Tehilim Perek 52

Welcome to NachDaily, covering the entire TANACH one perek at a time. I’m Rabbi Shaya Sussman, and today we’ll be discussing Tehilim, Chapter 52.

This perek corresponds to Shmuel Aleph, chapters twenty-one and twenty-two. Listen to the Nach Daily archives on these perakim for more information.

The background of the perek is as follows:

While being chased by Shaul, Dovid initially ran to Achimelech in Mishkan, located in the town of Nov. Nov was a city with many Kohanim. Achimelech was unaware of the events that had transpired between King Shaul and Dovid, and gave Dovid food and the sword of Golias as a weapon.

Unbeknownst to Dovid, a man named Doeg H’adomi told Shaul that Achimelech helped Dovid. King Shaul immediately ordered his men to kill all the Kohanim in Nov, but none of them had the audacity to do this. Shaul then ordered Doeg H’adomi to personally slaughter them. Tragically, on that day Doeg murdered 85 Kohanim and massacred the city of Nov.

Avyasar, the youngest son of Achimelech, escaped and ran to Dovid for refuge. Upon hearing the news Dovid wrote this perek.

To summarize the perek:

It opens by saying that Doeg was wrong for boasting and should have known better. Doeg used his power of speech, with words as sharp as razors, to harm those around him. Dovid relates that God will pay mida k’neged mida, tit for tat, to Doeg for the damage caused by his words.

In verse 8 the Dovid relates that the Tzaddikim will laugh at a person who trusts in something other than God.

The perek ends in verse 10 with Dovid contrasting himself to Doeg. Dovid compares himself to a strong olive tree, deeply rooted in the House of God. Dovid expresses his gratitude, and affirms his emunah in Hashem.

I want to highlight what it says in verse 4 to bring out a lesson about the power of speech.

הַ֭וּוֹת תַּחְשֹׁ֣ב לְשׁוֹנֶ֑ךָ כְּתַ֥עַר מְ֝לֻטָּ֗שׁ עֹשֵׂ֥ה רְמִיָּֽה׃

Your tongue devises treachery like a sharpened razor that works deceitfully.

Why the reference to a sharp razor?

The Radak explains that a razor can be deceptive, because it can cut deeper than you realize. You might want to only cut someone’s hair, but one move in the wrong direction and you can actually cut the person by mistake.

Doeg’s words were catastrophic for the city of Nov because his words cut deeper than he may have intended.

We see the power of speech. A person might be angry at someone, and merely speak a few words. Those few words, however, have the power to create a tremendous amount of irreparable damage.

We can easily relate to this, because today we communicate through texting, emails, and social media, where the norm is to write briefly, often in shorthand. Those few words, however, have the ability to cause international debates, fiascos, and controversy.

A few carefully placed words have the ability to go a long way.

Before you speak, check your mood and your feelings. If you are upset, angry or insecure, perhaps that is not a good time to speak your mind. It is wise to wait until you are feeling calmer before you speak. Anything can be spoken about from a place of calm neutrality.

While the spoken word makes a difference, more often than not people are listening to the feelings, the tone and emotions, behind your words. It’s not always what you say, but the way you say it.

This comes from really assessing your own state of mind before speaking, because when you are concerned about what the other person is thinking, it’s easy to lose perspective and common sense.

Perhaps that’s why he’s called Doeg, from the word dyga, meaning worried or stressed. Doeg was more worried about the opinions of others than the results of his words and actions.

May we merit using our words from a place of love and gratitude.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.