Is it possible to conquer God? Can we triumph over Him? Should we even try? And if such a thing were even possible, how would the Almighty feel about losing to the likes of us?! This brief psalm holds the answer to these important questions.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1-2 [a] Until when, Adonai will You forget me, forever? [b] Until when will You hide Your face from me? 2 [c] Until when must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? [d] Until when shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3-4 Look and answer me, Adonai my God. Brighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5-6 [a] But I have trusted in Your steadfast love. [b] My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 [c] I will sing to Adonai, because [d] He has dealt bountifully with me.
גמל (gamal) = “wean” / “camel”
REFERENCES:
App. + Verse 1
When a human being is conquered, he feels sad. But when God is “conquered”, He rejoices. After the Jewish people sinned [with the golden calf], God said He would destroy them but refrained from doing so because of Moses’ prayers. (b.Pesachim 119a) “Thus Moses ‘triumphed’ over God. Hence lamnatzeach mizmor: sing to the One who rejoices over being ‘triumphed’”. (R’ Yosef B. Marcus)
Verse 6
1st – Genesis 12:16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels [גמל, gamal].
2nd – Genesis 21:8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned [גמל, gamal].
Numbers 17:8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe [גמל, gamal] almonds.
