The בּנגינות which is added is not governed by it. This can be seen at once from Hab 3:19 : to the chief singer, with an accompaniment of my stringed instruments (vid., my Commentary), which Hitzig renders: to the chief singer of my musical pieces; but נצּח בּ is not a phrase that can be supported, and נגינה does not mean a piece of music. The Piel, נגּן, complete with בּיר, signifies to touch the strings (cogn. נגע), to play a stringed instrument. Whence comes נגיות (Psa 77:7; Isa 38:20) which is almost always used as a pluralet.: the play of the stringed instruments, and the superscribed בּנגינות Psa 4:1; Psa 6:1; Psa 54:1; Psa 67:1; Psa 76:1 : with an accompaniment of the stringed instruments; and b is used as in Psa 49:5, Isa 30:29, Isa 30:32. The hymn is to be sung in company with, probably with the sole accompaniment of, the stringed instruments. The fact of the inscribed words למנצח בנגינות preceding מזמור לדוד probably arises from the fact of their being written originally at the top over the chief title which gave the generic name of the hymn and the author.
Verse 1
Psa 4:1 (Hebrew_Bible_4:2) Jahve is אלהי צדק, the possessor of righteousness, the author of righteousness, and the vindicator of misjudged and persecuted righteousness. This God of righteousness David believingly calls his God (cf. Psa 24:5; Psa 59:11); for the righteousness he possesses, he possesses in Him, and the righteousness he looks for, he looks for in Him. That this is not in vain, his previous experience assures him: Thou hast made a breadth (space) for me when in a strait. In connection with this confirmatory relation of בּצּר הרהבתּ לּי it is more probable that we have before us an attributive clause (Hitz.), than that we have an independent one, and at any rate it is a retrospective clause. הרחבת is not precative (Böttch.), for the perf. of certainty with a precative colouring is confined
