Question:
What are the notes at the beginning of some of the Psalms? For example, Psalm
3 has a note that says “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom
his son.”
These notes are found in all English Bibles (that
I have checked) on 116 of the 150 Psalms.[i]
These notes are usually called “superscriptions”[ii]
or “titles”. Unlike the subscriptions
at the end of the letters of Paul, most conservative biblical scholars have
accepted them as part of the inspired text. Steven J. Cole in Psalms
An Overview: God’s Inspired Hymnbook writes, “Many psalms contain a
superscription, which sometimes identifies the author, the historical setting,
and other features. For example, Psalm 3 begins, ‘A Psalm of David, when he
fled from Absalom.’ These psalm titles are a part of the original Hebrew text
(they are verse 1 in Hebrew, thus making the Hebrew verse numbering differ in
many places from the English) and are just as inspired as the rest of the
psalm.” On the other hand, in his Introduction
to the Psalms on the same web site, Bob Utley presents a more modern
critical view, “I think they [titles or superscriptions, rlv] are not inspired. I will not comment on them in this
commentary.”
These statements by Cole and Utley reveal the
basic views on the topic – (1.) that they are in Masoretic text (Hebrew) and the
Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) and are, therefore,
canonical; or (2.) that they were not part of the text of the original writers,
were added later and, therefore, should not be viewed as inspired. In The Authenticity of the Psalm Titles,
James H. Fraser expands and categorized seven views as “representative of some
of the attitudes of scholars toward the psalm titles”: the Inspired Scripture
View, Authentic-Tradition View, Critical-Tradition View, Psalter-Compilation
View, Midrashic-Exegesis View, Cultic-Setting View, and Higher-Critical View.[iii]
I was brought up in a tradition that views these
superscriptions as part of the original text[iv]
– and yet sometimes inconsistently might not read or refer to them when
studying a Psalm. If they are original and inspired, then we should not ignore
them, even if in some cases we don’t understand them. If we consider these
inscriptions inspired, what proof might help sustain that view? Here are some
considerations.
Internal/biblical evidence (New Testament
references)
New Testament passages refer to David as the author of certain psalms, which authorship is maintained in the superscription. For examples:
In Luke
20:42 Jesus refers to Psalm
110 and says “David himself saith in the book of Psalms.” Only in the
superscription and nowhere else in the text of the psalm does it state that
David wrote the psalm. Jesus’ use of the emphatic Greek personal pronoun αὐτὸς (autos, himself) emphasizes he intends
Davidic authorship specifically and not just as a general relationship between
David and the Psalms. We observe the same thing in Peter’s reference to Psalm
110 as recorded in Acts
2:34-35.
Both Peter and Paul cite Psalm 16 (v. 10; in Acts 2:29-32 and Acts 13:35-36), making the point that David himself was speaking, but that he was not speaking of himself. That David was the author/composer of this psalm occurs only in the superscription and not in the text of the psalm itself.
Internal/biblical evidence (Old Testament similarities)
The superscription of Psalm 18 is “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said…” This is also found in 2 Samuel 22:1-2, where it is included as part of the inspired text introducing this song: “And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: and he said…” This clarifies the superscription as part of the scriptural introduction to the song. [bold emphasis mine]
Other Old Testament passages of songs bear similarities to the Psalm superscriptions and are part of the inspired text.
- Habakkuk 3:1 “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.”
- Habakkuk 3:19 “…To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”
- Isaiah 38:9 and Isaiah 38:20 show Hezekiah’s psalm beginning with an inscription of information on the author and historical setting.
These instances (2 Samuel 22:1-2; Isaiah 38:9,20;
Habakkuk 3:1,19) occur outside the book of Psalms. Consistency suggests that in
all places these should be read and included as inspired Scripture. Other
biblical song/poetic evidence outside the Psalter/Psalms that should be
considered include: Exodus
15:1 (Moses’ song), Exodus
15:21 (Miriam’s song), 1
Samuel 2:1 (Hannah’s prayer) and 2
Samuel 1:17ff (David’s lament).
External evidence (related to the Old
Testament)
Students of the titles have called attention to several external factors that support viewing the superscriptions in the Psalms as part of Scripture.
The structure
and style of the Hebrew Bible. According to Fraser, the Hebrew Bible “incorporates
them into the text of the psalm so that when the verses were numbered in the
sixteenth century they were counted as the first verse or part of the first
verse. Thus, indicating that in the Massoretic tradition of the Hebrew Bible
they were regarded as an integral part of the text.”[v]
Translation
in the Septuagint. The fact that “some of the psalm titles (e.g. 46 &
58) were merely transliterated by the translators of the Greek Septuagint (c.
300-250 B.C.)” suggests at least the antiquity of the superscriptions because “their
meaning had already been lost by the time of the Septuagint.”[vi]
Presence in
the Dead Sea Scrolls. J. H. Fraser writes that “the Dead Sea Scrolls have
become crucial in the study of the OT text and in determining the validity of
the psalm titles as they are found in the MT.” Though Utley claims “the Psalms
found in the Dead Sea Scrolls do not have these titles and superscriptions,”[vii]
Fraser says these Dead Sea texts “are found to be in essential agreement with
the MT in the assignment of titles to the various psalms they contain except
for a few minor variations.”[viii]
He even provides an appendix comparing the Masoretic and Dead Sea superscriptions.[ix]
Concluding thoughts
External evidence is not convincing in itself, but supports the internal evidences we find in the Bible. The internal evidence displays use of superscriptions in biblical writings outside the Psalms, as well as New Testament support for the authority of the superscriptions. “The titles are valuable guides to the interpretation of the Psalter. They give accurate and reliable information concerning the authors, historical settings and liturgical use of the psalms in question.” That being true, we should use them as guides. In his Bible commentary Matthew Henry writes, “The title of this psalm and many others is as a key hung ready at the door, to open it, and let us into the entertainments of it; when we know upon what occasion a psalm was penned we know the better how to expound it.” The superscriptions are intimate parts of the Psalms to which they are attached. We should not lock the door and throw away the key![x]
[i] 34 of the Psalms carry no
inscription whatsoever, 16 have an inscription which a general reference such
as “psalm” or “prayer.” 100 Psalms mention the name of the author (or in some
cases possibly a dedicatee). 73 of these Psalms are attributed to David. There
are more attributions in the Greek LXX (Septuagint) than are in the Hebrew
Masoretic text or English Bible translations.
[ii]
Merriam-Webster:
“1: something written or engraved on the
surface of, outside, or above something else.”
[iii]
The
Authenticity of the Psalm Titles, James H. Fraser, Master of Theology
thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, May 1984, pp. 4-11
[iv]
J. W. Thirtle describes the traditional position this way: “In days gone by,
reverent souls who found a mystery in every word of Holy Scripture, regardless
of text or version, approached the Psalm inscriptions in the same submissive
spirit as they studied the Inspired Word itself, assured that each and every
title had some message to deliver in harmony with the general trend of Revealed
Truth.” (The
Titles of the Psalms Their Nature and Meaning Explained, James
William Thirtle, London: Henry Froude, 1904, p. 1 )
[vi]
What
Should We Do with Those Psalm Headings? A Theory; Fraser states, “Some
of the terms used in the titles had lost their meaning by the time the LXX
translation was made, indicating that the liturgical instructions of the titles
had been in disuse for years.” (Introduction)
[vii]
Introduction
to the Psalms; Utley also claims “that at least two of them disagree
with other canonical texts”: Psalm 34’s title vs. 1 Sam. 21:10ff and Psalm 56’s
title vs. 1 Sam. 21:10. These raise questions, but ultimately are no more
difficult than other textual difficulties we encounter in Old Testament
interpretation.
[ix]
The
Authenticity of the Psalm Titles, p. 89ff.
[x]
Matthew Henry, Commentary of the Whole Bible, Volume III, McLean, VA: McDonald
Publishing Co., n.d., p. 247
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