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

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-8intervene in righteous judgement, which he was confident would vindicate himagainst his enemy.4.5.3 Setting in lifeThe superscription identifies Psalm 7 as ‏ּגָ‏ יון לְ‏ דָ‏ וִ‏ ד ‏,שִ‏ which is usually‏,שִ‏ ‏ּגָ‏ יון transliterated as “a shiggaion of David”. Little is known about the termwhich is used only here and in Habakkuk 3:1 in extant literature. BDB(2000:§993, s.v. ‏ּגָ‏ יון ‏(שִ‏ describes it as a “doubtful word”, but suggests it may bederived from שָ‏ גָ‏ ה (“to wander, meander, stray”), thus indicating a “wild,passionate song, with rapid changes of rhythm” (cf. Hill 1996:§8706.4).Craigie (1998:99) describes this interpretation as depicting “psalms of aparticular type (e.g., characterized by ‘wandering’ style, uneven meter, or atype of lament characterized by distracted thoughts and words).” 72 Anotherattempt to identify its meaning associates it with the Akkadian term shegu,meaning “complaint, lament” (e.g., Mowinckel 1922, 2:209; Goldingay2006:144), thus depicting a psalm of lamentation. The Septuagint rendered it72 Craigie does not endorse this interpretation. He presents it as one of the suggestions as tothe meaning of ‏ּגָ‏ יון ‏,שִ‏ but he reserves judgement as to which interpretation is most likely to becorrect.153