BDB5331
I. [נָצַח] verb be pre-eminent, enduring (Ecclus [Pi`el] make brilliant Eccl 43:5; Eccl 43:13 [?] (compare Oxford ed.xxxiii); Late Hebrew נָצַח conquer, etc.; Phoenician נצח, Aramaic נְצַח, [untranscribed source text 3401] shine, be illustrious, pre-eminent, victorious; Arabic [untranscribed source text 3402] be pure, reliable; Ethiopic [untranscribed source text 3403] be pure, innocent; both classes of meaning probably derived form shine, be bright, brilliant, see also Dr 1Sam 15:29 ); —
Niph`al
Participle
active feminine נִצַּ֫חַת
Jer 8:5
enduring (מְשֻׁבָה
apostasy).
Pi`el = act as overseer, superintendent, director, only Chronicles and Psalm-titles;
— Infinitive
לְנַצֵּחַ
1Chr 15:21
+ 4 t.; participle לַמְנַצֵּחַ
Hab 3:19; Ps 4:1 + 54 t.
Psalms; plural
מְנַצְּחִים
2Chr 2:1; 2Chr 2:17;
2Chr 34:13
—
1. in building temple 2Chr 2:1; 2Chr 2:17; Ezra 3:8; Ezra 3:9, compare 2Chr 34:12; 2Chr 34:13.
2. in ministry of house of ׳
י
1Chr 23:4.
3. in liturgical service of song, עלהֿשׁמינית, over the bass voices, leading
them
with כִּנֹּרוֺת
1Chr 15:21
לַמְנַצֵּחַ in titles Psalms has probably simile meaning, = musical director
or choirmaster; Greek
Vrss.
of 2nd cent. A.D.,
Aq
Theod
Sym, and so Jerome, think of Aramaic victorious
, but no clear explanation;
ᵐ5
εἰς τὸ τέλος (probably לַמִּנְצָח) follows ordinary meaning of noun נֵצַח
, which may be explained in eschatological sense as referring to end of age of world after Euseb
Theod
; or for full rendering after De;
neither
satisfactory. Chronicles, near in date, gives the clue which is intrinsically probably: לְ
indicates, not assignment (nothing special in these Psalms to suggest it, and assignment of Psalms for such use
a
matter of course), but that these Psalms were taken by final editor from an older major Psalter known as the
Director's Collection, compare the still earlier collections known as (ל)דוד, (ל)אסף
, (ל)בני קרח. The 55 Psalms with למנצח were taken 39 from Davidic, 9
from
Korahite, and 5 from Asaphic Psalters; only 2 anonymous. Hab 3 originally belonged to Director's Psalter. This and other
Director's Psalms have musical directions in titles. The Director's Psalter was probably the prayer-book of
synagogue of Greek period, presupposed by our Hab., the collection of the twelve Minor Prophets, the prophetic
canon, and Daniel (see BrGen. Intr. 123).