A Guide to the Technical Terms in the Book of Psalms

• Psalm/Song: 

A psalm is a song that is accompanied by instrumental music, while a song likely is accompanied by vocal music.

• Selah:  

Although selah occurs 74 times in the Old Testament (71 times in Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk), modern scholars are uncertain of its meaning. Gleason Archer discussed the intriguing term: "While many   explanations have been given for this word, the most plausible is that which derives it from the root salal meaning to lift up. The LXX renders it diapsalma, which means musical interlude. Selah then is not a word to be read aloud, but simply a notice to the reciter that at this point he should pause in his utterance and  permit the musical accompaniment to strike up; or else it is a direction for him to lift up his voice to a higher intensity or pitch, or possibly even to lift up his heart to pious contemplation or meditation."[1]

• Maskil: 

The term maskil is found in the titles of Psalms 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, 142. The term is most common in the Davidic psalms (Pss. 32, 52-55, 88, 142), but a few other writers employ the word maskil as well (the sons of Korah: Pss. 42, 44, 45; Asaph: 74, 78; Heman the Ezrahite: Ps. 88; Ethan the Ezrahite Ps. 89). According to the Theological Workbook of the Old  Testament: "Some have considered a maskîl to be a didactic poem [i.e., instructive poetry] which causes consideration or gives insight. Others have suggested it to be an artistic song having insight. More probably this can be considered a contemplative poem, with element of the other two."[2]

• Miktam: 

The word appear in six Davidic psalms (Pss. 16, 56-60). Although the definite meaning of miktam has been lost, it may have had the connotation of discovering in the sense of atonement, or covering in the sense of a secret or silent prayer.[3]

• Higgaion: 

This word appears once in Psalm 9:16 in conjunction with Selah, and is translated as meditation" in Psalm 19:14 and "resounding music" or "melody" in Psalm 92:3. Derek Kidner surmised that "as a musical direction it may perhaps indicate the quieter instruments."[4]

• Shiggaion: 

This term is found in Psalm 7 and Habakkuk 3:1. Scholars have described it as "an irregular or wandering song"[5] or "a wild and ecstatic" song.[6]

---

[1] Gleason L. Archer, Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1985), 459.

[2] Bruce Waltke, R. Laird Harris, and Gleason Archer, A Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Chicago: Moody, 1980), 877.

[3]Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, vol. 14a in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Downers Grove, IL, 1973), 38.

[4] Ibid., 37.

[5] Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 458.

[6] Kidner, Psalms 1-72, 38.