TEHILLIM LIGHT

Commentaries

Mizmor 004, Verse 005

רִגְז֗וּ וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה

rigzu veʾal–ttechetoʾu ʾimru vilvavchem ʿal–mishkavchem vedommu selo

Tremble and sin no more; pledge [this] in your hearts, upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

MIDRASH TEHILLIM

1.....(4.9)
Tremble and sin no more...
David said to the children of Israel, How long will you sin and stir up trouble by saying, There is a blemish in David, he is a descendant of Ruth the Moabite. Commune with your own heart upon your bed. From what sort of marriage bed do you come? From the prohibited marriage of a man to two sisters. Regard your own descent, and be still forever.
2.....(4.9)
pledge [this] in your hearts, upon your bed...
...God declared to Israel, I say to you, when you would pray,
go to the synagogue in your city,
when you cannot go to the synagogue in your city,
pray in your open field,
when you cannot go to your open field,
pray in your house,
when you cannot go to your house,
pray upon your bed,
when you cannot pray aloud in your bed,
commune with your heart.

RADAK

1.
Tremble...
The meaning is "fear". Fear God if you do not fear me.
2.
Say it in your heart (i.e. think) upon your bed:
-for a man upon his bed finds his heart freer from the concerns of the world and then will his intention be pure. And David addresses them: "Consider in your heart... And so the thought of the heart is called "speaking".
3.
Be still. Selah:
His meaning is: "Be silent, and cease to rebel against me;" for "stillness" has the sense of silence of speech and voice: "stillness and a voice I heard" (Iyov - Job 4:16).
There is also (a stillness) which is (equivalent to) silence of action and movement, as "and the sun stood still" (Yehoshua - Joshua 10:13)
And the great teacher of righteousness, our master Moses ben Maimon, has explained (Guide for the Perplexed, Bk. 1:50, 59) that this verse commands men of intelligence and reputation to recognize the truth and the praise of God in their hearts, so that no error of speech shall overtake them. But this is not (derived) from the sense of the Psalm.

WORDS