Book of Psalms

To align heart and mind with what we are about to pray, it is important to understand the different categories present in the Psalter:

• 57 Mizmorim, which the Septuagint translates mostly as "Psalmos" — a song accompanied by a musical instrument. The verb "zamar," remember, means to sing to the sound of an instrument.

• The Shir (30 times), meaning a song. Sometimes we have the Shir Yedidot, or what is called the "epithalamium" (wedding song).

• "Maskil" (13 times): the wisdom psalm. The Miktam: an allusive psalm or secret prayer. This is significant because it may derive from the verb "katam," meaning to conceal.

• The "Shiggayon" — a lament or penitential psalm.

• The "Tefillah" — ordinary prayer.

• Those designated as musical annotations. Thus when one reads "Higgayon," it indicates meditation or meditative music.

• The "Selah," appearing 71 times in 30 psalms. Its etymology and precise meaning remain uncertain. Occurring at the end of a stanza, it likely indicates a pause, an intermezzo, an interlude — or perhaps even a prostration, an act of adoration.

• The "Neginot" — stringed instruments. This is significant even for those of us who do not play. Stringed instruments were always associated with the fact that strings were made from animal entrails in that era, which signified sacrifice. Thus when a stringed instrument appears — as in Psalms 4, 6, 54, 55 — there is this connection between wood (which the Church Fathers always related to the Cross) and the stringed instrument (which relates to sacrifice).

• The "Nehilot" — wind instruments. This is highly significant because breath refers to the neshamah, to the nefesh, to what God has given us; accordingly, one prays aloud.

• Titles indicating melodies or popular songs, such as "Al ha-Gittit" — set to the melodies of the gittit — which probably derives from the city of Gath, where David haMelech sojourned, though others think it refers to a distinctive instrument brought by David haMelech from Gath itself. In that case the notation would belong to the previous category.

• "Al Yedutun" — possibly meaning "to the tune of Yedutun," a figure who appears in the book of Chronicles as one of the most important choir masters appointed there by David haMelech.

• "Al-Mutlaben" — "On the death of the son," Psalm 9 — to be prayed with great intensity. One may well imagine who the son is.

• "Al-Ayelet ha-Shachar" — "according to the tune of the doe of the morning," Psalm 22 — well known.

• "Al-Shoshanim" — "according to the tune of the lilies."

• "Shoshanim Edut."

• "Al-Yonat Elem Rechokim" — "according to the tune of the dove of the distant terebinths."

• Three psalms bearing the designation "do not destroy" — "Al-Tashcheth."

• "Mizmor le-Yom ha-Shabbat" — "A Psalm for the day of Shabbat."

• "Le-Hazkir" — "For Remembrance" — significant also because it was the moment of the incense offering.

• Another series of Psalms: "Le-Todah" — of thanksgiving — from "Lehazkir," of remembrance, to the "Eucharist."

• The "Lamed" — lilmod, talmid and talmud (meaning: for instruction).

• "Shirei ha-Ma'alot" — the Psalms of Ascent, from 120 to 134. These refer to the pilgrimage to the "Ma'alah" — literally the ascent to the holy city.

Many psalms contain musical directions such as "To the director of music" or terms such as "Selah" which probably indicated pauses or changes in the manner of singing. Terms such as "miktam," "maskil," and "shiggaion" may refer to musical genres or performance styles. The psalms were accompanied by instruments such as harps, lutes, cymbals, and trumpets during worship in the Temple.

The psalms span from the eleventh century before Christ to the fourth-third century before Christ, making the Psalter a "work in progress" — and within a single psalm we may encounter multiple layers of revelation that God granted to the psalmist at different moments. Attributed to David haMelech are 73 psalms; to Asaph, 12 psalms; to the "lifnei Korach" — "sons of Korah" — 11 psalms; liShlomo, to Solomon, 2 psalms; Psalm 90 attributed to Moses; Psalm 88 to Heman; and Psalm 89 to Ethan. Thus we have seven authors — a useful orientation.

The psalms carry two numbering systems: that of the Masoretic text and that of the Greek text. With the exception of 34 psalms, all the others bear at their head various annotations, known as superscriptions. These are to be remembered as inspired texts. Although it is now beyond dispute that they do not belong to the original sacred redaction, they are nonetheless highly important and merit careful attention. The superscriptions in some way pertain to every literary genre.