The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey Through the Psalms. For years, Mike has been writing articles for his church's monthly newsletter on a number of "obscurities" within the Bible. We will be reprinting many of those articles here on the RFPA blog. Join our email list here to receive a notification in your inbox for new additions to this blog series!

Some of the most interesting parts of the psalms are the subtitles found under specific chapter headings throughout this book of the Bible. We can learn much about a psalm from what we see in these brief statements. Sometimes they share with us the historical setting behind the writing. For example, Psalm 3 says it's "a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son." Psalm 57's subtitle tells us that it was written by David "when he fled from Saul in the cave." Other times, these subtitles let us know what kind of psalm it is. There are psalms of praise. There are psalms as prayers. There are psalms as songs. There are psalms of degrees, which show that a psalm was sung by the people as their families or groups of families walked up the elevation to the tabernacle at Mount Zion, where they gathered for worship.

Significantly, thirteen psalms have a very mysterious word as their subtitle. Maschil.

The Hebrew word "Maschil" means "with understanding." However, this Hebrew word may be quite foreign to many readers. The word does not appear in any other verses in English translations of the Bible—only in these thirteen subtitles. Even if you go back to the original Hebrew text, the word "Maschil" only appears once in the Bible. Psalm 47:7 reads, "For God is the King of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding [maschil]."

Consider some other definitions that bring to life what the purposes of Maschil psalms are: 

• "to understand" 
• "to have insight" 
• "to teach"
• "to impart wisdom"

These psalms were formed as they were, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not just to bring wisdom and understanding to the people of Israel at the time of these writings. But they were made directly for our families and us today also.

To see how this can be the case, let’s look at examples of the Maschil psalms and their instruction.

Psalm 32:8 – "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye."

Psalm 44:1 – "We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old."

Psalm 78:1 – "Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth."

Another exciting aspect of Maschil psalms is their authorship. There were five different authors of these thirteen psalms, all of whom were unique in their own ways. King David, the man after God's own heart but also a man who knew genuine sorrow and forgiveness, authored six of them. Four are attributed to the sons of Korah.

(Yes, descendants of the Levite Korah, Moses' cousin who led a rebellion against Moses in the wilderness that resulted in God opening up the earth and swallowing Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their households. Yet, we read in Numbers 26:11, "notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not." This may mean that Korah’s children were either too young to participate in the rebellion or that they were old enough to reject their father’s rebellion. However it happened, they were preserved by God so that about nine generations later, at the time of David’s reign, the sons of Korah still had a prominent place in the creation of music and words used to praise God in his tabernacle.)

The other three authors of the Maschil psalms were Asaph, Heman, and Ethan. Each one of these men represented one of the three sons of Levi. Asaph was a descendant of Gershon, Ethan of Merari, and Heman of the aforementioned Korah. Asaph’s family was known for their work as temple singers. Heman and Ethan were musicians and ministers of music in David's court, known for their cymbals of brass used in congregational singing.

(This connection to music has led many biblical scholars to believe that Maschil also referred to a certain way the people sang psalms during the time of Israel. It's believed that these psalms were sung in a hymnic fashion and accompanied by loud instruments. Such instruments could have included harps, lyres, cymbals, and pipes, all of which the Levites had mastered. In addition, the temple priests were the ones who specialized in the loud trumpets of praise.)

Asaph, Heman, and Ethan represent God's faithfulness through all generations. Their forefathers led worship in the wilderness under Moses. Then, during the reigns of David and Solomon many years later, the words and music written by these same men and their families were used by the children of Israel to praise God in worship. It's no wonder that one of the most familiar Maschil psalms written by Ethan, Psalm 89, is called the Majestic Covenant Psalm. 

Now, we have a better understanding of the psalms included under that mysterious heading Maschil. And knowing that a study of the psalms should include equal parts learning and praise, let's remember this excellent summary in Colossians 3:16,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Like what you've read? Click the image below to read more from author Mike Velthouse in the thirty-day devotional Journey Through the Psalms, available now on rfpa.org and in Christian bookstores near you!