Higgaion

Biblical Text

In the New Korean Revised Version, the transliterated form "Higgaion" appears only in Psalm 9:16. The verse speaks of the LORD making Himself known by executing judgment and of the wicked being ensnared by the work of their own hands, and it ends with the parenthetical note "(Higgaion, Selah)." The King James Version reads: "The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah." Because the Hebrew Bible counts a psalm's superscription as verse 1, this verse is numbered 9:17 in the Hebrew text.

According to its superscription, Psalm 9 is a psalm of David. It is a song of thanksgiving and praise for God's judgment of the nations and the wicked and for His care for the oppressed. Higgaion stands immediately after the passage describing how the wicked fall into the snare they themselves have set.

Meaning and Background of the Word

Higgaion is regarded as a noun derived from the same root as the Hebrew verb hagah, meaning "to murmur, to make a low sound, to meditate." Elsewhere the same word is not transliterated but translated according to its meaning:

• Psalm 19:14: "meditation," as in "the meditation of my heart"
• Psalm 92:3: the "solemn sound" produced by an instrument
• Lamentations 3:62: the "device" of enemies (schemes devised inwardly)

The word is therefore described as carrying the combined senses of "quiet murmuring," "deep thought," and "resounding instrumental sound." However, scholars have not reached agreement on exactly what it denotes in Psalm 9:16. The Septuagint is reported to have rendered this passage, together with "Selah," as a term related to an interlude (instrumental music played between sections of a song).

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

Like Selah, Higgaion is regarded as evidence that the psalms were originally sung in worship. The word does not appear in the New Testament. Nevertheless, Ephesians 5:19–21 and Colossians 3:16 exhort the church to sing together in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. On this basis, some hold that the tradition of singing and reciting the psalms continued in the New Testament church.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpretations fall broadly into two categories:

• A musical direction: The word refers to a manner of performance, such as the resonance of an instrument, soft playing, or an interlude.
• A call to meditation: Drawing on the word's etymology, this view reads it as a signal to reflect on what has just been said.

A widespread explanation takes "Higgaion, Selah" to mean "pause and meditate deeply." However, this is an interpretation based on etymology; the text itself does not state that meaning. Translations also handle the word in different ways, transliterating it, omitting it, or addressing it in a note (see Bible translations).

In the Korean Church

Because the New Korean Revised Version gives the transliteration in parentheses, Higgaion is one of the words whose meaning churchgoers often wonder about when reading the Psalms. In sermons and devotional materials, it is sometimes presented together with Selah as meaning "pausing to meditate."