Discovery BoxPsalms 39:1 
ContextFor the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39:1 I decided, 2 “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. 3
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil man.” 4
Psalms 45:1
ContextFor the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 6 by the Korahites, a well-written poem, 7 a love song.
45:1 My heart is stirred by a beautiful song. 8
I say, “I have composed this special song 9 for the king;
my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.” 10
Psalms 59:1
ContextFor the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; 12 a prayer 13 of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. 14
59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
1 sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.
2 tn Heb “I said.”
3 tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”
4 sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the
5 sn Psalm 45. This is a romantic poem celebrating the Davidic king’s marriage to a lovely princess. The psalmist praises the king for his military prowess and commitment to justice, urges the bride to be loyal to the king, and anticipates that the marriage will be blessed with royal offspring.
6 tn Heb “according to lilies.” “Lilies” may be a tune title or musical style, suggestive of romantic love. The imagery of a “lily” appears frequently in the Song of Solomon in a variety of contexts (see 2:1-2, 16; 4:5; 5:13; 6:2-3; 7:2).
7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.
8 tn Heb “[with] a good word.” The “good word” probably refers here to the song that follows.
9 tn Heb “my works [are] for a king.” The plural “works” may here indicate degree, referring to the special musical composition that follows.
10 tn Heb “my tongue [is] a stylus of a skillful scribe.” Words flow from the psalmist’s tongue just as they do from a scribe’s stylus.
11 sn Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs.
12 tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75.
13 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”
14 tn Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”
sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.
15 tn Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”
16 tn Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”
