Psalm 44/Notes/Lexical.V. 1.236904

• The meaning of מַשְׂכִּיל: The sense of this term is not fully understood. It is often associated with the hiphil form of the verb שׂכל "to instruct, teach" (cf. Ps 32:1, 8, which feature מַשְׂכִּֽיל in v. 1, and אַשְׂכִּילְךָ "I will instruct you" in v. 8). Thus the LXX translates 44:1 with εἰς σύνεσιν "regarding understanding" (NETS). However, given the overarching theme of lament in Ps 44, it is difficult to see how the psalm qualifies as instruction. It is also possible to render מַשְׂכִּיל as "meditation" or "skillful psalm" (Craigie 2004, 264). To further complicate matters, it is unclear as to whether the term refers to the psalm's musical accompaniment or its content (Ibid). Another possibility is that מַשְׂכִּיל should be associated with the rare II-שׂכל "to lay over cross-wise" (HALOT; cf. Gen 48:14), with the liturgical sense of alternating chants, or antiphony (Koenen 1991, 112). In the absence of definitive conclusions, most modern translations transliterate the term as maskil.