תהלים, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ט׳

A lifelong commitment to living among good people naturally leads to a deep desire for that separation to continue into the very end of life. The poet expresses a profound plea to avoid sharing the ultimate destiny of those who do evil.

The primary approach among commentators views this as a request to avoid a shared spiritual and physical destruction. The poet asks God not to end his life in the same tragic manner as those who act wickedly. This goes far beyond physical death, touching on the eternal fate of the soul. When wicked people die, their souls perish completely along with their physical bodies, spilling like water to the ground with no future. In stark contrast, the poet prays that his soul will be gathered into God's glory, securing an eternal existence. His plea to save his life is therefore a plea for a soul that has earned the right to live forever [רד״ק, המאירי].

A different perspective shifts the focus from wicked individuals to the actual sins themselves and the destructive forces they create. According to this view, the plea is a request for time. The poet asks God not to end his life prematurely while his past mistakes still cling to him. He wants the opportunity to repent and correct his actions before his time is up. Alongside this prayer for more time, he asks to be completely separated from violent and dangerous men, people he may have grown up around or lived near in his earlier years [אלשיך].