Introduction to Psalm 101
Psalm 101 text: hesed umishpat ashirah
Psalm 101 is an extraordinary text in psalm literature: a program of governance expressed in the first person by the king. The first word of the Masoretic text reveals the theological horizon of the entire psalm: hesed umishpat ashirah, l'kha YHWH azammera — «of hesed and of mishpat I will sing, to you YHWH I will sing praises» (Ps 101:1 MT). The pair hesed/mishpat («faithful love/justice») constitutes the supporting structure of YHWH's throne: tzedek umishpat mekhon kis'ekha, hesed ve'emet yeqademu fanekha — «righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne, faithful love and truth walk before you» (Ps 89:15 MT). The same binomial sustains Ps 97:2: anan va'arafel s'vivav, tzedek umishpat mekhon kis'o — the king takes up as a program of governance what is a fundamental attribute of God himself.
The Psalm 101 text is thus an affirmation of isomorphism between divine governance and human governance: the king will govern as YHWH governs — in hesed and in mishpat. This structural correspondence is not accidental: the wisdom tradition affirms that bi melakim yimlokhu ushosarim yechoqequ tzedek — «by me kings reign and rulers issue decrees of justice» (Prov 8:15 MT), rooting every legitimate power in divine wisdom. Ps 101 opens thus with a profession of intent: the sovereign places himself in the same theological orbit as YHWH, not as a substitute but as mashiah — «anointed», executor of divine governance on earth.
The choice of the verb ashirah («I will sing», from the root shir) is significant: the royal program is not a bureaucratic decree but a hymn, a joyful response to the order of YHWH. The king sings before governing, as David sings before fighting (2Sam 22:1 MT: vayedabber David l'YHWH et divrei hashirah hazot). The binomial hesed/mishpat reappears in the «last words of David»: moshel ba'adam tzaddik moshel yir'at Elohim — «he who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God» (2Sam 23:3 MT), tracing a narrative inclusio around the entire Davidic collection. The traditional Psalm 101 commentary (Midrash Tehillim 101:1) reads this verse as a promise: David commits himself to singing hesed until YHWH reveals to him when he will build the Temple.