What is a michtam in the Bible?

Answer  
  

No one is precisely sure what a *michtam* (or *miktam*) was, and that’s why the Hebrew word remains as a transliteration in our English Bibles. Translators didn’t know how to translate *michtam*, so they spelled it phonetically and called it good enough.  
  

Psalm 16 is titled “A *miktam* of David.” The other psalms that are called “*michtams*” are Psalms 56–60\. All six of these are psalms of David. In Isaiah 38:9, King Hezekiah’s song is introduced with these words: “A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery.” The Hebrew word for “writing” here is *miktab*, which many scholars believe is related to *michtam*.  
  

A possibly related word to *michtam* is the Hebrew *katham*, which means “an engraving.” If the underlying meaning of *michtam* is “engraving,” then the songs labeled as “*michtams*” could have been considered of enough value to be stamped or engraved upon tablets for long\-term preservation. Some scholars see the word *michtam* as meaning “golden,” a definition that would similarly assign great value to a song so labeled. A *michtam* could be “a psalm as precious as stamped gold”; if so, today’s top\-selling songs that are “certified gold” could be considered “*michtams*” of a sort.  
  

The link between a *michtam* and golden worth is speculative, however. Other scholars think the word *michtam* is simply a [technical term](Psalms-musical-terms.html) to guide the singer or to denote the tune to be played. In the end, we don’t know. Like the words *maskil*, *selah*, and *shigionoth*, *michtam* remains somewhat of a mystery in the Hebrew song book.  
  

