Hebrew Word Study – Box Cars – Dalal דלל  Daleth Lamed Lamed 

Psalms 41:1 “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.  Blessed [is] he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

I read through the first few verses of this Psalm and I mean if I fit the definition of poor then a lot of Christians are missing out on a blessing by not considering me.  That is the catch is it not? Who would you consider poor this is not saying to help the poor but consider them. But if you get this formula right the Lord will deliver you from evil, preserve you, keep you alive, you’ll be happy in your land and not fall into the hands of your greedy enemies.  Why God will even heal you?  Now that is what I call a good deal.  

Right now, thanks to this crazy inflation, I am feeling pretty poor, does that mean I am poor and God will bless you if you just consider me? Or is that old boy knocking on my bus window when I am stopped at a light at the corner of Halstead and Madison Ave holding a McDonald’s plastic cup (extra large size) begging for extra change what David means when referring to the poor? I guess we really mean to define poor as the Psalmist is defining it. 

The Hebrew word for poor that is used in this text is dalal. This is the same root word where we get the word, Delilah. Once Delilah sold out old Samson would you not consider her poor. Actually the name Delilah means she who makes one weak. This word comes from an old Akkadian word that is used for lowering a well digger down into a well by a rope.  Digging a well in those days was a very dangerous job.  When the well reached a certain depth they would lower a digger down into the well by a rope and he would carefully dig.  If the well started to collapse, which was a very common occurrence they would quickly pull the digger up.  Hopefully, they would pull him up in time. Sometimes the rope handlers who were charged with watching for any sign of collapse would be talking about the stats on the star gladiator of the Babylonian Charioteers or the boss’s new assistant in that low-cut toga and not notice the subtle signs of an imminent collapse.  They would have failed to masekil el dal consider the poor. 

In our present culture, I don’t think poor is the best word to use for dalal. When I hear the word poor I automatically think of that old boy with the McDonald’s plastic cup (extra large) on the corner of Halstead and Madison or I even think of myself when it comes time to pay the rent and go grocery shopping.  In reality, a person could have a nice bank account and still be a dal. A dal is not a person who has no money but is someone who is very vulnerable.  Many give the impression of being capable like the old boy being lowered into the well, but regardless of his strength of status he still needs someone to watch his back. 

Consider that quiet person who comes into your church sits in the back, and never says anything. It may be the house cleaner, the janitor, that person that no one bothers to consider.  I remember when I was in Junior High School I had a crush on a girl who did not know I was alive.  I consulted our resident grammar school philosopher Bernard Abadacola.  I asked him why Patsy Dean, that beautiful, popular girl, didn’t even know I existed. Like a good rabbi, he asked me a question what do I see when a train goes by? I said: “I don’t know, a train.” He then shook his head like he was speaking to a grammar school kid (which he was) and said, “No, you see the engine and the caboose.” That was in the day trains still had cabooses.  Anyways, Bernard went on to explain that girls always go for the Wayne Stevens, the star athlete with the movie star good looks. Wayne Stegen was the train engine.  Or the girls go for Raymond Martin the bad boy, the one who is always in trouble and acts like he is God’s gift to women and for some reason, women believe he is. He is the caboose.  Nobody notices or pays attention to the box cars, they all look the same. Then Bernard looked at me with sorrowful eyes and said: “You dear Chaim are nothing more than a box car.” Alas, Bernard was right, Patsy Dean whose very name sent my heart fluttering (and the very thought of her still does) had eyes only for the engines and ended up marrying a caboose.  

Do you know what I think?  I think David is telling us to consider the box cars.  I mean we are great for taking care of the poor and the down and out (cabooses).  We are great at giving our pastors and Christian leaders glory and honor (engines), but unless you are really in need or have a big platform no one will pay that much attention to the old average box car. We box cars are here to serve the engines and the cabooses. But the engine only pulled the train and the caboose did nothing more than give the engineer and another train personnel a place to rest. It is the box cars that carry all the goods. 

Well now I have been a box car all my life, I have admired the engines and I have never been a caboose. Never took drugs, drank alcohol, or went to prison. However, I have envied the attention these cabooses seem to get almost to the point of making me wish I was a caboose or better yet maybe an engine. But that is ok except, you know what?  I do hope that if a time comes when I am being lowered into that well the ones at the other end of the rope are not engineers too busy building the platform or, heaven forbid, cabooses looking for their next fix. 

I am not saying you should not watch the powerful engine preachers nor help the cabooses when in need, but I believe the Psalmist is telling us in Psalm 41:1 don’t forget about the box cars.  It seems we just don’t pay close enough attention to the box cars, but you know what, it is those box cars that God may just use to deliver you from your day of troubles, whom God will use to preserve you and keep you alive. It is those box cars who can make you happy in your land and it is those box cars that can help deliver you from greedy enemies and they will be the ones who will visit you in the hospital, and help you when you are sick).   

David is saying we must consider (masekil) watching the backs of the dals the box cars.  Because you know what?  Box cars may just need you to warn us if the walls are collapsing and it is their responsibility to pull you out if they do.

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