The Tower of Strength

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The Tower of Strength
In the teaching on Psalm 5:12, we discussed the significance of God’s name where simply referring to God Himself would have been sufficient.By: Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
August 11, 2024
מִגְדַּל־עֹז שֵׁם יְהֹוָה בּוֹ־יָרוּץ צַדִּיק וְנִשְׂגָּב׃

The name of Hashem is a tower of strength To which the righteous man runs and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
“The Lord” vs. “The name of the Lord”
As we have discussed in a number of other articles, we once again see the “name of the Lord” being used rather than simply, “the Lord.” To put this another way, our verse does not say “the Lord is a tower of strength,” but “the name of the Lord is a tower of strength.” What is the difference between these two statements? In the teaching on Psalm 5:12, we discussed the significance of God’s name where simply referring to God Himself would have been sufficient. As explained there, God’s name refers to awareness of Him, God as He is seen and experienced in our world. So, what does this mean for our verse?

Running where?
Before we answer this question, let’s first deal with another issue in the verse. The second half of the verse is:

“To which the righteous man runs and is safe”

To anyone familiar with Hebrew, the syntax of this phrase is somewhat awkward. The literal translation is:

“the righteous man runs in it and is safe”

This may not seem like a significant difference, but it is. Allow me to explain. The verse appears to describe the righteous man running to the “tower of strength” to be safe once inside. Seen this way, the verse describes God as a protector, saving the righteous from attack. This theme is found all over the Bible; God as one who shelters, protects, and guards. But here’s the problem. The Hebrew of this phrase is:

bo – in it / with it

yarutz – will run

tzaddik – the righteous

ve’nisgav – and is safe

If the righteous person is running to or into the tower, the word bo is incorrect. In Hebrew, the way to say “will run to it” or “will run into it” would be:

Yarutz elav – will run to it

or

Yarutz letocho – will run into it

The word bo means “in it” or “with it.” If translated as “in it,” bo would imply that the righteous man is running inside the tower, not towards it.

To sum up, we have posed two questions about our verse.

Why does the verse refer to God’s name, rather than God, as a “tower of strength”?
What is the meaning of yarutz bo – “will run in/with it”?
Safe or raised high
We should note that the word translated here as “safe” is nisgav. Nisgav literally means “raised up high” or “exalted.” For example,

And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. – Isaiah 2:11

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; – Psalm 148:13

The translation “safe” implies that by being raised up high in a tower, the righteous are safe from the dangers below. But the more common meaning of nisgav is “exalted” or “raised above” in some qualitative way.

So, what does our verse mean?

Yet another translation issue
Before we answer these questions, it is important to note one other translation issue. The first 2 words of the verse are:

migdal – tower

oz – strength

Almost all English translations render this phrase, “a strong tower.” Of the 55 translations on biblegateway.com, 52 had this translation. But here’s the problem. The word oz does not mean “strong.” It is not an adjective. Oz means “strength.” This is the only meaning of the word. The straightforward translation of migdal oz is “a tower of strength,” not “a strong tower.” And the difference is significant.

So what does our verse mean?
Based on all the issues we have raised, I’d like to suggest the following meaning of our verse, incorporating what we have explained into the translation.

The name of the Lord is a tower of strength

If the verse were saying that God is a protector, it should have said: “The Lord is a strong tower.” This would be similar to many Biblical verses describing God as a protector. For example:

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” – Psalm 91:2

Notice that God is the fortress and protector. Not His name. God’s name does not protect us. As we explained in our comments to Psalm 5:12, God’s name refers to our awareness of Him rather than to His essence. What our verse is saying is not that God protects us, but that His name empowers us. To say that “The name of the Lord is a tower of strength” means that our awareness of God’s presence emboldens and strengthens us. It provides a platform and context for us to battle our enemies with confidence and courage.

Now the second half of the verse makes sense.

the righteous man runs with it and is raised up high.

The righteous man, emboldened by His awareness of the presence of God in the battle, “runs with” the name of God and is thus “raised up” – nisgav – above his enemies in victory. This recalls another verse in Psalms.

אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר׃

They [call] on chariots, they [call] on horses, but we call on the name of Hashem our God.

Psalms 20:8
הֵמָּה כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַּמְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָד׃

They collapse and lie fallen, but we rally and gather strength.

Psalms 20:9
Like our verse here in Proverbs, Psalm 20 describes the righteous who are emboldened by “the name of the Lord” to rise above and triumph over their enemies.

Awareness of God’s presence in our lives and in the circumstances in which we find ourselves emboldens and strengthens us. This knowledge of God’s name gives us the power to triumph over our enemies, it raises us up high above them.

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Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki is the Executive Director of Israel365 Action and the author of Verses for Zion and Cup of Salvation: A Powerful Journey Through King David’s Psalms of Praise. Rabbi Wolicki is the host of Eyes on Israel on Real America's Voice Network. He is a regular contributor to Israel365news.com and The Jerusalem Post.