The Hebrew neginah (plural: neginoth) refers to music played on stringed instruments, a musical song, or in darker contexts, a mocking taunt or byword. It appears in the superscriptions of several Psalms (e.g., Psalm 4, 6, 54, 55, 61, 67, 76) as a performance direction.
Neginah spans the full range of human expression — from the highest worship to the deepest shame. In the Psalms, 'neginoth' in the superscription indicates the psalm was to be performed with stringed instruments — likely lyres and harps — in the temple worship. The beauty of music as an offering to God is embedded in this word. But neginah also appears in Job (30:9) and Lamentations (3:14) to describe how the suffering person has become a song of mockery — a taunt in others' mouths. Jesus fulfilled this dual reality: He was the Supreme Worshipper ('he who sanctifies,' Hebrews 2:11) who also became the object of mocking songs at His crucifixion (Psalm 22:7 fulfillment). Music, in Scripture, is never neutral — it either glorifies God or wounds the soul.