PSALMS תהלים

The book of Psalms is from the Old Testament, composed of sacred songs, or sacred poems meant to be sung. In its present form, the book of Psalms consists of 150 poems divided into five books (1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–150), the first four of which are marked off by concluding doxologies. Psalm 150 serves as a doxology for the entire collection.

This specific numbering follows the Hebrew Bible; slight variations, such as conjoined or subdivided psalms, occur in other versions. The fivefold division is perhaps meant to be an imitation of the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament), suggesting that the book reached its present form through liturgical use.

The psalms themselves range in mood and expression of faith from joyous celebration to solemn hymn and bitter protest. They are sometimes classified according to form or type; the major forms include the hymn (e.g., 104, 135), the lament (e.g., 13, 80), the song of confidence (e.g., 46, 121), and the song of thanksgiving (e.g., 9, 136).

They may also be classified according to the subject matter. Thus a number of psalms have been called “royal” psalms (2, 18, 20, 21, 28, 44, 45, 61, 63, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132) because they feature the king, portraying him as both the representative of Yahweh to the community and the representative of the community to Yahweh.

Psalm 1:1 – “Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers”

Psalm 12:1 – “Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”

Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Psalm 22:16-19 – “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

Psalm 23:1 – “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

Psalm 29:1-2 – “Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”

Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 119:1-2 – “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Psalm 119:105 – “Nun. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

The Psalter is from first to last poetry, even though it contains many prayers and not all Old Testament prayers were poetic (see 1Ki 8:23-53; Ezr 9:6-15; Ne 9:5-37; Da 9:4-19) — nor, for that matter, was all praise poetic (see 1Ki 8:15-21). The Psalms are impassioned, vivid, and concrete; they are rich in images, similes, and metaphors. Assonance, alliteration, and wordplays abound in the Hebrew text. Effective use of repetition and the piling up of synonyms and complements to fill out the picture are characteristic.

Keywords frequently highlight major themes in prayer or song. Enclosure (repetition of a significant word or phrase at the end that occurs at the beginning) frequently wraps up a composition or a unit within it. The notes on the structure of the individual psalms often call attention to literary frames within which the psalm has been set.

Hebrew poetry lacks rhyme and regular meter. Its most distinctive and pervasive feature is parallelism. Most poetic lines are composed of two (sometimes three) balanced segments (the balance is often loose, with the second segment commonly somewhat shorter than the first). The second segment either echoes (synonymous parallelism), contrasts (antithetic parallelism), or syntactically completes (synthetic parallelism) the first.

These three types are generalizations and are not wholly adequate to describe the rich variety that the creativity of the poets has achieved within the basic two-segment line structure.

The book of Psalms is often divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology (i.e., a benediction).

Psalms 1–41: “The book of Psalms begins with a contrast between the godly and the ungodly. Some of these psalms put great emphasis on trusting God rather than earthly objects or people and remind us that we need not fear because God is with us. Another psalm reminds us that God will judge our hearts and that we should seek God’s mercy.”

Psalms 42–72: “These psalms could be summarized with the phrase “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1). One psalm reminds us to cast our burdens upon the Lord in every challenge or trial. Another encourages us to wait patiently upon God in all things.”

Psalms 73–89: “These psalms encompass several themes and frequently describe God as a judge who can rebuke wicked earthly judges and destroy Israel’s enemies. In Psalm 86, King David records a plea that God teaches us His way so we can walk in truth.”

Psalms 90–106: “Many of these psalms encourage us to praise the Lord, remember that vengeance belongs to Him, declare His glory, and serve Him with gladness.”

Psalms 107–150: “These psalms recognize that “children are a heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3) and that they are an eternal blessing for righteous parents. One psalm near the end of the book offers a heartfelt plea that the Lord will deliver us and keep us from the evil and violent practices of wicked men.”

Determining where the Hebrew poetic lines or line segments begin or end (scanning) is sometimes an uncertain matter. Even the Septuagint at times scans the lines differently from the way the Hebrew texts now available to us do. It is therefore not surprising that modern translations occasionally differ.

A related problem is the extremely concise, often elliptical writing style of the Hebrew poets. The syntactical connection of words must at times be inferred simply from context. Where more than one possibility presents itself, translators are confronted with ambiguity. They are not always sure with which line segment a border word or phrase is to be read.

The stanza structure of Hebrew poetry is also a matter of dispute. Occasionally, recurring refrains mark off stanzas, as in Ps. 42-43; 57. In Ps. 110, two balanced stanzas are divided by their introductory oracles (see also the introduction to Ps. 132), while Ps. 119 devotes eight lines to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

For the most part, however, no such obvious indicators are present. The Bible has used spaces to mark off poetic paragraphs (called “stanzas” in the notes). Usually, this could be done with some confidence, and the reader is advised to be guided by them.

According to the Bible, the Temple Mount was originally a threshing floor owned by Araunah, a Jebusite. The Bible narrates how David united the twelve Israelite tribes, conquered Jerusalem, and brought the Israelites‘ central artifact, the Ark of the Covenant, into the city. When a great plague struck Israel, a destroying angel appeared on Araunah’s threshing floor.

The prophet Gad then suggested the area to David as a fitting place for the erection of an altar to Yahweh. David bought the property from Araunah, for fifty pieces of silver, and erected the altar. God answered his prayers and stopped the plague. David subsequently the site for a future temple to replace the Tabernacle and house the Ark of the Covenant; God forbade him from building it, however, because he had “shed much blood”.

The First Temple was instead constructed under David’s son Solomon, who became an ambitious builder of public works in ancient Israel.

Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where (the LORD) appeared unto David his father; for which provision had been made in the Place of David, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3:1)

Solomon placed the Ark in the Holy of Holies – the windowless innermost sanctuary and most sacred area of the temple in which God’s presence rested; entry into the Holy of Holies was heavily restricted, and only the High Priest of Israel entered the sanctuary once per year carrying the blood of a sacrificial lamb and burning incense.