Degrees, Songs of, Ps 120. 122-134 niVj/En Tp ; in 121 'y^7 ; LXX (^5^ tujv ava^ad^iGiVj Jerome cantkum gradiium, whence AV ' degrees,' RV ' ascents.' — Grammatically, the form of the title in Ps 121 is the more correct, if ts' is to be under- stood of an individual psalm. W. R. Smith and Chejne understand it collectively="nv, properly the title of the whole grouji, the plural ' ascents ' indicating that tlie title of the group has come to beatfi.xed to eacli psalm .seiiarately. The following meanings have been attached to this ambiguous phrase : —
1. The return from Babylon (Ewald). SeeEzr7», in which we read of ' the going u]) from Babylon,' and cf. Ezr 2'. The use of the plur. ' goings up ' is explained to refer to more than one journey, under Cyrus and Artaxerxes (Ezr 2 and 8) ; or to the number of caravans, cf. ol dvajJalfonTcs of Jn Iff™. It is hardly likely, however, that the plural would be used of the one event which so signalized itself in the memory of the people, and the subject- matter of at least Ps 122 and 134 is un.suitable to this connexion.
2. The going up to the annual festivals in Jeru- 8<aleni. The word ma'dlah is not elsewhere used of these journeys, but the cognate vb. n'?j) is (Ps 122* al.). The psalms are for the most part suitable in subject for such a purpose, either directly (.see 122. 132. 1.33) or indirectly. Herder, Reuss.'W. R. Smith ('Pilgrimage songs'), and Baethgen may be mentioned as amongst those who favour this ex- planation.
3. Fifteen steps led from the women's court to the men's court in the temple, and the Talmud {Midd. ii. 5, Sukknh 15A) says that these corresponded to the songs of degrees ; not, however, that the
iiB.alms were n.amea after the steps, or that the ^evites sang these particular jisalms upon the steps. This explanation of the name has, how- ever, been held by some {e.q. Ariiilield, who has written a monograph upon tlie subject).
4. Delitzsch favours the interpretation which finds an allusion to the peculiar style or structure of the psalms, the repetition of a word or phrase, with a gradual ladder-like ascent as to a climax— 'a step -like progressive rhj'thm of thoughts.' Compare the structure of the 'triolet' in nior«
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recent literature. Ajjainst this, however, it may be urged tliat not aU these psalms exhibit this structure (see 132) ; tliat it is found in some otlier psalms {e.g. 29) ; and that nowhere else is this teclmical use of the word found.
5. Im /uihern C'Aor (Luther) to be sung ' in louder tones ' ; so 11. Sa'adya Gaon, and cf. 2 Ch 20" le-md'lnh (dilV. word from n^;z,c), ' with a loud voice on high' (AV), 'an exceeding loud voice' (KV).
6. An e.\planation, lirst given by K.ashi, has lately l)een revived l)y Schiller - Szinessy, which refers tlie word to the ' liftings-up ' or ' goings-up ' of the heart in adoration and trust. See 121' 123' 130>.
It will be gathered from the above sketch that no certain meaning can be given to the title of this group of lovely psalms. The second explanation is, on the whole, the most probable.
Gittith, Set to the, Ps 8. 81. 84, Heb. n'risrr^y, LXX inrip tQv X-qfQy, Jerome pro {in) torcularibtis (niBJ). — The T.arg. explains of a musical instru- ment which David brouglit from Gath, or of the form of a winepress. Generally understood to indicate the name of a tune, possibly set to a vintage - song, a meaning whicli the LXX and Jerome may possibly have had in view in their renderings. Ewald understands it to mean ' the March of the Gittite guard.'
Higgaion (p'J.i). — This word does not occur in any of the titles, but is found in Ps 9'* and is con- veniently considered here. It occurs in connexion with Selah (\\-hich see), and the double phrase is rendered by LXX qiSii diaypiXfiaros. It is found in the text of Ps 92^, where Cheyne renders ' with sounding music upon the harp.' The root nir\ from wliich the word is probably derived means to emit a deep, murmuring sound, and is used of a lion in Is 31^, of a dove in Is SS", and of a mourner in Is 16'. Also in a secondary sense of meditation or deWce in Ps 19", La 3''-. Kimchi explains Higgaion from this secondary meaning of the root ; but it is in all probability a musical term derived from the primary meaning, possibly indicating a 'forte burst of jo}-ous music'
Jonath-'elem-rehokim, Ps 56 o-p^rrn d^n nj'i-'^i;, LXX uTT^p rod XaoO toD airh rdv ayitjv fic/xaKpvfi- uAvov, a tr. which supposes that Israel is intended by the word .ij'i' dove, and dV.>< is quite misunderstood. Like so many others of these enigmatical plirases, this is in all probability the name of a melody to wliich the psalm is to be sung. With the reading a''?>< the phrase may be interpreted ' the dove of the distant terebinths^ ; with present pointing, as in RVm, ' the silent dove of them that are afar off.'
Mahalath, Ps 53 ; Mrihdlath le 'annijth, Ps 88, Heb. n'pnD-'ji;, or with addition of rtJi'S, LXX inrip MaeXiB (toO d7roKpiSj>oO as pr. name, see Gn 28", 2 Cli U'*, Jerome pro c/mro, per chorum (after Aq. Theod. Symm.). Considerable uncertainty attaches to the rendering of this phrase. If it does not indicate the name of a tune (Ibn Ezra), or the sad- ness of the melody to which the psalm was sung (I)elitzsch), the choice lies between understanding mnhitUith as (1) akin to malu'dah, 'sickness' or ' calamity' (Ex 15'-'), so Targ. ; or (2) as a nmsical instrument (Rashi, Ges., Lowe). Neither etymo- logy nor the probabilities of the case can be said to point decidedly in either direction.