1. "The title of the psalm." - The title of this psalm is "To the chief Musician on Neginoth. A psalm of David." This phrase in the title, "To the chief Musician," occurs at the beginning of 53 psalms, and at the close of the hymn in Habakkuk 3:19. It is uniformly rendered "to the chief Musician," and means that the psalm was intended for him, or was to be given to him, probably to regulate the manner of performing it. In no one instance does the title imply that he was the author. The word rendered "Chief Musician, מנצח menâtsēcha, is derived from נצח nâtsach, properly meaning "to shine," but not used in the Qal. In the Piel form it means to be conspicuous; to be over anything; to be chief; to be superintendent 2-Chronicles 2:2, 2-Chronicles 2:18; 2-Chronicles 34:12, and then it means to lead in music. The meaning of the form used here, and in the other places where it occurs as a title to a psalm, is "Chief Musician," or precentor; and the idea is, that the psalm is to be performed under his direction; or that the music is to be directed and adapted by him.
In the case before us there is a particular designation of the "instrument" that was to be employed in the music; which occurs also in Psalm 6:1-10; Psalm 54:1-7; Ps. 55; Psalm 61:1-8; Psalm 67:1-7; Psalm 76:1-12; where the same instrument is mentioned as here. In Psalm 8:1-9; Ps. 81; Psalm 84:1-12, another instrument is mentioned; and in Ps. 45; Psalm 60:1-12; Ps. 80, another instrument still. It would seem that the author of the psalm frequently adapted his poem to a particular kind of instrument, but left the further arrangement of the music to the precentor himself. The word "Neginoth," plural of "Neginah" - נגינה negı̂ynâh - means properly "stringed instruments." It occurs in the title of the following psalms, Psalm 4:1-8; Psalm 6:1-10; Psalm 54:1-7; Ps. 55; Psalm 67:1-7; Psalm 76:1-12. It means in these cases that the psalm was designed to be sung with the accompaniment of some stringed instrument, or under the direction of the musician, who presided over the department of stringed instruments. It designates nothing as to the kind of stringed instruments which were to be employed.
2. "The author of the psalm." This psalm, like the preceding, purports to be a psalm of David, and there is no reason to doubt the correctness of this opinion. Indeed, there is some internal probability that, if the former psalm was composed by him, this was also, for as that appears to be a "morning" psalm Psalm 3:5, so this seems to be its counterpart, and to be designed to be an "evening" psalm, Psalm 4:4, Psalm 4:8. The general resemblance in the structure, and the reference in the one to the morning, and in the other to the evening, show that the two were designed, probably, to be a kind of "double" psalm, to be used on the same day, the one in the morning, and the other in the evening. If this is so, and if David was the author of the third psalm, then there is the same reason to suppose that he was the author also of this. It may be added there has been a general concurrence of opinion in the belief that the psalm was written by David.
3. "The occasion on which the psalm was composed." There is nothing in the psalm, or in the title, to determine this question, and it is now impossible to settle it with certainty. The Jewish interpreters generally, and most Christian expositors, suppose that it was composed on the same occasion as the preceding, in relation to the rebellion of Absalom. But there is nothing in the psalm itself which will certainly determine this, or which would make it improbable that it might have been composed at some other time in the life of David. It should be said, however, that there is nothing in the psalm which is inconsistent with that supposition, especially as the manifest purpose of the psalm is to make the occasion, whatever it was, one on which to utter great thoughts that would be valuable at all times. There is some internal evidence that this psalm was composed in reference to the same circumstances as the preceding, with this difference, that "that" was when the writer was in the midst of his troubles, and when he thought it a great mercy that he had been permitted to enjoy a night of quiet rest Psalm 3:5; "this," when he had obtained deliverance from those troubles, and now felt that he "could" give himself to calm repose without anxiety and fear, Psalm 4:8.
4. "The contents of the psalm." The psalm expresses general confidence in God, and a general sense of security. The writer is conscious, indeed, that he has enemies, and that they would "turn" his "glory into shame" if they could; that they are false men who seek his ruin by detractions Psalm 4:2, but still he has confidence in God that all will be well. Though he has enemies who are seeking to destroy him, yet his mind is so calm that he feels that he can commit himself confidently to God, and lie down and slumber. The general subject, therefore, of the psalm is the fact that confidence in God will make the mind calm in the midst of troubles, and that reliance on his protecting care will enable us to give ourselves at night to undisturbed repose. The following points occur in the psalm on this general subject.
(a) The writer calls on God to hear him, and makes it the ground of his petition that he had formerly heard him - that he had enlarged him when he was in distress, Psalm 4:1.
(b) He addresses directly his enemies, and gives them counsel as to what they ought to do, Psalm 4:2-5. He solemnly appeals to them, and asks them how long they would persevere in attempting to turn his glory into shame, Psalm 4:2; he conjures them to remember that all their efforts must be in vain, since the Lord had set apart him that was godly for himself, and would protect him, Psalm 4:3; he exhorts them to stand in awe, and to fear the consequences of the course which they were pursuing, and exhorts them to take proper time to reflect upon it - to think on it in the night, when alone with God, and when away from the excitements of the day, Psalm 4:4; and he entreats them to become themselves true worshippers of God, and to offer to him the sacrifices of righteousness, Psalm 4:5.
(c) He contrasts the sources of his own joy and theirs, Psalm 4:6-7. They were seeking worldly good, and endeavored to find their happiness in that alone; he desired more than that, and, as the chief source of his joy, asked that God would lift upon him the light of his countenance. He had experienced this, and he says that God "had put gladness into his heart more than in the time that their corn and wine increased." He had more real happiness in the conscious favor of God than the greatest worldly prosperity without that could afford. Religion will, in time of trouble, give more true happiness than all that the world can bestow.
(d) As the result of all, and in view of all these mercies and comforts, he says that he will lie calmly down and sleep. Though he had enemies, his mind is composed and calm; though there may be dangers, he can confide in God; and though he may be less prospered in worldly things than others, he has a joy in religion superior to all that the world can give; and that makes the mind calm as the body is committed to rest in the darkness of the night, Psalm 4:8.

David prays to be heard, Psalm 4:1; expostulates with the ungodly, Psalm 4:2; exhorts them to turn to God, and make their peace with him, Psalm 4:3-5; shows the vain pursuits of men in search of happiness, which he asserts exists only in the approbation of God, Psalm 4:6, Psalm 4:7; commends himself to the Lord, and then quietly takes his repose, Psalm 4:8.
This Psalm seems to have been composed on the same occasion with the preceding, viz., Absalom's rebellion. It appears to have been an evening hymn, sung by David and his company previously to their going to rest. It is inscribed to the chief Musician upon Neginoth, למנצח בנגינות lamnatstseach binginoth. Probably the first word comes from נצח natsach, to be over, or preside; and may refer to the precentor in the choir. Some suppose that it refers to the Lord Jesus, who is the Supreme Governor, or victorious Person; the Giver of victory. Neginoth seems to come from נגן nagan, to strike; and probably may signify some such instruments as the cymbal, drum, etc., and stringed instruments in general. But there is no certainty in these things. What they mean, or what they were, is known to no man.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 4
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalm of David. This psalm is inscribed "to the chief musician", or "conqueror" (d): who excelled others in the art of music, and carried the glory from them; who was very skilful, and instructed others in it, and was the master of the song, as Chenaniah, 1-Chronicles 15:22; who set the tune, led on the psalm, and had the whole direction and management of it; and so the Jewish doctors (d) generally understand it of one that presided over the rest of the musicians and singers; and to such an one was this psalm sent, to be sung in public worship: for the psalms of David were not composed for private use only, but for public service; and were committed into the hands and care of the chief of the singers, as Asaph and others; see 1-Chronicles 16:7; by whom they were preserved and transmitted to future ages for the use of the church, not only in the former but in the present dispensation. The Septuagint interpreters, and after them the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, render it "unto the end", or for ever; to this agrees the sense of R. Saadiah Gaon (e), who says,
"this is a psalm of David, who gave it to one of the singers to sing it continually,''
as if it was "for ever"; but the former sense is best, to understand it of the chief musician, or precentor, who is said to be "on neginoth": the singular; "neginah", is used in the title of Psalm 61:1, and it is sometimes rendered "a song", as in Job 30:9; hence the Vulgate Latin version here renders it "in songs"; and the Septuagint renders it "in psalms"; and then the meaning is, that this person was the chief man that presided over the songs and psalms: though the Jewish writers (f), for the most part, interpret it of a musical instrument so called; not such an one as was blown, as the pipe and trumpet, but what was played upon with the hand; see 1-Samuel 16:16; a stringed instrument, which was touched with the fingers as an harp, or struck with a quill or bow as a violin. And as there were various instruments of music used in the temple service, so there were persons set over them, some over one sort, and some over another; and this man presided over the instruments that were played with the hand: and it looks as if this psalm was to be sung to such an instrument, by its being inscribed and sent to him. Aben Ezra takes the word to be, "the beginning of a song"; and the Targum renders the whole, "to sing upon the chorus" or "dances". It is called "a Psalm of David", being written by him, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God; the occasion of it was Absalom's rebellion; and it was written when he fled from him, as the preceding, as Kimchi thinks; but, according to Lightfoot and others, it was the rebellion of Sheba, 2-Samuel 20:1, though others refer it to the time of his distresses and persecutions by Saul; according to the Jewish Rabbins (g), where there are the words , as they are both in this title, the psalm belongs to future time, to the world to come, to the times of the Messiah.
(d) "victori", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "vincenti", Munster. (d) Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, & Ben Melech in loc. (e) Apud Aben Ezra in loc. (f) Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc. and others in Aben Ezra in loc. (g) Kimchi Praefat. in Psalm.

(Psalm 4:1-5) The children of men reproved, and the happiness of godly people.
(Psalm 4:6-8) God's favour is happiness.

(In the Hebrew, v.1 is the designation 'To the leader:...'; from then on v.1-8 in English translation corresponds to v.2-9 in the Hebrew)
Evening Hymn of One Who Is Unmoved before Backbiters and Men of Little Faith
The Davidic morning hymn is now followed by a Davidic evening hymn. It is evident that they belong together from the mutual relation of Psalm 4:7 with Psalm 3:3, and Psalm 3:6 with Ps 4:9. They are the only two Psalm in which the direct words of others are taken up into a prayer with the formula "many say," רבים אמרים. The history and chronological position of the one is explained from the inscription of the other. From the quousque Psalm 4:3, and the words of the feeble-faiths Psalm 4:7, it follows that Psalm 4:1-8 is the later of the two.
It is at the head of this Psalm that we are first met by למנצּח (or למנצּח with Gaja, Habakkuk 3:19), which still calls for investigation. It is found fifty five times in the Psalter, not 54 as is usually reckoned: viz., 19 times in book 1, 25 times in book 2, 8 times in book 3, 3 times in book 4. Only two of the Psalm, at the head of which it is found, are anonymous: viz., Ps 66, Psalm 67:1-7. All the others bear the names of David and of the psalmists celebrated from David's time, viz., 39 of David, 9 of the Korahites, 5 of Asaph. No fewer than 30 of these Psalm are Elohimic. למנצח is always the first word of the inscription; only in Ps 88, which is easily liable to be overlooked in reckoning, is it otherwise, because there two different inscriptions are put together.
The meaning of the verb נצּח is evident from the Chronicles and the Book of Ezra, which belongs to them. The predilection of the chronicler for the history of religious worship and antiquarian lore is also of use in reference to this word. He uses it in the history of the time of David, of Solomon, of Josiah, of Zerubbabel and Joshua, and always in connection with the accounts of the Temple-service and the building of single parts of the Temple. To discharge the official duties of the Temple-service is called נצּח על־מלאכת בּית־ה 1-Chronicles 23:4 (comp. Psalm 28:1), and the expression is used in Ezra 3:8. of the oversight of the work and workmen for the building of the Temple. The same 3300 (3600) overseers, who are called הרדים בּעם העשׂים בּמּלאכה in 1-Kings 5:5 are described by the chronicler (2-Chronicles 2:1) as מנצּחים עליהם. In connection with the repair of the Temple under Josiah we read that Levites were appointed לנצּח (2-Chronicles 34:12), namely לכל עשׂה מלאכה (2-Chronicles 34:13), instead of which we find it said in 2-Chronicles 2:17 להעביד, to keep the people at their work. The primary notion of נצח is that of shining, and in fact of the purest and most dazzling brightness; this then passes over to the notion of shining over to outshining, and in fact both of uninterrupted continuance and of excellence and superiority (vid., Ithpa. Daniel 6:4, and cf. 1-Chronicles 23:4 with Psalm 9:13; 1-Corinthians 15:54 with Isaiah 25:8). Thus, therefore, מנצּח is one who shows eminent ability in any department, and then it gains the general signification of master, director, chief overseer. At the head of the Psalm it is commonly understood of the direct of the Temple-music. מנצּח est dux cantus - Luther says in one place - quem nos dicimus den Kappellenmeister the band-master, qui orditur et gubernat cantum, ἔξαρχος (Opp. lat. xvii. 134 ed. Erl.). But 1st, even the Psalm of Asaph have this למנצח at the beginning, and he was himself a director of the Temple-music, and in fact the chief-director (חראשׁ) 1-Chronicles 16:5, or at any rate he was one of the three (Heman, Asaph, Ethan), to whom the 24 classes of the 4000 Levite singers under the Davidico-Salomonic sanctuary were subordinate; 2ndly, the passage of the chronicler (1-Chronicles 15:17-21) which is most prominent in reference to this question, does not accord with this explanation. According to this passage the three directors of the Temple-music managed the cymbals להשׁמיע, to sound aloud; eight other musicians of high rank the nablas and six others the citherns לנצּח. This expression cannot mean "to direct," for the direction belonged to the three, and the cymbals were also better adapted to it than the citherns. It means "to take the lead in the playing": the cymbals directed and the citherns, better adapted to take the lead in the playing, were related to them, somewhat as the violins to the clarinets now-a-days. Hence מנצּח is not the director of the Temple-music but in general the master of song, and למנצח addresses the Psalm to him whose duty it is to arrange it and to train the Levite choristers; it therefore defines the Psalm as belonging to the songs of the Temple worship that require musical accompaniment. The translation of the Targum (Luther) also corresponds to this general sense of the expression: לשׁבּחא "to be sung liturgically," and the lxx: εἰς τὸ τέλος, if this signifies "to the execution" and does not on the contrary ascribe an eschatological meaning to the Psalm.
(Note: Thus e.g., Eusebius: εἰς τὸ τέλος ὡς ἂν μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος μελλόντων πληροῦαθαι, and Theodoret: σημαίνει τὸ εἰς τὸ τέλος ὅτι μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις πληρωθήσεται τὰ προφητευόμενα, with which accords Pesachim 117a ניצוח ונגון לעתיד לבא, i.e., Psalm with למנצח and בנגינות refer to the last days. Gregory of Nyssa combines the different translations by rendering: εἰς τέλος ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ νἰκη. Ewald's view, that τέλος in this formula means consecration, celebration, worship, is improbable; in this signification it is not a Septuagint word.)
The בּנגינות which is added is not governed by it. This can be seen at once from Habakkuk 3:19 : to the chief singer, with an accompaniment of my stringed instruments (vid., my Commentary), which Hitzig renders: to the chief singer of my musical pieces; but נצּח בּ is not a phrase that can be supported, and נגינה does not mean a piece of music. The Piel, נגּן, complete with בּיר, signifies to touch the strings (cogn. נגע), to play a stringed instrument. Whence comes נגיות (Psalm 77:7; Isaiah 38:20) which is almost always used as a pluralet.: the play of the stringed instruments, and the superscribed בּנגינות Psalm 4:1; Psalm 6:1; Psalm 54:1; Psalm 67:1; Psalm 76:1 : with an accompaniment of the stringed instruments; and b is used as in Psalm 49:5, Isaiah 30:29, Isaiah 30:32. The hymn is to be sung in company with, probably with the sole accompaniment of, the stringed instruments. The fact of the inscribed words למנצח בנגינות preceding מזמור לדוד probably arises from the fact of their being written originally at the top over the chief title which gave the generic name of the hymn and the author.