HEBREW WORD STUDY – SONG OF FAITH – NEGANAH נגנה Nun Gimmel Nun Hei
Psalms 77:2: “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.”
The title of this Psalm attributes it to Asaph. Little is known about Asaph. The traditional view is that he the chief musician. However, I always had problems with that because a chief musician would have lived a sheltered life and this old boy seems to have gone through some real trials. But, he’s an artist and an artist suffers. Still it is a little odd that someone who wrote 12 Psalms (50, 73-83) would not have had more biographical information given about him.
I tend to lean more towards my liberal brethren’s viewpoint which is that Asaph was an office and not one person. Although, there were individuals named Asaph, when applied to the Psalms it was really not a person but a religious sect or a musical sect. More than that it was a group of prophets who prophesied through music. Ok, am I getting some of you to warm up to my foray into liberalism? Actually, when you look at these twelve Psalms through textual criticism, which incorporates the style and various Hebrew dialects, of these twelve Psalms you find it is impossible to believe it could have been written by the same person. It would have had to encompass people from various points of geographical origin. These musically gifted people formed a little club (let’s call it that) and call themselves Asaphites. Like I said the Asaphites were a prophetic group. Even my liberal friends own up to that. I often wonder if in these last days we will see a new Asaphite movement where musically gifted prophets will arise and minister to the saints who are going through deep trials. Perhaps they exist today.
The word asaph in its root form means a harvest or a fulfilled prophecy. It is believed by some that it could come from a Semitic root meaning a portal. Thus, the Ashaphites may have called themselves by this name to suggest that their music helps to open a portal to the heavenly realm. If quantum physics has anything to say about it they teach that music is simply vibrations, everything has a certain vibration and hence God created the world through vibrations. When the vibrations of music come close to the creative vibrations of God, a portal to the heavenly realm could open or possibly it could help usher in fulfilled prophecy.
Look at Psalms 77, particularly at verse 2, can you relate? I believe more and more in these troubled times believers will begin to relate to the Psalms of the Asaphites or these vibrators. “In the day of trouble.” This word trouble or sarar means distress, distress so great that you can’t think, you can’t enjoy anything, you can’t sleep, all you do is think about your trouble. That is sarar. We all go through it. So you seek the Lord, but nothing seems to happen. Your “sore runs into the night.” The word sore is yad which means hand or could also mean human strength. This runs into the night and does not cease. The word runs is nagar which has the idea of being poured out and is a play on the word for song, neganah. A song which pours out faith. The word cease is pug which is used in an imperfect tense. Pug has the idea of being chilled or frozen. Water runs until it is frozen then it stops. Thus His strength is being poured out into the night then freezes. The night is the worst. During the day you have many distractions but at night there are no distractions and your sarar (trouble) really takes hold of you at that point and chills you to the bone. Your soul at that point refuses to be comforted.
Ever feel that way? If you do this Psalm is for you. Check out the prophetic word that is given in this song found in verse 6: “I call to remembrance my song in the night.” The word song here is neganah. The root word is nagan spelled Nun, Gimmel and Nun. This is a song that keeps repeating itself. Ever have one of those tunes in your head and you can’t get it out. That’s a neganah. Only this tune that keeps repeating itself is one of faith and loving kindness.
So next time you go through a sarar a troubled mind and you can’t sleep or you can’t enjoy anything, ask the Spirit of God to give you a neganah a song of faith. A song is God’s gift to us to soothe our troubled souls. Make use of it, allow God to give you a neganah.
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Thank you, Chaim!!! Your daily word studies are a providential blessing. I look forward to reading them everyday in anticipation of what Holy Spirit may be saying to me through them, as well as growing in the knowledge and better understanding of our Wonderful God… His ways and perspectives. So often your studies are precisely what our faithful Lord of our soul is prescribing for spiritual health, development and deliverance. I have shared many of your studies with brothers and sisters who have received them with great enthusiasm and been as encouraged and enlightened as I have been. May the Lord bless you and reward your faithful efforts to share the knowledge of such divine truth with others. There are many of us who are very grateful for you and this work and thank God.
yes. there is in my prophetic regional circle such amazing prophecy and releasing Heaven’s sound with music and the recognition that even my DNA longs to come into tune with the frequencies of Heaven. based in the Pacific NW and there is some crazy gifted musicians. Really appreciate the look into this Psalm. It is truly where we are at to bring comfort and healing to ourselves and the land.
As a musician I’m inclined to agree with you that music is truly a gift from God. I play saxophone and clarinet and one of my delights is to sit in my study and play a new song unto the Lord. It lifts my spirit towards Him.
Once again you hit the spike, words of comfort to a restless soul. Gods school has no last level, you are learning as long as you live. It’s even like you know less than when you were young. An old man said,”when I was young my theology was Me and Yeshua, when I was a man it was Yeshua and me, but now I am old and now its only Yeshua”. What has this to do with todays Word “Song of faith”?
My experience is when you don’t find comfort in the scripture, go to the Psalms and you will find songs who is written from persons who have walked the road before you. For me that’s Songs of Faith, someone describe what I am going true. My theology is less and less important, it is getting less and less complicated, more and more simple, now it is just Yeshua.
Hi, This study is powerful, Has spoke to me in a amazin way
thanks for keeping sharing, God Bless you Chaim and for you to know this studies have encourage many in my family, I have translate some of your studies in my native language to share these wisdom pearls the Lord has give you to share.
“Take courage!, Don’t be afraid.” Mt.14:27