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King David follows the theme of the previous psalm by asking Hashem to free him from temporal distractions so that he can dedicate himself to the service of God. In this psalm as well as throughout the entire Sefer Tehillim David uses numerous poetic and intriguing names for Hashem. A study of names found here will shed much light on how David gave praise to Hashem for His intricate and precise providence and kindness to the world.

Rock

David calls Hashem “Tzuri, my Rock (verse 1).” There are many connotations in this title. The verse in parshas Haazinu (Devarim 32:4) uses it to connote the strength and justice of Hashem. Just as a rock is solid and stable, so too Hashem’s ways are unequivocally fair and unwavering in their justice. David uses the word Rock to express his unrelenting faith and trust in Hashem.

The Gemara in Megillah (14a) states that the reference to Hashem as Tzur, Rock can be read as Tzi’er, artist. Hashem is the greatest artist. Normally when a painter draws a picture on the wall he cannot bring it to life, but Hashem has the ability to make a form inside another form, an embryo inside its mother, and bring it to life! The lesson of the Gemara is that one should contemplate the intricacies of his body and sing the praises of Hashem.

Strength

David continues and refers to Hashem as (verse 7), “Uzi u’Magini, my strength and protector.” David recognized that it was Hashem Who gave him strength to accomplish in life. Without Hashem’s inspiration and help he could not have achieved the success that he worked towards. David also acknowledged that Hashem was the only One Who could protect him from his enemies and adversaries.

Counting the Jews

The last verse (9) contains exactly ten words, “Hoshiah es amecha…, save your nation.” It is a well-known verse as many utilize the verse as a means to count people and see if a minyan of ten men are present. It is most interesting that this verse is used specifically as there are many verses in Tanach that contain ten words in them? I have always thought two ideas to answer this question. Firstly, it was King David who made the mistake of counting the Jews by number that caused a great punishment to befall the nation (II Samuel). Thus, to make up for this we specifically use a verse in David’s Tehillim to count people in a permissible fashion. Secondly, this verse was specifically chosen because it expresses the hope of the Jewish nation. The entire psalm is encapsulated in this heartfelt last verse filled with beauty and power. “Save your nation; bless Your estate, tend to them and elevate them forever.” It is a most apropos verse to use as it evokes feelings of connection to Hashem.

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