(2) The meaning of the words of the subscription upon Muth-labben.

The reader may not be conscious as he reads the words "upon Muth-labben" that it is

already assumed without proof that the word "upon" is of necessity a true translation of

the Hebrew word employed. Al standing alone is often translated "upon", but until we

are sure that these two letters do stand alone, we are prejudicing the reader from the start.

It seems that the Septuagint translators knew that AlMuth-labben came at the end of

Psalm 8:, for the word eis to telos "unto the end" are inserted. If the reader consults

Young's "Analytical Concordance", he will find that the words Muth-labben are not

translated "death of the champion" but "death of Ben, or of the Son". Again, if he looks

for the word labben in the "Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon", he will not find

it, but he will find the term under the heading ben "Son". We cannot therefore endorse

the statement that there is nothing about a "son" in either Psalm 8: or 9:, for most

readers will know that the word ben "son" occurs in Psalm 8: Neither is it true that all

are agreed that muth can only mean "death" for the LXX does not so translate the word,

and these translators were nearer to the times of David than we are by over two thousand

years.  What the LXX saw in the words AlMuth-Labben is made evident by their

rendering huper ton kruphion ton huion "concerning the secrets of the Son". There is

another Psalm where the LXX uses these words huper ton kruphion "concerning the

secrets" and that is at the foot of Psalm 45:, where the A.V. reads "Upon Alamoth". Do

these words strike any chord in the reader's mind? Remembering that originally there

was no division made between words, as now, so let us put in English letters, the two

subscriptions to these two Psalms.

The Subscription to Psalm 8: reads ALMUTHLBN.

The Subscription to Psalm 45: reads ALALMUTH.

And in both the Septuagint sees the word "secret". How is this? Al Alamoth is

considered to mean "relating to the maidens", the word almah being the Hebrew for a

At the close of Psalm 48:, we have the words "unto death" which in the Hebrew

reads ALMUTH, but which this translation divides into two, al "unto" muth "death". The

LXX however considered it to be one word almuth, translating it eis ton aionas "for

ever", or "unto the ages". The structure of Psalm 48:, (see "Companion Bible")

places this passage in correspondence with verse 8. Here is another instance where the

word almuth "secrets" has been wrongly divided to read Al muth, "unto death". How

does it comes about that the word almuth can mean either "maiden" or "secret" or

"for ever"? The Hebrew root ALM means to hide or conceal, and gives us "secret"

(Psa. 90: 8), "hide" (Psa. 10: 1) and in the East in old time, a maiden, damsel or virgin, or

youth, was called almah because of the concealed and retired state of the unmarried of

both sexes. "The virgins shut up in chambers" is an expression found in the Apocrypha.

From this same root comes the word translated "age" and "ever", being a period of time,

whose end or duration is hidden from view. It will be seen therefore that the rendering

"concerning the secrets of the Son" given by the LXX two centuries before Christ, has

much in its favour.