To the chief Musician upon Neginah, [A Psalm] of David. "Neginah" is either the beginning of a song, as Aben Ezra; or the musical note or tune of one: or rather the name of a musical instrument, which was touched by the hand, or with a quill or bow.
It is the singular of "neginoth", See Gill on "Ps 4:1". This psalm was written by David, when at the end of the earth, or land of Judea, as appears from Ps 61:2; either when he was fighting with the Syrians, as R.
Obadiah, and so was composed about the same time with the former; or when he was in the land of the Philistines, being obliged to fly there from Saul, as Kimchi and others: or rather after he himself was king, since mention is made of the king in it; and when he fled from his son Absalom, and passed over to the other side of Jordan, and came to Mahanaim, 2Sa 17:22; where very probably he wrote this psalm.
In it respect is had to the Messiah, as in Ps 61:2; though Arama thinks it was composed after the prophecy came to Nathan that David should not build the temple; see Ps 61:4.Ver. 1. Hear my cry, O God,....
Being in distress; and which was vocally expressed with great fervency and importunity;attend unto my prayer; which psalm was made by him, and not for him; inwrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and put up by him with a true heart and full assurance of faith, and related to his own case in particular.