Psalms of Ascent

Introduction

The “Psalms of Ascent" (Pss 120–134), also known as the “Pilgrim Songs,” “Songs of Steps,” or “Songs of Degrees,” form a collection of fifteen (mostly short) psalms. Each begins with the same superscription, שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת. This grouping is unique within the MT Psalter, since no other psalm type forms a single section of consecutive psalms.

Among the Psalms of Ascent, several psalms also have an attribution: לְדָוִד, by David (Pss 122, 124, 131, 133) or לִשְׁלֹמֹה, by Solomon (Ps 127). Scholars offer various explanations for the authorship attribution of these five psalms, a detail complicated by their partial absence in the Greek tradition.

Meaning of the Title

The title, or superscription, uses the well-attested noun שִׁיר (song), in construct with a less common noun, מַעֲלָה (step, ascent), in the plural הַמַּֽעֲלוֹת. The grammar of the construct phrase is unusual in that the whole noun phrase is definite: the song of the steps. Most other Psalms superscriptions use an indefinite phrase, e.g. a psalm of David, so one would expect “a song of the steps.” To explain this anomaly, GKC §127e suggests that the superscription originally applied to the whole collection (the songs of the ascents or the pilgrimage-songs), and was only later added to each ascent psalm individually.

The meaning and significance of the second word in the superscription is debated. It comes from the tri-radical root עלה (q. to go up), and the diverse proposals for its meaning all have something to do with height or ascent. Most believe that the title refers to the context in which these psalms were used, but others have proposed possibilities related to musical performance or content.

Context of Use

Temple Steps

"A song of the steps": The noun מַּעֲלָה can refer to a physical step leading up to a structure, e.g. the altar (Exod 20:26), a throne (1 Kgs 10:19; 2 Chron 9:18–19), the temple (Ezek 40:6, etc.), or the City of David (Neh 3:15; 12:37).

• 1 Kgs 10:19 – Solomon’s throne

שֵׁ֧שׁ מַעֲל֣וֹת לַכִּסֵּ֗ה

• Ezek 40:31 – Ezekiel's temple staircase

וּמַעֲל֥וֹת שְׁמוֹנֶ֖ה מַעֲלוֹ [מַעֲלָֽיו׃]

• Neh 12:37 – the stairs of the city of David

וְעַל֩ שַׁ֨עַר הָעַ֜יִן וְנֶגְדָּ֗ם עָלוּ֙ עַֽל־מַעֲלוֹת֙ עִ֣יר דָּוִ֔יד בַּֽמַּעֲלֶ֖ה לַחוֹמָ֑ה מֵעַל֙ לְבֵ֣ית דָּוִ֔יד וְעַ֛ד שַׁ֥עַר הַמַּ֖יִם מִזְרָֽח׃

The LXX reflects this understanding of the noun in the Psalms superscriptions with its choice of ἀναβαθμός (step, staircase). Most agree that a reference to physical steps in the superscription would be those of the temple complex. David Mitchell lists indications that support this conclusion:

1. Cultic language contained in the collection. The Psalms of Ascent contain cultic formulae, blessings, allusion to the Aaronic blessing, and references to Aaron (133:2) and cultic acts (123:1; 132:8; 133:2, and 134:1–3).
2. Witness of the Mishnah: This post-biblical Jewish tradition states that there were fifteen steps leading up to the temple, and the number of Psalms of Ascent corresponds to the number of steps leading up to the temple (from the Court of Women to the Court of Israel; m. Suk. 5.4; m. Middot 2:5). Parts of the tradition specify that the Levites sung the psalms there on the steps, but others simply note the number correspondence.

Pilgrimage

"A song of pilgrimage [up to Jerusalem]": The noun מַּעֲלָה could refer to the journeys going up to Jerusalem, ascents. In this view, widely held by scholars today, the Psalms of Ascent are a collection of cultic songs sung by pilgrims making their trips to the temple for festivals. The major Israelite festivals are described in Exod 23:14–17; 34:18–24; Lev 23:4–44, and Deut. 16:1–17. The agricultural imagery in some of the psalms (Pss 126:5–6; 127:2; 128:2; 129:6–8; and 132:15) may indicate use at harvest festivals. Some English versions make this cultic/festival interpretation explicit: A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem (NLT).

Return from Exile

"A psalm of ascent from exile": Another interpretation of the noun similarly understands its meaning as ascent, but instead of the regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem, suggests that the ascent referenced is the "going up" from Babylonian exile to Jerusalem in the second half of the 6th century BC. The return account in Ezra 7 tells about his "ascent" from Babylon to Jerusalem, along with priests and Levites. Both the verbal form and the nominal form are used:

"[7:1] And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra, son of Seriah . . . [5b] son of Aaron the chief priest, [6a] this Ezra went up (עָלָה) from Babylon. . . . [7] And some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple attendants went up (וַיַּעֲלוּ) to Jerusalem. . . . [9] For on the first day of the first month he begun the ascent (הַמַּעֲלָה) from Babylon.

Michael Goulder develops this interpretation at length, arguing that the events described in Nehemiah are the correct context in which to read the Psalms of Ascent, and are the setting for which these psalms were written. However, it should be noted that this detailed reconstruction of the psalms' context remains speculative.

Eschatological

David Mitchell argues for a connection between the idea of "going up" (עלה) to the eschatological “going up” to the Feast of Sukkot spoken of by the prophets, in particular Zechariah 14: “To [the Psalter’s redactors] the ma’alot heading would connect the Ascents with the eschatological events of Zechariah.”

Musical or Poetic

Less widely-accepted proposals appeal not to these psalms’s context of use, but to their musical performance or literary features.

Performance Instructions

One proposal is that the psalms were sung on a high-pitched musical note. Another suggests that the musical note began low and gradually rose.

Poetic Features

Others suggest that the title refers to a particular poetic form, e.g. frequent use of terrace-pattern parallelism, in which a word at the end of a line is repeated at the beginning of the next. An example of "sorites," a subtype of terrace parallelism, can be seen in Ps 133:2–3a:

Terrace Parallelism

MT	English
כַּשֶּׁ֤מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב ׀ עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ	Like fine oil on the head,
יֹרֵ֗ד עַֽל־הַזָּקָ֥ן	running down upon the beard,
זְקַֽן־אַהֲרֹ֑ן	the beard of Aaron,
שֶׁ֝יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו׃	which runs down on the collar of his robes;
כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן	like the dew of Hermon,
שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן	which runs down on the mountains of Zion.

Genre

Still another possibility is that the word הַמַּעֲלוֹת has a metaphorical sense, referring to the lifting up of praise. This is consistent with a known use of the verbal root, since the verbal root עלה (pi., hif.) can mean to extol or to praise. The superscription in this reading would have the sense of "A Song of Extolment."

Themes and Characteristics

"The Psalms of Ascent do not share a specific structure, but they do have a common 'mood,' namely a hopeful longing for the holy city and the presence of YHWH, along with the anticipated joy of arriving there."(Gerstenberger, "The Psalms in Form-Critical Perspective," 62).

The Psalms of Ascent are brief, with the exception of Psalm 132, shorter than 10 verses. They also contain certain recurring phrases like "Creator of heaven and earth" (Ps 121:2; 124:8; 134:3) and frequently mention Zion/Jerusalem.

Translation Guidance

There are two main options for translating the superscription for these psalms:

1. Select a vague term that allows for several possible interpretations, or
2. Select a specific term or phrase that reflects a particular interpretive decision.

Both options are represented in the versions (ancient and modern), and either option is exegetically-acceptable. For example, these versions choose a less-specific term:

• ESV: A Song of Ascents
• LBLA: Cántico de ascenso gradual

These versions choose a more specific term or phrase:

• Targ
• BDS: Cantique pour la route vers la demeure de l’Eternel (Song for the Road to the Dwelling of the Lord)
• NLT: A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem

Research

Mishnah

Sukkah 5.4
חֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה הָיוּ מְרַקְּדִים לִפְנֵיהֶם בַּאֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוֹר שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶן, וְאוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי שִׁירוֹת וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת. וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּכִנּוֹרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת וּבִכְלֵי שִׁיר בְּלֹא מִסְפָּר, עַל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת הַיּוֹרְדוֹת מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, כְּנֶגֶד חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת שֶׁבַּתְּהִלִּים, שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶן לְוִיִּים עוֹמְדִין בִּכְלֵי שִׁיר וְאוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה.

Pious people and men of [great] deeds would dance before them with lit torches in their hands, and says before them words of song and praise. And the Levites [would play] with lutes, and harps, and cymbals, and trumpets, and countless musical instruments, upon the fifteen steps which descent into the women's court, corresponding with the fifteen songs of ascents in the Psalms, that upon them the Levites would stand with their musical instruments and sing. (Source: sacred-texts.com. License: Public Domain)

Middot 2.5
וַחֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת עוֹלוֹת מִתּוֹכָהּ לְעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּנֶגֶד חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת שֶׁבַּתְּהִלִּים, שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶן הַלְוִיִּם אוֹמְרִים בַּשִּׁיר. לֹא הָיוּ טְרוּטוֹת, אֶלָּא מֻקָּפוֹת כַּחֲצִי גֹרֶן עֲגֻלָּה:

There were fifteen steps going up [from the Women's Courtyard] to the Courtyard of the Israelites, equivalent to the fifteen songs of Ascent in psalms, and upon them the Levites would sing their songs. They [the fifteen steps] were not straight but rounded like a semi circular threshing floor. (Source: sefaria.org. License: CC0 )

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ᾨδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν
• Targum: שירא דאתאמר על מסוקיין דתהומא (the song that was spoken about the ascent from the abyss)
• Latin Vulgate: canticum graduum

Modern

English

• Wycliffe: The song of degrees.
• KJV: A Song of degrees.
• NIV: A song of ascents. (also NET; capitalised in NASB, ESV)
• NLT: A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
• GOD'S WORD TRANSLATION: A song for going up to worship.

Spanish

• RVR95: Cántico gradual
• LBLA: Cántico de ascenso gradual.

French

• TOB: Chant des montées
• BDS: Cantique pour la route vers la demeure de l’Eternel
• PDV2017: Chant de pèlerinage.

German

• Lutherbibel: Ein Wallfahrtslied. (also Elberfelder)
• Hoffnung für alle: Ein Lied für Festbesucher, die nach Jerusalem hinaufziehen.

Further Reading

Crow, L. D. The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134): Their Place in Israelite History and Religion. SBLDS 148. Atlanta: Scholars, 1996.

Mitchell, David. The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120 to 134 in the Worship of Jerusalem’s Temples. Campbell, 2015.

Weyde, Karl William. "Chapter 9: The Psalms and the sukkôt Festival." In The Appointed Festivals of YHWH: The Festival Calendar in Leviticus 23 and the Sukkôt Festival in Other Biblical Texts. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2004.