instruments: in Ps. v only. Possibly flutes of some kind are meant. For the use of these in sacred music see Is. xxx. 29 (a pipe): 1 Sam. x. 5; 1 Kings i. 40; and on their use in the services of the Second Temple see Edersheim, The Temple and its Services, p. 55. It is not however the usual word for flute.

Two terms probably indicate the character or pitch of the music.

Upon Alāmōth1: R.V. set to A.: is found in the title of Ps. xlvi, and may possibly once have stood in the title of Ps. ix, and either as a subscription to Ps. xlviii, or in the title of Ps. xlix. See the notes there. The term appears to mean in the manner of maidens, or, for maidens voices: soprano.

Upon Sheminith2: R.V. set to the S., i.e. as marg., the eighth (Pss. vi and xii): probably denotes that the setting was to be an octave lower, or, on the lower octave: tenor or bass. Both terms occur together in I Chr. xv. 19-21. Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun were appointed "with cymbals of brass to sound aloud": eight other Levites, "with psalteries set to Alamoth"; and six "with harps set to the Sheminith, to lead."

Upon Gittith3: R.V. set to the Gittith: occurs in the titles of Pss. viii, lxxxi, lxxxiv. In form Gittith is a fem. adj. derived from Gath, and may mean either (1) some Gittite instrument: so the Targ.; 'the harp which David brought from Gath': or

referring the word to the contents of the Psalm. The LXX and Thear Theodotion: ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης: Vulg. pro ea quae hereditatemfallow consequitur: Aq. ἀπὸ (?) κληροδοσιῶν: Symm. ὑπὲρ κληρουχιών: Jer. Midrash super hereditatibus: all connect the word with the root נחל to inherit. Telullin

1

עַל עֲלָמוֹת

The ancient Versions are again at fault. The LXX

renders: ὑπὲρ τῶν κρυφίων: Vulg. pro occultis: Symm. ὑπὲρ τῶν αἰωνίων: Αq. ἐπὶ νεανιοτήτων : and so Jer. pro iuventutibus.

• עַל הַשְׁמִינִית. The LXX literally ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀγδόης: Vulg. pro octava. Both terms are allegorically explained by the Fathers, of the mysteries of the faith, the octave of eternity, &c. &c.

עַל הַגְתִּית. The LXX and Symm. have ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν: Vulg. and Jer. pro torcularibus, for the wine-presses,' reading נְתּוֹת for גְתִּית Hence some have explained the title, 'set to the melody of a vintage song.' Aq. and Theod. render the Massoretic text in Ps. viii: ὑπὲρ τῆς γετθίτιδος, but according to the Syro-hexaplar version Aq. had ἐπὶ τοῦ ληνοῦ οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν ληνῶν in lxxxi and lxxxiv.

(2) a Gittite melody; possibly, as has been conjectured, the march of the Gittite guard (2 Sam. xv. 18).

The rendering of the LXX, Symm., and Jer. For or over the winepresses may however preserve the true reading, indicating that these Psalms were sung at the Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering at the end of the vintage. Ps. lxxxi appears to have been specially intended for that festival; and Ps. lxxxiv is virtually a 'Psalm of going up,' for the use of pilgrims to the three great feasts.

To Jeduthun1: R.V. after the manner of J. (lxii, lxxvii): probably means that the Psalm was set to some melody composed by or called after David's chief musician (1 Chr. xvi. 41). In the title of Ps. xxxix Jeduthun appears to be named as the chief musician intended.

A series of obscure titles probably indicate the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung by a reference to the opening words of some well-known song?. Such are the titles of

Ps. ix: set to Muth-labben (R.V.), meaning possibly Die for the son3.

Ps. xxii: set to Ayyéleth hash-shachar, i.e. the hind of the morning.

Pss. xlv, lxix: set to Shoshannim (R.V.), i.e. Lilies. Ps. lx: set to Shushan Eduth (R.V.), i.e. The lily of testimony. Ps. lxxx: set to Shoshannim Eduth (R.V.), i.e. Lilies, a testimony. All these titles probably denote the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung, not the subject of the Psalm or a lily-shaped instrument4.

עַל יְדוּתוּן 1

• "Similarly the ancient Syrian hymn writers prefix to their compositions such musical titles as 'To the tune of ('al qala dh') I will open my mouth with knowledge." Robertson Smith, O. T. in Jewish Church, p. 209.

• The LXX has ὑπὲρ τῶν κρυφίων τοῦ υἱοῦ, concerning the secrets [i.e. sins, cp. xc. 8] of the son, reading the two words 'al-muth as one, 'alumōth. Similarly Aquila read the words as one, 'almuth, and rendered them νεανιότητος τοῦ υἱοῦ, of the youth of the son; and Theod. ὑπὲρ ἀκμῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ, concerning the maturity of the son. Cp. above on Alāmōth.

4 The LXX reading the word with different vowels renders ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, οι τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις, for those who shall be changed. Ps. lvi: set to Yonath elem rechōkim, i.e. The silent dove of them that are afar off: or, as read with different vowels, The dove of the distant terebinths1.

Four Psalms (lvii-lix, lxxv) have the title, [set to] Al-tashcheth, i.e. Destroy not, possibly the vintage song to which there is an allusion in Is. lxv. 8. See Introd. to Ps. lvii.

The titles of Ps. liii: set to Mahalath: and lxxxviii: set to Mahalath Leannōth: are extremely obscure, but probably belong to this class.

For further details see the notes in each case.

3. A few titles refer to the liturgical use of the Psalm. In the time of the Second Temple, each day of the week had its special Psalm, which was sung at the offering of the morning sacrifice. Thus Ps. xcii is entitled "A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day." This is the only reference to the daily Psalms in the Heb. text: but in the LXX, Ps. xxiv is assigned to the first day of the week (τῆς μιᾶς σαββάτων); Ps. xlviii to the second day (δευτέρα σαββάτου); Ps. xciv to the fourth day (τετράδι σαββάτων); Ps. xciii to the sixth day of the week (εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ προσαββάτου). The Old Latin Version further refers Ps. lxxxi to the fifth day (quinta sabbati). These titles agree with the arrangement given in the Mishna (Tamid, vii. 3), according to which the Psalm for the third day was Ps. lxxxii.

The title of Pss. xxxviii and lxx to bring to remembrance, or, as R.V. marg., to make memorial, may indicate that they were sung at the offering of incense (see Introd. to Ps. xxxviii): and that of Ps. c, A Psalm of thanksgiving (R.V.), marg. for the thank-offering, may mark that it was sung when thankofferings (lvi. 12) were offered.

1 The rendering of the LXX ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μεμακρυμμένου, for the people removed far from the sanctuary, which at first sight seems hopelessly divergent, is explained by Baethgen as a paraphrase. By the dove the translator understood Israel, and for ēlem he read elim, which he took to mean gods. But thinking it unseemly to describe Israel as the dove of the distant gods, he substituted a free paraphrase.

* The LXX simply transliterates ὑπὲρ Μαελέθ. Aq. Symm. Theod. Jer. render For or in the dance, a curiously inappropriate title for both these Pss.

• Cp. Ecclus. 1. 14 ff. for a description of the service.

The title of Ps. xxx, A Song at the Dedication of the House, may refer to its use at the Festival of the Dedication, instituted by Judas Maccabaeus in B.C. 164, when the Temple was re-dedicated after its profanation by Antiochus (I Масс. iv. 59; John x. 22).

The title of Ps. xxix in the LXX, ἐξοδίου σκηνῆς (Vulg. in consummatione tabernaculi), refers to its use on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

To teach is part of the title prefixed to Ps. lx. A comparison of Deut. xxxi. 19 and 2 Sam. i. 18 makes it probable that it was to be learnt by heart and recited on public occasions.

On these titles see further in the notes on the particular

Psalms.

A song of Degrees, rather, A Song of Ascents (R.V.), or, for the Goings up, is the title prefixed to 15 Psalms (cxx-cxxxiv), which appear to have formed a separate collection, bearing the title The Songs of the Goings up (or, of the Going up), which was afterwards transferred to each separate Psalm. Various explanations of this title have been proposed. (1) The LXX renders ᾠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν: Vulg. and Jer., canticum graduum, 'a song of the steps.' It has been supposed that they were so called because they were sung upon the flight of 15 steps which led from the Court of the Women to the Court of the Men in the Second Temple. But Delitzsch has shewn that the passage of the Talmud quoted in support of this explanation really says nothing at all about the singing of these Psalms upon the steps, or the derivation of the name from them, but merely compares the number of the Psalms with that of the steps.

(2) An explanation which has found considerable favour in modern times regards the term as denoting a particular kind of 'ascending' structure, in which each verse takes up and repeats a word or clause from the preceding verse. Ps. cxxi offers a good example of this structure; but apart from the fact that no trace can be found of this technical meaning of the word 'ascent' elsewhere, the structure is neither peculiar to these Psalms nor characteristic of all of them.

(3) As 'the ascent' or 'going up' was the regular term for the Return from Babylon (Ezra vii. 9), some have supposed that these Psalms were sung by the returning exiles on their march. So the Syriac Version, and probably Aq. Symm. and Theod., who render ᾄσμα τῶν ἀναβάσεων or εἰς τὰς ἀναβάσεις. But the contents of many of the Psalms do not favour this explanation.

(4) 'To go up' was the regular term for making pilgrimage to Jerusalem at the great festivals (I Sam. i. 3; Ps. cxxii. 4). 'The songs of the goings up' may have been the name for the songs which were sung on these occasions. We know that the pilgrims went up with singing (Is. xxx. 29; Ps. xlii. 4), and many of these Psalms are well suited for such occasions1; while others, though not so obviously appropriate, might well have been employed for the purpose. This is on the whole the most probable explanation, although the substantive 'going up' is not used elsewhere in this technical sense?.

4. Titles relating to Authorship. These are regularly introduced by a preposition denoting of or belonging to, by, the socalled 'lamed auctoris.' In some instances, as in Hab. iii. 1, it was no doubt intended to denote authorship; but in others, as will be seen presently (p. xxxiii), it was probably intended to denote origin, rather than, in the strict sense of the word, authorship. This is clearly the case with the title A Psalm of the sons of Korah, which must mean 'a Psalm from the collection known as that of the sons of K.'; probably also with the title A Psalm of Asaph, and, at least in many instances, with the title A Psalm of David.

(a) One Psalm (xc) bears the name of Moses.

(b) 73 Psalms bear the name of David: viz. all those in Book I, except i and ii, which are prefatory; x, which is part of ix; and xxxiii, which appears to be a later addition: 18 in Book II (li-lxv, lxviii-lxx); one in Book III (lxxxvi); two in Book IV (ci, ciii); 15 in Book V (cviii-cx, cxxii, cxxiv, cxxxi, cxxxiii, cxxxviii-cxlv).

1 E.g. cxxi-cxxiii, cxxv, cxxvii, cxxviii, cxxxii-cxxxiv. * Unless Wellhausen is right in altering מסלות highways to מעלות goings up, pilgrimages, in lxxxiv. 5, following the LXX ἀναβάσεις.