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| 1. A song of David when he was in the desert of Judah. | א. מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד בִּהְיוֹתוֹ בְּמִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה: | |
| in the desert of Judah: when he was fleeing from Saul. | ||
| 2. O God, You are my God, I seek You. My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, in an arid and thirsty land, without water. | ב. אֱלֹהִים | אֵלִי אַתָּה אֲשַׁחֲרֶךָּ צָמְאָה לְךָ | נַפְשִׁי כָּמַהּ לְךָ בְשָׂרִי בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְעָיֵף בְּלִי מָיִם: | |
| I seek You: Heb. אשחרך, I seek and search for You, as (Job 7:21): “and You shall seek me (ושחרתני) , but I am not here” ; (Job 8:5), “If you seek (תשחר) God.” | ||
| My soul thirsts for You: I thirst and long to come to You in Your house of prayer. | ||
| my flesh longs for You: Heb. כמה, an expression of desire. There is no similar [Scriptural expression]. | ||
| in an arid land: in the desert. | ||
| 3. As I saw You in the Sanctuary, [so do I long] to see Your strength and Your glory. | ג. כֵּן בַּקֹּדֶשׁ חֲזִיתִךָ לִרְאוֹת עֻזְּךָ וּכְבוֹדֶךָ: | |
| As I saw You in the Sanctuary, etc.: Heb. כן, like כאשר, as. I thirst to see Your strength and Your glory as I saw You in the Sanctuary, the Tabernacle of Shiloh. My soul will be sated with the visions of Your strength and Your glory. | ||
| 4. For Your kindness is better than life; my lips will praise You. | ד. כִּי טוֹב חַסְדְּךָ מֵחַיִּים שְׂפָתַי יְשַׁבְּחוּנְךָ: | |
| 5. Then I shall bless You in my lifetime; in Your name I shall lift my hands. | ה. כֵּן אֲבָרֶכְךָ בְחַיָּי בְּשִׁמְךָ אֶשָּׂא כַפָּי: | |
| Then I shall bless You in my lifetime: Heb. כן, like אָז, then, because אָז is translated ובכן. That is to say: Then, when I come before You, I shall bless You all the days of my life. | ||
| in Your name I shall lift my hands: to pray and laud. | ||
| 6. [As] with choice foods and fat, my soul will be sated, when my mouth praises with expressions of song. | ו. כְּמוֹ חֵלֶב וָדֶשֶׁן תִּשְׂבַּע נַפְשִׁי וְשִׂפְתֵי רְנָנוֹת יְהַלֶּל פִּי: | |
| when my mouth praises with expressions of song: Heb. ושפתי, languages of songs, as (Gen. 11:1): “And all the earth was of one language (שפה),” which is translated: לישן חד. | ||
| 7. When I remember You on my couch; in the watches I meditate about You. | ז. אִם זְכַרְתִּיךָ עַל יְצוּעָי בְּאַשְׁמֻרוֹת אֶהְגֶּה בָּךְ: | |
| on my couch: When I lie on my couch, I remember Your love. | ||
| in the watches: of the night. | ||
| I meditate about You: Heb. אהגה. I think about You. | ||
| 8. For You were my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I shall praise. | ח. כִּי הָיִיתָ עֶזְרָתָה לִּי וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ אֲרַנֵּן: | |
| 9. My soul has clung after You; Your right hand has supported me. | ט. דָּבְקָה נַפְשִׁי אַחֲרֶיךָ בִּי תָּמְכָה יְמִינֶךָ: | |
| Your right hand has supported me: that I should not fall. | ||
| 10. But they seek my soul to make it desolate; may they come into the depths of the earth. | י. וְהֵמָּה לְשׁוֹאָה יְבַקְשׁוּ נַפְשִׁי יָבֹאוּ בְּתַחְתִּיּוֹת הָאָרֶץ: | |
| But they: My enemies. | ||
| seek my soul to make it desolate: They come upon me in ambush on a dark day so that I should not sense their presence. | ||
| may they come into the depths of the earth: In a low place; let them come and fall into the grave and the pit. | ||
| 11. May he be dragged by the sword; they will be the portion of foxes. | יא. יַגִּירֻהוּ עַל יְדֵי חָרֶב מְנָת שֻׁעָלִים יִהְיוּ: | |
| May he be dragged by the sword: May enemies come upon my pursuers and drag each one of them with a sword, killing him. This is an elliptical verse, since it does not explain who will drag him. יגירהוּ is an expression of dragging, as (Micah 1:4): “as water poured down (המוגרים) a steep place” ; (Job. 28:4), “A stream bursts forth from the place of its flow (גר).” | ||
| the portion of foxes: (I found: the portion of foxes May their dwellings be destroyed, that foxes should walk there.) | ||
| 12. And may the king rejoice with God; may all who swear by Him boast, for the mouth of those who speak lies will be closed. | יב. וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יִשְׂמַח בֵּאלֹהִים יִתְהַלֵּל כָּל הַנִּשְׁבָּע בּוֹ כִּי יִסָּכֵר פִּי דּוֹבְרֵי שָׁקֶר: | |
| And may the king rejoice: He says this about himself because he had already been anointed. | ||
| may all who swear by Him boast: When they see that You will save me, all those who cleave to You and swear by Your name will boast and praise themselves. | ||
| for… will be closed: Heb. יסכר, will be closed up, as (Gen. 8:2).“The fountains of the great deep… were closed (ויסכרו).” |
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