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Mizmor Hey -
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Psalm 5 Recited in Hebrew
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Please be patient as the sound files load...
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Psalm 5 (KJV)
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Note: In English translations, v1 and v2 are combined; in the Hebrew Bible, v1 stands alone.
<To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David.> 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. 4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. 7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. 9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
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To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David
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v1 Notes:
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lamnatze'ach - "To the director." The manatze'ach was the Levite who directed the orchestra of the Temple (Artscroll Tehillim: 82). Music always accompanied the sacrifices and the manatze'ach was the chief conductor of the services. Note that this word comes from the Hebrew netzach, meaning "strength, victory" or even "eternity." The manatze'ach was then conducting music that had eternal significance. Music also was used as a means of securing victory. In battles, music was a part of Israeli tactics. The praise of the LORD was the most effective weapon of warfare - both on an earthly plane and also in the realm of the spirit. This phrase, lamatze'ach can further be translated as "to Him who causes victory," i.e., God.
el-hanechilot - "upon Nehiloth." There is some uncertainty as to the meaning of this phrase, though it might mean "accompanied by flute," since chalil is a woodwind instrument, though Radak suggests that nechil refers to the buzzing sound of bees, i.e., strumming of strings.
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v2 Notes:
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amarai ha'azinah Adonai - "Give ear (ozen) to my words, LORD." David was assured that the LORD would heed his heart's cry.
binah hagigi - "discern my thoughts." The word binah here is not translated as a noun (meaning insight or discernment), but rather as a verb. Hagigi, my thoughts, comes from the same root as Psalm 1:2, hagah, to moan. This verb is used to describe meditations of the heart.
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hakshivah l'kol shav'i - "Hearken!" the hiphil of kashav, indicating an intense response on the part of the listener. Kol is voice and is in construct to שַׁוְעָה - shav'a, a cry for help.
malki velohai - "My King and my God." David appeals as a faithful servant to the LORD as his King.
ki-elekha etpallal - "For to You do I pray." The Hitpallel (reflexive) of pallal ("to judge") is the common Hebrew word meaning to pray. Prayer is a turning inward before the LORD in self-examination and appeal.
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Adonai boker tishma koli - "LORD, at dawn hear my voice." The morning is considered an opportune time to pray, since it is free from the distractions of everydayness.
boker e'erokh-lekha va'atzapeh - "At dawn I prepare myself and will wait." David's appeal to YHVH here suggests that he considers the LORD rachum v'chanun - merciful and gracious (rather than as Elohim, the Judge of all). David anticipate the LORD's mercy to be shown to him based on God's revelation of Himself. The Piel of tzafah (atzapeh) means that David was actively, intensely waiting in expectation for the LORD's intervention.
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ki lo el-chafetz resha atah - "For You are not a God who desires wickedness." Chefetz is delight or desire. God does not desire moral evil but is impeccably holy and pure.
lo yegurekha ra - "evil shall not dwell with you." Yegurekha comes from gur, to dwell, sojourn, to visit. Lagur means to "sojourn" (יהוה מי־יגוּר בּאהלך - "Lord, who shall dwell in your tent?") A ger is a sojourner, and the Jewish people are called gerim v'toshavim in the Land of Promise (Lev. 25:23). Godliness and evil are mutually exclusive. God's Presence cannot tolerate evil, since He is the Source of all that is truly good.
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lo-yityatzevu - "they shall not stand." yatzav implies a forceful, intentional stand in a challenging and defiant manner.
holelim - "boasters." From hallel, meaning praise. These are people (like Doeg and Achitophel, David's enemies) who praise themselves.
l'neged enekha - "before your eyes."
saneita kol-po'alei aven - "You hate all practitioners of iniquity." Po'alei aven are evil doers who arrogantly defy GOd's authority in their lives.
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te'abed dovrei khazav - "You will doom the ones speaking lies." Te'abed comes from avad, meaning to doom or be destroyed. The word Abaddon (destruction, ruin) comes from this verb. See Rev. 9:11 where Abaddon is the name given to the angel of the bottomless pit. dovrei khazav, "the ones speaking lies." Kazav is the Hebrew word for falsehood or deception.
ish-damim u'mirmah yeta'ev Adonai- "The bloodthirsty and deceitful man you will abhor." Literally, "man of blood and treachery." Mirmah comes from ramah, to shoot arrows at, to betray.
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va'ani b'rov chasdekha avo vetekha - "But as for me, though the multitude of Your lovingkindness will I come into Your house." The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (chesed) means grace; favor; lovingkindness; covenantal faithfulness; loyal love. Chesed includes the concepts of loyalty and fidelity along with love; it therefore represents faithful love, and so on. Chesed also refers to an act of lovingkindness or gracious action, i.e., the giving of oneself to help others without regard to repayment or personal benefit. Chesed is therefore the essense of the great mitzvah to "love your neighbor as yourself." עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה - olam chesed yibaneh - "The world is built with chesed" (Psalm 89:3).
The sages (Sukkah 49b) compared chesed with charity, saying that in three ways chesed is greater than charity: 1) Charity is done by giving kesef (money), while chesed can be given by sacrificing one's time as well as by giving money. 2) Charity is given to the poor, while chesed can be given to all, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. 3) Charity is given to the living, while chesed can be given to both the living and the dead (the act of burying a dead person is called chesed shel emet -- "true kindness" -- since this is an altrusitic act done when the other person is powerless to repay).
eshtachaveh el-hekhal-kodshekha b'yir'atekha - "I will prostrate myself toward Your Holy Temple in awe of You." Eshtakaveh comes from shachah, meaning to bow down in reverence. Hechal is the common word for Temple or sanctuary, though some commentators believe it refers to the Holy of Holies itself, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was located in the Mishkan. Yirah connotes reverent awe, not a cringing fear or dread (such was common among idolaters).
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Adonai necheni v'tzidkatekha - "LORD, guide me in your righteousness." Tzedakah here refers to God's justice and goodness revealed to those whom He leads. l'ma'an shorerai - "because of my watching enemies." Shur is an adjectival that means carefully watching.
haishar lefanai darkekha - "Make your way straight before me." Yashar means upright, full of integrity (Jeshurun is means "law keeping"). The Hebrew word derech means way or mode of life -- it represents the road one walks in this life.
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ki ein befihu nekhonah - "For there is no sincerity in their mouth." David's enemies feign friendship but inwardly they despise him.
kirbam havot - "Their inward heart is destruction." These insincere schemers plot against God's anointed servant, wishing him harm.
kever-patu'ach geronam - "Their throat is an open grave."
le'shonam yachalikun - "Their speech is slippery and smooth." These smooth-talking false friends of David are inwardly his bitter and implacable foes.
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