† I. [
נָצַח] 
verb be pre-eminent, enduring (Ecclus [Pi.] 
make brilliant Ecclesiasticus 43:5; Ecclesiasticus 43:13 [?] (compare Oxford ed.
xxxiii); Late Hebrew 
נָצַח conquer, etc.; Phoenician 
נצח, Aramaic 
H5330 נְצַח, 
 shine, be illustrious, pre-eminent, victorious
 shine, be illustrious, pre-eminent, victorious; Arabic 
 be pure, reliable
 be pure, reliable; Ethiopic 
 be pure, innocent
 be pure, innocent; both classes of meaning probably derived form 
shine, be bright, brilliant, see also Dr
1S 15, 29); — 
Niph. Participle active feminine 
נִצַּ֫חַת Jeremiah 8:5 enduring (
מְשֻׁבָה apostasy). 
Piel = 
act as overseer, superintendent, director, only Chronicles and Psalm-titles; — 
Infinitive לְנַצֵּחַ 1 Chronicles 15:21 + 
4 times; participle 
לַמְנַצֵּחַ Habakkuk 3:19; 
Psalm 4:1 + 
54 times Psalms; 
plural מְנַצְּחִים 2 Chronicles 2:1 [
2 Chronicles 2:2]; 
2 Chronicles 2:17 [
2 Chronicles 2:18]; 
2 Chronicles 34:13; — 
    3. in liturgical service of song, 
עלהֿשׁמינית, over the bass voices, leading them with 
כִּנֹּרוֺת 1 Chronicles 15:21; 
לַמְנַצֵּחַ in titles Psalms has probably simile meaning, = 
musical director or 
choirmaster; Greek Vrss. of 2nd cent. A.D., Aq Theod Sym, and so Jerome, think of Aramaic 
victorious, but no clear explanation; 
 εἰς τὸ τέλος
 εἰς τὸ τέλος (probably 
לַמִּנְצָח) follows ordinary meaning of noun 
נֵצַח, which may be explained in eschatological sense as referring to end of age of world after Euseb Theod; or for 
full rendering after De; neither satisfactory. Chronicles, near in date, gives the clue which is intrinsically probably: 
לְ indicates, not assignment (nothing special in these Psalms to suggest it, and assignment of Psalms for such use a matter of course), but that these Psalms were taken by final editor from an older major Psalter known as the Director's Collection, compare the still earlier collections known as 
(ל)דוד, 
(ל)אסף, 
(ל)בני קרח. The 55 Psalms with 
למנצח were taken 39 from Davidic, 9 from Korahite, and 5 from Asaphic Psalters; only 2 anonymous. 
Habakkuk 3 originally belonged to Director's Psalter. This and other Director's Psalms have musical directions in titles. The Director's Psalter was probably the prayer-book of synagogue of Greek period, presupposed by our Hab., the collection of the twelve Minor Prophets, the prophetic canon, and Daniel (see Br
Gen. Intr. 123).
 
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