א׳
לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת עַֽל־הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
1
For the leader; with instrumental music on the sheminith. A psalm of David.
1
For the Leader; with string-music; on the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
עַל הַשְּׁמִינִית. כִּנּוֹר שֶׁל שְׁמוֹנָה נִימִין, וְשְׁמִינִית שְׁמוֹ. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ (דברי הימים א טו:כא) פְּלוֹנִי וּבָנָיו ״עַל הַשְּׁמִינִית לְנַצֵּחַ״:
on the sheminith A harp of eight strings, known as sheminith, and so we find (in I Chron. 15: 21): “So-and-so and his sons on the sheminith to conduct.”
ב׳
יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי וְֽאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃
2
O LORD, do not punish me in anger,
do not chastise me in fury.
2
O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger, Neither chasten me in Thy wrath.
ג׳
חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלַ֫ל אָ֥נִי רְפָאֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י נִבְהֲל֣וּ עֲצָמָֽי׃
3
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I languish;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones shake with terror.
3
Be gracious unto me, O LORD, for I languish away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are affrighted.
אֻמְלַל. נִשְׁחַת וְדַל כֹּחַ (קונפונדו״ץ בלע״ז), כְּמוֹ ״הַיְּהוּדִים הָאֲמֵלָלִים״ דְּעֶזְרָא (נחמיה ג:לד):
languish אמלל, devastated, and poor in strength, konfondouc in Old French, confounded, perplexed as “these feeble Jews (האמללים),” of Ezra (Neh. 3:34).
ד׳
וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד ואת [וְאַתָּ֥ה] יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַד־מָתָֽי׃
4
My whole being is stricken with terror,
while You, LORD—O, how long!
4
My soul also is sore affrighted; And Thou, O LORD, how long?
וְאַתָּה ה׳ עַד מָתָי. תַּבִּיט וְאֵינְךָ רוֹפֵא?
and You, O Lord, how long will You look on and not heal [me]?
ה׳
שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חַלְּצָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי לְמַ֣עַן חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃
5
O LORD, turn! Rescue me!
Deliver me as befits Your faithfulness.
5
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul; Save me for Thy mercy's sake.
שׁוּבָה ה׳. מֵחֲרוֹנְךָ:
Return, O Lord from Your anger.
חַלְּצָה נַפְשִׁי. מֵחוֹלְיִי:
rescue my soul from my illness.
ו׳
כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין בַּמָּ֣וֶת זִכְרֶ֑ךָ בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל מִ֣י יֽוֹדֶה־לָּֽךְ׃
6
For there is no praise of You among the dead;
in Sheol, who can acclaim You?
6
For in death there is no remembrance of Thee; In the nether-world who will give Thee thanks?
ז׳
יָגַ֤עְתִּי ׀ בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י אַשְׂחֶ֣ה בְכָל־לַ֭יְלָה מִטָּתִ֑י בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י עַרְשִׂ֥י אַמְסֶֽה׃
7
I am weary with groaning;
every night I drench my bed,
I melt my couch in tears.
7
I am weary with my groaning; Every night make I my bed to swim; I melt away my couch with my tears.
אַשְׂחֶה בְכָל לַיְלָה מִטָּתִי. לְשׁוֹן ״סְחִי וּמָאוֹס״ (איכה ג:מה), ״וְהָיְתָה נִבְלָתָם כַּסּוּחָה״ (ישעיהו ה:כה) – מְמָאֵס אֲנִי מִטָּתִי בִּדְמָעוֹת. וּמְנַחֵם חִבְּרוֹ עִם ״כַּאֲשֶׁר יְפָרֵשׂ הַשֹּׂחֶה לִשְׂחוֹת״ (ישעיהו כה:יא), וְעִם ״מֵי שָׂחוּ״ (יחזקאל מז:ה):
every night I sully my bed Heb. אשׂחה an expression of (Lam. 3:45): “scum (סחי) and refuse”; (Isa. 5:25), “and their corpses were like spittle (כסוחה).” I sully my bed with tears. Menachem (p. 172), however, associated it with (Isa. 25:11): “as the swimmer (השׂחה) spreads out [his hands] to swim (לשׂחות),” and with (Ezek. 47:5), “water to swim in (שׂחו).”
בְּדִמְעָתִי עַרְשִׂי אַמְסֶה. אֲלַחְלֵחַ וְאַרְטִיב כְּמוֹ מַיִם:
I wet my couch with my tears I moisten and wet as with water.
ח׳
עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה מִכַּ֣עַס עֵינִ֑י עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָֽי׃
8
My eyes are wasted by vexation,
worn out because of all my foes.
8
Mine eye is dimmed because of vexation; It waxeth old because of all mine adversaries.
עָשְׁשָׁה. לְשׁוֹן עֲשָׁשִׁית, עַיִן שֶׁמְּאוֹרָהּ כֵּהָה, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא רוֹאֶה דֶּרֶךְ זְכוּכִית שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד עֵינָיו. וּמְנַחֵם פֵּרְשׁוֹ לְשׁוֹן רִקָּבוֹן, כְּמוֹ (תהלים לא:יא) ״וַעֲצָמַי עָשֵׁשׁוּ״, וְכֵן כָּל לְשׁוֹן עָשׁ:
is dimmed Heb. עשׁשׁה, an expression of a lantern (עשׁשׁית), an eye which has impaired vision and seems to see through glass [held] before its eyes. Menachem (p. 139) defines it as an expression of decay, and so every expression of עשׁ, like (below 31:1 1) “and my bones are wasted away (עשׁשׁו).”
עָתְקָה. נִתְיַשְּׁנָה וְנִזְדַּקְּנָה עֵינִי בִּכְהִיַּת אוֹר, וּמְנַחֵם חִבְּרוֹ עִם ״וַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה״ (בראשית יב:ח):
it has aged Heb. עתקה. My eye has aged and become old in that its light has dimmed. Menachem (p. 139) associated it with (Gen. 12:8): “And he moved (ויעתק) from there to the mountain.”
בְּכָל צוֹרְרָי. בִּשְׁבִיל צָרוֹת שֶׁמְּצִירִין לִי:
because of all my adversaries Because of the troubles that distress me.
ט׳
ס֣וּרוּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְ֝הוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בִּכְיִֽי׃
9
Away from me, all you evildoers,
for the LORD heeds the sound of my weeping.
9
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; For the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
י׳
שָׁמַ֣ע יְ֭הוָה תְּחִנָּתִ֑י יְ֝הוָ֗ה תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י יִקָּֽח׃
10
The LORD heeds my plea,
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10
The LORD hath heard my supplication; The LORD receiveth my prayer.
י"א
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ מְ֭אֹד כָּל־אֹיְבָ֑י יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רָֽגַע׃
11
All my enemies will be frustrated and stricken with terror;
they will turn back in an instant, frustrated.
11
All mine enemies shall be ashamed and sore affrighted; They shall turn back, they shall be ashamed suddenly.
יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲלוּ וְגוֹ׳. מַהוּ יָשׁוּבוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ פַּעַם שְׁנִיָּה? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן : לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דָּן אֶת הָרְשָׁעִים וּמְחַיְּבָן לַגֵּיהִנֹּם, וְהֵם מִתְרַעֲמִין עָלָיו, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַחֲזִירָן וְחוֹזֵר וּמַרְאֶה גִּלְיוֹנִין שֶׁלָּהֶם וְדָן אוֹתָם וּמִתְחַיְּבִין, וְהוּא מַחֲזִירָן לַגֵּיהִנֹּם. הֲרֵי בּוּשָׁה כְּפוּלָה. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אוֹמֵר : לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא כָּל אֻמָּה קוֹרְאָה לֵאלֹהֶיהָ וְאֵין עוֹנֶה, וְחוֹזְרִין וְקוֹרְאִין לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאוֹמֵר לָהֶם: אִלּוּ אֵלַי קְרָאתֶם תְּחִלָּה, הָיִיתִי עוֹנֶה אֶתְכֶם. עַכְשָׁו עֲשִׂיתֶם עֲבוֹדַת גִּלּוּלִים עִקָּר וְאוֹתִי טְפֵלָה, לְפִיכָךְ אֵינִי עוֹנֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״יִשְׁוְעוּ וְאֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ״ (תהלים יח:מב) – זוֹ עֲבוֹדַת גִּלּוּלִים, וְאַחַר כָּךְ ״אֶל ה׳ וְלֹא עָנָם״ (שם). לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: יָשֻׁבוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ:
shall be ashamed and very frightened, etc. What is the meaning of “they shall return and be ashamed” a second time? Said Rabbi Johanan: In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will judge the wicked of the nations of the world and sentence them to Gehinnom. Because they will complain to Him, He will take them back and again show them their records, and He returns them to Gehinnom. This is a double embarrassment. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says: In the future, every nation will call to its god, but it will not answer. Consequently, they will call to the Holy One, blessed be He. He will say to them, “Had you called Me first, I would have answered you. Now you have made the idols of primary importance and Me of secondary import. Therefore, I will not answer,” for it is stated (below 18:42): “They pray, but no one saves them.” This refers to the idols, and afterward, “to the Lord, but He answered them not.” Therefore, it is said: “they shall return and be ashamed.”
רָגַע. בִּמְעַט זְמַן:
in a moment In a short time.