Psa 144:1-2 | KD | STEP | Praised be Jahve who teacheth me to fight and conquer ( , ), me the feeble mortal, who am strong only in Him, -4. May Jahve then be pleased to grant a victory this time also over the boastful, lying enemies, ; so will I sing new songs of thanksgiving unto Him, the bestower of victory, -10. May He be pleased to deliver me out of the hand of the barbarians who envy us our prosperity, which is the result of our having Jahve as our God, -15. A glance at this course of the thought commends the additional inscription of the lxx (according to Origen only “in a few copies”), πρὸς τὸν Γολιάδ, and the Targumist’s reference of the “evil sword” in to the sword of Goliath (after the example of the Midrash). Read 1Sa 17:47. The Psalm has grown out of this utterance of David. In one of the old histories, just as several of these lie at the foundation of our Books of Samuel as sources of information that are still recognisable, it was intended to express the feelings with which David entered upon the single-handed combat with Goliath and decided the victory of Israel over the Philistines. At that time he had already been anointed by Samuel, as both the narratives which have been worked up together in the First Book of Samuel assume: see ; 1Sa 10:1. And this victory was for him a gigantic stride to the throne. If אשׁר in is taken as eo quod , so that envy is brought under consideration as a motive for the causeless (שׁוא), lyingly treacherous rising (ימין שׁקר) of the neighbouring peoples, then the passage can at any rate be comprehended as a part of the form of the whole. But only thus, and not otherwise; for אשׁר cannot be intended as a statement of the aim or purpose: in order that they may be...(Jerome, De Wette, Hengstenberg, and others), since nothing but illustrative substantival clauses follow; nor do these clauses admit of an optative sense: We, whose sons, may they be...(Maurer); and אשׁר never has an assuring sense (Vaihinger). It is also evident that we cannot, with Saadia, go back to for the interpretation of the אשׁר (Arab. asbh 'lâ mâ ). But that junction by means of eo quod is hazardous, since envy or ill-will (קנאה) is not previously mentioned, and וימינם ימין שׁקר expresses a fact, and not an action. If it is further considered that nothing is wanting in the way of finish to the Psalm if it closes with , it becomes all the more doubtful whether belonged originally to the Psalm. And yet we cannot discover any Psalm in its immediate neighbourhood to which this piece might be attached. It might the most readily, as Hitzig correctly judges, be inserted between and of Ps 147. But the rhythm and style differ from this Psalm, and we must therefore rest satisfied with the fact that a fragment of another Psalm is here added to , which of necessity may be accounted as an integral part of it; but in spite of the fact that the whole Psalm is built up on a gigantic scale, this was not its original corner-stone, just as one does not indeed look for anything further after the refrain, together with the mention of David in Psa 144:10., cf. Ps 18:51.

‏ Psalms 144:1-2

Taking Courage in God before a Decisive Combat

Praised be Jahve who teacheth me to fight and conquer (Psa 144:1, Psa 144:2), me the feeble mortal, who am strong only in Him, Psa 144:3-4. May Jahve then be pleased to grant a victory this time also over the boastful, lying enemies, Psa 144:5-8; so will I sing new songs of thanksgiving unto Him, the bestower of victory, Psa 144:9-10. May He be pleased to deliver me out of the hand of the barbarians who envy us our prosperity, which is the result of our having Jahve as our God, Psa 144:11-15. A glance at this course of the thought commends the additional inscription of the lxx (according to Origen only “in a few copies”), πρὸς τὸν Γολιάδ, and the Targumist’s reference of the “evil sword” in Psa 144:10 to the sword of Goliath (after the example of the Midrash). Read 1Sa 17:47. The Psalm has grown out of this utterance of David. In one of the old histories, just as several of these lie at the foundation of our Books of Samuel as sources of information that are still recognisable, it was intended to express the feelings with which David entered upon the single-handed combat with Goliath and decided the victory of Israel over the Philistines. At that time he had already been anointed by Samuel, as both the narratives which have been worked up together in the First Book of Samuel assume: see 1Sa 16:13; 1Sa 10:1. And this victory was for him a gigantic stride to the throne.

If אשׁר in Psa 144:12 is taken as eo quod, so that envy is brought under consideration as a motive for the causeless (שׁוא), lyingly treacherous rising (ימין שׁקר) of the neighbouring peoples, then the passage Psa 144:12-15 can at any rate be comprehended as a part of the form of the whole. But only thus, and not otherwise; for אשׁר cannot be intended as a statement of the aim or purpose: in order that they may be...(Jerome, De Wette, Hengstenberg, and others), since nothing but illustrative substantival clauses follow; nor do these clauses admit of an optative sense: We, whose sons, may they be...(Maurer); and אשׁר never has an assuring sense (Vaihinger). It is also evident that we cannot, with Saadia, go back to Psa 144:9 for the interpretation of the אשׁר (Arab. asbh 'lâ mâ). But that junction by means of eo quod is hazardous, since envy or ill-will (קנאה) is not previously mentioned, and וימינם ימין שׁקר expresses a fact, and not an action. If it is further considered that nothing is wanting in the way of finish to the Psalm if it closes with Psa 144:11, it becomes all the more doubtful whether Psa 144:12-15 belonged originally to the Psalm. And yet we cannot discover any Psalm in its immediate neighbourhood to which this piece might be attached. It might the most readily, as Hitzig correctly judges, be inserted between Psa 147:13 and Psa 147:14 of Ps 147. But the rhythm and style differ from this Psalm, and we must therefore rest satisfied with the fact that a fragment of another Psalm is here added to Psa 144:1-15, which of necessity may be accounted as an integral part of it; but in spite of the fact that the whole Psalm is built up on a gigantic scale, this was not its original corner-stone, just as one does not indeed look for anything further after the refrain, together with the mention of David in Psa 144:10., cf. Ps 18:51. Psa 144:1-2

The whole of this first strophe is an imitation of David’s great song of thanksgiving, Ps 18. Hence the calling of Jahve “my rock,” Psa 18:3, Psa 18:47; hence the heaping up of other appellations in Psa 144:2, in which Psa 18:3 is echoed; but וּמפלּטי־לי (with Lamed deprived of the Dagesh) follows the model of 2Sa 22:2. The naming of Jahve with חסדּי is a bold abbreviation of אלהי חסדּי in Psa 59:11, 18, as also in Jon 2:8 the God whom the idolatrous ones forsake is called הסדּם. Instead of מלחמה the Davidic Psalms also poetically say קרב, Psa 55:22, cf. Psa 78:9. The expression “who traineth my hands for the fight” we have already read in Psa 18:35. The last words of the strophe, too, are after Psa 18:48; but instead of ויּדבּר this poet says הרודד, from רדד = רדה (cf. Isa 45:1; Isa 41:2), perhaps under the influence of uwmoriyd in 2Sa 22:48. In Psa 18:48 we however read עמּים, and the Masora has enumerated Psa 144:2, together with 2Sa 22:44; Lam 3:14, as the three passages in which it is written עמי, whilst one expects עמים (ג דסבירין עמים), as the Targum, Syriac, and Jerome (yet not the lxx) in fact render it. But neither from the language of the books nor from the popular dialect can it be reasonably expected that they would say עמּי for עמּים in such an ambiguous connection. Either, therefore, we have to read עמים, ^{▼▼Rashi is acquainted with an otherwise unknown note of the Masora: תחתיו קרי; but this Kerî is imaginary.} or we must fall in with the strong expression, and this is possible: there is, indeed, no necessity for the subduing to be intended of the use of despotic power, it can also be intended to God-given power, and of subjugating authority. David, the anointed one, but not having as yet ascended the throne, here gives expression to the hope that Jahve will grant him deeds of victory which will compel Israel to submit to him, whether willingly or reluctantly.