Rashi on TanakhPsalms 89

of Ethan the Ezrahite He, too, was one of the five musician brothers. [See above 88:1.] But our Sages (B.B. 15a) explained it as referring to our father Abraham, based on (Isa. 41:2): “Who aroused from the East (ממזרח).”

I shall make known Your faithfulness, with my mouth What I know of You: that You keep Your promise and fulfill Your words.

For I said, “Forever will it be built with kindness” For I said, “Forever the throne of David will be built with kindness,” as it is said (II Sam. 7:13): “and I shall establish the throne of his kingdom, etc.” Another explanation: I thought that the world would be built with Your kindness and that You would establish Your faithfulness in the heavens, to be established and made permanent. Now what is the faithfulness? That promise You promised David through Nathan the prophet, saying, “I formed a covenant with My chosen one to establish his seed until eternity.”

And the heavens acknowledge Your wonder If You had kept Your promise.

and Your faithfulness in the congregation of the holy ones The realization of Your words they will acknowledge in the congregation of the holy ones.

is equal to the Lord Can be evaluated like Him.

in the great council of the holy ones In the great council of the angels.

when it raises its waves When its waves are raised.

You humble them Heb. תשבחם, You humble them, and similarly, (Prov. 29:11): “but afterwards a wise man will quiet it (ושבחנה)”; and similarly (above 65:8): “Who humbles (משביח) the roaring of the seas.”

Rahab Egypt.

that know the blasting of the shofar Who know how to appease their Creator on Rosh Hashanah with the blasts, upon which they arrange the blessings of “malchuyoth” (manifestations of God’s dominion), “zichronoth” (remembrances), and “shofaroth.”

and with Your favor that You are appeased by them (apayement in Old French), propitiation.

to Your pious ones Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.

“I placed help” on David, to help him constantly.

No enemy will exact from him No enemy will overwhelm him to become as his creditor.

shall make him a firstborn I shall make him great.

I shall punish their transgression with a rod So did Nathan the prophet say to him concerning Solomon (II Sam. 7:14): “so that when he goes astray, I will chasten him with the rod of men.” This refers to Rezon the son of Eliada, who rose up as an adversary to him: “and with the stripes of the sons of Adam.” This refers to Ashmadai, according to the Sages of blessed memory.

that I will not fail David Heb. אכזב, an expression of (Isa. 58:11): “whose water does not fail (יכזבו),” faliance in Old French, failure; possibly from the Latin fallera, deception.

and it is a witness in the sky, true The moon and the sun are witnesses to him that as long as they exist, his kingdom will exist, as it is written (Jer. 33:20f.): “If you break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, etc. Also My covenant with David will be broken.”

But You abandoned You dealt strictly with his children in counting their iniquity until You abandoned them and You rejected them in the days of Zedekiah.

You abrogated You nullified.

all his fences which he built in Jerusalem.

his fortifications The Temple Mount and the stronghold of Zion.

You even turned back the sharp edge of his sword You turned back and reversed the sharp edge of his sword, as (Josh. 5:2): “sharp (צרים) knives,” and likewise (Isa. 54:17): “Any weapon whetted (יוצר) against you.”

and You did not raise him up in battle And You did not hold him upright so that he should not fall.

You have brought an end to his shining Heb. מטהרו, his shining, as צהרים, noon, is translated טהרא, and like (Exod. 24:10): “and like the appearance of the heaven for splendor (לטהר).”

You have cast down to the earth Heb. מגרת. You have humbled and destroyed. Every expression of bending down is, in Targum Jonathan, מגר.

I am mindful what my old age is Heb. חלד. What old age do I have? Are not my days few? It should suffice You to punish me with my premature death.

for what futility Heb. שוא. For nothing and for vanity have You created all the sons of man?

which I bear in my bosom, of all great nations In exile I bear their burden and their load.

the ends of Your anointed Heb. עקבות, the ends of the King Messiah. This is the language of the Mishnah (Sotah 49b): At the ends of the Messiah, audacity will increase; i.e., at the end of the exile, prior to the advent of the Messiah.

Blessed is the Lord forever For all that He did for us.