TEHILLIM LIGHT

Commentaries

Mizmor 013, Verse 002

עַד־אָ֣נָה יְ֭הֹוָה תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֣נִי נֶ֑צַח עַד־אָ֓נָה ׀ תַּסְתִּ֖יר אֶת־פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי

ʿad–ʾono ʾadoonoy tishkocheyniy netzach ʿad–ʾono tastiyr ʾes–pponeycho mimmenniy

How long, O LORD? Will You ignore me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

MIDRASH TEHILLIM

1.....(13.1)
How long, O LORD? ...
..."He called and they did not listen, so shall they call and I will not listen, said the Lord of Hosts." (Zechariah 7:13)
Rabbi Itzchak said, Measure for measure. The Lord declared, Four times did I ask - How long?
[+++
"...How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings?" (Shemot - Exodus 16:28)
"...How long will this people reject Me? How much longer will they not believe in Me after all the signs I have performed in their midst?" (Bamidbar - Numbers 14:11)
"How much longer will this evil congregation..."(Bamidbar - Numbers 14:27)
---]
Four times will you also ask - How long? (Tehillim 13:2-3) After I will have delivered you over to the four kingdoms [Babylon, Persia, Greece, Edom], you will cry out four times in your distress, How Long?.

Rabbi HIRSCH

1.
[עַד־אָ֣נָה] (ad–ʾono) How long?
[אָן] (AN) - Interrogative particle, refers to space; it signifies the question - WHERE?
[אָ֣נָה] is synonymous with [לאן] - WHERE TO?
But in some instances [אָ֣נָה] is also used to denote time - HOW LONG? in which case it is usually linked with [עַד] - UNTILL WHAT TIME?
In this sentence [אָ֣נָה] can mean either - UNTIL WHAT DEGREE OF MISERY? or - HOW MUCH LONGER?

WORDS