1 A song. A psalm of David.
א שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃
2 My heart is firm, O Hashem; I will sing and chant a hymn with all my soul.
ב נָכוֹן לִבִּי אֱלֹהִים אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה אַף־כְּבוֹדִי׃
3 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn.
ג עוּרָה הַנֵּבֶל וְכִנּוֹר אָעִירָה שָּׁחַר׃
4 I will praise You among the peoples, Hashem, sing a hymn to You among the nations;
ד אוֹדְךָ בָעַמִּים יְהוָה וַאֲזַמֶּרְךָ בַּל־אֻמִּים׃
5 for Your faithfulness is higher than the heavens; Your steadfastness reaches to the sky.
ה כִּי־גָדוֹל מֵעַל־שָׁמַיִם חַסְדֶּךָ וְעַד־שְׁחָקִים אֲמִתֶּךָ׃
6 Exalt Yourself over the heavens, O Hashem; let Your glory be over all the earth!
ו רוּמָה עַל־שָׁמַיִם אֱלֹהִים וְעַל כָּל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדֶךָ׃
7 That those whom You love may be rescued, deliver with Your right hand and answer me.
ז לְמַעַן יֵחָלְצוּן יְדִידֶיךָ הוֹשִׁיעָה יְמִינְךָ וַעֲנֵנִי׃
8 Hashem promised in His sanctuary that I would exultingly divide up Shechem, and measure the Valley of Sukkoth;
ח אֱלֹהִים דִּבֶּר בְּקָדְשׁוֹ אֶעְלֹזָה אֲחַלְּקָה שְׁכֶם וְעֵמֶק סֻכּוֹת אֲמַדֵּד׃
LEE gil-AD LEE m’-na-SHEH v’-ef-RA-yim ma-OZ ro-SHEE y’-hu-DAH m’-kho-k’-KEE
11 Would that I were brought to the bastion! Would that I were led to Edom!
יא מִי יֹבִלֵנִי עִיר מִבְצָר מִי נָחַנִי עַד־אֱדוֹם׃
12 But You have rejected us, O Hashem; Hashem, You do not march with our armies.
יב הֲלֹא־אֱלֹהִים זְנַחְתָּנוּ וְלֹא־תֵצֵא אֱלֹהִים בְּצִבְאֹתֵינוּ׃
13 Grant us Your aid against the foe, for the help of man is worthless.
יג הָבָה־לָּנוּ עֶזְרָת מִצָּר וְשָׁוְא תְּשׁוּעַת אָדָם׃
14 With Hashem we shall triumph; He will trample our foes.
יד בֵּאלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה־חָיִל וְהוּא יָבוּס צָרֵינוּ׃
108:9 Gilad and Menashe would be mine
In a moment of confidence, David rejoices at the great promise Hashem made to His people, to give them each a share in the Promised Land. He remarks “Gilad and Menashe would be mine,” and speaks of controlling Ephraim, Yehuda, Moab and the land of the Philistines. He intends to fulfill the biblical command to conquer all the lands occupied by other kingdoms but bequeathed to Israel, or at one point conquered by Israel. Gilad is a mountainous strip of land on the eastern bank of the Yarden River which was conquered by Israel on their journey from Egypt to Canaan. After conquering the land of Sihon and Og, Moshe bequeathed it to the tribes of Reuven and Gad and to half the tribe of Menashe. Yiftach the judge came from this region, King Shaul defended the area from the kingdom of Ammon, and Shlomo also included this area in his kingdom. Once the Israelite kingdom split, however, this land was conquered by Aram.1 comment