Shiggayon of David – We have already explained that Shiggayon is a kind of music. And so it says in the Prayer of Habakkuk (3:1) "Set to Shigyonoth.⁠"

which he sang unto the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite – Our teachers of blessed memory have said (Targum ad loc. and Bavli Moed Katon 16b, with some variation) that this Psalm was uttered concerning Saul. And he calls him Cush because he was beautiful, as "the Cushite woman" (Num. 12:1), which is interpreted in the Targum as "the beautiful woman"; and such is the opinion of all the exegetes. And they say that he calls him "Cushite" as a Cushite is one who does not change his skin, so Saul did not change in his hatred towards David. And in this way it is said (Jer. 13:23), "Can the Cushite change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also be able to do good who are accustomed to do evil.⁠" And the learned R. Abraham ben Ezra, of blessed memory, rejected this interpretation; for he asks, How should anyone say of the Lord's anointed, Behold, he travaileth with iniquity (Ps. 7:15)? And he says there was one of the children of Benjamin who hated him, and his name was Cush. And his objection to Behold, he travaileth with iniquity as being said of Saul does not hold. Why should he not say so? Behold, did (not) David say to his very face: "Out of the wicked proceedeth wickedness" (1 Sam. 24:14)? And did he (not) say to him: "And the Lord avenge thee of me" (ibid. 24:13)? And in the Haggadic exposition (Shoher Tob, ad loc.) (it says that) he surnames him Cush, because it is written (Koheleth 10:20): "Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought.⁠" And the Haggadic interpretation is correct. You see that all agree that the Psalm was spoken of Saul, apart from the (one) interpreter mentioned. And as regards the expression concerning (על דברי, lit. "concerning the matters of"), (it is used) because the matters and affairs which he had in connexion with him were numerous. Many times also he had purposed to slay him, as it is written (in Scripture). The first occasion, when he became his son–in–law, he purposed to make him fall into the hand of the Philistines; afterwards he purposed to slay him in his house; and when he stood (ministering) before him he hurled the javelin at him many times; and (even) after he had parted from him (he acted) in a like manner also when he was pursuing him. And the interpretation of דברי על is "concerning the matter of" in accordance with (the use of the expression in such a passage as): "concerning (דבר על) the frogs" (Exod. 8:8), and similar passages.

O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust: Save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me – In Thee do I put my trust and not in the help of man, therefore save me from all them that are allied with Saul who pursue me.

Lest he tear my soul like a lion, Rending in pieces while there is none to deliver. – This could not be said of any other enemy of David except Saul, who was king; and of him it is said, Rending in pieces while there is none to deliver. And he says as a lion, because he is the mightiest among the beasts, and is called king over them, and if he rends there is none to deliver. And (the sense of) פרק (rending in pieces) is to be gathered from the sense (of the expression) in "and thou shall break in pieces (ופרקת) his yoke" (Gen. 27:41).

O Lord my God, if I have done this; If there be iniquity in my hands – If I have done this – that he does to me. And what this is he specifies: if I have requited evil unto him that was at peace with me, if I have done by my hand evil to a man in iniquity or in violence.

If I have requited evil unto him that was at peace with me – If I have requited him evil who was at peace with me as he does me who was at peace with him, and was his son–in–law, and fought his battles – and he requites me evil in return for good!

But (no)! I have delivered him that without cause was my enemy – Not merely have I not requited evil unto him {who was) at peace with me, but (on the contrary) I have delivered him who without cause was my enemy. But to no purpose did I rescue him as indeed he rescued Saul from the power of Abishai, who, had he not withheld him, was about to kill him, as he said: "Let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time" (1 Sam. 26:8); and so of the occasion when he was in the cave it is said: "so David checked his men with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul" (1 Sam. 24:7). And the waw in ואחלצה ("but [lit. and] I have delivered") is like the waw (in ועבדיך in the verse) but (and) thy servants came to buy food" (Gen. 42:10), of which (passage) the interpretation is: "It is not, my lord, as thou sayest, that we are spies; but thy servants are come to buy food.⁠"

The enemy doth pursue my soul – This word (יִרַדּףֹ, "pursue") is a combination of the Kal and dageshed (i.e. piel) conjugations; from the Kal is said יִרְדֹּף, and from the piel is said יְרַדֵּף; and the word is compounded of these two (forms). And the meaning of the compound (form) is that the enemy pursues him himself and pursues him with respect to others when he bids others pursue him; so Saul was pursuing him (רודפו) and chasing him (מרדפו) with reference to Israel. And he says my soul, for he does not pursue me to bind me with a cord, but to kill me – as, indeed, he proposed so many times to slay him with his own hand.

And should he overtake he will tread my life to the earth – And if he should overtake me he will tread my life to the earth, for he will give me no rest till he slay me. And the word "if" is lacking, as (similarly, Isaiah 30:20): "And the Lord will give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction" which is to be interpreted "if He give"; and (another instance) "and thou hast refused to let him go" (Exod. 4:23) = "and if thou refusest.⁠" The waw in וְיִרְמֹם is equivalent (in meaning) to the rapheh in Arabic; or its interpretation (may be) he is thinking within himself, as he pursues me, that he will overtake me and tread my life to the earth and lay my glory in the dust.

And lay my glory in the dust. Selah – My glory is "my soul,⁠" and his plan is to lay my glory in the dust. And although at a man's death his soul does not lie in the dust, the expression is figurative, as, "My soul cleaveth to the dust" (Ps. 119:25). Or it is in accordance with the thought of the enemy, for he thinks there is no resurrection for my soul, because he considers me a wicked man and a murderer. And the word Selah I have explained (Ps. 3:3) to be a raising of the voice in the music; and it has no (special) significance in the context here, nor is it necessary to explain it on every occurrence.

Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger – קומה accented milra, with the accent on the mem. He says: Rise, O Lord, in Thine anger against those who pursue me to take my life.

Lift up Thyself in rage (lit. rages, pi.) against my adversaries – In Thy rage (sing.) against them, as he says, in Thine anger; or its interpretation is "against the rage" (pl.) which my adversaries have against me, do Thou lift up Thyself against them and deliver me from their hand.

Rouse Thyself for me to the judgement Thou hast commanded – Rouse Thyself on my behalf in the judgement which Thou hast commanded concerning me: that is, the judgement of the Kingdom.

And the congregation of the peoples let it compass Thee about: And over it return Thou on high. – He speaks of congregation (עדת) in a general, and of peoples (לאמים) in a specific, sense. The congregation is the congregation of Israel, which includes them all; the peoples (לאמים) are the twelve tribes of Israel. And they are called לאמים, i.e. peoples (עמים) and nations (גוים), as Isaac said to Jacob: "that thou mayest be a company of peoples (קהל עמים)" (Gen. 28:3). And so God says to Jacob (ibid. 35:11): "A nation and a company of nations (קהל גוים) shall be of thee.⁠" So you see he calls them "peoples" (עמים) and "nations" (גוים) relative to the tribes; and he calls them a "company" (קהל) and a "congregation" (עדה), for the twelve tribes formed one company and one congregation. If he were using the word לאמים ("peoples") of the nations of the world, he would not have made use of the expression congregation (ועדת), for a single congregation could not comprise them (all), because every single people (לאום) forms a congregation by itself in its own sight. Therefore the Nazarenes (Christians) have erred in interpreting the verse of Jesus, and explaining and the congregation of the peoples of the nations who have been converted to his faith, and who say that (the words) and over it return on high is an indication that he would come down (from heaven) to assume human flesh. Now say to them, in the first place, that the Psalm explains in its title about whom it was spoken; and then that the prayer would be in vain if he were God, while if his prayer had reference to the flesh (the Incarnation), it was unavailing. And if they say to you that such was his will that he should be hanged (reply) then, if so, it was foolish that he should pray for something he did not desire. And add that the greater part of the Psalm speaks of one enemy, while he had many enemies. And regarding the assumption of human flesh (the Incarnation), I have already written in the second Psalm how you should answer them. Now, according to our exposition, the interpretation of this verse will be as follows. It was known in Israel that David had been anointed to be king, and it was known likewise also that Samuel had anointed him at God's direction. And in the place where he had been anointed all recognised that Samuel had not done this of his own mind, for when Eliab, (David's) eldest brother, came he said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him" (1 Sam. 16:6), for he thought that he was to be the king until the Lord said to him: "Look not on his countenance nor on the height of his stature" (1 Sam. 16:7). And when the youngest came God said to him, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he" (1 Sam. 16:12). If so, he who pursued after David was as though he pursued after God, and he who surrounded him to capture him as one who surrounded God, who is blessed. And because of this he says, Let it compass thee about, after the manner of the prophet (Zech. 2:12), who says: "for he that toucheth you is as one who toucheth the apple of his eye.⁠" And when he says, And over it return Thou on high, it is as he has (just before) said, Arise and lift up Thyself. And it is all figurative, for when God forgives man's transgression, it is as though He should descend from His place of power and His habitation of judgment. And when He visits man's iniquity and judges him, then it is as though He should rise and lift Himself up and return on high to the place of judgment. And so it is said of the vengeance on Pharaoh (Exod. 15:1), "for He is highly exalted.⁠"

The Lord ministereth judgment to the peoples – i.e. Israel, as I have explained לאמים (in the previous verse); and the interpretation of ידין (ministereth judgment) (is) that he will exact my vengeance and my judgment from them. And this is what he says:

Judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity be it unto me – for as for me, there is no iniquity in me nor have I sinned against them that they should hate me. He does not speak of all of them, but of the wicked among them who hated David without cause. And of them he says, let the wickedness of the wicked bring to an end; for the greater part of Israel loved David; for he it was who used to bring them out and lead them in while he was with Saul; and they were acting under compulsion while they pursued him at the command of Saul. Also of the tribe of Benjamin many loved him, as is written (i Chron. 12:1-2) of those "who came to David to Ziklag.⁠"

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked bring to an end – He says: the wickedness which the wicked plan and do, may it bring them to an end and destroy them.

but establish Thou (the) righteous – And the righteous Thou wilt establish his way and his plan, and support him. And he says this of himself and of the righteous who were in Israel.

For it is the righteous God who trieth the hearts and reins – He who tries the hearts and knows the thoughts of man knows the righteous and the wicked; for many of the sons of men make a show of being good when they are not so. And He is a righteous God – he means One who judges with equity, and assigns to everyone according to his ways and his thoughts, for He knows all.

My shield is upon God – He might have said, My shield is God. What, then, is the significance of על, upon? Only that my reliance and stay is God, who will be my shield, for He is

A deliverer of the upright of heart.

God is a righteous Judge – as (in the verse) Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness (Ps. 7:9); and its interpretation (is): God judges the righteous according to his righteousness and the wicked according to his wickedness, and this is what he means when he says:

Yea, a God that is provoked every day – as though to say, He judges the righteous, and He judges him who provokes God every day, when he repents not of his wickedness. And this is what he means below (by the words) if he turn not – if (אם) being used in the place of כי (when), as: "When (אם) the jubilee shall be" (Num. 36:4), where it stands in the place of כי or כאשר (when). And by every day he means "continually.⁠" And how was Saul provoking God? Because he was despising God's work and word, for he knew that David had been anointed as king by the command of God to succeed him, and (yet) he pursued him every day to kill him. You see he was planning every day to bring God's word to naught. And, moreover, David was innocent and had not sinned against him, and he wished to shed innocent blood. And, further, because he had sworn solemnly that he would not slay him. And for all these reasons it was right that He (God) should be spoken of as provoked.

If he will not turn (and) whets his sword – We have already explained the meaning as depending upon (the clause) above. And he says: when he (the wicked man) will not turn and whets his sword to slay me.

He hath bent his bow and made it ready – to shoot at me; as though to say, I am near death every day, as one who stands in front of the bent bow.

He hath also prepared him the instruments of death; And arrows for the pursuers doth he provide – For himself and those that pursue with him after me he has prepared and provided arrows and instruments of death to kill me. And some explain ולו, for himself as equivalent to בעבורו (on his own account), meaning" on account of his own life,⁠" as though saying, the arrows which he has prepared him are against his own life, for he shall die by them. And דלקים (pursuers) is used as (in the text): "that thou hast so hotly pursued (דלקת) after me" (Gen. 31:36).

Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. – He compares the thoughts of the heart with conception, and says their issuing in speech or conduct is like the pangs of a woman at childbirth. If so, the comparison is between speech and birth–pains, and (between) conduct and childbearing. And he says that he speaks evil, because he has conceived it in his heart and brought it forth in his mouth for execution. And iniquity and mischief and. falsehood have all one meaning, though the words are different.

He hath digged a pit, and graven it out – repeating the idea in different words. And he says that he hath digged a pit to cause me to fall into it, but he shall fall into it himself. He prophesies that Saul shall die by the sword. And he says:

And hath fallen into the ditch which he maketh – a past tense in place of a future, as we have explained.

His iniquity shall return on his own head – The treachery he has acted in his pursuit of me shall return on his own head,

And his violence shall come down upon his own pate – a repetition of the idea with a change of terms.