A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
7:1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me
or have plundered my adversary without cause,
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground
and leave my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;
awake for me;
you have ordained a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;
take your seat on high over it.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous.
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions
is a righteous God.
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.
12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he has strung his bow and made it ready.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.
17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
"No one actually knows for sure what the Hebrew word shiggaion means in the title to Psalm 7, nor the plural of it (“shigionoth“) in (Hab 3:1). This being the case, there are a number of logical guesses as to the meaning.
The words that follow in the title to Psalm 7 “which he sang,” make it seem like it has something to do with a song. In (Hab 3:1), it says, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.” If you look at the end of (Hab 3:1), you find the words “To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” So, putting these together, perhaps we have a prayer that was sung. What kind of “prayer / song?” Let me quote some classic sources for definitions.
Smith’s Bible Dictionary: perhaps a “wild, mournful ode”
Hitchcock Dictionary: a song of trouble or comfort
Easton’s Bible Dictionary: denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode
(Dithyramb = 1: a usu. short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain 2: a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein – Webster’s Dictoinary)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Derived from a verb meaning “to wander,” it is generally taken to mean a dithyramb, or rhapsody
Holman’s Bible Dictionary: Suggested translations include, “frenzied” or “emotional”
The NKJV Bible replaces the word “shiggaion” with the word “meditation.”
These words are used nowhere else in the Old Testament. Again, their meaning is uncertain."
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