Degrees, Song of

The Songs of Degrees (also called Songs of Ascents) are a collection of fifteen Psalms (Psalms 120–134) each bearing the superscription shir ha-ma'alot, rendered variously as "song of degrees," "song of ascents," or "song of steps." The most widely accepted interpretation is that these were pilgrimage songs sung by Jewish worshippers as they went up (ascended) to Jerusalem for the three great annual festivals — Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). An alternative view holds that the "degrees" refer to the fifteen steps ascending from the Court of Women to the Court of Israel in the temple, on which Levites stood to sing. The collection includes both national prayers (Psalms 120, 126, 132) and intimate hymns of trust and household blessing (Psalms 127, 128, 131, 133).