א׳
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ הִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עֲלִילָ֗ה אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃
1
For the leader. Of David.
The benighted man thinks,
“God does not care.”
Man’s deeds are corrupt and loathsome;
no one does good.
1
For the Leader. [A Psalm] of David. The fool hath said in his heart: 'There is no God'; they have dealt corruptly, they have done abominably; there is none that doeth good.
אָמַר נָבָל בְּלִבּוֹ וְגוֹ׳. שְׁנֵי מִזְמוֹרִים אָמַר דָּוִד בְּסֵפֶר זֶה בְּעִנְיָן אֶחָד: הָרִאשׁוֹן עַל נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, וְהַשֵּׁנִי (תהלים נג) עַל טִיטוּס הָרָשָׁע. זֶה נִתְנַבֵּא עַל נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, שֶׁעָתִיד לִיכָּנֵס לַהֵיכָל וּלְהַחֲרִיבוֹ, וְאֵין אֶחָד מִכָּל חֵילוֹתָיו מוֹחֶה בְּיָדוֹ:
The fool said in his heart, etc. David recited two psalms in this Book, in one manner [with almost identical wording]: the first one concerning Nebuchadnezzar and the second one (ch. 53) concerning Titus. In this one, he prophesied concerning Nebuchadnezzar, who was destined to enter the Temple and to destroy it, with not one [man] of all his armies protesting against him.
אֵין אֱלֹהִים. וְאֶעֱלֶה עַל בָּמֳתֵי עָב (ישעיהו יד:יד):
“There is no God” and “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.”
הִשְׁחִיתוּ הִתְעִיבוּ עֲלִילָה. מַעֲלָלִים:
they have committed abominable deeds Heb. עלילה, deeds.
ב׳
יְֽהוָ֗ה מִשָּׁמַיִם֮ הִשְׁקִ֪יף עַֽל־בְּנֵי־אָ֫דָ֥ם לִ֭רְאוֹת הֲיֵ֣שׁ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל דֹּ֝רֵשׁ אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃
2
The LORD looks down from heaven on mankind
to find a man of understanding,
a man mindful of God.
2
The LORD looked forth from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any man of understanding, that did seek after God.
ג׳
הַכֹּ֥ל סָר֮ יַחְדָּ֪ו נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ אֵ֤ין עֹֽשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב אֵ֝֗ין גַּם־אֶחָֽד׃
3
All have turned bad,
altogether foul;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
3
They are all corrupt, they are together become impure; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
הַכֹּל סָר וְגוֹ׳. אֵין אִישׁ בְּחֵילוֹתָיו מוֹחֶה בְּיָדוֹ:
All have turned away, etc. Not one man of his armies protested against him.
נֶאֱלָחוּ. נֶהֶפְכוּ לְקִלְקוּל:
they have spoiled Heb. נאלחו, have turned to rot.
ד׳
הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ כָּל־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃
4
Are they so witless, all those evildoers,
who devour my people as they devour food,
and do not invoke the LORD?
4
’Shall not all the workers of iniquity know it, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD?'
הֲלֹא יָדְעוּ. הֲלֹא סוֹפָם יָדְעוּ מַה שֶּׁעָלְתָה בָּהֶם?
Did not...know? Did they not know at the end what had befallen them?
אוֹכְלֵי עַמִּי. זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר:
Those who devoured My people The seed of Nebuchadnezzar.
אָכְלוּ לֶחֶם. עָשׂוּ מִשְׁתֶּה: ״בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר מַלְכָּא עֲבַד לְחֶם רַב״ (דניאל ה:א):
partook of a feast Heb. לחם, lit. bread. They made a feast (as in Dan. 5:1) “made a huge feast (לחם).”
ה׳ לֹא קָרָאוּ. לֹא חֲשָׁבוּהוּ וְלֹא זָכְרוּ נִפְלְאוֹתָיו וְנוֹרְאוֹתָיו בְּמִשְׁתֵּיהֶם, וְנִשְׁתַּמְּשׁוּ בְּכֵלָיו. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ : כָּל שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה גּוֹזֵל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא הָיָה טוֹעֵם טַעַם עָרֵב בְּמַאֲכָלוֹ, אֹכְלֵי עַמִּי נִדְמֶה לָהֶם כְּאוֹכְלֵי לֶחֶם שֶׁטָּעֲמוּ טַעַם מַאֲכָל עָרֵב:
they did not call upon the Lord They neither considered Him nor remembered His wondrous and awesome deeds at their feast, and [they] used His vessels.
ה׳
שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּ֣חֲדוּ פָ֑חַד כִּֽי־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים בְּד֣וֹר צַדִּֽיק׃
5
There they will be seized with fright,
for God is present in the circle of the righteous.
5
There are they in great fear; for God is with the righteous generation.
שָׁם פָּחֲדוּ פָחַד. שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּלֵּם גְּמוּלוֹ לְבֵלְשַׁצַּר וְכוּ׳:
There they were in great fear For recompense was paid to Belshazzar king of Babylon [causing him] to be in great fear, as it is stated (in Dan. 5:6): “Then the king’s color changed, his thoughts terrified him, the joints of his loins came loose, and his knees knocked against each other.” But our Sages explained this (Sanh. 104b, Mid. Ps. 14:4) as referring to the heathens: Whoever does not rob Israel does not experience a pleasant taste in his food. Those who devoured my people felt as though they ate bread, for they experienced a pleasant taste.
כִּי אֱלֹהִים בְּדוֹר צַדִּיק. בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל יְכָנְיָה שֶׁהָיוּ צַדִּיקִים:
for God is in the generation of a righteous man In the generation of Jeconiah, who were righteous.
ו׳
עֲצַת־עָנִ֥י תָבִ֑ישׁוּ כִּ֖י יְהוָ֣ה מַחְסֵֽהוּ׃
6
You may set at naught the counsel of the lowly,
but the LORD is his refuge.
6
Ye would put to shame the counsel of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge.
עֲצַת עָנִי תָבִישׁוּ. אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים שֶׁעֲצָתָם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בּוּשָׁה, עַל שֶׁהֵם בּוֹטְחִים בַּה׳, כִּי ה׳ מַחְסֵהוּ:
You put to shame the counsel of the poor You say that the counsel of Israel is shameful, for they trust in the Lord because He is their refuge.
ז׳
מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשׁוּעַ֪ת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל בְּשׁ֣וּב יְ֭הוָה שְׁב֣וּת עַמּ֑וֹ יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָֽאֵל׃
7
O that the deliverance of Israel might come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
7
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the LORD turneth the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
מִי יִתֵּן. אָז יִקְרַב הַיּוֹם שֶׁיִּתֵּן מִצִּיּוֹן יְשׁוּעַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָז יָגֵל יַעֲקֹב יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל:
O that Then the day will arrive when He will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel in the future; then Jacob shall rejoice; Israel shall be glad.