PSALMS, BOOK OF
PSALMS, LOOK OF
153
creatcr portion of the Psalter, including all psalms Frum 73 to 150. Ileuss assigned several psalms to a still later period — that of John Uyreanus, B.C. 13.5- 1U7. Cheyne indicates some twenty ■ five psalms as M.iccaba-an, ineludin"; 20. 21. 33. 44. 00. 61.03.74.79.83. 101. 108. 115-llH. 13.3-13S. US- ISO. His criteria of ' a uniquely stron'; church feeling,' an 'intensity of monotheistic faith,' and an ' ardour of gratitude for some unexampled stepping' forth of the Lord J" into history,' are not susceptible of specific and decisive ajiplication to Maccaba-an times. The first criterion mentioned bv Che3-ne — the e.vistence of 'some fairly distinct allusions to Maccab.Tan circumstances' — would be decisive if its occurrence could be clearly proved. But the allusions are held by such critics as Gesenius, Ewald, Dillmann, and Hupfeld to be anytliing but distinct. In our judgment the number of Maccaba>an psalms cannot be large, but the bare possibility that a few such psalms were included in the Psalter before the Canon was closed should be left open. If any psalms of the 2nd cent. B.C. are found in our present collection, the internal evidence whicli would assign 44. 74. 79. 83 to this period may be lielil to outweigh the unquestionable dilficulties arising from their place in the second and third books.
iv. Titles. — It has been found convenient to dis- cuss such of the titles as bear on the question of authorship already; the present section will there- fore be devoted to an examination of those words or phrases, mostly musical notes, which require ex- planation. For the sake of convenience, they are given in alpliabetical order, following the EV.
'Aijeleth hash-Shahar, Ps 22 nrisn rJ>N-^>i', LXX irrip Tqi dKTiXii^i/'eus tti^ euSii'^j, i.e. 'concerning the morning aid ' (rh;K) ; so Targum, whicli refers to the Tamil/, tlie perpetual morning sacrifice ; Jerome, pro cervo nvitutino (so An.). ' Upon ' here signifies 'Bet to the tune of'(kV),tliename of the song being prob ' Hind of the Dawn.' W. R. Smith compares Arabic usage in thus describing melodies ; also Ephraem in the Syriac. Baethgen understands the morning to be viewed els ' the hind in its swiftness.'
•Alamoth, Ps 46 ; cf. 1 Ch 15^ ' psalteries set to Alamoth ' (RV), n-nVy-Sy, LXX iwl tuiv Kpviploiv, 'about the hidden tilings' (n'o^n), so Targum; Jerome, after Aq., pro juvcntutibiis. In 1 Cli, LXX transliterates akatiiuB. (!e.s. and most modems derive irorn'olmrth, 'damsel,' and render ' with accompaniment of damsel voices,' or ' in soprano.' Baethgen holds that this interpretation is not suitable to Ps 46. Rashi understands it of a musical instrument, as modern viola or tenor- violin. Cf. ' Double-bass,' correspondinL' to Shcnii- nith, which see. It is a question whether the closing words of Ps 48 'al-muth, which will hardly bear the translation 'unto death,' should not be read as 'al/tm6th and taken as part of the title of the following psalm.
•Al-taschith (AV), 'AUashhrth (RV), Ps 57. 58. 69. 75, nz^i'trhif, LXX /jtj SiatjiOclpjjt ; Jerome lit non di.'iperdas. As in RV, this must be understood to mean 'set to the tune of. Destroy not.' Possibly these words may form the beginning of an old vintage-song, such as we find described in Is 65", when the new wine is found in the cluster, ' and one saitli, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it ' ; but this is mere conjecture (see OTJC p. 209).
Ascents. — See Derjrec.s.
Chief Musician, for the. — Found in 55 psalms, be^'inning with P«4. See al.so Hab 3'". lleli. ni;^':, LXX tli rb TfKoi (connect with ns}^' ' for ever ' ?). Other Gr. VSS, tit ri yikos, Jerome Vutori ; follow- ing apparently the meaning of a kindred Aram, root. The verb nsi is found in 1 Ch 1.5-" in refer- ence to music, and is rendered ' to excel ' in AV, ' to lead ' tlie singing in RV. In 1 Ch 23* it means
'to preside over' the work in question. Tht meanin>' of the title, therefore, apparcutlj- is that the psalm was to be given to the precentor or leader of the choir, and was intended to be sung in the temple-service.
Dedication, A Song at the d. of the house, Ps 30, Heb. n-ir. n;;---!-;;', LX.\ ^\crrd(reMS. — The order of words in this title suggests that in its present form it combines two several traditions ; it is at the same time a psalm li-David and a song for the dedication of ' the house.' It is po.ssible that the two may be combined ; not, however, when the site was chosen for the temple (Hengstenberg), for this was not the dedication of a house ; nor (prob- ably) at some re-consecration of the palace after Absalom's rebellion and David's absence. The most probable supjiosition, if the ii-salm is to be referred to David's lifetime, is that of Delitzsch, who refers it to the house mentioned in 2 S 5", and sujjposes tliat about this time the king was re- covering from severe sickness. It is know^l, how- ever (Suphcrim xviii. 2), that this psalm was used by the Jews from an early date at the feast of Hrniukkah, the ' dedication mentioned in 1 Mac 4°* and Jn 10--, and Baethgen and many moderns con- sider that this clause of the title was added later as an after-thought. It has been questioned whether this is consistent with the ignorance of its meaning shown by the LXX. The probability is that the clause refers to a liturgical use of the psalm, not to its original composition.