Today we will discuss perek יח, pasuk ג
ה׳ סַֽלְעִ֥י וּמְצוּדָתִ֗י וּמְפַ֫לְטִ֥י אֵלִ֣י צ֭וּרִי אֶֽחֱסֶה־בּ֑וֹ מָֽגִנִּ֥י וְקֶֽרֶן־יִ֝שְׁעִ֗י מִשְׂגַּבִּֽי
Hashem is my rock, my fortress, and my rescuer, my God, my rock, in whom I take shelter, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
There are a lot of words here; it’s almost like a thesaurus of Bitachon.
And it’s interesting to note that the pasuk prior to this one uses another term, חזקי/ my strength.
The Midrash on this pasuk says that David HaMelech is using ten terms of Bitachon. B’ezrat Hashem, we will try to explain the nuances of these different terms.
The first one is סלעי/ Rock, which the Ibn Ezra defines as a high spot. When you’re afraid of the enemy, you go to higher spot to feel more protected.
מְצוּדָתִ֗י is a tower, which will protect a person.
Both of these are good means of protection, but as the Radak says, a sometimes a fortress in itself can be a danger. It has happened that people have been caught in a fortress, Lo alenu, and then the fortress is set on fire, leaving the people unprotected.
So therefore, after David HaMelech says these two words, he adds the word מְפַ֫לְטִ֥י, my rescuer- Hashem is a rescuer as well.
means my God which א-לי Next is
the One who is powerful. אל means in control.
צורי is a rock , a place where you find refuge
The next word is אֶֽחֱסֶה־בּ֑וֹ, this is a rock you hide under for protection from rain and wind.
This is general term of refuge.
מגני, my shield, is like a bullet proof vest.
קרן is a horn, a cow gores with a horn. David HaMelech says that with all his strength and attacks, God is his horn.
ישעי is my salvation. There is a difference between a מגן, a shield, and a ישועה - a salvation. A shield protects you like a bullet-proof vest, But once you’re already in trouble, God can save you, by making a ישועה/ salvation.
Finally, מִשְׂגַּבִּֽי is my stronghold.
We have explained almost all of the nuances of these 10 different terms.
The Radak says that these are all Mashals. David HaMelech has no rock, no fortress, no hiding places...
Then there are words at the level of when David HaMelech is going to war. When you go to war, you need your shield, you need your horn to gore.
The Tana Deve Eliyahu says on this
( in perek יח) that,
אשרי מי שיודע בלבבו מהו אצל אביו שבשמים
Fortunate is one who knows how Hashem views him, and how important he is. And all his deeds, he does with Bitachon for his Father in Heaven.
Furthermore, he says
אשרי מי שהוא ירא שמים בסתר ונשען ובוטח כמו שהוא תופס מגן ותריס
Fortunate is the one who relies on Hashem as if he walks with a shield… and he quotes the above pasuk.
A person with Bitachon should literally feel like he’s walking around with a shield.
There is a beautiful Hiddush in the Midrash that we quoted, that says that there are nine terms of bitachon in this pasuk, and one in the pasuk before this one. The Radak says that these are ten terms of praise. That’s a Hiddush. When we have bitachon in Hashem, we are actually praising Him. When rely on Him, it’s a statement of how powerful He is, and all that He can do.
Bitachon itself is a form of Hallel/ a form of praise. When David HaMelech says, “Hashem, you’re my strength,” that’s a term of praise. Each term is a way of praising Hashem, in how much we are relying on Him.
Have a wonderful day.