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Re Tanakh versions:
Throughout
this site I may use any of three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, However, the JPS-1917
is my preferred version!
Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah =
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot,
or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations
or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God), having been corrected like it once was pre
the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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מִכְתָּ֑ם
With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
In
this study we are going look at a word in the Tanakh, being ‘Michtam’.
מִכְתָּם
לְדָוִד:
שָׁמְרֵנִי
אֵל, כִּי-חָסִיתִי
בָךְ
“Michtam of David. Keep me, O God; for I have taken refuge in Thee”. Tehillim - Psalms 16:1. (JPS-1917).
לַמְנַצֵּחַ,
עַל-יוֹנַת אֵלֶם
רְחֹקִים-לְדָוִד
מִכְתָּם
“For the
Leader; upon Jonath-elem-rehokim. (A Psalm) of David; Michtam;
when the Philistines took him in
Let us now look into that word ‘Michtam’?
The Hebrew word Michtam - מִכְתָּם appears in the superscriptions of exactly six Tehillim’s, being Psalm 16, 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60. All six are attributed to David and are structurally linked to deep distress, vulnerability, and eventual triumphant trust. Its exact etymology remains one of the fascinating enigmas within our Tanakh text.
Key Interpretations of Michtam:
An Inscription or Engraving: Ancient textual traditions often link it to ‘michtav’ (writing or script), implying words deeply
‘etched’ or ‘hammered’ into stone to ‘endure forever’.
Golden/Precious Jewel: Past commentators connected it to ‘ketem’ (fine gold), suggesting a “golden poem” a composition of supreme, ‘shining worth’ or a ‘treasured jewel of prayer worn close to the heart’.
A Hidden/Covered Atonement: Some interpretations read it as a compound (‘humble’ and ‘blameless) or associate it with a ‘hidden/covered soul’ (katam/cathav) finding shelter under אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s wing during persecution.
The Six Michtam Passages
|
Psalm. |
Context / Theme. |
|
Psalm 16. |
Trust in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence, protection, and the
path of life. |
|
Psalm 56. |
David in |
|
Psalm 57. |
Fleeing
from Saul in the cave; taking refuge under the shadow of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s wings. |
|
Psalm 58. |
A cry for
Divine justice against corrupt earthly judges and rulers. |
|
Psalm 59. |
‘Delivered’
when Saul sent men to watch the house in order to kill David. |
|
Psalm 60. |
A
communal michtam for instruction after military struggle
with |
Thus the subject I am covering
is a word that only appears just six times in our beloved Tanakh, and then only
in Tehillim - Psalms. And always it is shown in the
very first verse. Such as “Michtam Le’Dovid” twice, and four
times there is “Le’Dovid Michtam”.
This word is part of our
liturgy, for Psalm 16 can be recited at a funeral as well as at a house of
mourning. Interestingly, (myself hailing from a long line of Sephardim from 1600 CE, a Sephardic ritual, it
is recited before ‘Ma’ariv’ on ‘Motzei
Shabbat’ (Havdalah).
It is such a difficult word,
that several etymological works has studied, coming up with a Comprehensive
Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language) are not willing to make any suggestions.
The root would seem to be Caf-Tav-Mem. This root appears nine times in Tanach with the meaning “gold”. It also appears at Jeremiah
2:22, which I will cover further below.
I am going to agree with ‘Daat Mikra’ that “michtam” is not a melodical or
musical instruction. For example, the melodical and
musical instructions often have the word “al” preceding them (e.g., ‘al ha-gitit’, ‘al ha-sheminit’, ‘al machalat’, and many more). Moreover, one can see from Psalm
56:1 that “al yonat eilem rechokim” is the musical instruction there. (It is
undoubtedly the title of a song to whose melody the psalm was sung.) “Le-David michtam” there (and presumably in all six of its
occurrences) must be something else, of a more general nature.
There is an Akkadian root “katamu” that means
“to cover.” Based on this, some suggest that a “michtam”
was a psalm of atonement.
Based on this “cover” meaning,
another view is that a “michtam” was a prayer that,
when David originally composed it, was said silently (secretly), i.e., David’s
lips were covered. Four out of the six times where “michtam”
is used it is used with a historical background, and some of these backgrounds
imply that a silent prayer was necessary. See, e.g., 57:1, “when he fled from
Saul in the cave,” and 59:1: “they watched the house to kill him.” See B.D. Eerdmans, The Hebrew Book of Psalms, pp. 75-76. (In this
view, one can interpret the “nichtam” of Jer. 2:22, as “covered by a blot.”).
There is another direction
that some take. The suggestion is that the root Caf-Tav-Mem
meant “write” in Biblical Hebrew. Jeremiah 2:22 has the following language:
“Even if you wash yourself with nitre and take much
soap, your sin is ‘nichtam’ before Me.”
Now let us look at 17:1, “The sin of
Accordingly, perhaps “michtam” means a psalm that is “written.” One who makes
this suggestion is S. Mandelkern.
There is another basis for a
claim that “michtam” means something that was
written. At Tosefta Shab. 18:4 we are told not to read certain “michtavim.” There are at least two manuscripts that read “michtamim” here.
What could be the implication
of a psalm being “written”? It seems unlikely that all the other psalms were
oral. Could the implication be that it was to be recited silently? The fact
that there is a musical instruction at 56:1 and 60:1 immediately preceding the
“michtam” phrase refutes this. (The obscure phrase at
57:1, 58:1 and 59:1 also probably reflects a musical instruction.)
Perhaps the implication of
“written” is that it was written on a stone as a way of publicizing it. See
Louis Ginzberg Jubilee Volume, vol. 1, pp. 169-171.
Support for this translation of “michtam” is found in
the Greek translation of the Torah (third century BCE,
At Isa.
38:9, a prayer of Chizkiyahu is referred to as a “michtav.” Also, it would be very reasonable to interpret
C-T-M as being related to C-T-B (=write). The letters “mem”
and “bet” are both bilabial consonants, sharing a place of articulation.
In modern times, the Koehler-Baumgartner lexicon adopts “inscription” as its main definition, but also mentions the “secret prayer” definition.
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Remember
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our prophets...
“The More Torah,
the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom =
Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD
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שָׁלוֹם
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