Aijeleth Shahar

Aijeleth Shahar is a musical or liturgical term carried in the superscription of one psalm. It is preserved untranslated, alongside the directive to the chief musician.

The Superscription of Psalm 22

The term occurs in the heading attached to Psalm 22: "For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David" (Ps 22:1). The form given is "Aijeleth hash-Shahar," and it stands in the same slot as other musical-direction terms — naming the tune, mode, or instrumental setting the psalm is to be sung to. Beneath the heading the psalm itself opens with the cry "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps 22:1).