Page:Philip Birnbaum - ha-Siddur ha-Shalem (The Daily Prayer Book,1949).pdf/167

142 themselves, they invaded together. They saw [her defense] and were amazed; they were terrified, they fled in haste. Panic seized them, anguish as of a woman in travail. With the east wind thou breakest the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen now in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; may God establish it forever. We meditate on thy kindness, O God, within thy temple. Like thy name, O God, thy fame shall extend to the ends of the earth; thy right hand is full of justice. Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice, because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion, go round her, count her towers, mark well her ramparts, go through her palaces, that you may tell a later generation that such is God, our God, forever and ever. He will guide us eternally.

This is the third day of the week, on which the Levites in the Temple used to recite:

A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the divine assembly; in the midst of the judges he gives judgment. “How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality toward the wicked? Do justice to the poor and fatherless; deal righteously with the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.” But they neither know nor understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken, I thought you were angels, that you were all sons of the Most High. Yet you shall die as men do, and fall like any prince. Arise, O God, rule the earth, for thou hast dominion over all the nations.

they saw the impregnable might of Zion and were terrified.

the great seagoing vessels that made the long voyage to Tarshish, a seacoast city in Spain (or Carthage).

that is, history has repeated itself. We have now experienced events similar to those which occurred in the past. This psalm celebrates the escape of Jerusalem from a threatened invasion by the armies of various confederate kings.

... that is, after the miraculous deliverance of Zion, its inhabitants can now freely walk around and contemplate the safety of the walls and towers and palaces so lately menaced with destruction.

... God takes his stand in the assembly summoned by him, and denounces the wickedness and partiality of judges. He reminds them of their duties, and declares that because they are ignorant and corrupt human society is undermined.

... I appointed you as judges and thus invested you with authority of administering divine justice; however, your high title will not exempt you from punishment. You shall die like common men, and fall like any other prince.

The psalmist pleads that God should act as judge over all peoples, since the human judges have failed so miserably.