Tehillim | 53-54

Psalm 53 – “The Brute Says in His Heart”: Psalm 53 is almost a word-for-word repetition of Psalm 14. Why is it repeated here? Another striking detail is that it lacks a historical opening in the middle of a sequence where most psalms do. Harav Yaakov Medan offers a unique explanation: in this context, Psalm 53 has a completely different meaning than Psalm 14, because of its placement among the historical psalms. The word “נבל” (brute) may generally refer to the wicked who act without fear of God — likely the meaning in Psalm 14 — but it may also refer to a specific individual: Naval the Carmelite. This matches well with David’s flight from Sha’ul, during which he encountered Naval. Naval is indeed an example of one who “devoured bread” (benefited from David’s protection) yet “did not call out to God” — he refused to repay David’s kindness, making him a prime example of the “brute” described in the psalm.

Psalm 54 – The Betrayal of the Zifites: David’s time on the run from Sha’ul is marked by repeated betrayals. Time after time, people who might have been expected to support David choose instead to side with Sha’ul. The people of Ke’ila, whom David saved from the Philistines, plot to hand him over. Even the Zifites, his own tribesmen, betray him — more than once. As Rav Yoel Bin-Nun writes, these repeated betrayals lead David to despair of relying on people at all: “Strangers have risen up against me; cruel men seek my life, men who have no regard for God - Selah” (54:5). He comes to realize that there is no one to rely on — except God: “Look - God is my helper; the Lord is the one who sustains my life” (54:6).