תהלים, פרק פ״ט, פסוק ל״ט

Following sweeping promises of eternal endurance for the royal dynasty, a sudden and painful shift occurs. The reality of exile sets in, bringing with it a devastating sense that a sacred covenant has been broken. The poet cries out in pain, expressing the feeling that God has completely abandoned, distanced Himself from, and rejected the house of David [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אלשיך]. The divine response is perceived as terrible anger and wrath directed at the anointed king [מצודת ציון].

There are different views regarding the identity of this anointed figure. One perspective suggests the poet is referring to King David himself, feeling that God has somehow transformed His prior love for the king into anger, thereby cutting off his royal line [רד"ק, מאירי, אלשיך]. Another approach identifies the anointed one as Zedekiah, the final king of Judah. According to this view, it was during Zedekiah's reign that God's patience finally reached its limit due to the overwhelming sins of the nation, resulting in the king being handed over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon [רש"י, מצודת דוד].

This raw cry raises a difficult question regarding how a person could accuse God of breaking a divine oath. The primary approach among commentators is that this is not a literal accusation against God. Instead, it is a profound expression of confusion, frustration, and deep pain over the prolonged exile, spoken entirely from a limited human perspective [רד"ק, אלשיך]. The poet ultimately realizes that God's original promise never granted David's descendants immunity from punishment or guaranteed that their rule could never be interrupted. Because the heirs of David committed numerous sins, God did, in fact, punish them, reject their leadership, and pass their crown to others [רש"י, מאירי, מצודת דוד].

Offering a completely different reading, [המלבי"ם] reverses the direction of the confrontation. In his view, it is not the poet accusing God of abandonment. Rather, it is God speaking in anger to the king. God tells the anointed leader that it was the king who first abandoned and rejected the covenant. This divine response clearly explains why the bond was broken and why God is no longer bound to fulfill His original promise.