(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה’:
(1) A Song of the Steps. From the depths I have called You, Hashem.
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 130 – From the Depths
As in many of the previous mizmorim of this series, the mizmor reflects a time when the Jewish people are in Exile and pleading for the Geulah (Redemption). In the mizmor David speaks for Klal Yisrael as the people beg Hashem to forgive the sins that are preventing the time for which they have been waiting so long. The mizmor is noteworthy for the powerful metaphors and images that it invokes.
Navigating Tehillim. This is the eleventh 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
The mizmor consists of four parts, of two pesukim each. During the course of the mizmor David pursues the possibility of people coming close to Hashem, no matter how low they have sunk. The key is Hashem’s quality of forgiveness, which is essential to the survival of the world.
PART 1. A PLEA TO BE HEARD. The Jewish nation rues its tragic situation, which is compared to having sunk to the lowest depths of the sea. And yet despite being so far removed from Hashem we call upon Him to hear our prayers.
(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה’: (ב) אֲדֹ־נָי שִׁמְעָה בְקוֹלִי תִּהְיֶינָה אָזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁבוֹת לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי:
(1) A Song of the Steps. From the depths I have called You, Hashem. (2) My L-rd hear my voice. May Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas.
PART 2. FORGIVENESS. The nation pleads with Hashem to forgive us — truly the world could not exist if He insisted upon strict judgment.
(ג) אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר יָ־הּ אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד: (ד) כִּי עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא:
(3) If You, O G-d, kept iniquities, O my L-rd who could survive. (4) Because forgiveness is with You so that You be held in reverence.
PART 3. WAITING FOR THE DAWN. The nation speaks of its yearning for the Geulah, using the powerful metaphor of the night watchmen who guard the city walls and who eagerly await the dawn.
(ה) קִוִּיתִי ה’ קִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי: (ו) נַפְשִׁי לַאדֹ־נָי מִשֹּׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר שֹׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר:
(5) I have put my hope in Hashem. My soul has been hoping. I look expectantly for His word [to be fulfilled]. (6) My soul [yearns] for my L-rd [more than] the watchers for the dawn watch for the dawn.
PART 4. THE GEULAH IS COMING! The singer addresses the nation and urges them to have confidence and prepare for the Geulah. He reminds them that the Geulah can come at any time because the power to forgive is totally in the hands of Hashem.
(ז) יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה’ כִּי עִם ה’ הַחֶסֶד וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת: (ח) וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכֹּל עֲוֹנֹתָיו:
(7) Let Yisrael look expectantly for Hashem. With Hashem there is kindness, and with Him abundant redemption. (8) And so He will surely redeem Yisrael from all its iniquities.
Learning the Mizmor
PART 1. A PLEA TO BE HEARD.
(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת
This is the eleventh song of the steps — שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת .
מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה’:
From deep below the murky depths — מִמַּעֲמַקִּים – of this Exile, I have called upon You, Hashem — קְרָאתִיךָ ה’ – to save me. I am oppressed and dejected, and because of my sins I have become distant from You. I take no pride in my low status, but throw myself at Your mercy.
(ב) אֲדֹ־נָי שִׁמְעָה בְקוֹלִי
O my L-rd, hear my voice — אֲדֹ־נָי שִׁמְעָה בְקוֹלִי – though it comes from such great depths and even though it lacks clarity.
תִּהְיֶינָה אָזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁבוֹת
לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי:
לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי:
May Your ears be attentive — תִּהְיֶינָה אָזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁבוֹת – so that You will respond with pity to the sound of my pleas — לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי , even when I am too overcome to put my feelings into words.
PART 2. FORGIVENESS.
(ג) אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר יָ־הּ
אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד:
אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד:
Although I don’t deserve it, I beg You to accept my teshuvah and grant me immediate forgiveness so that the Geulah can come. Please don’t make me defend my past sins for I am unable to do so. The sins are too great. If You O G-d did not forgive men but instead kept a strict account of their iniquities — אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר יָ־הּ – with the intention of demanding retribution, O my L-rd, who could survive — אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד ?
(ד) כִּי עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה
לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא:
לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא:
Because — כִּי , in creating the world You established that the quality of forgiveness is with You — עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה . You knew the world could not exist on the basis of strict judgement alone. Therefore, You provided forgiveness so that — לְמַעַן – people would see an opportunity to do teshuvah and You would be held in reverence — תִּוָּרֵא . Otherwise, sinful man would continue to be distanced from You and the world could not exist.
PART 3. WAITING FOR THE DAWN.
(ה) קִוִּיתִי ה‘ קִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי
וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי:
וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי:
I have put my hope in Hashem — קִוִּיתִי ה‘ to grant me happiness in this world even though I have no guarantees. Similarly, my soul has been hoping — קִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי – to be taken to Him when I die, but since He has specifically promised to extricate me from this Exile, I look expectantly for Him to keep His word — וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי – and bring the Geulah.
(ו) נַפְשִׁי לַאדֹ־נָי
I know the dawn of Geulah will follow this long night of exile but I don’t know when that dawn will break. While I wait my soul yearns for my L-rd — נַפְשִׁי לַאדֹ־נָי – to bring the Geulah now.
מִשֹּׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר שֹׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר:
My yearning for the dawn of Geulah is more intense than that of the night watchmen who guard the city walls all night and eagerly await daybreak when they can go to sleep. Thus, my soul yearns for the Geulah even more than those watchers for the dawn — מִשֹּׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר – watch for the dawn — שֹׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר . They know the first light is sure to come but that does not lessen their eagerness to see it happen.
PART 4. THE GEULAH IS COMING!
(ז) יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה‘
כִּי עִם ה‘ הַחֶסֶד
וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת:
כִּי עִם ה‘ הַחֶסֶד
וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת:
O nation of Yisrael, look expectantly for Hashem — יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה‘ – to bring the Geulah and in this way you will prepare yourself for it. Don’t be discouraged, thinking that you are not fully deserving. Even though the appointed time for the dawn has not yet come, with Hashem there is the kindness — כִּי עִם ה‘ הַחֶסֶד – of His mercy, and with Him there are abundant means for redemption — וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת , as He has repeatedly demonstrated in the past.
(ח) וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל
מִכֹּל עֲוֹנֹתָיו
מִכֹּל עֲוֹנֹתָיו
And so He will surely redeem Yisrael — וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל – and bring the Geulah. Our sins will not stand in the way because He will encourage the people to do teshuvah and then He will redeem the nation from all its iniquities — מִכֹּל עֲוֹנֹתָיו .
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 Relationship with Hashem.
[130:1] FROM THE DEPTHS. – מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ ה’ – “From the depths I have called You, Hashem.” Approach your tefillah to Hashem with great humility, acknowledging your unworthiness.
[130:2] – אֲדֹ־נָי שִׁמְעָה בְקוֹלִי, תִּהְיֶינָה אָזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁבוֹת לְקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנָי – “My L-rd hear my voice. May Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas.”
Tefillos for Life – Your Teshuvah.
[130:3] FORGIVENESS. – אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר יָ־הּ אֲדֹ־נָי מִי יַעֲמֹד – “If You, O G-d, kept iniquities, O my L-rd who could survive.” Ask Hashem to grant His forgiveness for your sins and at the same time thank Him for the opportunity to do teshuvah and be forgiven.
[130:4] – כִּי עִמְּךָ הַסְּלִיחָה לְמַעַן תִּוָּרֵא – “Because forgiveness is with You so that You be held in reverence.”
Lessons for Life – Your Attitude.
[130:5] HOPE. – קִוִּיתִי ה’ קִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי וְלִדְבָרוֹ הוֹחָלְתִּי – “I have put my hope in Hashem. My soul has been hoping. I look expectantly for His word [to be fulfilled].” Declare your total commitment to Hashem and your dependence on His kindness.
[130:6] – נַפְשִׁי לַאדֹ־נָי מִשֹּׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר שֹׁמְרִים לַבֹּקֶר – “My soul [yearns] for my L-rd [more than] the watchers for the dawn watch for the dawn.”
Tehillos for Life – Contemplation of Hashem.
[130:7] KINDNESS. – כִּי עִם ה’ הַחֶסֶד וְהַרְבֵּה עִמּוֹ פְדוּת – “With Hashem there is kindness, and with Him abundant redemption.” Praise Hashem for His qualities of kindness and forgiveness of sin.
[130:8] – וְהוּא יִפְדֶּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכֹּל עֲוֹנֹתָיו – “And so He will surely redeem Yisrael from all its iniquities.”
Sources
The primary sources used in the interpretation of the verses of this mizmor are listed below.
א – אבן עזרא, רד”ק, המאירי, ספורנו, אבן יחייא, מלבי”ם, נר לרגלי
ב – אבן עזרא, ספורנו, אבן יחייא,
ג – אבן עזרא, רד”ק, המאירי
ד – אבן עזרא, המאירי, אבן יחייא, מלבי”ם
ה – רד”ק, המאירי, מלבי”ם
ו – אבן עזרא, המאירי, ספורנו, מלבי”ם
ז – אבן עזרא, רד”ק, ספורנו, מלבי”ם, נר לרגלי
ח – רד”ק