תְּפִלָּה֮ לְמֹשֶׁ֪ה אִֽישׁ־הָאֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים אֲֽדֹנָ֗י מָע֣וֹן אַ֭תָּה הָיִ֥יתָ לָּ֗נוּ בְּדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר׃
[하나님의 사람 모세의 기도] 주여 주는 대대에 우리의 거처가 되셨나이다
Rashi
which You acquired from time immemorial Before the creation of the world, as it is said (below 90: 1,2): “You were a dwelling place for us, etc., before mountains were formed.”
Rav Hirsch
Auch heute sprechen Fürsten, deren Zeit natürlich höchst kostbar ist, bei einer Audienz in der Regel nur ein paar kurze hingeworfene Fragesätze, die aus gleichgültigen Verhältnissen des Anzuredenden herausgegriffen sind. Selten hat aber wohl ein Fürst mehr Feinheit in ein paar Frageworte zu bergen verstanden, als hier Pharao, und noch seltener ein Angeredeter in einem kurzen Antwortsatz mehr Weisheit ausgesprochen, als hier Jakob. Wenn man nach Jahren zählt, rechnet man nicht mehr nach Tagen. Nur bei wenigen auserlesenen Menschen geschiehts, bei denen jeder Tag bedeutungsvoll und von ihnen als besondere Aufgabe betrachtet wird. Der wahre Mensch lebt nicht Jahre, sondern Tage. So in dem großen Psalm Mosches, wo die ganze Weltgeschichte wie ein Traum vorüberzieht, heißt es zuletzt: wenn selbst tausend Jahre Weltgeschichte nichts mehr als eine Minute bedeuten, dann bedeuten die Tage gar nichts. Nur wo die תורה eingezogen und die Tätigkeit des Menschen im Dienste Gottes bestimmt und weiht, da lebt der Mensch Tage, heute hat er Kraft, heute wirkt er, um den Zusammenhang und die Folge völlig unbekümmert, der Tag ist Gott zugezählt und unverloren. "למנות ימינו כן הודע!" "Lehre uns so unsere Tage zählen!" — So spricht auch Pharao hier: Wie viel Tage hast du in den Jahren deines Lebens gelebt? und gibt in dieser Fragestellung den tiefen Eindruck kund, den die ganze Erscheinung Jakobs auf ihn gemacht.
Rabbeinu Bahya
In this verse Solomon is teaching us a lesson in faith. The plain meaning of the verse is: “a person who puts his trust in the Lord may be compared to someone who is within a formidable tower, serene, unafraid of any potential aggressor.” It is similar to Psalms 118,6: “when the Lord is with me what can a mortal human being possibly do to me.
The words: “the righteous runs towards it and is elevated,” refer to his being rescued from troubles. (Compare Rabbeinu Yonah’s understanding of the word נשגב as being equivalent to נושע). We find that word used in that context in Proverbs 29,25: ובוטח בה' ישוגב, “and he who puts his trust in the Lord will be safeguarded.” In that verse too Solomon refers to man being safeguarded from threatening troubles and enemies. The word בו in the verse above does not refer to the word מגדל, “tower,” but to שם ה' i.e. he who puts his trust not in the tower but in the name of the Lord. Clearly, a man does not run inside a strong tower, but he runs around proclaiming the name of the Lord and his trust in Him. He who does this will be saved as if he were inside a fortress although he does not appear to be protected by visible man-made shields. Whereas human beings who run are liable to stumble and fall, not so he who runs proclaiming his faith in the Lord. We find this idea expressed in Proverbs 4,12: “when you run you will not stumble.”
The reason Solomon chose “a tower of strength” as his simile in our heading instead of a high mountain or something similarly impregnable, is because fortified towers are an essential need for people in trouble, being pursued, etc. We have an example of this in Judges 9,51 “there was a tower of strength inside the city to which they fled.” This is why Solomon chose an example of the kind of man-made structure that ordinary people put their trust in. This is also why David writes in Psalms 20,2: “may the Lord answer you in time of trouble, the name of Yaakov’s G’d keep you safe.” In other words: “G’d is the Tower of strength who will elevate people when they are in trouble and distress.” David used the same verb when he prayed to G’d to save him from the pursuit of king Shaul (Psalms 59,2) where he said ממתקוממי תשגבני. He also employed this verb when he faced the giant Goliath. In Samuel I 17,45 David says to Goliath: “you come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the G’d of the ranks of Israel, etc.” Clearly, the words: “the name of the Lord” are of the essence in that verse. Whereas Solomon used the simile of a fortified tower to describe a feeling of security and therefore applied this simile to the name of the Lord, Isaiah used the simile of a room where a person when he closes the door feels relatively secure. Compare Isaiah 26,20: “Go, My people enter your chambers, and lock your doors behind you.” We find in many verses throughout the Bible that G’d Himself is being compared to a “refuge” (Psalms 90,1) or to a “rock,” (Samuel II 22,2). Our sages have described G’d or “the name of G’d” as מקום, “place,” seeing He comprises all “places” and He is the “place” or “site” of the universe. There is no “place” without Him.
No human being is called righteous unless he has faith in the Lord (compare Proverbs 28,1: ‘the righteous are confident like a lion’). Our author lists many more verses from Scripture, all reflecting the same theme that faith in the Lord (and in the righteousness of one’s actions) are the source of confidence of the righteous. Pinchas personified such faith. If he merited to have so many miracles performed for him to help him succeed it was because of the faith he had displayed.
The words: “the righteous runs towards it and is elevated,” refer to his being rescued from troubles. (Compare Rabbeinu Yonah’s understanding of the word נשגב as being equivalent to נושע). We find that word used in that context in Proverbs 29,25: ובוטח בה' ישוגב, “and he who puts his trust in the Lord will be safeguarded.” In that verse too Solomon refers to man being safeguarded from threatening troubles and enemies. The word בו in the verse above does not refer to the word מגדל, “tower,” but to שם ה' i.e. he who puts his trust not in the tower but in the name of the Lord. Clearly, a man does not run inside a strong tower, but he runs around proclaiming the name of the Lord and his trust in Him. He who does this will be saved as if he were inside a fortress although he does not appear to be protected by visible man-made shields. Whereas human beings who run are liable to stumble and fall, not so he who runs proclaiming his faith in the Lord. We find this idea expressed in Proverbs 4,12: “when you run you will not stumble.”
The reason Solomon chose “a tower of strength” as his simile in our heading instead of a high mountain or something similarly impregnable, is because fortified towers are an essential need for people in trouble, being pursued, etc. We have an example of this in Judges 9,51 “there was a tower of strength inside the city to which they fled.” This is why Solomon chose an example of the kind of man-made structure that ordinary people put their trust in. This is also why David writes in Psalms 20,2: “may the Lord answer you in time of trouble, the name of Yaakov’s G’d keep you safe.” In other words: “G’d is the Tower of strength who will elevate people when they are in trouble and distress.” David used the same verb when he prayed to G’d to save him from the pursuit of king Shaul (Psalms 59,2) where he said ממתקוממי תשגבני. He also employed this verb when he faced the giant Goliath. In Samuel I 17,45 David says to Goliath: “you come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the G’d of the ranks of Israel, etc.” Clearly, the words: “the name of the Lord” are of the essence in that verse. Whereas Solomon used the simile of a fortified tower to describe a feeling of security and therefore applied this simile to the name of the Lord, Isaiah used the simile of a room where a person when he closes the door feels relatively secure. Compare Isaiah 26,20: “Go, My people enter your chambers, and lock your doors behind you.” We find in many verses throughout the Bible that G’d Himself is being compared to a “refuge” (Psalms 90,1) or to a “rock,” (Samuel II 22,2). Our sages have described G’d or “the name of G’d” as מקום, “place,” seeing He comprises all “places” and He is the “place” or “site” of the universe. There is no “place” without Him.
No human being is called righteous unless he has faith in the Lord (compare Proverbs 28,1: ‘the righteous are confident like a lion’). Our author lists many more verses from Scripture, all reflecting the same theme that faith in the Lord (and in the righteousness of one’s actions) are the source of confidence of the righteous. Pinchas personified such faith. If he merited to have so many miracles performed for him to help him succeed it was because of the faith he had displayed.