Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 46:1

to brighten the youth Heb. על מות לבן. Some interpret על מות לבן, on the death of Absalom, but this interpretation is not plausible because he [David] states: לבן ; he does not state הבן. Others interpret על מות לבן [as referring to] Nabal. Neither is this plausible, to invert the name. Moreover, no mention is made of him in the psalm. (The preceding paragraph does not appear in most editions.) I saw in the Great Masorah that it is one word, judging by the fact that it is compared to (below 48:15): “He will lead us as in youth (על מות).” Menachem and Dunash interpreted what they interpreted, but it does not seem correct to me. I saw in the Pesikta (d’Rav Kahana, p. 25a) that the chapter deals with Amalek and Esau (as in verse 6): You rebuked nations; You destroyed a wicked man. But I say that this song, למנצח על מות לבן, is for the future, when the childhood and the youth of Israel will be brightened; their righteousness will be revealed and their salvation will draw near, that Esau and his seed will be erased, according to our Torah. (The last phrase does not appear in most editions.) על מות means childhood. לבן is like ללבן, to whiten. Menachem interpreted על מות לבן, melodies to teach, and this is its interpretation: To the conductor למנצח, to the conductor, melodies to teach, in which case לבן is equivalent to להבין ולבונן, to understand and to comprehend; על מות, named for a musical instrument called עלמות, as is stated (below 46:1): “on alamoth-shir.” Dunash (p. 15f) interpreted לבן as the name of a man whose name was Labben, who fought with David in those days, and the Psalmist’s statement, “You rebuked nations, You destroyed a wicked man”this wicked man is Labben, who slew innocent people. Although you do not come upon a man named Labben anywhere else but this place, you find the same with other names, which are found in Scripture only once. (This entire account of Dunash’s interpretation does not appear in early mss. Menachem’s interpretation is presented very briefly.)

For the Chief Musician: on Neginoth. A Psalm of David: – Our teachers of blessed memory have said (Shoher Tod, ad loc.) that “this Psalm was uttered in three kinds of praise, in nissuah (נצוח), in niggun (ןגוי), and in mizmor (מזמור).” It is evident that the (person called the) מנצח (“Chief Musician”) is the one who was over the singers, and that the Psalms were rendered under the direction of the(se) “Chief Musicians,” who assigned them to (certain) players and singers. [This view is supported by the fact that] you nowhere find [as titles] “For the Singer” or “For the Player,” but only For the Chief Musician. And accordingly we have in the Prayer of Habakkuk (3:19) “For the Chief Musician on my stringed instruments”; and so the text (1 Chron. 23:4) “to superintend (לנצח) the work of the house of the Lord.” It is written also (ibid. 15:21) “with harps set to the Sheminith to lead (לנצח).” And it is the case that there was a “Chief Musician” over the instrument called Neginoth and another over that called Sheminith. And the songs and the melodies and the praises were rendered each according to the melody known in connexion with them; for it was a great science and would stimulate the rational soul, and was reckoned in the category of secular sciences. And the instruments which were (used) in the Temple for praise were lutes, lyres, cymbals, trumpets, and a horn. The instruments also were classified according to melodies known in connexion with them. Of the melodies there was that called Alamoth, as in the text (1 Chron. 15:20) and written (Ps. 46:1), “Set to Alamoth. A Song.” And there was that called Neginoth, and in this the present Psalm was rendered. And there was one of them called Maskil, and there was one of them called Mikhtam. There was also Shiggaion, and there was Nehiloth, and there was Shigionoth, and there was Gittith. One of the instruments was called “Tenstrings,” another “Pipes,” and another “Minnim.” And each of these is classified in its melody as it was known to the masters of the science. We find also a text which says (i Chron. 23:5), “And four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments I made to praise.” It is not known, however, whether the instruments were in the hands of those who were actually reciting the Psalm, or whether they acted together – those who sang with the mouth, and opposite them those who played upon (musical) instruments. We find also another text which says (2 Chron. 7:6), “And the Levites with the instruments of music of the Lord which David the king had made to give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy (endureth) for ever, when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded the trumpets before them.” And further it is written (ibid. 29:28), “and the singers sang and the trumpeters sounded.” Now the trumpets alone were in the hands of the priests, as it is written (Num. 10:8), “and the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets;” and the rest of the instruments were in the hands of the Levites; and so it is written (2 Chron. 29:26), “And the Levites stood with the instruments of David and the priests with the trumpets.”

Now you can understand our verse here very easily and the question of why Moses did not engage in prayer on behalf of these people becomes pointless. Also the question of why G’d included the children of the sinners in our paragraph disappears. [There is a limit to the opportunities granted to people in the form of reincarnation. This limit is reached with the third transmigration. If at that time the soul does not make use of its body to rehabilitate itself for sins committed in its previous appearance on earth, it is not entitled to another life, i.e. to biological offspring. Ed.].
Perhaps this is what our sages in Midrash Tehillim 46 had in mind when they commented on psalm 46,1 למנצח לבני קרח על עלמות שיר, “a psalm for the sons of Korach on the mysteries of song.” The Midrash understands the opening words as the sons of Korach singing a hymn to G’d although they did not understand the workings of the Lord in order to appreciate it. In other words, עלמות שיר, “although the workings of G’d in history are sometimes obscure, beyond our ability to fathom, He deserves to be praised for what He does.” [The word עלמות is understood by the author of the Midrash as meaning “something hidden,” נעלם].