שִׁיר דְאִתְאֲמַר עַל מַסוּקִין דִתְהוֹמָא מִן עוּמְקַיָא קְרֵיתָךְ יְיָ.
1. A song of ascents | שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת – Regarding the meaning of this title, see the note on Tehillim 120:1. This psalm focuses on deliverance from sin more than on deliverance from external foes. Nonetheless, many commentators suggest that the themes are intertwined, for the psalmist is assuming that troubles come due to sin, and hence that pardon for sin will lead to salvation from distress and exile.
2. the depths | מִמַּעֲמַקִּים – In the four other places that the word appears it refers specifically to the depths of the sea. See Ibn Ezra and Radak that here it is a metaphor for the poverty and degradation of exile. Cf. Malbim that the psalmist calls out from the "depths of his distress", or Hoil Moshe that he cries "from the depths of his heart". The commentary attributed to Rashbam, instead, suggests that the word means "עמקים", valleys, perhaps assuming that as a sign of humility, the psalmist prays from a place which is physically low down.