Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-8psalm to speculate as the cause of the author’s anguish (so Miller 1983;Kraus 1988; Wilcock 2001; Wilson 2002). 594.4.3 Setting in lifeLike Psalms 4 and 5, the psalm heading indicates that Psalm 6 belonged to‏(מִ‏ זְ‏ מוש)‏ Like Psalm 4, it was a song ‏.(לַ‏ מְ‏ נַ‏ ֵ ַ ( collection the music director’ssung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments נְ‏ גִ‏ ינות)‏ ‏.(בִ‏ The meaning of(1997:§9030) Swanson (literally, “on the eighth”) remains unclear. ףַ‏ ל־הַ‏ שְ‏ מִ‏ ינִ‏ יתindicates that שְ‏ מִ‏ ינִ‏ ית denotes “a musical direction somehow related to thenumber eight, such as an eight-stringed instrument, or relating to the eightnoteoctave.” 60 Whatever the meaning of ףַ‏ ל־הַ‏ שְ‏ מִ‏ ינִ‏ ית may be, the combined59 If the psalm is considered to be a professional composition (so Achtemeier 1974; Broyles1999), then it would be more accurate to say it was written “for” a person approaching deaththan “by” a person suffering from a life-threatening illness. For the purposes of thisreconstruction, no distinction is intended between these two senses. The point is simply thatthe implied historical circumstances of the author and/or intended user has been interpretedas pointing either to physical illness or to emotional anguish.60 See Achtemeier (1974:77-78) for a synopsis of various interpretations that have beensuggested over the centuries.138