שִׁגָּיוֹן לְדָוִד אֲשֶׁר שָׁר לַה' עַל דִּבְרֵי כוּשׁ בֶּן יְמִינִי

A meditation by David. A song that he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Kush the Benjamite. There is no definitive identification for Kush the Benjamite. Some of the Sages suggest that it was another name for King Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. A simpler explanation is that Kush was an ordinary Benjamite who spoke ill of David, possibly accusing him of being responsible for a military setback or of not fighting valiantly enough as a soldier in Saul’s army.

ה' אֱלֹהַי בְּךָ חָסִיתִי הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִכָּל רֹדְפַי וְהַצִּילֵנִי

Lord, I put my faith in You. Deliver me from all my pursuers and rescue me,

פֶּן יִטְרֹף כְּאַרְיֵה נַפְשִׁי פֹּרֵק וְאֵין מַצִּיל

lest he, my enemy, tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces, while there is no one to be my savior. The psalmist now addresses the complaint that had been directed against him:

ה' אֱלֹהַי אִם עָשִׂיתִי זֹאת אִם יֶשׁ עָוֶל בְּכַפָּי

Lord, my God, if I have done this, if I have committed the misdeeds of which my enemies accuse me, if my hands have done any wrong,

אִם גָּמַלְתִּי שׁוֹלְמִי רָע וָאֲחַלְּצָה צוֹרְרִי רֵיקָם

if I have repaid my friend with evil, referring to someone who had once paid him a kind act, as sholmi, “my friend,” is linguistically similar to shalem, “to pay,” or despoiled my enemy without cause,

יִרַדֹּף אוֹיֵב נַפְשִׁי וְיַשֵּׂג וְיִרְמֹס לָאָרֶץ חַיָּי וכְבוֹדִי לֶעָפָר יַשְׁכֵּן סֶלָה

then let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; let my life be trampled on the ground and my soul to the dust, Selah. The word kavod, which usually means “honor,” can also connote “being” or “soul.” Hence the translation here and elsewhere of kevodi as “my life,” “my being,” or “my soul.” Nevertheless, despite the psalmist’s statement about being overtaken by the enemy and trampled to the ground, he continues:

קוּמָה ה' בְּאַפֶּךָ הִנָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְרוֹת צוֹרְרָי וְעוּרָה אֵלַי מִשְׁפָּט צִוִּיתָ

Arise, Lord, in Your anger. It is fitting for You as well to be angered by the evil being done to me. Lift Yourself up and display Your power against the wrath of my enemies. Awaken for me the judgment You commanded concerning me.

ועֲדַת לְאֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶךָּ וְעָלֶיהָ לַמָּרוֹם שׁוּבָה

A congregation of nations will surround You, and with it return on high. This is an image of God surrounded by an honor guard or entourage of the nations, all of whom have come to thank Him and escort Him to heaven, His holy abode on high.

ה' יָדִין עַמִּים שָׁפְטֵנִי ה' כְּצִדְקִי; וּכְתֻמִּי עָלָי

The Lord will be the Judge of the peoples. When this time arrives, when God reveals Himself in judgment, I can request of Him as well to judge me, Lord, as befits my righteousness and as befits my innocence.

יִגְמָר נָא רַע רְשָׁעִים וּתְכוֹנֵן צַדִּיק ובֹחֵן לִבּוֹת וּכְלָיוֹת אֱלֹהִים צַדִּיק

At that time let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but give strength to the righteous one. God has no need to examine external testimony in order to execute justice, for men’s hearts and minds are probed by the God of righteousness. Kelayot, translated here as “minds,” literally means “kidneys,” which are considered the seat of a person’s thoughts.

מָגִנִּי עַל אֱלֹהִים מוֹשִׁיעַ יִשְׁרֵי לֵב

God, the Savior of the upright of heart, is my shield.

אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט צַדִּיק ואֵל זֹעֵם בְּכָל יוֹם

God is a righteous Judge. Because God is just, He exonerates the righteous. And at the same time, the Almighty also shows His wrath against the evildoers every day

אִם לֹא יָשׁוּב חַרְבּוֹ יִלְטוֹשׁ קַשְׁתּוֹ דָרַךְ וַיְכוֹנְנֶהָ

if he, the evildoer, does not repent of his threats and evil plans against the righteous, if he persists and sharpens his sword and pulls back his bow in readiness.

וְלוֹ הֵכִין כְּלֵי מָוֶת; חִצָּיו לְדֹלְקִים יִפְעָל

But his plans will fail anyway, and the final result will be his own destruction; in the end, he prepares deadly weapons against himself. The very weapons the wicked aim at the righteous will instead target and destroy the wicked themselves. His arrows are used against those who pursue. The arrows directed against the righteous will instead be used against their pursuers.

הִנֵּה יְחַבֶּל אָוֶן וְהָרָה עָמָל וְיָלַד שָׁקֶר

Behold how he conceives evil, is pregnant with iniquity, and gives birth to deceit. Whatever the wicked person creates and produces, the plans are undertaken in aven, translated here as “evil” but also meaning “nothingness,” and in amal, translated as “iniquity” but also connoting toiling in vain. The final result is nothing but an empty lie.

בּוֹר כָּרָה וַיַּחְפְּרֵהוּ ויִּפֹּל בְּשַׁחַת יִפְעָל

He, the evildoer, has dug a hole deep in the earth and has fallen into the pit he made. Ultimately, the evil person falls into the hole that he dug for others.

יָשׁוּב עֲמָלוֹ בְרֹאשׁוֹ וְעַל קָדְקֳדוֹ חֲמָסוֹ יֵרֵד

His wrongdoing will return to punish him; his violent behavior will come down on his head. His own sins and evil deeds bring him trouble, suffering, and punitive consequences. He suffers even without the external infliction of punishment; he is essentially punished by his own wrongful deeds.

אוֹדֶה ה' כְּצִדְקוֹ וַאֲזַמְּרָה שֵׁם ה' עֶלְיוֹן

In conclusion: I praise the Lord for His righteousness; I sing to the name of the Lord Most High.