תהלים, פרק פ״ט, פסוק כ״ד

A divine guarantee of absolute protection and victory is granted to the king, ensuring that no opponent can ever overpower or harm him. God commits to personally intervening to bring down the king's adversaries [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. The nature of this divine defense is carefully tailored to address two distinct types of opponents and the specific ways they attack.

The first group consists of open enemies who actively wage war, lay siege, and fight face-to-face [אלשיך, מלבי״ם]. Against these visible threats, God promises a crushing defeat, physically breaking and shattering them on the battlefield [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This victory is also achieved through the king himself. God endows him with a sacred, radiant presence that casts deep fear and terror upon any adversary who dares to stand against him in combat [אלשיך].

The second group of adversaries is far more subtle. These individuals harbor a secret hatred and avoid open confrontation [אלשיך]. They operate through deceit, spreading slander to ruin the king's reputation among the public [מלבי״ם]. Because these enemies hide in the shadows and do not attack openly, God deals with them directly. He strikes them down with a severe plague, marking them in such a way that society naturally recoils and distances itself from them, just as people avoid the infected [אלשיך, מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].