It is beyond our present purpose to attempt an analysis of the Psalms, we are at the

moment concerned with one Psalm, namely the eighth. Readers of The Berean Expositor

who have read the series "Less than the least", will know the high place both of esteem

and affection that Dr. Bullinger must ever occupy in the mind of the present writer. He

was partly responsible for some of the items that appear in "The Companion Bible", and

any criticism of that colossal work is only expressed in the interest of the Truth, for

which Dr. Bullinger himself lived and died. We have elsewhere said, that where we may

differ at any time from the conclusion of this beloved teacher, we are at that very moment

most in agreement with the spirit of his work. He was a true Berean and never wished

any reader to be a "follower", but a "fellow" searcher of the Word.

The point at issue is the true place and true meaning of the words that appear in the

title of Psalm 9:, namely, "To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben". It was the

considered opinion of Dr. Bullinger that the words Muth-labben should be translated

"Death of the champion", and refer to Goliath. The reasons for this are set out both in the

notes beside the title in the Psalm, and also in Appendix 65. As our research has led us to

a different conclusion we will ask the readers' patience while we present the materials out

of which this new rendering has grown. We will subdivide our material under a series of

sub-headings in order to avoid confusion.

(1) The place that the words upon Muth-labben occupy.

The ordinary reader may express some surprise at this heading, for his Bible, whether

he read the A.V. or the R.V. places it at the head of Psalm 9: We believe, however, that

many of our readers (who evidently are not "ordinary readers"!) are already in possession

of the findings of Dr. J. W. Thirtle, of which the following is a summary: He observed

that in the third chapter of Habakkuk and Isa. 38: 9-20, we have two complete

Psalms.  The Psalm falls under three heads: (1) The Superscription; (2) The Psalm

itself; (3) The Subscription thus:

Applying this principle to the book of Psalms, we find that  Psalm 3:  has a

superscription, but that the words of Hab. 3: 19, instead of being used as a subscription

to the Psalm, is transferred as a title of Psalm 4:  These titles and subtitles are all

restored to their true place in the "Companion Bible", Psalm viii, reading:

The words Upon Muth-labben being the subscription of

Psalm 8:,

not

superscription of Psalm 9: