Mizmor 124 – The Bird Has Escaped!

(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְדָוִד לוּלֵי ה’ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל:

A song of the steps, by David. Were it not for Hashem, Who was for us?

NOTE: For a PDF of this mizmor, please click here. This will enable you to print out the entire text of the article. [Rev. 4]

Key Concepts of Mizmor 124 – The Bird has Escaped!

As in the previous mizmorim of this series, Mizmor 124 speaks of a time when the Jewish people are in Exile. David composed the mizmor to shatter our complacency and shock us into realizing the debt of gratitude we owe to Hashem for our very existence. The survival of our nation has been repeatedly threatened and it is only because of Hashem’s direct help that we still exist. David drives his point home through the use of poetic repetition and by means of three vivid metaphors. In this way he makes the disasters that might have occurred more real to us. He compares our enemies to wild beasts swallowing their prey whole, to raging flood waters, and to a hunter’s cruel trap. A bird is caught in the trap, but escapes and flies up into the free air, and for this David gratefully blesses Hashem.

Just as the bird is trapped in the snare we are trapped among the nations. The only way that we can escape is for the trap to be broken. We are then like a bird which escapes by flying upwards to freedom. Similarly we escaped by attaching ourselves to Hashem. By observing His mitzvos we reached a state of holiness that is beyond the grasp of our pursuers.

Navigating Tehillim. This is the fifth in the series of 15 mizmorim to be sung by the Leviim in the Beis HaMikdash while standing on the 15 steps leading up from the women’s courtyard to the men’s courtyard.

Exploring the Mizmor

PART 1. INTRODUCTION. David begins by contemplating where we would be without Hashem’s help. Immediately after beginning his song, David interrupts himself and calls upon everyone in Yisrael to affirm the historical truth of what he is about to describe.

(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְדָוִד לוּלֵי ה’ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל: (ב) לוּלֵי ה’ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ בְּקוּם עָלֵינוּ אָדָם:

(1) A song of the steps, by David. Were it not for Hashem, Who was for us, [there would have been no one to help us].

[Overwhelmed by the thought, the singer has interrupted himself and now calls upon the nation to join him in affirming it:]

Let Yisrael say this now: (2) Were it not for Hashem, Who was for us, [there would have been no one to help us] when a man [Haman] rose against us.

PART 2. FIRST METAPHOR – THE BEASTS. In his first analogy of threatened disaster, the singer visualizes us as being the victims of ravenous beasts.

(ג) אֲזַי חַיִּים בְּלָעוּנוּ בַּחֲרוֹת אַפָּם בָּנוּ:

(3) Then they would have swallowed us alive when their fury raged against us.

PART 3. SECOND METAPHOR – THE FLOODS. In his second analogy of threatened disaster, the singer visualizes us as being the victims of torrential floods.

(ד) אֲזַי הַמַּיִם שְׁטָפוּנוּ נַחְלָה עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ: (ה) אֲזַי עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ הַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֹנִים:

(4) Then the [flood] waters would have overwhelmed us; [the] torrent would have swept over our life. (5) Then there would have swept over our lives — the maliciously churning waters.

PART 4. THIRD METAPHOR – THE TRAP. In his third analogy, the singer visualizes us as hunted animals, escaping the traps that have been set for us:

(ו) בָּרוּךְ ה’ שֶׁלֹּא נְתָנָנוּ טֶרֶף לְשִׁנֵּיהֶם: (ז) נַפְשֵׁנוּ כְּצִפּוֹר נִמְלְטָה מִפַּח יוֹקְשִׁים הַפַּח נִשְׁבָּר וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִמְלָטְנוּ:

(6) Blessed is Hashem, Who did not give us over as prey to their teeth. (7) Our life is like a bird escaped from the hunter’s trap; the trap was broken and we escaped.

PART 5. CONCLUSION. After presenting the three dramatic scenarios of what might have been, David concludes with a resounding statement of trust in Hashem, the Maker of heaven and earth. This is the point of the entire mizmor. We owe our survival to the fact that throughout all our tribulations we continued to call upon His Name.

(ח) עֶזְרֵנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה’ עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ:

(8) Our help is by [calling upon] the Name of Hashem, Maker of heaven and earth.

Additional Thoughts

Mizmor 124 is an urgent reminder that we owe our continued existence to Hashem’s help in the face of the horrendous encounters we have had with the nations of the world over the centuries. The pattern was set when Yaakov had to face the hatred of his brother Esav. It was then that Hashem helped him withstand the spirit of Esav for all time. That struggle and that power from Hashem were memorialized in Yaakov’s new name, Yisrael. And it is the name Yisrael that David invokes in the first posuk of Mizmor 124 when he calls upon Yisrael to realize that without Hashem’s help we would have been lost.

Learning the Mizmor

PART 1. WERE IT NOT FOR HASHEM.

(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְדָוִד

This is the fifth song of the steps — שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת , by David — לְדָוִד .

לוּלֵי ה‘ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ –

If it were not for Hashem — לוּלֵי ה‘ , Who was for us — שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ , there would have been no one to help us.

Overwhelmed by the thought, the singer interrupts himself and now calls upon the nation to join him in affirming it.

יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל:

Let Yisrael say this now — יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל :

(ב) לוּלֵי ה‘ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ
בְּקוּם עָלֵינוּ אָדָם:

[All joining in] Were it not for Hashem, Who was for us — לוּלֵי ה‘ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ , there would have been no one to help us in every generation, when a man like the wicked Haman rose against us — בְּקוּם עָלֵינוּ אָדָם .

Haman represents the worst of our enemies because in his time all Jews were under the control of one empire and it was his intent to achieve their total destruction.

PART 2. FIRST METAPHOR – THE BEAST.

(ג) אֲזַי חַיִּים בְּלָעוּנוּ
בַּחֲרוֹת אַפָּם בָּנוּ:

Then — אֲזַי they would have swallowed us alive — חַיִּים בְּלָעוּנוּ – when their fury raged against us — בַּחֲרוֹת אַפָּם בָּנוּ .

We would have been at the mercy of the vicious enemies who are like ravenously hungry beasts that don’t even wait to chew their prey. It would have been terrible to see our impending doom while we are totally helpless to save ourselves. But why are they so furious with us? It is because our moral behavior refutes their lame excuses for perversion and corruption.

PART 3. SECOND METAPHOR – THE FLOODS.

(ד) אֲזַי הַמַּיִם שְׁטָפוּנוּ
נַחְלָה עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ:

Then — אֲזַי – the flood waters — הַמַּיִם – of extinction would have overwhelmed us — שְׁטָפוּנוּ ; the torrent would have swept over our life — נַחְלָה עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ , drowning us. Our spiritual existence might have been suffocated by the culture and religion of our enemies.

The word אֲזַי is repeated to emphasize that we have repeatedly escaped danger.

(ה) אֲזַי עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ
הַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֹנִים:

Then — אֲזַי – there would have swept over our lives — עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ — the maliciously churning waters — הַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֹנִים . The enemy would have replaced their false friendship with forced conversions and would have swept away our purity and holiness.

PART 4. THIRD METAPHOR – THE TRAP.

(ו) בָּרוּךְ ה‘ שֶׁלֹּא נְתָנָנוּ טֶרֶף לְשִׁנֵּיהֶם:

Blessed is Hashem — בָּרוּךְ ה‘ , Who did not give us over — שֶׁלֹּא נְתָנָנוּ – to be caught like birds that are snared by hunters and then become as prey to be chewed up by their teeth — טֶרֶף לְשִׁנֵּיהֶם .

(ז) נַפְשֵׁנוּ כְּצִפּוֹר נִמְלְטָה מִפַּח יוֹקְשִׁים
הַפַּח נִשְׁבָּר וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִמְלָטְנוּ:

Our life is like a bird that has escaped — נַפְשֵׁנוּ כְּצִפּוֹר נִמְלְטָה – from the hunters’ trap — מִפַּח יוֹקְשִׁים ; the trap was broken — הַפַּח נִשְׁבָּר – and we escaped — וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִמְלָטְנוּ from being subservient to our enemies.

PART 5. CONCLUSION.

(ח) עֶזְרֵנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה‘
עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ:

Our help — עֶזְרֵנוּ – did not come about through our strength or in the zechus of our righteousness, but by calling upon the Name of Hashem — בְּשֵׁם ה‘ , Maker of heaven and earth — עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ . He alone has the ability to help us and take us out of the Exile. Because He created the heaven and the earth there is nothing our enemies can do to withstand His will.

Living the Mizmor

Listed below are some of the thoughts you might have in mind when you say the words of the mizmor as tefillos expressing your gratitude to Hashem and as tehillos expressing your recognition of Hashem.

Tefillos for Life – Your Gratitude.

[124:3] THE BEASTS. – אֲזַי חַיִּים בְּלָעוּנוּ בַּחֲרוֹת אַפָּם בָּנוּ – “Then they would have swallowed us alive when their fury raged against us.” Thank Hashem for saving us from wicked men eager to expend their fury and hatred against us.

[124:2] – לוּלֵי ה’ שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ בְּקוּם עָלֵינוּ אָדָם – “Were it not for Hashem, Who was for us, [there would have been no one to help us] when a man [Haman] rose against us.”

[124:4] THE FLOODS. – אֲזַי הַמַּיִם שְׁטָפוּנוּ נַחְלָה עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ – “Then the [flood] waters would have overwhelmed us; [the] torrent would have swept over our life.” Thank Hashem for saving us from all kinds of natural disasters and economic difficulties.

[124:5] – אֲזַי עָבַר עַל נַפְשֵׁנוּ הַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֹנִים – “Then there would have swept over our lives — the maliciously churning waters.”

[124:7] THE TRAP. – הַפַּח נִשְׁבָּר וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִמְלָטְנוּ – “the trap was broken and we escaped.” Thank Hashem for saving us from difficult situations from which there seemed no escape.

Lessons for Life – Your Attitude.

[124:7] THE METAPHOR. – נַפְשֵׁנוּ כְּצִפּוֹר נִמְלְטָה מִפַּח יוֹקְשִׁים – “Our life is like a bird escaped from the hunter’s trap.” Don’t let yourself be depressed by a difficult situation in life. Follow David’s example and visualize your difficulty with a metaphor that will help you see how Hashem’s help is on the way.

[124:8] HELP. – עֶזְרֵנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה’ עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ – “Our help is by [calling upon] the Name of Hashem, Maker of heaven and earth.” In every challenge of life, whether it is of human origin, a natural disaster, or other threat, call upon Hashem to help you for there is nothing that is beyond His ability to control.

Sources

The primary sources used in the interpretation of the verses of this mizmor are listed below.

א – אבן עזרא, המאירי, ספורנו

ב – אבן עזרא, ספורנו, מצודות

ג – רד”ק, מצודות, נר לרגלי
ד – מצודות, מלבי”ם, אבן יחייא

ה – מצודות, מלבי”ם, אבן יחייא

ו – רד”ק, מלבי”ם

ז – רש”י, רד”ק, מלבי”ם, נר לרגלי

ח – רד”ק, מצודות, נר לרגלי