Bible: Psalms
The Book of Psalms is a significant collection of sacred songs and poems found in both the Jewish and Christian Bibles. Comprising 150 individual psalms, it has been created by multiple authors over many centuries, primarily intended for musical performance. The psalms can be categorized based on their emotional expression, purpose—such as praise, lamentation, or thanksgiving—and stylistic elements. This collection serves as an essential resource for prayer and worship, holding deep significance in various religious settings. Notably familiar examples include Psalm 23, known for its comforting themes, and Psalm 91, which speaks of divine protection.
The term "psalm" originates from a Greek word meaning a poem sung with stringed instrument accompaniment, while in Hebrew, the collection is referred to as "Tehillim," meaning "praises." Traditionally, King David is seen as the primary author, although modern scholarship suggests the psalms were written by various individuals between the ninth and fifth centuries BCE. The Book of Psalms is structured into five sections, mirroring the five books of the Pentateuch, and employs poetic forms like parallelism to enhance its lyrical quality. Used in both ancient and contemporary worship, psalms continue to be recited regularly by followers of both religious traditions, highlighting their enduring spiritual relevance.
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Bible: Psalms
Psalms is a book found in the Jewish and Christian Bibles composed of sacred songs and poems. They were written by a number of different authors over the course of many centuries. Scholars agree that most were intended to be sung. The book comprises 150 individual psalms that can be grouped into categories in different ways, including the emotions expressed, their purpose (praise, lament, etc.), and their style. For Jews and Christians, the psalms serve as a way to pray and worship. They are an important part of many personal and public religious settings. Among the most familiar psalms are Psalm 23, a psalm of comfort, and Psalm 91, a psalm of protection from evil and harm.
Background
The word psalm comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word mizmor, which means a poem sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument. The Greek translation for this word is psalmos, which became the basis for the English name for both the individual writings and the book in which they are collected. The collection is also sometimes known as the psalter, which came from a variation of the word’s translation that appeared in the early Middle Ages. In Hebrew, it is referred to as Tehillim, which means “praises.”
The psalms are attributed to many different authors. Seventy-three psalms are attributed to David, Israel’s most important king, who lived about 1000 BCE. Twelve are attributed to Asaph, a temple musician in David’s court, while eleven others are credited to a group of temple singers known as the Sons of Korah. Solomon, who was David’s son and successor, is cited as the author of two psalms, while the Hebrew prophet Moses and temple musicians Heman and Ethan are named as the author of one each. Jewish tradition credits ten authors. These are the first man, Adam, the high priest Melchizedek, Hebrew patriarch Abraham, temple musician Jeduthun, as well as Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph, Heman, and the Sons of Korah.
Although David is traditionally cited as the primary author of the book, modern scholars doubt his authorship. Instead, they believe the psalms were written by numerous individuals between the ninth and fifth centuries BCE. They believe many psalms were credited to the revered King David or his temple musicians as a way of increasing the psalms’ status and authority.
Overview
Psalms is the first part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, which is known as Writings. It is also one of the thirty-nine books of the Christian Old Testament. It includes 150 individual writings, which are called psalms, both individually and collectively. Scholars believe they were collected into something close to the modern format about the fifth century BCE, near the beginning of what is known as the Second Temple Period (516 BCE–70 CE), when Jews worshiped in the second temple to be built in Jerusalem.
The book is divided into five sections, which most scholars see as an intentional echo of the Pentateuch, as the first five books of the Hebrew Bible are known. Each of the 150 psalms is numbered, with only slight variations between the numbering system in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. Psalms 1–41 are in the first section, followed by 42–72 in the second, 73–89 in the third, 90–106 in the fourth, and 107–150 in the fifth and final section. Each section ends with a doxology, or a song of praise. Some psalms include instructions for the ancient musicians who once performed them.
Theologists and scholars use a variety of different ways to classify the psalms. The most common is the type or genre based on its content. The primary forms are hymns, thanksgiving, laments, royal psalms, and general psalms. Hymn psalms most often begin and end with an invitation to praise God. Psalms of thanksgiving include praise to God for rescuing the author from trouble. Laments come in two forms: personal and communal. In either case, they include telling God about personal troubles, blame leveled at the source of the troubles, denial or acceptance of blame, a request for help from God and the belief it would come, and praise for the anticipated help. Royal psalms are those written about some aspect of the life of the king, such as his coronation or marriage.
There are also a number of general psalms that do not fit into any of these categories. They include pilgrimage psalms, which were sung by Jews on their way to annual visits to the Temple, wisdom psalms that reflect God’s wisdom and emphasis of right versus wrong behavior, and a few other general psalms that do not fit into these categories.
The majority of psalms bear signs that they were originally set to music, featuring word patterns and sentence lengths that are easily sung. They also employ common Jewish poetic techniques, such as various forms of parallelism, in which two lines repeat the same or a similar theme. This allows the poet to reinforce a point by repeating it in a slightly different way. The form that appears most often in the psalms is synonymous parallelism. For example, Psalm 19:1, New International Version [NIV]) says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Antithetical parallelism uses opposites to reinforce a point. “For the Lord watches over the ways of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm. 1:6, NIV). Another commonly used form is comparative parallelism, in which two things are compared to make a point. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1, NIV).
The psalms are used regularly in both Jewish and Christian worship. Ancient Jews sang or recited the psalms in religious services, while traveling, and in other circumstances. Historical sources indicate that early Christians, many of whom were Jews first, incorporated them in their personal and community worship from the earliest days of the faith. Many modern members of both faiths read or recite the entire book of Psalms on a regular basis, ranging from daily to monthly. They are also recited as a part of the funeral services in both faith traditions.
Bibliography
Austin, Valerie. “Psalms Resource: Parallelism and Further Resources on the Psalms.” Faith Community Church,13 Feb. 2019, www.faithchurchwc.org/2019/02/13/psalms-resource-parallelism-and-further-resources-on-the-psalms/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Bucher, Meg. “Who Wrote the Book of Psalms?” Crosswalk,22 Feb. 2022, www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/who-is-the-author-of-the-psalms.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
McKinley, David. “The Significance of the Psalms for Spurgeon.” Spurgeon Center,2 Nov. 2022, www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/blog-entries/the-significances-of-the-psalms-for-spurgeon/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Michal, Gavin. “Exploring Rabbinic Approaches to the Psalms.” Old Testament Essays,vol. 31, no. 1, 2022, dx.doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n1a7. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
“Poetry in the Bible: Parallelism.” Olive Tree, www.olivetree.com/blog/poetry-bible-parallelism/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Rose, Or N. “The Book of Psalms.” My Jewish Learning,2023, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-book-of-psalms/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
“What the Book of Psalms is All About.” David Jeremiah, 2023, davidjeremiah.blog/what-the-book-of-psalms-is-all-about/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
“Who Wrote the Psalms?” Tyndale, www.tyndale.com/sites/tyndalebibles/who-wrote-the-psalms/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.