In the heading to Psalm 7, we read:
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
And in Habbakuk 3:1, we read:
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
Do you notice the similarity between those two words: shiggaion and shigionoth? Well, that’s because shigionoth is just the plural form of shiggaion.
Well, now you’re asking, what do either of those words mean?
So far as I can tell, there are three main theories.
Assyrian Shigu
One theory suggests that the word shiggaion comes from the Assyrian word shigu, meaning “lament”.
This could make sense because both Psalm 7 and Habakkuk 3 describe stories of lament and destruction.
However, this does not sound like a very popular nor likely theory.
It could fit in place with Psalm 7 as “a lament of David”, but it sounds weird in Habakkuk 3 that the song is sung “according to lament”. Typically, a word like that in Hebrew refers to some sort of musical term.
Hebrew shagah
Both of these other theories are based on the idea that shiggaion actually comes from the Hebrew word shagah, meaning “to make a mistake” or “to wander”.
The second overall theory is that the word shiggaion essentially means “a mistake”. If this is correct, then the idea is that someone committed a mistake in both of the songs: Psalm 7 and Habakkuk 3.
There are scholars who try to point out how each song shows someone making a mistake. One example is how some people argue that Psalm 7 indirectly talks about David making a mistake by being tempted to kill Saul or overthrow him by force.
This theory doesn’t hold up too well overall, but especially not when it comes to Habakkuk 3. Saying that the song is “according to mistakes” just makes no sense, especially in the context of the chapter.
The Likely Theory
Now, there is one guess which seems to be the most popular and make the most sense.
This theory goes that shiggaion does come from shagah. But it has an emphasis on the definition “to wander”.
If shiggaion means something like “a wandering”, then it could just mean a song that is wild and goes all over the place in its tune.
And, everyone who writes about this theory always compares the word to a very specific English word. So, I suppose that I’m obligated to do the same.
Dithyramb.
There.
If you already know what the word dithyramb means, then good for you. I hope the comparison helps you understand shiggaion better.
As for pretty much everyone else who, like me, has no clue what this word means, here’s the definition.
A wild, impassioned song. Originally in reference to a song for the Greek god of wine and drunkenness, Dionysus.
So, when translators and scholars say that the word shiggaion was likely a dithyramb, they mean that the song was all over the place. Fast here. Slow there. High pitched here. Low pitched there. Shouting here. Whispering there. Enthusiasm everywhere.
In the end, this theory seems to make the most sense. The word shiggaion probably meant some sort of an impassioned, enthusiastic song. So, both Psalm 7 and Habakkuk 3 were probably sung in a specific, energized way.