Overview of the Book
Poetry and songs played a major role in the spiritual formation of the children of Israel during the Old Testament time period. The book of Psalms was used as the hymns of the Israelites and these hymns were sung during feasts and other important occasions. In the English Bible, the book of Psalms is placed as the 19th book and as the second book under the ‘Old Testament Poetical and Wisdom Literature’ division of the Bible. The book is a collection of 150 individual psalms, which are written in the form of either poems or songs. Each of the Psalm is complete in its purpose, message, and context. The major focus of the book is to highlight God’s faithfulness from creation to eternity and human failures in following God’s will in their lives. A variety of topics that are covered in this book are: the existence of God, creation of the universe, His revelation of Himself to creation, humankind and their fall due to disobedience and sin, repentance, God’s justice and judgement, and God’s righteousness and redemption. Also, a variety of worship themes are presented, including – adoration, praise, prayers, thanksgiving, love, and trust. These themes are highlighted in connection with humans’ attitude, emotions, and other feelings.
The relationship between God, as Creator, and mankind, as His handiwork, is very strong in the Psalms. The Psalms portray God as Omniscient (All-knowing), Omnipotent (All-powerful or Almighty), and Omnipresent (All-present). God is introduced to us under numerous familiar titles, such as God, Lord, Creator, Sustainer, a powerful Protector, a strong Deliverer/Redeemer, Savior, a royal Ruler, Divine Healer, Righteous Judge, Good Shepherd, Refuge and Shield in the time of trouble, mighty Fortress, and solid Rock. Humans, as God’s handiwork, are presented as God’s children, righteous and upright people, saints, sheep, apple of His eyes, God’s vineyard, green olives, and as trees planted on the streams. In all probability, the book of Psalms could be one of the most loved and most read book in the Bible.
Title of the Book
The title of the book in the Hebrew Scripture is ‘Tehillim,’ means ‘Praises.’ The title in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as Septuagint is ‘Psalmoi.’ The term Psalmoi means ‘the hymns sung by the help of musical instruments.’ The English title ‘Psalms’ is derived from the Greek term Psalmoi. In later days, these Psalms were considered as Israel’s hymns to praise the Lord as music played a significant role in Israel’s worship.
Authorship and Compilation
God used several people who lived in different contexts and time periods to write the Psalms. To name a few authors, Moses wrote one or more Psalms (Psalm 90), King David wrote more than 73 Psalms, Asaph (the worship leader 1 Chronicles 15:16-19) wrote 12 Psalms, Sons of Korah wrote 10 Psalms, King Solomon wrote two Psalms, Heman and Ethan – the Ezrahites, wrote one Psalm each. However, there is no authorship record for about one-third of the total Psalms. Most of these Psalms were written in 10th century BC, which was known as the golden era of Jewish poetry, except Psalm 90 which was written by Moses around 15th century BC, and Psalm 137 (author’s name is not mentioned) written about 5th century BC after the invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
It is widely believed that the Psalms were collected and compiled under the guidance of kings David and Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 15:16-22; 2 Chronicles 29:25-30). However, the present form of the compilation was done following the captivity by Ezra, with the help of Nehemiah, when they returned to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 10:39; 11:22; 12:27-36, 45-47).
Purpose of Writing
The Psalms were written to express one’s adoration, prayers, praises, and thanksgiving to God. In order to get the full meaning of these writing, one needs to understand the literary style of Jewish poetry and prose. Hebrew poetry and songs were sung or written using three-forms of successive verbal constructions known as parallelism of thought. There are three-forms of parallelism used in the writing of Psalms, they are as follows:
- Synonymous Parallelism: According to this pattern, the following line of poetry or prose essentially restates the first line of thought
- Antithetical Parallelism: According to this pattern, the second line of poetry or prose contrasts the first line of thought
- Synthetic Parallelism: According to this pattern, the following line of poetry or prose progressively completes the first line of thought
So, we understand that the Psalms were written to express one’s prayer, praise, thanksgiving, as well as adoration to God. The study of the Psalms will help us to:
- cherish our being in God
- nourish our devotion to God
- strengthen our faith in God
- renew our commitment to God
- explore new realities of God and His purpose for one’s life
- live a life of righteousness before God and men
Main Divisions of the Book
The book of Psalms is divided into five major theme based books (divisions) and they are as follows:
I. Book One: Psalm 1 – 41 (a total of 41 independent Psalms)
II. Book Two: Psalm 42 – 72 (a total of 31 independent Psalms)
III. Book Three: Psalm 73 – 89 (a total of 17 independent Psalms)
IV. Book Four: Psalm 90 – 106 (a total of 17 independent Psalms)
V. Book Five: Psalm 107 – 150 (a total of 44 independent Psalms)
It is widely accepted among the Bible scholars that Psalms 1 and 150 serves as introduction and conclusion to the book of Psalms respectively. It is very interesting to notice that Books I, II & III end with ‘Amen and Amen; and Books IV & V begin and end with ‘Praise the Lord.’ Another interesting connection is that many Bible scholars compare the book of Psalms with Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and each book of Psalms is compared with each book in the Pentateuch. For instance:
- the first book of Psalms (1-41) is compared with Genesis because the major focus of the first book is God and the creation of the universe and everything in it. This division gives similar details as those that are recorded in the book of Genesis
- the second book of Psalms (42-72) is compared with Exodus, because the focus of the second book is deliverance and redemption, these reflects the details narrated in the book of Exodus
- the third book of Psalms (73-89) is compared with Leviticus, the third book deals with praising and worshipping God, this is closely associated with the contents of book of Leviticus
- the fourth book of Psalms (90-106) is compared with Numbers because the major focus of the fourth book is the wilderness and God’s guidance, this resembles contents of the book of Numbers
- the fifth book of Psalms (107-150) is compared with Deuteronomy because of the fifth book’s emphasis on the manifestation of God’s power if one obeys His Word and worships Him wholeheartedly, this is very similar to the teachings of the book of Deuteronomy.
Themes of the Psalms
The various Psalms could be classified into several themes based on their characteristics. Note that some of the Psalms may be classified under multiple themes. The themes are as follows:
- Psalms of Praise: Psalms 8, 21, 33, 34, 103, 104, 105, 106, 111, 112, 113, 115,116, 117, 135, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150 are considered as praise Psalms. These Psalms are also known as the Hallelujah Psalms. These Psalms highlight the name of God above everyone and everything else with its majesty, splendor, greatness, goodness, and glory.
- Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalms 18, 30, 34, 41, 66, 92, 100, 116, 118, 124, 126, 136, and 138 are the thanksgiving Psalms. These Psalms are written as thanksgiving songs in response to God’s deliverance of His chosen people from their enemies or any dangers in their lives. These Psalms were sung by individuals as well as Israel as a nation.
- Psalms of Prayer and Supplication: Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 43, 54, 67, 69, 70, 79, 80, 85, 86, 88, 90, 102, 141, 142, and 143 are described as Psalms of prayers and supplications. These Psalms indicate the importance of a prayerful life among the Israelites. Through these Psalms, the Israelites communicated their spiritual and physical needs to God Almighty, their provider, which included their longing for God, intercession on behalf of fellow-members, and petitions.
- Psalms for Confession of sins: Psalms 32, 38, 51, and 130 are mainly known as penitential Psalms. These Psalms focus on mainly one’s (or the nation’s) acknowledgement of sin(s) they committed, the confession of these sins before God, and asking for His forgiveness.
- Psalms of God’s Faithfulness: Psalms 78, 105, 106, 108, 114, 126, and 137 recount God’s faithfulness in the life of Israel as a nation. These Psalms highlight the way God had been dealing with His people ever since Abraham was called and separated for His purpose and especially since the time they had been delivered from Egyptian bondage and were formed into a great nation.
- Psalms that Portray God as the Ruler – the King: Psalms 24, 47, 93, 96, 97, 98, and 99 portray God as the Ruler and declare the reign of God in the universe as the Sovereign King.
- Psalms for Festivals and/or special occasions: Psalms 15, 24, 45, 68, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, and 118 were sung during the annual feasts or some special occasions in Israel. Psalm 45 is known as a wedding Psalm and Psalm 118 read at the celebration of Passover.
- Psalms of Personal Devotion to God: Psalms 11, 16, 23, 27, 31, 32, 40, 46, 62, 63, 91, 119, 130, 131, and 139 were sung as one’s devotion to God and trust in Him. These Psalms were sung as a result of one’s commitment to God and one’s trust and confidence in Him.
- Psalms of Ascent: Psalms 43, 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, and 134 were sung when the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual feasts, such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. These Psalms were also known as ‘Songs of Pilgrimage’ or ‘Songs of Zion.’
- Psalms that Describe God’s Creation: Psalms 8, 19, 29, 33, 65, and 104 describe God’s creation of the universe. These Psalms portray God as the Creator and all that is in heaven and on earth as his marvelous handiwork.
- Psalms that are Intended to teach: Psalms 1, 34, 37, 73, 112, 119, and 133 are the Psalms that are intended to teach us the way of God for righteous living. These Psalms are known as ‘Didactic Psalms’ that teach us regarding the righteousness of God and instruct us to lead a righteous life.
- Psalms that looked forward to the coming of the Messiah: Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 89, 102, 109, 110, and 118 are the Psalms that describe the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God. These Psalms portray Jesus as King, prophet as well as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm). They present His first advent, His life, sufferings, atoning death, resurrection, and His second coming. Jesus’ throne, as the King forever, will be established as the fulfillment of God’s promise to King David in the line of King Solomon, which is talking about the prophetic Word uttered to King David and King Solomon that God will establish their throne forever if they walked in the ways of God and kept His commandments.
- Psalms that utter God’s Judgement upon the wicked: Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, 137, and 139 pronounce God’s judgement upon those who do not obey God’s commandments, living and acting against the will of God. These Psalms call for God’s blessings upon the righteous and judgement upon the unrighteous.