Miktam

Occurrences in Scripture

Miktam appears in the superscriptions (the headings placed before the poems) of six psalms in the Book of Psalms: Psalm 16 and the consecutive group of Psalms 56–60. All six bear the heading "Michtam of David."

• Psalm 16: A song of trust in which the psalmist takes refuge in God and confesses that God alone is his good.
• Psalm 56: The superscription places it at the time when the Philistines seized David in Gath.
• Psalm 57: The superscription places it at the time when David fled from Saul and hid in a cave.
• Psalm 58: The psalm denounces unjust judges and calls for God's judgment. Unlike the other miktam psalms, its superscription records no historical setting.
• Psalm 59: The superscription places it at the time when Saul sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him.
• Psalm 60: The superscription places it at the time when David fought against Aram and Joab struck down the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. It also states that the psalm was written "to teach."

The superscriptions of Psalms 57–59 also include the term "Al-taschith." It is usually understood to mean "Do not destroy," and many regard it as the name of a tune.

Meaning of the Term

The Hebrew word is miktam. Korean translations, including the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong), generally transliterate rather than translate it because its meaning is uncertain. The principal views that have been proposed are as follows:

• Association with gold: Because the term resembles a Hebrew word for "gold," some interpret it as a "golden psalm," that is, a precious song. This explanation is often presented in sermons, but it is not an established scholarly interpretation.
• Inscription: The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) rendered the term with a word meaning "an inscription on a stele," understanding it as a poem worthy of being engraved as a memorial.
• Covering or atonement: Some scholars connect it with a word meaning "to cover" in related Semitic languages and regard it as a psalm concerned with atonement or secrecy.

Some scholars also link miktam with "the writing of Hezekiah" (Hebrew miktab) in Isaiah 38:9, taking both as terms for the same kind of poem.

Significance in the Wider Canon

The miktam psalms are for the most part songs of lament and trust that express reliance on God in times of danger, when the psalmist is pursued by enemies. Psalm 57:7–11 and Psalm 60:5–12 reappear almost verbatim in Psalm 108, indicating that these psalms were reused in worship.

The New Testament connects Psalm 16 with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter quoted Psalm 16:8–11 in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:25–28), and Paul likewise quoted Psalm 16:10 (Acts 13:35). Both interpreted the line about not seeing corruption as fulfilled not in David himself but in Christ.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• The speaker of Psalm 16: Jewish tradition reads the psalm as David's own confession of trust. Christian tradition, following Acts, also reads it as messianic prophecy.
• When the superscriptions were added: Scholars differ on whether the superscriptions describing historical settings accompanied the psalms from the beginning or were added later in the editorial process.
• The "golden psalm" explanation: The claim that miktam means "golden psalm" is only one of several views; the text itself does not explain the term.

In the Korean Church

Psalm 57:8, "I myself will awake early" (rendered in Korean as "I will awaken the dawn"), is frequently cited in the Korean church to encourage or explain early morning prayer meetings. Psalm 56:8, "put thou my tears into thy bottle," and Psalm 16:2, rendered in Korean translation as "I have no good apart from you," are also widely used in preaching and devotional reflection.