶצְבְּעוֹתַי לַמִּלְחָמָה

By David. Blessed is the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare, enabling me to be victorious.

חַסְדִּי ומְצוּדָתִי מִשְׂגַּבִּי ומְפַלְטִי לִי מָגִנִּי וּבוֹ חָסִיתִי הָרוֹדֵד עַמִּי תַחְתָּי

You are my kindness, the one who bestows kindness upon me, and my fortress, who protects me, my stronghold and my rescuer, my shield in whom I shelter; You are He who subdues my people under me, enabling me to be a king and leader of my people.

ה' מָה אָדָם וַתֵּדָעֵהוּ בֶּן אֱנוֹשׁ וַתְּחַשְּׁבֵהוּ

This is a song of gratitude, not glorification, as even the victorious king knows well that God’s beneficence is responsible for his victory. This leads him to reflect: Lord, what is man that You should know him? Why should humans merit Your love and attention? A mortal that You should consider him? What is their worth, that You think about them and accord them status?

אָדָם לַהֶבֶל דָּמָה יָמָיו כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר

After all, man is like vapor. Human life is ephemeral, like a whiff of vapor or a blowing wind. His days are like a passing shadow. Man’s life has even less substance than a fixed shadow; it is like a “passing shadow,” such as that of a moving cloud or a bird. Therefore, the psalmist prays for God’s continued beneficence instead of arguing that man has any special merit.

ה' הַט שָׁמֶיךָ וְתֵרֵד גַּע בֶּהָרִים וְיֶעֱשָׁנוּ

The psalmist prays for victory in the wars he is waging: Lord, tilt Your heavens to bring them closer to earth, so to speak, and descend so that You can intervene in what is happening. Touch the mountains, and they will smolder. When You merely touch the mountains, they begin to burn.

בְּרוֹק בָּרָק וּתְפִיצֵם שְׁלַח חִצֶּיךָ וּתְהֻמֵּם

Send forth lightning and scatter them, my enemies; let fly Your arrows and confound them.

שְׁלַח יָדֶיךָ מִמָּרוֹם פְּצֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי מִמַּיִם רַבִּים מִיַּד בְּנֵי נֵכָר

Stretch out Your hand from above to aid me; deliver and rescue me from surging waters, a metaphor that the psalmist proceeds to clarify: From the hands of foreigners who are waging war against me.

אֲשֶׁר פִּיהֶם דִּבֶּר שָׁוְא וִימִינָם יְמִין שָׁקֶר

Those foreigners are dangerous not only as foes but also as allies, because their loyalty cannot be trusted: They are people whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand, the hand generally extended in assistance or in the forging of a covenant, is a right hand of lies.

אֶלֹהִים שִׁיר חָדָשׁ אָשִׁירָה לָּךְ בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר אֲזַמְּרָה לָּךְ

God, I will sing a new song to You, on a harp of ten strings. A ten-stringed harp is unusual; harps of that time generally had at most seven or eight strings. I will sing praises to You,

הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה לַמְּלָכִים הַפּוֹצֶה אֶת דָּוִד עַבְדּוֹ מֵחֶרֶב רָעָה

and this is my song of praise: You are He who gives salvation to kings, who delivers David His servant from the sword of evil. He saves me in times of battle and also from any form of evil.

פְּצֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי מִיַּד בְּנֵי נֵכָר אֲשֶׁר פִּיהֶם דִּבֶּר שָׁוְא וִימִינָם יְמִין שָׁקֶר

The psalmist repeats his plea: Deliver and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of lies,

אֲשֶׁר בָּנֵינוּ כִּנְטִעִים מְגֻדָּלִים בִּנְעוּרֵיהֶם בְּנוֹתֵינוּ כְזָוִיֹּת מְחֻטָּבוֹת תַּבְנִית הֵיכָל

so that our sons will be like saplings tended in their youth. After the descriptions of war, this verse and the ones that follow depict the nation during an era of tranquility and prosperity following their victory. The nation’s sons are likened to saplings that grow without impediments. Our daughters will be like shapely corner pillars, like the form of a palace [heikhal]. The daughters are described as decorated pillars in a palace. Heikhal is a word that can also refer to the Temple. This description evokes not only beauty but holiness and perfection.

מְזָוֵינוּ מְלֵאִים מְפִיקִים מִזַּן אֶל זַן ; צֹאונֵנוּ מַאֲלִיפוֹת מְרֻבָּבוֹת בְּחוּצוֹתֵינוּ ;

Our storehouses are full, supplying all manner of goods; our flocks are multiplying to thousands and tens of thousands in our marketplaces.

אַלּוּפֵינוּ מְסֻבָּלִים אֵין פֶּרֶץ וְאֵין יוֹצֵאת וְאֵין צְוָחָה בִּרְחֹבֹתֵינוּ

Our oxen are laden with goods. There is no breach of a barrier and no going forth. This sentence refers both to the cattle, which remain safely confined, and to the people, who are tranquil and secure and do not go forth to battle. There is no shrieking out of anger, or fighting in our streets.

אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֱׁה' אֱלֹהָיו

Happy is the nation for whom this is so, who is blessed by God with a good life of peace and prosperity; happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.