תהלים, פרק י״ח, פסוק ל״ה

King David attributes his extraordinary military prowess and superhuman physical strength entirely to God's direct guidance. Rather than taking pride in his own natural bravery, he acknowledges that God is the one who trains his hands, teaches him battle tactics, and ultimately secures his victories [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, מאירי]. To illustrate this profound physical power, David's strength is compared to the handling of a heavy bow crafted from solid copper or hard iron [רד״ק, מאירי].

The exact nature of how this strength was displayed is understood in several complementary ways. One approach suggests that God granted David the immense physical power required to bend and draw such a massive weapon [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. According to tradition, heavy copper bows hung in David's home. When foreign kings visited, they assumed these weapons were mere decorations meant to intimidate, believing no human could actually use them. Upon hearing this, David would bend the rigid bows right in front of them to prove his God-given strength [רש״י, רד״ק].

Another perspective shifts the focus from David's weapons to those of his foes. In this view, God gave David the ability to completely shatter the copper bows of his enemies with his bare arms. Alternatively, the enemies' weapons would simply break on their own, rendering them entirely useless against him [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. Taking a more metaphorical approach, others explain that God's power descended upon David in such a way that his very arms were transformed into an unbreakable copper bow [אבן עזרא, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

In stark contrast to these displays of martial dominance, a unique interpretation views this imagery as a symbol of restraint rather than strength. While God trained David to fight against foreign nations, He intervened differently when David faced the threat of a civil war against his fellow Israelites. In those moments, God made David's arms feel incredibly heavy, as if a massive copper bow were pressing down on his hands. This divine weight restricted his movement, keeping him from sinning and preventing him from drawing a weapon against his own brothers [אלשיך].