מַשְׂכִּיל לְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי

A contemplation by Eitan the Ezrahite. Like other psalms with the heading maskil, this psalm seeks to present a specific idea, woven throughout the text, in a poetic and contemplative manner. The exact identity of Eitan the Ezrahite is unclear, as he is rarely mentioned in the Bible. Some commentators believe that the term “Ezrahite” indicates that he was Eitan son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah; others identify him with the Levite by that name who sang in the Temple in its early days. According to one interpretation, Eitan is another name for the patriarch Abraham; if so, the events mentioned in the psalm represent his prophecy regarding incidents that would occur in the distant future, namely, the middle or end of the First Temple era.

חַסְדֵי ה' עוֹלָם אָשִׁירָה לְדֹר וָדֹר אוֹדִיעַ אֱמוּנָתְךָ בְּפִי

I will sing of the Lord’s kindness forever. For all generations, my mouth will make known Your faithfulness. Emunatkha, translated here as “Your faithfulness,” may also mean “my faith in You,” expressing the psalmist’s unquestioning faith in God.

כִּי אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה שָׁמַיִם תָּכִן אֱמוּנָתְךָ בָהֶם

For I said, I have come to the conclusion, that kindness is forever sustained; You set Your constancy in the heavens. The word emuna is usually translated as “faith” and refers to the spiritual connection between man and God. However, here and in several other verses of this psalm, the term conveys the notion of steadfastness and stability; hence, “Your constancy.”

כָּרַתִּי בְרִית לִבְחִירִי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְדָוִד עַבְדִּי

In the next two verses the speaker is God: I established a covenant with My chosen one; I took an oath to David, My servant. The psalmist here expresses his faith that God’s constancy is also manifest in the everlasting covenant He made with the house of David, a covenant that is summarized in the next verse.

עַד עוֹלָם אָכִין זַרְעֶךָ וּבָנִיתִי לְדֹר וָדוֹר כִּסְאֲךָ סֶלָה

I will establish your seed forever, ensuring that your descendants will never cease to be, and build up your throne for all those generations, Selah.

וְיוֹדוּ שָׁמַיִם פִּלְאֲךָ ה';אַף אֱמוּנָתְךָ בִּקְהַל קְדֹשִׁים

The following are words of general praise of God: The heavens praise Your wonders, Lord, by exhibiting Your celestial marvels for all to see, and Your constancy is acknowledged in the assembly of holy ones, the angels.

כִּי מִי בַשַּׁחַק יַעֲרֹךְ לַה' יִדְמֶה לַה' בִּבְנֵי אֵלִים

For who in the skies compares to the Lord? Who among sons of the mighty, the divine angels, is like the Lord?

אֵל נַעֲרָץ בְּסוֹד קְדֹשִׁים רַבָּה וְנוֹרָא עַל כָּל סְבִיבָיו

The Almighty is revered in the great assembly of the holy ones, the angels, awesome to all who surround Him.

ה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת מִי כָמוֹךָ חֲסִין יָהּ ואֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ

Lord, God of hosts, a term depicting God’s might among the hosts of the heavens, who is like You, mighty Lord? Your constancy surrounds You.

אַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בְּגֵאוּת הַיָּם בְּשׂוֹא גַלָּיו אַתָּה תְשַׁבְּחֵם

Just as God’s rule extends through the heavens, so it is manifest in the world below: You rule the swelling sea; when its waves rise, even to great heights, You still them. At Your will, the waves become calm, even when they have risen to a point at which they seem to be unstoppable.

אַתָּה דִכִּאתָ כֶחָלָל רָהַב בִּזְרוֹעַ עֻזְּךָ פִּזַּרְתָּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ

You crushed Rahav like a corpse. According to a number of commentaries, Rahav refers here to the leviathan, one of the great sea creatures mentioned in Genesis. Based on this verse, they also say that the original male leviathan was killed by God in ancient times. With the strength of Your arm, You scattered Your enemies.

לְךָ שָׁמַיִם אַף לְךָ אָרֶץ; תֵּבֵל וּמְלֹאָהּ אַתָּה יְסַדְתָּם

Yours are the heavens, Yours too is the earth; You founded the world and all it contains.

צָפוֹן וְיָמִין אַתָּה בְרָאתָם תָּבוֹר וְחֶרְמוֹן בְּשִׁמְךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ

You created the north and the south. The great mountains Tavor and Hermon sing with joy in Your name. Tavor and Hermon are the two most prominent peaks in Israel, located at either end of the country’s northern mountainous region.

לְךָ זְרוֹעַ עִם גְּבוּרָה; תָּעֹז יָדְךָ תָּרוּם יְמִינֶךָ

Your arm is powerful and Your hand is mighty; Your right hand, exalted. Since the word yadkha, translated as “Your hand,” is juxtaposed with yeminekha, “Your right hand,” many commentators maintain that yadkha is referring to God’s left hand, as it were.

צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט מְכוֹן כִּסְאֶךָ חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְקַדְּמוּ פָנֶיךָ

Righteousness and justice are at the base of Your throne; kindness and truth greet Your countenance. Kindness and truth are personified in this verse, depicted as servants of God.

אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם יֹדְעֵי תְרוּעָה ה' בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהַלֵּכוּן

Happy are the people, Israel, who know the clarion call, who know how to praise God and sound the trumpet in His honor; they walk, Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

בְּשִׁמְךָ יְגִילוּן כָּל הַיּוֹם וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ יָרוּמוּ

They rejoice in Your name all day long; they are exalted through Your righteousness. They rely on Your righteousness and are thereby exalted.

כִּי תִפְאֶרֶת עֻזָּמוֹ אָתָּה וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ תָּרוּם קַרְנֵנוּ

For You are the glory of their strength; our horn, our esteem and power, is raised by Your favor. When You favor us, we are exalted.

כִּי לַה' מָגִנֵּנוּ וְלִקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְכֵּנוּ

For our protection is of the Lord; our king is of the Holy One of Israel, for he rules in God’s name.

אָז דִּבַּרְתָּ בְחָזוֹן לַחֲסִידֶיךָ וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁוִּיתִי עֵזֶר עַל גִּבּוֹר הֲרִימוֹתִי בָחוּר מֵעָם

Until this point, the psalm has focused on the greatness and glory of God in heaven and earth, and on His glory with regard to the Israelites in particular. The following section offers a more specific historical perspective: You once spoke in a vision to Your devoted ones, the prophets Samuel, Natan, and Gad, saying: I aided the warrior; I raised the one chosen from the people. The next verse identifies this warrior and chosen one whom God revealed to the prophets.

מָצָאתִי דָּוִד עַבְדִּי בְּשֶׁמֶן קָדְשִׁי מְשַׁחְתִּיו

I found David, My servant. David was “found” in the sense that he had been an unknown figure, the youngest of Yishai’s sons, living in a small town. I anointed him with My holy oil, a reference to Samuel’s anointment of David as king of Israel,

אֲשֶׁר יָדִי תִּכּוֹן עִמּוֹ אַף זְרוֹעִי תְאַמְּצֶנּוּ

as the one whom My hand will establish; My arm will strengthen him.

לֹא יַשִּׁיא אוֹיֵב בּוֹ וּבֶן עַוְלָה לֹא יְעַנֶּנּוּ

The enemy will not rule over him; the wicked will not torment him,

וְכַתּוֹתִי מִפָּנָיו צָרָיו וּמְשַׂנְאָיו אֶגּוֹף

and I will crush his foes before him and smite those who hate him.

וֶאֶמוּנָתִי וְחַסְדִּי עִמּוֹ וּבִשְׁמִי תָּרוּם קַרְנוֹ

My constancy and favor will be with him, and his horn, his esteem and power, will be raised in My name, because he is protected by the power of God.

וְשַׂמְתִּי בַיָּם יָדוֹ וּבַנְּהָרוֹת יְמִינוֹ

I will set his hand upon the seas. He will rule the coastline and the sea, and I will set his right hand on the rivers. This verse may be a reference to David’s future victories, both to the east of the kingdom of Israel, at the Jordan River, and to its west, at the Mediterranean Sea.

הוּא יִקְרָאֵנִי אָבִי אָתָּה אֵלִי וְצוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי

He will call to Me: You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. He will remain connected and devoted to God.

אַף אָנִי בְּכוֹר אֶתְּנֵהוּ

As for Me, I will make him My firstborn. Not only will I consider him My son, but I will even regard him as the firstborn, being supreme among kings of the earth. King David will see God as his Father, and God in turn will treat David like a favored son.

לְעוֹלָם אֶשְׁמָר לוֹ חַסְדִּי וּבְרִיתִי נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹ

I will forever preserve My kindness to him; My covenant with him will be steadfast.

וְשַׂמְתִּי לָעַד זַרְעוֹ וְכִסְאוֹ כִּימֵי שָׁמָיִם

This everlasting kindness will be expressed in the fact that I will eternally ensure his seed, and his throne will last as the days of the heavens, forever. God’s covenant is not only with David personally, but with his descendants forever.

אִם יַעַזְבוּ בָנָיו תּוֹרָתִי וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי לֹא יֵלֵכוּן

However, this covenant has conditions that must be met: If his sons forsake My teaching and do not walk according to My judgments,

אִם חֻקֹּתַי יְחַלֵּלוּ וּמִצְוֹתַי לֹא יִשְׁמֹרוּ

if they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments,

וּפָקַדְתִּי בְשֵׁבֶט פִּשְׁעָם וּבִנְגָעִים עֲוֹנָם

I shall punish their transgressions with a rod and their iniquity with plague.

וְחַסְדִּי לֹא אָפִיר מֵעִמּוֹ וְלֹא אֲשַׁקֵּר בֶּאֱמוּנָתִי

But I will not remove My kindness from him or be false to My constancy. Although David’s descendants will not be immune from occasional sinful behavior, they will be punished as individuals. Their personal chastisement will not affect God’s eternal covenant with the house of David at large.

לֹא אֲחַלֵּל בְּרִיתִי וּמוֹצָא שְׂפָתַי לֹא אֲשַׁנֶּה

I will not violate My covenant, nor alter the utterance of My lips.

אַחַת נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי בְקָדְשִׁי אִם לְדָוִד אֲכַזֵּב

For I have sworn once and for all by My holiness; I will not be false to David. I will never renege on My promise to him that his dynastic line will continue forever, as the next verse clarifies.

זַרְעוֹ לְעוֹלָם יִהְיֶה וְכִסְאוֹ כַשֶּׁמֶשׁ נֶגְדִּי

His seed will endure forever, and his throne will be as permanent as the sun before Me,

כְּיָרֵחַ יִכּוֹן עוֹלָם ועֵד בַּשַּׁחַק נֶאֱמָן סֶלָה

eternal like the moon, like the stars that are a constant witness in the sky, Selah.

וְאַתָּה זָנַחְתָּ וַתִּמְאָס הִתְעַבַּרְתָּ עִם מְשִׁיחֶךָ

Having reiterated the promises made by God to David and his descendants, the psalmist registers his complaint: Yet You abandoned and repulsed the house of David; You became wrathful with Your anointed one, referring to one or more of the kings who rose among David’s descendants.

נֵאַרְתָּה בְּרִית עַבְדֶּךָ חִלַּלְתָּ לָאָרֶץ נִזְרוֹ

You spurned the covenant of Your servant; You profaned his crown, throwing it down, as it were, on the ground.

פָּרַצְתָּ כָל גְּדֵרֹתָיו שַׂמְתָּ מִבְצָרָיו מְחִתָּה

You breached all his walls that he built, brought his fortresses to rubble that is a fright to behold.

שַׁסֻּהוּ כָּל עֹבְרֵי דָרֶךְ הָיָה חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנָיו

All those passing on the way looted him, the king himself as well as his people; he was a disgrace to his neighbors, who used his kingdom as a paradigm of disgrace and dishonor.

הֲרִימוֹתָ יְמִין צָרָיו הִשְׂמַחְתָּ כָל אוֹיְבָיו

You raised the right hand of his foes by giving them strength and power; with this You made all his enemies rejoice.

אַף תָּשִׁיב צוּר חַרְבּוֹ וְלֹא הֲקֵמֹתוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה

You even turned back the blade of his sword, making it unreliable and useless; You did not make him steadfast in battle, and he was constantly defeated.

הִשְׁבַּתָּ מִטֳּהָרוֹ וְכִסְאוֹ לָאָרֶץ מִגַּרְתָּה

You took away, annulled his eminence, from his previous brightness and pureness, when he was impervious to harm. Hishbata, translated as “took away,” more literally means “You annulled.” You cast his throne to the ground.

הִקְצַרְתָּ יְמֵי עֲלוּמָיו הֶעֱטִיתָ עָלָיו בּוּשָׁה סֶלָה

You shortened the days of his youth, as he died at a young age, and cloaked him with shame, Selah. This description of the decline of the kingdom of the house of David expresses the psalmist’s complaint and even protest against God for His seemingly broken promise regarding the eternal nature of the Davidic dynasty. It is followed by a concluding section of entreaty:

עַד מָה תִּסָּתֵר לָנֶצַח תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ אֵשׁ חֲמָתֶךָ

How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? The defeat and humiliation of Israel and of David’s line are indications of God hiding His countenance from them. How long will Your wrath burn like fire?

זְכָר אֲנִי מֶה חָלֶד עַל מַה שָּׁוְא בָּרָאתָ כָל בְּנֵי אָדָם

Remember what I am, what the world is. Ḥaled, translated here as “world,” is related to the word ḥadal, meaning “to come to an end.” The psalmist calls to God to remember that the world is unstable and finite, and our lives in it are brief. For what futile purpose did You create all the sons of man?

מִי גֶבֶר יִחְיֶה וְלֹא יִרְאֶה מָּוֶת יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל סֶלָה

Failure, shame, and hopelessness affect not only the king but the entire nation of Israel; we are all mortals. Who is the man who can live and not see death; who can save his life from the netherworld? Selah. In the face of each individual’s inevitable death, it is still possible to carry on, as long as there remains a sense of hope and belief in a more certain future. In the present situation, however, the only certainty is death.

אַיֵּה חֲסָדֶיךָ הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲדֹנָי נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לְדָוִד בֶּאֱמוּנָתֶךָ

Therefore, the psalmist turns to God in prayer: Where are Your former acts of kindness, Lord, those which You swore to David in Your constancy?

זְכֹר אֲדֹנָי חֶרְפַּת עֲבָדֶיךָ שְׂאֵתִי בְחֵיקִי כָּל רַבִּים עַמִּים

Remember, Lord, the humiliation of us, Your servants. My breast is burdened by all the many nations. It is as if numerous nations were pressing on me, weighing me down, and I am unable to shake them off,

אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ ה' אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶךָ

for Your enemies revile the Lord. In causing us pain and suffering, these nations are also desecrating God, whose name is linked with the nation of Israel and the house of David. They revile the footsteps of Your anointed one.

בָּרוּךְ ה' לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן

The psalm ends on a sad note of entreaty and complaint. There is, however, a final line that concludes the third book of Psalms. It is similar to the conclusion of the other books of Psalms, but it also relates specifically to the contents of this particular psalm: Blessed be the Lord forever, amen and amen.