Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SUPERSCRIPTION

In the MT Psalter, 117 of the 150 psalms are preceded by a superscription or heading. These contain four possible types of information: (1) Personal names (with the prep. lĕ). Seventy-three psalms mention David; other have Asaph (Pss. 50, 73–83), the sons of Korah (42, 44–49, 84–85, 87–88), Solomon (72, 127), Ethan (89), Heman (88), Moses (90), and possibly Jeduthun (39, 62, 77). (2) “Genre” classifications (not form-critical genres), including nontechnical (e.g., Heb. mizmôr, “psalm”; šîr, “song”) and technical terms (e.g., miktām, maśkîl). (3) Liturgical directions, including the phrase lamnaṣṣēaḥ, “to the leader”; and other obscure terms denoting melodies, musical instruments, and/or cultic procedures. (4) Situational ascriptions relating individual psalms to David’s life (Pss. 3, 7, 18, 34, 51–52, 54, 56–57, 59–60, 63, 142).

The superscriptions are most likely not original to the psalms, but were added piecemeal before the compilation of the book. The liturgical instructions may also have been originally subscripts (cf. Hab. 3:1, 19). The personal names in the superscripts reflect an ancient tradition, though some may denote authorship (or patronage). For example, David’s association with the origin of psalmody in Israel is clearly ancient (2 Sam. 22:1-51; 1 Chr. 16:7-36), though it also grew with time (the cross-references to David’s life in some superscripts are likely midrashic comments based upon this growing tradition). The primary significance of the superscriptions is the light they shed on the composition and use of the book of Psalms in ancient Israel.

Bibliography. B. Bayer, “The Titles of the Psalms: A Renewed Investigation of an Old Problem,” Yuval 4 (1982): 29-123; J. F. A. Sawyer, “An Analysis of the Context and Meaning of the Psalm Headings,” TGUOS 22 (1970): 26-38; B. K. Waltke, “Superscripts, Postscripts, or Both,” JBL 110 (1991): 583-96.

Tyler F. Williams

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SUPERSCRIPTION

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)