Solomon, A large number of critics accept the Solomonic authorship of the former; but by most that of the latter is rejected. Solomon, however, is regarded by some as the author of the first psalm. A single psalm (Ps. xo.) is ascribed to Moses; another single psalm (Ps. lxxxix.) to Ethan; and another (Ps. lxxxviii.), as already mentioned, to Heman. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint attribute Ps. cxxxvii. to Jeremiah. Fifty psalms-one-third of the number-remain, in the Hebrew original, anonymous; or forty-eight, if we regard Ps. x. as the second part of Ps. ix., and Ps. xliii. as an extension of Ps. xlii. In the Septuagint, however, a considerable number of these have authors assigned to them. Pss. cxxxviii., cxlvi., cxlvii., and cxlviii. (as already observed) are attributed to Zechariah, or to Zachariah conjointly with Haggai. So is Ps. cxlix. in some manuscripts. David is made the author of Pss. xlv., xlvi., xlvii., xlviii., xlix., lxvii., lxxi., xci., xciii., xciv., xcv., xcvi., xcvii., xcviii., xcix., oiv., and cxxxvii. in several copies; and in a few David is made joint author of two psalms (Pss. xlii. and xliii.) with the sons of Korah. On the whole, the collection may be said to have proceeded from at least six individuals- David, Asaph, Solomon, Moses, Heman, and Ethan-while three others- J eremiah, Haggai, and Zachariah-may not improbably have had a hand in it. How many Korahite Levites are included under the title, " sons of Korab," it is impossible to say; and the number of the anonymous author~ ,s also uncertain.
§ 4. DATE A.ND VALUE OF THE " TITLES," OB SUPERSCRIPTIONS TO p ARTICULAR PSALMS. On a comparison of the "titles" in the Hebrew with those in the Sep- tuagint, it is at once apparent (1) that those in the Hebrew are the originals; and (2) that those in the Septuagint were taken from them. The antiquity of the titles is thus thrown back to at least as early as the ~ond century B.O. Nor is this the whole. The Septuagint translator or translators clearly write considerably later than the original authors of the titles, since a largish portion of their contents is left untranslated, being unintelligible to them. This fact is reasonably regarded as throwing back their antiquity still further-say, to the fourth, or perhaps to the fifth century B.c.-the time of Ezra. Ezra, it is generally allowed, made a recension of the Scriptures of the Old Testament as existing in his day. It is a tenable theory that he affixed the titles. But, on the other hand, it is a theory quite as tenable that he founil. the titles, or at any rate a large number of them, already affixed. Lyrical compositions among the Hebrews from the earliest times had supersc1iptions attached to them, generally indicating the name of the writer (see Gen. iv. 23; xlix. 1, 2; Exod. xv. 1; Dout. xxxi.. 30; xniii. 1; Judg. v. 1; 1 Sam. ii. 1; 2 Sam. i. 17; xxii. 1; xxiii. 1; Isa. ii. 1; xiii. 1; INTRODUCTION TO
x:xn-iii. 9; Jonah ii. 1; Hab. iii. 1). If the collection of the psalms was made gradually,1 it is perhaps most probable that eaoh colleotor gave titles where he could, to the psalms which he collected. In that case the titles of Book I. would probably date from early in the reign of Solomon; 9 those of Book II. from late in that reign ; those of Book III. from the time of Jlezekiah; and those of Books IV. and V. from tho ago of Ezra. and J\ehemiah.1 The earlier titles would, of course, 110 the more valua.bfo, and the more to l}e depended on; the later ones, especially those in Books IV. and V., couhl claim but little confidence.' They would embody merely the traditions of the C:tptivity period, or might be mere guesses of Ezra. Still, in every case, the "title" deserves consideration. It is p1·ima facie evidence, and, though it may be very weak evidence, is worth something. It is not to be set aside as wholly worthless, unless the contents of the psalm, or its linguistic characteristics, are distinctly opposed to the titular statement. The contents of the titles are of five kinds: 1. Ascriptions to an author. 2. Musical directions! 3. Historical statements as to the circumstances under which the psalm was composed. 4. Notices indicative of the character of the psalm or its object. 5. Liturgical notices. Of the original (Hebrew) titles, one hundred contain ascriptions to an author, while fifty psalms are left 'anonymous. .Fifty-five contain musical directions, or what appear to be such. Fourteen have notices, generally of gTeat interest, as to the historical circumstances under which they were com- poscd. 6 Above a hundred contain some indication of the character of the psalm or of its subject. The indication is generally given by a single word. The composition is called mizmor (i1or~), "a psalm lo be sung with musical accompaniment;" or shir (i•~), "a ~ong;" or maslcil (~•:;,i;J~), "an instruc- tion ; " or miktam ( cr91;,), " a poem of gold ; " or tephillah ( il~;ll;I ), " a prayer; " or tehillah ( il?1'1.l;l), " a praise; " or shiggaion ( )'I'1~), " an irregular ode"-a dithyramb. 7 Or its object is declared to be either "teaching" (ir.,?7),8 or "thanksgiving,, (n:;r1n7), 9 or" to call to remembrance" (i•:iir~7).10 Liturgical notices are such as i1~1PCI c1•7 ,,~, "a song for the sabbath day" (Ps. xcii. ), n~~~CI ,,rp, "a song of the goings up" (Pss. cx.x.-cxxxiv.), and the like. 1 1 Compare above, § 2, p. iii I Ibid., note 2. Ibid., note 4. • It seems, certainly, highly improbable the.t Ezra. end Nehemfah ·could have colleoted ee.enteen genuine psalms of David which he.d escaped the notic3 of e.ll previous collectors. • Tiiese a.re very oh,cure. The proba.blo mea.niug of each such direction is considered in the comment on the psalm where it first occurs (see the introductions to Pss. iv., v., vi., viii .. ix., :uii., xiv., xlvi., liii, lvii., lx:u:., etc.). • See the titles to Pss. iii., vii., xviii., xxx., xxxiv., Ii., Iii., liv., lvi., lvii., lix., Ix., l:xiii., and cxlii. ' Mizm6r occurs by itself 44 times, with ehir 13 times: ,hir by itself 17 times: maelei1 13 times; miktam six times; tephillah five times ; tehillah and ,T,iggaion eaoh once only (Pss. vii. and cxlv.). • Ps. lL • P,. o. •0 Pes. xxviii. and lxx. THE BOOK OF PSALMS. vii