הִ֠נֵּה כְּאַרְיֵ֞ה יַעֲלֶ֨ה מִגְּא֣וֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן֮ אֶל־נְוֵ֣ה אֵיתָן֒ כִּֽי־אַרְגִּ֤יעָה אֲרִיצֶ֨נּוּ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יהָ וּמִ֥י בָח֖וּר אֵלֶ֣יהָ אֶפְקֹ֑ד כִּ֣י מִ֤י כָמ֙וֹנִי֙ וּמִ֣י יֹעִידֶ֔נִּי וּמִי־זֶ֣ה רֹעֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲמֹ֖ד לְפָנָֽי׃ (ס)
보라 사자가 요단의 수풀에서 올라오는 것 같이 그가 와서 견고한 처소를 칠 것이라 내가 즉시 그들을 거기서 쫓아내고 택한 자를 내가 그 위에 세우리니 나와 같는 자 누구며 나로 더불어 다툴 자 누구며 내 앞에 설 목자가 누구뇨
Midrash Tehillim
“You gates, lift your heads…” (Tehillim 24:7/9) You find that at the time when Shlomo built the Holy temple he wanted to bring the ark into the Holy of Holies, but the gate was too small. It was five cubits long and two and a half cubits wide, while the ark was one and a half cubits long, one and a half wide and one and a half tall. Can’t one and a half cubits fit into two and a half?! Rather, at that moment the gates cleaved to one another. Shlomo said twenty four songs of joy and was not answered, he said ‘you gates lift up your heads’ and was not answered. He tried again and said “You] gates, lift your heads…so that the King of Glory may enter. Who is this King of Glory?” (Tehillim 24:7-8) He was not answered. Once he said “O Lord God, do not turn back the face of Your anointed one; remember the kind deeds of David Your servant,” (Divre HaYamim II 6:42) immediately the gates lifted up their heads, the ark entered and fire descended from heaven. Why did Shlomo suffer all of this? Because he was filled with pride and said “I have surely built You a house to dwell in…” (Melachim I 8:13) Since all of Israel saw this, they immediately said ‘it is certain that the Holy One has given atonement for that sin of David.’ Immediately their expression turned black like the bottom of a pot and they were ashamed. This is what is written “Grant me a sign for good, and let my enemies see [it] and be ashamed, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” (Tehillim 86:17) ‘Helped me’ in this world and ‘comforted me’ in the world to come.