of David’s life. The superscribed statement of the events that gave rise to its composition point to this. Such statements are found exclusively only by the Davidic Psalms.[1]
The inscription runs: Shiggajon of David, which he sang to Jahve on account of the sayings of Cush a Benjamite. על־דּברי is intentionally chosen instead of על which has other functions in these superscriptions. Although דּבר and דּברי can mean a thing, business, affairs (Exo 22:8; 1Sa 10:2, and freq.) and על־דּברי “in reference to” (Deu 4:21; Jer 7:22) or “on occasion of” (Jer 14:1), still we must here keep to the most natural signification: “on account of the words (speeches).” Cûsh (lxx falsely Χουσί = כּוּשׁי; Luther, likewise under misapprehension, “the Moor”) must have been one of the many servants of Saul, his kinsman, one of the talebearers like Doeg and the Ziphites, who shamefully slandered David before Saul, and roused him against David. The epithet בּן־ימיני (as in 1Sa 9:1, 1Sa 9:21, cf. אישׁ־ימיני 2Sa 20:1) describes him as “a Benjamite” and does not assume any knowledge of him, as would be the case if it were הבּנימיני, or rather (in accordance with biblical usage) בּן־הימיני. And this accords with the actual fact, for there is no mention of him elsewhere in Scripture history. The statement וגו על־דברי is hardly from David’s hand, but written by some one else, whether from tradition or from the דברי הימים of David, where this Psalm may have been interwoven with the history of its occasion. Whereas there is nothing against our regarding לדוד שׁגּיון, or at least שׁגיון, as a note appended by David himself.
Since שׁגּיון (after the form הזּיון a vision) belongs to the same class as superscribed appellations like מזמור and משׂכּיל, and the Tephilla of Habakkuk, Hab 3:1 (vid., my Commentary), has the addition על־שׁגינות, שׁגיון must be the name of a kind of lyric composition, and in fact a kind described according to the rhythm of its language or melody. Now since שׁגה means to go astray, wander, reel, and is cognate with שׁגע (whence comes שׁגּעון madness, a word formed in the same manner) שׁגיון
- ↑ Viz. Psa 7:1, Psa 59:1, Psa 56:1, Psa 34:1, Psa 52:1, Psa 57:1, Psa 142:1, Psa 54:1 (belonging to the time of the persecution under Saul), Psa 3:1, Psa 63:1 (to the persecution under Absolom), Psa 51:1 (David’s adultery), Psa 60:1 (the Syro-Ammonitish war).
