Title. המעלות שׁיר Shiir hammangaloth.] It is not known by whom this psalm was composed; but it seems to have been designed to be sung at the shutting up of the gates of the temple: the two first verses by the high priest, to excite the priests and Levites, whose turn it was to watch that night, to be diligent in their office of singing psalms: and making devout prayers for the people; and the last verse by those priests and Levites who there prayed for God's blessing upon him who had thus admonished them of their duty.