HEBREW WORD STUDY – THE EIGHTH STRING – HASHEMINITH  השׁמינית  

Psalms 12:1:  “To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.”  KJV

Psalms 12:1: “To Him Who grants victory on the instrument with eight strings, a Psalm of David.”  Rabbi Samson Hirsch

I find it curious that many modern English translations leave out the words: “To the chief Musician upon Sheminith.”  Many just transliterate the word sheminith leaving the reading scratching his head wondering what a sheminith is. Some will translate it as the eighth string.

I read in Jewish literature that every verse in the Torah has many layers of meaning and understanding so God can speak to every person no matter what level of maturity and intelligence they are on.  We may look at the words: “To the chief Musician upon Sheminith” and just pass over those words as totally irrelevant, as some translators do, or we can do a little digging as the ancient rabbis and sages do. 

I was reading a Jewish commentary by Rabbi Samson Hirsch, a Hebrew master, and linguist of the 19^th century and discovered an interesting reading of Psalms 12:1: “To Him Who grants victory on the instrument with eight strings.”  God grants victory on an eight-stringed instrument?  What is that suppose to mean? 

Let me share with you something I found interesting when I was reading the Talmud this morning. I was reading in Arakin 13b: “The harp of the Holy of Holies (where the Ark of the Covenant rested) had seven strings, as it is written: ‘In your presence is fitness (sova’) of joy (Psalms 16:11)’ read not, fullness (sova) but seven (sheva)!  The harp of the Messianic days has eight strings, as it is said: ‘For the leader on the Sheminith (the eighth string).’” 

The Jewish sages teach that the Sheminith is the Messiah, the eighth string.  In Jewish tradition the eighth string symbolizes redemption.  It is through the Messiah that we will find our redemption and I believe that Messiah is Jesus. God grants us the victory (over sin) on the eighth string of the harp or Jesus.

As I was on a roll here in my research I figured I would dig a little deeper (I do hope someone appreciates the many many hours I spend sifting through all these dusty books and writings, well, at least I enjoy it).  I was sifting through the works of Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim (a 16^th century Hebrew scholar and commentator) and found this: “The number seven represents the cycle of creation: the number eight represents the circumference, that is to say, that which lies beyond the perimeter of time and space.  That is why the Shechinah (Divine Presence) came to dwell in the Israelite camp on the eighth day.”  This is the seventeenth century before quantum physics ever discussed the idea that time and space did not fit our dimension. What Rabbi Ephraim is saying is that God lives outside of space and time.  The question as to how Jesus can spend any time with you while attending to an entire universe is a ridiculous question as He knows no time, He lives outside of time, He created time. Spending every moment, 24/7 right by your side is just plain natural for Him. He doesn’t have to concern Himself with governments, political leaders, corporate leaders, the weather, the many issues of this world, He can handle it and give it His personal attention with ease because he doesn’t live in time. Like it or not, He is right by your side every microsecond of every day 24/7 and His total attention is on you and you alone because He is that eighth string – the Messiah who lives beyond time and space.