Psa 39:1 | KD | STEP | In the poet calls himself a dumb person, who opens not his mouth; this submissive, resigned keeping of silence he affirms of himself in the same words in also. This forms a prominent characteristic common to the two Psalms, which fully warranted their being placed together as a pair. There is, however, another Psalm, which is still more closely related to , viz., , which, together with , has a similar historical background. The author, in his dignity, is threatened by those who from being false friends have become open enemies, and who revel in the enjoyment of illegitimately acquired power and possessions. From his own experience, in the midst of which he commits his safety and his honour to God, he derives the general warnings, that to trust in riches is deceptive, and that power belongs alone to God the Avenger - two doctrines, in support of which the issue of the affair with Absalom was a forcible example. Thus it is with , and in like manner also. Both Psalms bear the name of Jeduthun side by side with the name of David at their head; both describe the nothingness of everything human in the same language; both delight more than other Psalms in the use of the assuring, confident אך; both have סלה twice; both coincide in some points with the Book of Job; the form of both Psalms, however, is so polished, transparent, and classic, that criticism is not authorized in assigning to this pair of Psalms any particular poet other than David. The reason of the redacteur not placing immediately after is to be found in the fact that is an Elohim-Psalm, which could not stand in the midst of Jahve-Psalms. To the inscribed למנצּח, לידיתוּן is added in this instance. The name is also written thus in ; ; , and always with the Kerî ידוּתוּן, which, after the analogy of זבוּלוּן, is the more easily pronouncible pointing ( ). It is an offshoot of the form ידוּת or ידית; cf. שׁבוּת and שׁבית, חפשׁוּת and חפשׁית. It is the name of one of David’s three choir-masters or precentors - the third in conjunction with Asaph and Heman, 1Ch 16:41., Psa 25:1., ; , and is, without doubt, the same person as איתן, 1 Chr. 15, a name which is changed into ידותון after the arrangement in Gibeon, 1 Chr. 16. Consequently side by side with למנצח, לידותון will be the name of the מנצח himself, i.e., the name of the person to whom the song was handed over to be set to music. The fact that in two inscriptions ( ; ) we read על instead of the ל of לידיתון, does not militate against this. By ל Jeduthun is denoted as the person to whom the song was handed over for performance; and by על, as the person to whom the performance was assigned. The rendering: “to the director of the Jeduthunites,” adopted by Hitzig, is possible regarding the ידותון as used as a generic name like אהרן in ; ; but the customary use of the ל in inscriptions is against it. The Psalm consists of four stanzas without any strophic symmetry. The first three are of only approximately the same compass, and the final smaller stanza has designedly the character of an epilogue.

‏ Psalms 39:1

Prayers of One Sorely Tried at the Sight of the Prosperity of the Ungodly

In Psa 38:14 the poet calls himself a dumb person, who opens not his mouth; this submissive, resigned keeping of silence he affirms of himself in the same words in Psa 39:3 also. This forms a prominent characteristic common to the two Psalms, which fully warranted their being placed together as a pair. There is, however, another Psalm, which is still more closely related to Psa 39:1-13, viz., Psa 62:1-12, which, together with Psa 4:1-8, has a similar historical background. The author, in his dignity, is threatened by those who from being false friends have become open enemies, and who revel in the enjoyment of illegitimately acquired power and possessions. From his own experience, in the midst of which he commits his safety and his honour to God, he derives the general warnings, that to trust in riches is deceptive, and that power belongs alone to God the Avenger - two doctrines, in support of which the issue of the affair with Absalom was a forcible example. Thus it is with Psa 62:1-12, and in like manner Psa 39:1-13 also. Both Psalms bear the name of Jeduthun side by side with the name of David at their head; both describe the nothingness of everything human in the same language; both delight more than other Psalms in the use of the assuring, confident אך; both have סלה twice; both coincide in some points with the Book of Job; the form of both Psalms, however, is so polished, transparent, and classic, that criticism is not authorized in assigning to this pair of Psalms any particular poet other than David. The reason of the redacteur not placing Psa 62:1-12 immediately after Psa 39:1-13 is to be found in the fact that Psa 62:1-12 is an Elohim-Psalm, which could not stand in the midst of Jahve-Psalms.

To the inscribed למנצּח, לידיתוּן is added in this instance. The name is also written thus in Psa 77:1; 1Ch 16:38; Neh 11:17, and always with the Kerî ידוּתוּן, which, after the analogy of זבוּלוּן, is the more easily pronouncible pointing (Psa 62:1). It is an offshoot of the form ידוּת or ידית; cf. שׁבוּת and שׁבית, חפשׁוּת and חפשׁית. It is the name of one of David’s three choir-masters or precentors - the third in conjunction with Asaph and Heman, 1Ch 16:41., Psa 25:1., 2Ch 5:12; 2Ch 35:15, and is, without doubt, the same person as איתן, 1 Chr. 15, a name which is changed into ידותון after the arrangement in Gibeon, 1 Chr. 16. Consequently side by side with למנצח, לידותון will be the name of the מנצח himself, i.e., the name of the person to whom the song was handed over to be set to music. The fact that in two inscriptions (Psa 62:1; Psa 77:1) we read על instead of the ל of לידיתון, does not militate against this. By ל Jeduthun is denoted as the person to whom the song was handed over for performance; and by על, as the person to whom the performance was assigned. The rendering: “to the director of the Jeduthunites,” adopted by Hitzig, is possible regarding the ידותון as used as a generic name like אהרן in 1Ch 12:27; 1Ch 27:17; but the customary use of the ל in inscriptions is against it.

The Psalm consists of four stanzas without any strophic symmetry. The first three are of only approximately the same compass, and the final smaller stanza has designedly the character of an epilogue.