תהלים, פרק נ״ד, פסוק א׳

Musical directions often set the stage for the prayers and praises that follow. The initial instruction acts as a formal introduction, signaling the start of a sacred poem or song [אבן עזרא].

The preservation of this musical term through history reveals the deep care taken by those who copied the texts. While traditional scribal notes dictate a complete spelling for the term—marking it as one of only three times in the biblical record where it should appear in its full form—some highly accurate ancient manuscripts preserve it with a slightly shorter spelling [מנחת שי].