Psalms

If you don’t know me, my name is Rachel, and these are my scripture notes on the Book of Psalms. The verses are presented sequentially in English and Hebrew, followed by my commentary. Think of it as a living midrash: whenever I learn something new, I add a note. My notes draw from an eclectic range of ancient sources, both Jewish and Gentile. These include rabbinical commentaries, classical sources, and even the holy texts of other religions. See my about page for more.

Psalm 1תְּהִלִּים א

• The opening encrypts יִשְׂרָאֵל via the י, שׁ, ר and לֹא reversed. Whether this is intended, Straussian, or random is left to the reader.

• Acrostically, the psalm’s lines similarly read ייהאלי, the last of which Dr. Zinner believes continues in Psalm 2’s הוּה to form the Tetragrammaton. A point in favor of their simultaneous composition.

• The first יְהוָה appears 65 letters in, the sum for אֲדֹנָי.

• The יְ in the final יְהוָה appears 26 letters from the end.

Psalm 2תְּהִלִּים ב

• Some argue that Psalm 2 succeeds the Maccabean Revolt.

• The first אֲדֹנָי is 26 words in.

• The יְ in the final יְהוָה appears 65 letters from the end.

Psalm 27תְּהִלִּים כז

• The Septuagint adds “before he was anointed” to the Davidic pedigree.

Psalm 27:1 LXX – ¹A Psalm of David, before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my Saviour; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

¹Τοῦ Δαυὶδ, πρὸ τοῦ χρισθῆναι. Κύριος φωτισμός μου καὶ σώτηρ μου, τίνα φοβηθήσομαι; Κύριος ὑπερασπιστὴς τῆς ζωῆς μου, ἀπὸ τίνος δειλιάσω;

• Midrash Tehillim links Psalm 27 to the high holy days.

Midrash Tehillim 27 – The rabbis explained this verse as referring to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. 'my light,' on Rosh Hashanah. 'And my salvation,' on Yom Kippur.

רבנן פתרי קראי בראש השנה ויום הכפורים. אורי בראש השנה. וישעי ביום הכפורים.

• A beautiful articulation of God as light. Here are some others:

2 Samuel 22:29 – ²⁹For Thou art my lamp, O HaShem; and HaShem doth lighten my darkness.

²⁹כִּי-אַתָּה נֵירִי, יְהוָה; וַיהוָה, יַגִּיהַּ חָשְׁכִּי.

Quran 24:35 – ³⁵Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. This lamp is kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth of itself though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things.

³⁵ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشْكَوٰةٍۢ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ ٱلْمِصْبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌۭ دُرِّىٌّۭ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍۢ مُّبَٰرَكَةٍۢ زَيْتُونَةٍۢ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍۢ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍۢ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌۭ ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍۢ ۗ يَهْدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَٰلَ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ

Thomas 77 – ⁷⁷Jesus said: “I am the light above all. I am the all. The all came forth from me, and the all extended to me. Split a piece of wood, I am there; lift up the stone, and there you will find me.”

⁷⁷ⲡⲉϫⲉ ⲓ̄ⲥ̄ ϫⲉ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲛ ⲡⲁⲉⲓ ⲉⲧϩⲓϫⲱⲟⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲡⲉ ⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ̄ ⲛ̄ⲧⲁ ⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ̄ ⲉⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⲛ̄ϩⲏⲧ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲛ̄ⲧⲁ ⲡⲧⲏⲣϥ̄ ⲡⲱϩ ϣⲁⲣⲟⲉⲓ ⲡⲱϩ ⲛ̄ⲛⲟⲩϣⲉ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ϯⲙ̄ⲙⲁⲩ ϥⲓ ⲙ̄ⲡⲱⲛⲉ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ⲁⲩⲱ ⲧⲉⲧⲛⲁϩⲉ ⲉⲣⲟⲉⲓ ⲙ̄ⲙⲁⲩ.

• To eat my flesh,לֶאֱכֹל אֶת-בְּשָׂרִי, an idiom for slander also used in Daniel. These are the false witnesses of verse 12.

Daniel 3:8 – ⁸Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews.

⁸כָּל-קֳבֵל דְּנָה בֵּהּ-זִמְנָא, קְרִבוּ גֻּבְרִין כַּשְׂדָּאִין; וַאֲכַלוּ קַרְצֵיהוֹן, דִּי יְהוּדָיֵא.

Daniel 6:25 – ²⁵And the king commanded, and they brought those men that had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and they had not come to the bottom of the den, when the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces.

²⁵וַאֲמַר מַלְכָּא, וְהַיְתִיו גֻּבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ דִּי-אֲכַלוּ קַרְצוֹהִי דִּי דָנִיֵּאל, וּלְגוֹב אַרְיָוָתָא רְמוֹ, אִנּוּן בְּנֵיהוֹן וּנְשֵׁיהוֹן; וְלָא-מְטוֹ לְאַרְעִית גֻּבָּא, עַד דִּי-שְׁלִטוּ בְהוֹן אַרְיָוָתָא, וְכָל-גַּרְמֵיהוֹן, הַדִּקוּ.

• Midrash Tehillim explains it much the same way, equating adversary and accuser.

Midrash Tehillim 27 – 'When evil men assail me,' this refers to the idolaters. 'To devour my flesh,' when they come to accuse Israel and say before the Holy One: these (meaning themselves) are idolaters and those (meaning Israel) are idolaters as well! 'my foes and my enemies,' the numerical value of the letters of hasatan (the accuser) is 364. Every day of the year he has the authority to make accusations, except on Yom Kippur (and Rosh Hashanah).

בקרוב עלי מרעים אלו אומות העכו״ם. לאכול את בשרי. שהן באין לקטרג את ישראל ואומרים לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא אלו עובדי עבודה זרה ואלו עובדי עבודה זרה. צרי ואויבי לי. את מוצא מנין השט״ן בגימטריא שס״ד. כל ימות השנה יש לו רשות לקטרג חוץ מיום הכפורים (וראש השנה).

• The accuser, the Satan, has no license to prosecute on Yom Kippur, the central light of this Psalm under the rabbinical holiday interpretation.

Yoma 20a – And what did Satan the prosecutor say about their sinning? Elijah said to him: Satan, on Yom Kippur, has no license to prosecute. From where is that idea derived? Rami bar Ḥama said: The numerological value of the letters that constitute the word HaSatan is three hundred and sixty four: Heh has a value of five, sin has a value of three hundred, tet has a value of nine, and nun has a value of fifty. Three hundred and sixty-four days of the solar year, which is three hundred and sixty-five days long, Satan has license to prosecute. On the remaining day, Yom Kippur, he has no license to prosecute. Since that day is exalted above all others, there is no room for the accusations of Satan.

וְשָׂטָן מַאי אֲמַר? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: שָׂטָן בְּיוֹמָא דְכִיפּוּרֵי — לֵית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּתָא לְאַסְטוֹנֵי. מִמַּאי? אָמַר רָמֵי בַּר חָמָא: ״הַשָּׂטָן״ בְּגִמַטְרִיָּא תְּלָת מְאָה וְשִׁיתִּין וְאַרְבְּעָה הָוֵי. תְּלָת מְאָה וְשִׁיתִּין וְאַרְבְּעָה יוֹמֵי — אִית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּתָא לְאַסְטוֹנֵי. בְּיוֹמָא דְכִיפּוּרֵי — לֵית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּתָא לְאַסְטוֹנֵי.

• A sukkah, a tent, and a rock. Verse 1 gave us Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Here we have Sukkot.

• One cannot look into the face of HaShem and live. Yet we seek it all the same.

• The grammar here is choppy, suggesting the psalmist is quoting HaShem. The Septuagint attempts to smooth it.

Psalm 27:8 LXX – ⁸My heart said to thee, I have diligently sought thy face: thy face, O Lord, I will seek.

⁸Σοὶ εἶπεν ἡ καρδία μου, ἐξεζήτησα τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, τὸ πρόσωπόν σου Κύριε ζητήσω.

• Opposite use of hide,סתר. In verse 5 HaShem hides,יַסְתִּרֵנִי David. Now David asks that God not hide,אַל-תַּסְתֵּר Himself.

• God as parent. The beautiful Avinu Malcheinu from liturgy comes to mind.

• Some connect Proverbs 6:19 “breathe out lies” on the basis of the Ugaritic cognate ypḥ,witness. On this view “breathe out violence” moreso means “bear false witness.”

Proverbs 6:19 – ¹⁹A false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

¹⁹יָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים, עֵד שָׁקֶר; וּמְשַׁלֵּחַ מְדָנִים, בֵּין אַחִים.

• One of 15 “puncta extraordinaria” in the Masoretic text appears here. The word לׄוּׄלֵׄאׄ,if not, appears with extra dots above each letter. In ancient times these “cancellation marks” were often used to indicate a word’s accidental or dubious inclusion. The Gemara attributes these dots to David’s self-doubt.

Berakhot 4a – With regard to David’s statement, “Keep my soul, for I am pious,” the Gemara asks: Did David call himself pious? Isn’t it written: “If I had not [luleh] believed to look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13). The dots that appear over the word luleh in the text indicate doubt and uncertainty of his piety, and whether he was deserving of a place in the land of the living (see Avot DeRabbi Natan 34).

In the name of Rabbi Yosei, it was taught in a Tosefta: Why do dots appear over the word luleh, as if there are some reservations? Because David said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe. I have every confidence in You that You grant an excellent reward to the righteous in the World-to-Come since God’s ultimate goodness is manifest in the land of eternal life, but I still harbor uncertainty with regard to myself, and I do not know whether or not I definitely have a portion among them.

וְדָוִד מִי קָרֵי לְנַפְשֵׁיהּ ״חָסִיד״? וְהָכְתִיב ״לוּלֵא הֶאֱמַנְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּטוּב ה׳ בְּאֶרֶץ חַיִּים״,

וְתָנָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי: לָמָּה נָקוּד עַל ״לוּלֵא״? — אָמַר דָּוִד לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, מוּבְטָח אֲנִי בְּךָ שֶׁאַתָּה מְשַׁלֵּם שָׂכָר טוֹב לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, אֲבָל אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם יֵשׁ לִי חֵלֶק בֵּינֵיהֶם אִם לָאו?!

• The final of 13 Tetragrammatons, one for each of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy read during Elul. Thirteen is also the gematria sum for love,אַהֲבָה and oneness,אֶחָד.

Exodus 34:6-7 – ⁶And HaShem passed by before him, and proclaimed: 'The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; ⁷keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.'

⁶וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל-פָּנָיו, וַיִּקְרָא, יְהוָה יְהוָה, אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן--אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, וְרַב-חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת. ⁷נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים, נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה; וְנַקֵּה, לֹא יְנַקֶּה--פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבוֹת עַל-בָּנִים וְעַל-בְּנֵי בָנִים, עַל-שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל-רִבֵּעִים.