1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
<html><b>Give thanks to the Lord, etc.</b> <b>Israel shall now say</b> because His kindness is eternal.</html>
<html><b>Those who fear the Lord</b> These are the Levites, about whom it is written (Exod. 32:26): “Whoever is the Lord’s, let him come to me! And all the sons of Levi gathered around him,” in the episode of the [Golden] Calf, and they fought with Israel when they said (Num. 14:4), “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”</html>
<html><b>It is better to take shelter in the Lord</b> Heb. לחסות. This shelter (חסיון) is only an expression of the shelter of a shadow, a small thing. Trust (מבטח) is a stout and strong support. Nevertheless, to take shelter in the Lord is better than the promises of human beings.</html>
<html><b>All nations surrounded me</b> This speaks about the war of Gog and Magog, when all the nations will be there, as it is said (Zech. 14:2): “And I shall gather all the nations to Jerusalem to wage war.” <b>I shall cut them off</b> Heb. אמלים, I shall cut them off, an expression of (above 90:6): “it is cut off (ימולל) and withers.”</html>
<html><b>they were extinguished like a thorn fire</b> Every expression of דעיכה coincides with an expression of springing and skipping. It hastens to spring and skip from its place. Therefore, it fits with an expression of fire or with an expression of water, like (Job 6:17): “they jump (נדעכו) from their place.” Similarly (Job 17:1), “my days flicker (נדעכו)”; similarly (Job 18:6), “and his candle that is over him shall go out (ידעך),” in the way that the flame springs from the wick and ascends upward when it is extinguished.</html>
<html><b>You pushed me to fall</b> You, my enemy.</html>
<html><b>The might and the cutting power of God was my salvation</b> Heb. עזי וזמרת, the might of the Holy One, blessed be He, was my salvation. עזי has a superfluous “yud” because we do not [usually] find עזי vowelized with a short “kamatz” instead of a “shuruk,” except in three places, where it is next to וזמרת, and perforce is attached to the word denoting the name of God. You cannot explain it as “my praise.” Do not wonder about ויהי לי, that he did not say היה לי לישועה, for there are many like these in Scripture, [e.g.] (Exod. 9:21): “And whoever did not pay attention…left (ויעזב) his slaves, etc.” He should have written עַזָב.</html>
<html><b>A voice of singing praises and salvation</b> will in the future be in the tents of the righteous, and what is that voice of singing praises? “The right hand of the Lord deals valiantly.” They will sing, “The right hand of the Lord is exalted, etc.”</html>
<html><b>The right hand of the Lord is exalted</b> The Midrash Aggadah states: The Holy One, blessed be He, created the celestial beings with His right hand; therefore, death has no power over them; as it says (Isa. 48:13): “Even my hand laid the foundation of the earth.” This is the left hand. “And My right hand measured the heavens with handbreadths.” This is the right hand. Similarly, the Psalmist says: “The right hand of the Lord is exalted,” that created those [that are] in the heights of the world. That is the right hand of the Lord that will make armies of righteous men in the future, and also with it [the right hand] He will resurrect them and they will live forever. And then, I shall not die, but I shall live forever.</html>
<html><b>I shall not die</b> I, the congregation of Israel, [shall not die] like the other peoples an eternal death, but I shall live, etc.</html>
<html><b>God has chastised me</b> in exile, and there all my iniquities were expiated, and You did not deliver me to death.</html>
<html><b>Open for me the gates of righteousness</b> And these are the gates of righteousness.</html>
<html><b>This is the…gate</b> of the Temple, which is the Lord’s, and the righteous will enter therein and there… <b>I shall thank You because You answered me</b> from the exile.</html>
<html><b>The stone that the builders rejected</b> A people that was humble among the peoples.</html>
<html><b>This was from the Lord</b> So will everyone say.</html>
<html><b>Blessed be he who has come in the name of the Lord</b> They will say to those who bring the first fruits and to those who perform the pilgrimages. <b>we have blessed you</b> we have blessed you.</html>
<html><b>Bind the sacrifice with ropes</b> The sacrifices and the festival offerings, which were clean and examined for a blemish, they would bind to the feet of their beds until they brought them to the Temple court at the corners of the altar. It is also possible to interpret the entire end of this psalm from (verse 17), “I shall not die but I shall live,” as referring to David himself: [18] <b>God has chastised me</b> For the episode of Bath sheba with torments, e.g. (II Sam. 12:6): “And the ewe-lamb he shall repay fourfold.” David was stricken with zaraath for six months. <b>but He has not delivered me to death</b> (II Sam. 13) “Also the Lord has removed your sin; you shall not die.” [19] <b>Open for me the gates of righteousness</b> And these are the gates of righteousnessthose gates of synagogues and study halls, which are the Lord’sand the righteous enter through them. [21] <b>I shall thank You because You have answered me</b> From here on, David, Samuel, Jesse, and David’s brothers recited this, as is delineated in [the chapter entitled] “The eves of Passovers,” (Pes. 119a). He who said this did not say the other.</html>