Psalms About this book
About this book
The book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible. Psalms are poems that can either be sung as songs or spoken as prayers by individuals or groups. There are 150 psalms in this book, and many of them list King David as their author. They were collected over a long period of time and became a very important part of the worship of the people of Israel.
Some of the psalms tell the music leader what instruments should be used and what tunes should be followed. For example, look at Psalm 4 and Psalm 45.
Many of the Bible's main ideas are echoed in the Psalms: praise, thankfulness, faith, hope, sorrow for sin, God's loyalty and help. And at the heart of all the psalms there is a deep trust in God. The writers of the psalms always express their true feelings, whether they are praising God for his blessings or complaining in times of trouble.
In ancient Israel the psalms were used in several different ways: (1) to praise God, as in Psalm 105; (2) to express sorrow, as in Psalm 13; (3) to teach, as in Psalm 1; (4) to honour Israel's king and pray for fairness in his rule, as in Psalm 72; (5) to tell of God's power over all creation, as in Psalm 47; (6) to show love for Jerusalem, as in Psalm 122; and (7) to celebrate festivals, as in Psalm 126. Of course, many of the psalms could be used for more than one purpose.
Jesus used the psalms when he preached and taught, and they were often quoted by the writers of the New Testament. The earliest Christians also used the psalms in worship, teaching, and telling others the good news about what God has done through Jesus Christ. A verse from Psalm 118, for example, is directly referred to six times in the New Testament:
The stone that the builders
tossed aside
has now become
the most important stone.
(118.22)
A quick look at this book
The book of Psalms is divided into five sections or “books”. Most of the psalms in Books 1 and 2 were written by David, while many in Book 3 were written by either Asaph or the people of Korah. Psalms 120-134 are all “celebration psalms”. The five sections of the book of Psalms are:
Book 1 (1—41)
Book 2 (42—72)
Book 3 (73—89)
Book 4 (90—106)
Book 5 (107—150)
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Psalms About this book: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Psalm Introduction
Introduction
The Book of Psalms has often been called the hymnbook and prayer book of the Bible. The individual psalms were written in the meter and style of classical Hebrew poetry and set for singing as part of public worship. But many of them also can double as personal prayers, read or recited privately. The total number of psalms in this collection is 150 representing a variety of types: laments, songs of thanksgiving and praise of God, pilgrimage songs, wisdom songs, songs of Zion, and songs for the king's enthronement. They also include prayerful songs for God's help, for (personal and national) rescue from disaster, and for forgiveness. They cover a wide range of subjects and express a wide range of emotion. The longest psalm (119) extols the joys and benefits of studying Torah (God's instructions and commandments).
This collection of 150 psalms, however, is not generally organized by “types” or subjects, with the exception of the “Songs of Degrees (Ascent)” (120–134), which were sung by those making pilgrimages up to Jerusalem. Instead, the various types of psalms are simply gathered into five sections, perhaps in recognition of the five books comprising the Torah (Pentateuch): Book I (1–41); Book II (42–72); Book III (73–89); Book IV (90–106); and Book V (107–150). The division between each section is distinctly marked: the final verse of the last psalm in each section concludes with an expression of praise of God and a double or single “Amen” (for example, see the KJV at 41.13, “Amen, and Amen”). Because the language of the psalms is so evocative of the human spirit and trust in God, so worshipful and even healing, these songs of praise and prayer have been at the center of worship and liturgy for Jews and Christians for centuries. Psalms is the most frequently quoted book in the entire Bible, and the New Testament has over 250 allusions to the psalms.
Because the psalms were all composed in Hebrew poetry, this collection is also much valued by scholars as a source for the study of Hebrew poetry and its central feature—poetic parallelism. Unlike English poetry, this style prizes the artful “rhyming” of thoughts, not sounds. This can be seen, for example, in 145.14: “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, / and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” In this system the parallel line echoes or modifies the preceding line in a way that more richly enhances the meaning. Parallelism can also introduce expansions or even contradictions in the parallel line to good effect. For readers, attention to the ways in which the psalms use this poetic feature can be very helpful to understanding. In the KJV most parallelisms occur within a single verse, but some may span two or more verses (e.g., 101.2b,3; 114.5,6).
Outline
Book I (1.1—41.13)
Book II (42.1—72.20)
Book III (73.1—89.52)
Book IV (90.1—106.48)
Book V (107.1—150.6)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.