Introduction to Psalm 143
Psalm 143 text: supplication to the hesed of YHWH and the verse of justice
Psalm 143 is a Davidic individual lamentation that articulates in twelve verses the threefold request of the trial: justice (merciful), guidance and liberation. Verse 1 of the Masoretic Text opens with a tripartite invocation: YHWH shema tefilati ha'azina el-tachanunai be-emunatekha aneni be-tzidqatekha — "YHWH, hear my prayer; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness" (Ps 143:1). The root chanan (tachanunai: pleas for grace) indicates that the psalmist does not invoke his own justice but the hesed of YHWH. Emunat (faithfulness) and tzedaqah (justice-faithfulness) are the two pillars upon which the divine response rests.
Verse 2 enunciates the fundamental theological principle of the entire psalm: ve-al tavo be-mishpat et avdekha ki lo yitzdak lefanekha kol hai — "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you" (Ps 143:2). This affirmation is the epistemic basis of the entire supplication: the psalmist does not appeal to his own merits but takes refuge in the hesed of YHWH. The parallel verse Ps 51:4 develops the same theology: ma'an titzdak be-davreka tizke be-shoftekha — the justice of YHWH is manifested precisely in the act of forgiveness, not of judgment.
| Verse | MT Text | Transliteration | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ps 143:1 | יְהוָה שְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי | YHWH shema tefilati | Tripartite invocation |
| Ps 143:2 | כִּי לֹא יִצְדַּק לְפָנֶיךָ כָל חָי | ki lo yitzdak lefanekha kol hai | No one righteous before YHWH |
| Ps 143:5 | זָכַרְתִּי יָמִים מִקֶּדֶם | zakarti yamim miqqedem | Theological memorial |
| Ps 143:6 | נַפְשִׁי כְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה לְךָ | nafshi ke-eretz ayefah lekha | Soul thirsting like parched earth |
| Ps 143:8 | הוֹדִיעֵנִי דֶּרֶךְ זוּ אֵלֵךְ | hodi'eni derekh zu elek | The way to walk |
| Ps 143:10 | רוּחֲךָ טוֹבָה תַנְחֵנִי | ruchakha tovah tancheini | Good spirit as guide |
Psalm 143 commentary: zakar, spiritual thirst and ruah tov (good spirit)
Psalm 143 commentary reveals a precise tripartite structure. First part (vv.1-4): the invocation to hesed and the description of the trial — the enemy has trampled upon life, made him dwell in darkness (be-machashakkim), the spirit languishes (vayyit'atef alai ruhi). Second part (vv.5-6): the theological memorial and spiritual thirst — zakar (to remember, v.5: zakarti yamim miqqedem hagiti be-khol po'alekha) is not nostalgia but a theological act: the remembrance of YHWH's great works generates hope in the present trial. Verse 6 carries the most intense image: pareshti yadai elekha nafshi ke-eretz ayefah lekha selah — "I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land" (Ps 143:6). The same metaphor runs through Ps 63:2 (nafshi tzamah lekha: my soul thirsts for you) — in the Psalter, spiritual thirst is the primary form of desire for God, anterior to any doctrinal formulation.
Third part (vv.7-12): the multiple supplication — a series of imperatives that articulate the concrete request. Verse 8 asks for derekh (the way): hodi'eni derekh zu elek ki elekha nasati nafshi — "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Ps 143:8). Verse 10 carries the pneumatological climax: lammedeni la'asot retzonekha ki attah Elohai ruchakha tovah tancheini be-eretz mishor — "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good spirit lead me on level ground" (Ps 143:10). The ruah tovah (good spirit) is a rare expression in the OT: Neh 9:20 (ruachakha hatovah natatta lehasguilam: your good spirit to instruct them) and Isa 63:14 (ruach YHWH hi teniachehu: the spirit of YHWH gave them rest). It does not forcibly anticipate Christian pneumatology but affirms the concrete guidance of YHWH in the eretz mishor (level ground, daily life). Mishnah Berakhot 5:1 illuminates the prayer of the psalm: the kawwanah of the chasidim rishonim — the focused concentration before praying — is the attitude that Ps 143 embodies in pure supplication, without formality, in absolute trial.