Category:Degrees

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Degrees - Song of Song Degrees, of steps, a title given to each of these fifteen psalms, Ps. 120-134 inclusive. The probable origin of this name is the circumstance that these psalms came to be sung by the people on the ascents or goings up to Jerusalem to attend the three great festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16). They were well fitted for being sung by the way from their peculiar form, and from the sentiments they express. "They are characterized by brevity, by a key-word, by epanaphora [i.e., repetition, and by their epigrammatic style...More than half of them are cheerful, and all of them hopeful." They are sometimes called "Pilgrim Songs." Four of them were written by David, one (Psalms 127:1) by Solomon, and the rest are anonymous.