Hiding from Saul and desiring to approach the place of the Holy Ark as one thirsting for water, David composed this prayer on his behalf and against his enemy. Simply understood, King David expresses his desire to be as close to Hashem (G-d) as he was in the sanctuary. The Ba’al Shem Tov gives a Hasidic explanation that King David actually prays that he should maintain the thirst and longing for Hashem while in a barren and distant land, even when he is actually in the Sanctuary.
- Text Psalm 63
- Hebrew text of Psalm 63 – תהילים סג
- Listen to Psalm 63
- Explanation of Psalm 63 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 63
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 63
A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judea. O G-d, You are my Almighty, I seek You! My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You; [as one] in a desolate and dry land, without water, So [I thirst] to see You in the Sanctuary, to behold Your power and glory. For Your goodness is better than life; my lips will praise You. Thus I will bless You all my life, in Your Name I will lift up my hands [in prayer]. As with fat and plenty, my soul is satisfied, when my mouth offers praise with expressions of joy. Yes, I still remember You on my bed; during the night watches I meditate on You. For You were a help to me; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul cleaved to You; Your right hand supported me. But they seek destruction for my soul; they will enter the depths of the earth. They will drag them to the sword; they shall be the portion of the foxes. And the king will rejoice in God, and all who swear by Him will be proud, when the mouths of liars are stopped.
Hebrew text of Psalm 63 – תהילים סג
A psalm to David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. B God, you are my God, I am thirsty for you, my soul is thirsty for you in a thirsty land and weary without water. 3 Yes, in the holiness of your face to see your strength and honor. 4 For your kindness quickens my lips to praise you. Yes, I will bless you with my life, in your name I will lift up my hands. And like milk and fat my soul shall be satisfied, and my sweet lips shall praise me. 7. If you remember my deeds in Ashmurat, I will punish you. 8 Because you have helped me and in the shadow of your wings I begged. 9 My soul clung to you; your right hand supported me. y And they will seek refuge in my soul, they will come under the earth. 11 They will hunt him down with the sword. They will be a lot of foxes. 12 And the king will rejoice in God, let all who swear by him be praised, because the mouth of liars will be shut up.
Listen to Psalm 63
Listen to Psalm 63 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 63 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
David praises G‑d even in the desolate desert. He indicates that in times of spiritual need we should ,sing, to G-d, for the connection with Hashem can always be found through the spirituality of the lifted voice of song. In times of need, we realize with new clarity that only Hashem can truly help us. G-d created everything, but He is also our personal savior. The psalm speaks of thirst because the need for water is much deeper than the need for food. The feeling of thirst is also more persistent. These passages speak to the essence of Jewish understanding. We may be in a “land barren,” a place of spiritual desolation, we may even be “weary without water,” without the living waters of Torah, yet we cry and find salvation. You truly cannot express the feelings that overcome the thirsty soul when it contacts the Source of all nourishment. A life without awareness of Hashem’s kindness is not a real life at all. It is an empty practice that withers the core of your being and makes it numb.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 63
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judea.
in the wilderness of Judea : when he was fleeing from Saul.
Verse 2
O God, You are my Almighty, I seek You! My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You; [as one] in a desolate and dry land, without water.
I seek You : Hebrew אשחרך, I seek and seek You, as (Job 7:21): ,and you will seek me (ושחרתני), but I am not here,; (Job 8:5), “If you seek God.”
My soul thirsts for You. I thirst and long to come to You in Your house of prayer.
my flesh longs for You : Hebrew כמה, an expression of longing. There is no comparable [written expression].
in a dry land : in the desert.
Verse 3
So [I thirst] to see You in the Holiest, to behold Your power and glory.
As I saw You in the Holy Place, etc. : Hebrew כן, like כאשר, as. I thirst to see Your strength and Your glory as I saw You in the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle of Shiloh. My soul will be satisfied with the visions of Your power and Your glory.
Verse 5
Thus I will bless You all my life, in Your Name I will lift up my hands [in prayer].
Then I will bless You in my life : Hebrew כן, as אָז, then, because אָז ובכן is translated. That is, then when I come before You, I will bless You all the days of my life.
In your name I will lift up my hands in prayer and praise.
Verse 6
As with fat and abundance, my soul is satisfied, when my mouth offers praise with expressions of joy.
when my mouth praises with utterances of song : Hebrew ושפתי, languages of songs, such as (Gen. 11:1): “And the whole earth was of one language (ה),” which is translated: לישן חד.
Verse 7
Yes, I still remember You on my bed; during the night watches I meditate on You.
on my couch : when I lie down on my couch, I remember Your love.
night watches : in the night
I meditate on You : Hebrew אהגה. I think of You.
Verse 9
My soul cleaves over You; Your right hand supported me.
Your right hand has upheld me , that I might not fall.
Verse 10
But they seek destruction for my soul; they will enter the depths of the earth.
But they : my enemies.
seek my soul to make it desolate : they come upon me in ambush on a dark day, that I should not feel their presence.
may they come into the depths of the earth : into a low place; let them come and fall into the grave and the pit.
Verse 11
They will drag them to the sword; they shall be the portion of the foxes.
May he be drawn by the sword : may enemies attack my pursuers and drag each of them with a sword, killing him. This is an elliptical verse because it does not explain who will drag him. יגירהוּ is an expression of dragging, as (Micah 1:4): “as water pours down (המוגרים) on a steep place”; (Job 28:4), “A stream bursts out from the place of its flow (גר).”
the part of the foxes : (I found: the part of the foxes may destroy their dwellings, the foxes must run there.)
Verse 12
And the king shall rejoice in God, and all who swear by Him shall be proud, when the mouths of liars are blocked.
And may the king rejoice : he says this about himself because he was already anointed.
may all who swear by Him be proud : when they see that You will save me, all who cleave to You and swear by Your name will boast and praise.
for … shall be closed : Hebrew יסכר, shall be closed, as (Gen. 8:2). “The fountains of the great deep…were closed (ויסכרו).”
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
A further explanation of verses 2 and 3. Simply understood, King David expresses his desire to be as close to Hashem as he was in the sanctuary. Even in the deserted place of the Judean desert, after being banished from nation, family and home, he never doubted his love for G-d. These words are the words that come from the deepest places within every Jew in the darkness-filled world in which we live. Jews must purify themselves through Torah and mitzvot to bring these words to the surface until they burst from their lips with a true desire for closeness with the Creator and the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple).
The Ba’al Shem Tov gives a Hasidic explanation that King David actually prays that he should maintain the thirst and longing for Hashem while in a barren and distant land, even when he is actually in the Sanctuary. People usually long for things that seem far away and inaccessible. However, once possessed, the object of desire often loses its appeal. So a child who is far from home longs for his parents, and as the days approach for his return home, his excitement increases greatly. However, when he is at home, he neglects his parents and takes them for granted. Therefore, King David expresses the wish that even after having the opportunity to be close to G‑d again and to behold G‑dliness in the Sanctuary, his aspiration and strong desire for divinity should not be diminished. The Jews were shown the lechem hapanim to demonstrate that just as the freshness of the shewbread was constantly maintained, so too should their desire for Hashem be maintained before the pilgrimage once they are in Jerusalem, and even after their departure.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.