Quick Access (phone users may need to turn sideways for better view)
Preliminary: The psalms, as songs, are both for touching the mind and the heart, therefore with some of the shorter psalms (say less than 12 verses) , after the section with helps, we invite you to read the psalm (out loud perhaps) and let it touch your heart.
Basics
BOOK: Psalms
Description: songs of praise, thanksgiving, questioning etc.
Author: Various – see individual psalms
Date written: probably finally compiled in third century BC
Chapters: 150 psalms
Brief Synopsis:
- Very obviously gets its name by its contents: songs or poems or ‘psalms’
- Although the whole book is divided into five (see Outline below) it is not easy to categorize the whole book. Various attempts have been made, by author or subject matter.
The book of psalms, the reader will find, is divided into five books as follows:
Book 1: 1-41 / Book 2: 42-72 / Book 3: 73-89 / Book 4: 90-106 / Book 5: 107-150
Classification by Size
Perhaps another possible, suggested way of assessing the psalms:
- Small – Less than ten verses: 50 [smallest being 17 [2], 133,134 [both 3]
- Large – 20 or more verses: 37 [largest being 119 [176], 78 [72],89 [52]
- Medium -10-19 verses: 63
i.e. 113 have less than 20 verses [75% or three-quarters]
i.e. the vast majority are relatively small psalms
Of the really longer ones (numbers of verses in the brackets):
- Psa 18 [50] – David’s song of deliverance
- Psa 22 [31] – David’s prophetic, Messianic song of oppression & deliverance
- Psa 37 [40] – David’s psalm of commitment
- Psa 68 [35] – David’s song of trust
- Psa 69 [36] – David’s song of deliverance
- Psa 78 [72] – Asaph’s history of the Exodus
- Psa 89 [52] – Ethan’s [history] affirmation of David’s reign
- Psa 104 [35] – Unnamed, history of Creation
- Psa 105 [45] – Unnamed, history of the Patriarchs and the Exodus
- Psa 106 [48] – Unnamed, history of Israel’s sins during the Exodus
- Psa 107 [43] – Unnamed, illustrations of the Lord’s deliverance
- Psa 119 [176] – Extolling the word of the Lord [the Law]
Classification by Author
- David 73
- Unnamed 50
- Asaph 12
- Sons of Korah 11
- Solomon 2
- Ethan 1
- Moses 1
Classification by Type
Also note this ancient system of classification:
- (mizmor (“psalm” or a poem sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument)
- shiggaion (Psa 7 title. a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion)
- miktam (Psa 16,56,57,58,59 title: unknown but possibly a song of mysteries)
- shir (Psa 66,67,68,8,87,88,92,108 “a song”)
- maskil (Psa 32,42,44,45,52,53,54,55,60,74,78,88,89,142 title: a contemplative poem)
- tephillah (Psa 86,90,142 “sung prayer”)
- tehillah (Psa 145 “song of praise”)
- lehazkir (Psa 70 “for being remembered” i.e., before God, a petition)
- letodah (Psa 100 “for praising” or “for giving thanks”)
- lelammed (Psa 60 title “for teaching”)
- shir yedidot (Psa 45 title: “song of loves” i.e., a wedding song).
The meaning of many of these terms, however, is uncertain but our research suggests the above possibilities, which may shed light on the nature of the psalm we come to study. In addition, some titles contain two of these (especially mizmor and shir), indicating that the types are diversely based and overlapping.
Classification by Use or Purpose
A few of the psalms say when they were used:
| 30 | For the dedication of the temple |
| 45 | A wedding song. |
| 92 | For the Sabbath day |
| 102 | A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. |
Classification by Content
Trying to analyze by content could produce the following:
- prayers of the individual (e.g., Psa 3:7-8)
- praise from the individual for God’s saving help (e.g., Psa 30; 34)
- prayers of the community (e.g., Psa 12; 44; 79)
- praise from the community for God’s saving help (e.g., Psa 66; 75)
- confessions of confidence in the Lord (e.g., Psa 11; 16; 52)
- hymns in praise of God’s majesty and virtues (e.g., Psa 8; 19; 29; 65)
- hymns celebrating God’s universal reign (Psa 47; 93-99)
- songs of Zion, the city of God (Psa 46; 48; 76; 84; 122; 126; 129; 137)
- royal psalms: concerning the king, the Lord’s anointed (e.g., Psa 2; 18; 20; 45; 72; 89; 110)
- pilgrimage songs (Psa 120-134)
- liturgical songs (e.g., Psa 15; 24; 68)
- instructional) songs (e.g., Psa 1; 34; 37; 73; 112; 119; 128; 133).
Messianic Psalms
There are a number of psalms that contain references to the coming Messiah, i.e. they have prophetic elements to them which are picked up in the New Testament. The following are just some of them to start you off:
- Psa 2 The Son who reigns
- Psa 16 Not abandoned to the grave
- Psa 22 The death of Christ
- Psa 40 A body prepared
- Psa 45 Marriage of the lamb
- Psa 69 Consumed by zeal
- Psa 72 The Messianic rule
- Psa 89 The Davidic King
- Psa 110 The royal priest
- Psa 118 The rejected cornerstone
- Psa 132 David’s horn and lamp
Psalms in Historical Context
Some titles explain when it was written:
| 3 | David. When he fled from his son Absalom |
| 7 | David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. |
| 18 | David. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. |
| 34 | David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left. |
| 51 | David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. |
| 52 | David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” |
| 54 | David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?” |
| 56 | David. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath. |
| 57 | David. When he had fled from Saul into the cave. |
| 59 | David. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. |
| 60 | David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. |
| 63 | David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. |
| 142 | David. When he was in the cave. |
Usage
It is difficult to quantify or qualify the psalms without going into much greater depth than is practical here, and when we have sought to provide a summary title at the beginning of each psalm, it has not always been easy. The reader may wish to see if they agree with the title or produce ones more in line with their own understandings.
We would also note that because of the varying complexity and lengths of the psalms, we have varied the layouts and use of headings, sub-headings etc. to try to make as clear as possible the meaning as we see it in each individual case.
Some readers will perhaps prefer to read the psalms (poems or songs) without the ‘interruption’ of headings, notes etc. and we would simply refer them back to the many other versions of the Bible, either in hard print or online.
The stated goal of this ‘easy-read Bible is to enable the reader to read, study or meditate on individual verses or paragraphs to catch verse meanings as well as catch an overall sense of a chapter (in this case, the Psalm). Because these psalms are poems or songs (not in the original language) we need to recognize that we may miss something of the wonder of the translated song, especially when we are focusing on individual verses.
For this reason, as well as using this study material, we also recommend the reader to take a more traditional copy of the Bible and read out loud the particular psalm being considered to catch the overall sense. For the shorter ones, we have provided the simple text below the ‘helps’ passages.
Concluding Comments
- The psalms have provided hope and consolation for man.
- A large number of the psalms were written by David and in his teens and twenties at least, he spent life as a warrior, and often on the run from King Saul. Thus so many of his psalms are cries for help and cries of anguish.
- Yet also among the psalms are tremendous insights about God, His greatness, His character and Hid dealings with His people. There is a tremendous spectrum of knowledge and experience to be found in the Psalms.
- We must always remember that in fact they are songs of the heart and not intellectual teaching.
- David, in his early days was a shepherd (who learned to fight off wild beasts) but was also clearly a musician (see 1 Sam16:18) and when he came to power as king, he established musicians to be the foundation for a worshipping people (see 1 Chron 15:16 and ongoing 2 Chron 5:12,13). We should not be surprised, therefore, at the musical designations over so many of his psalms. They were for public declaration and singing.
- Although we have written much about the psalms here, we must conclude with the comment that the psalms are best read rather than read about!
- Try reading them out loud slowly, putting meaning and emphasis into them, to catch the full emotional impact that is there within them. Be moved by them.