Psalms
A life of praise and worship: Israel’s songbook and prayer book, and the heart of God revealed in human experience.
The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 inspired songs and prayers written over about a thousand years, from Moses to the return from Babylon. David wrote about half of them; others came from Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Heman, Ethan, and Moses, and about fifty are anonymous. The psalms were sung in the temple and in homes, and the Lord Jesus sang them—at the Last Supper and, in His dying words, on the cross.
No experience of the human heart is missing from the Psalms: joy, grief, fear, anger, guilt, loneliness, gratitude, doubt, and triumph. The psalmists pour out their souls honestly before God, and in doing so teach believers how to pray. They also teach how to praise, turning the mind from circumstances to the character and works of God.
The Psalms are also prophecy. Christ said that all things must be fulfilled “which were written... in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44). They describe His sufferings (Psalm 22), His resurrection (16), His priesthood (110), His rejection as the stone the builders refused (118), and His coming reign (2, 72). The New Testament quotes the Psalms more than any other Old Testament book.
Writer: David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Moses, Solomon, and others
Written: Over about a thousand years, from Moses (about 1451 BC) through David to the return (about 450 BC).
Name: Songs of praise
Title and authorship
The Hebrew title, Tehillim, means “praises.” The English title comes from the Greek psalmoi, songs sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument. Refer to one as a Psalm and to the book as Psalms; “Psalms 23” is incorrect.
David (73 psalms by title), Asaph (12), the sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous writers. The Jews ascribed many anonymous psalms to David, and the New Testament confirms Davidic authorship of Psalm 2 and Psalm 95 (Acts 4:25; Hebrews 4:7). Ezra is traditionally regarded as the final compiler.
Historical background
From Moses in the wilderness (Psalm 90, about 1451 BC) through David’s reign and the monarchy to the exile and return (Psalms 126, 137), the latest about the fifth century BC.
Israel at worship, both publicly and privately, and every believer who would draw near to God in praise and prayer.
Five books
The Psalter is divided into five books (1–41; 42–72; 73–89; 90–106; 107–150), each ending with a doxology. Jewish tradition compared them to the five books of Moses: Book 1 with Genesis (man and creation), Book 2 with Exodus (deliverance), Book 3 with Leviticus (the sanctuary), Book 4 with Numbers (the wilderness), and Book 5 with Deuteronomy (the word of God).
Titles and musical notes
Many psalms have superscriptions naming the author, occasion, tune, or instrument—for example, Psalm 51 “when Nathan the prophet came unto him.” Terms such as Maschil (instruction), Michtam (perhaps a golden or engraved psalm), and “to the chief Musician” belong to the temple’s musical service.
Songs of degrees
Psalms 120–134 are “Songs of degrees” or ascents, probably sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts, or by the Levites on the steps of the temple.
Key passages
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Psalm 29:2
“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 138:2
God has magnified His word above all His name—without the preserved words of God we could not rightly praise Him.
Psalm 145:21
Personal praise expands into a call for all flesh to bless God’s name.
Outline
1–41 · Book One
Creation, human life, and divine counsel frame many Davidic prayers.
42–72 · Book Two
Deliverance, redemption, and the king’s rule recur amid lament and praise.
73–89 · Book Three
Worship, the sanctuary, and questions arising from national suffering receive emphasis.
90–106 · Book Four
The Lord’s eternal rule stands over human frailty and Israel’s history.
107–150 · Book Five
Redemption, the word, pilgrimage, and praise bring the collection to its final hallelujah.
Original language
תְּהִלָּה (tehillah, H8416) — “praise”
A song or hymn of praise, from halal. The plural Tehillim is the Hebrew title of the book. Psalm 145 is the only psalm titled “David’s Psalm of praise.”
הַלְלוּ־יָהּ (hallelu-yah, H1984) — “Praise ye the LORD”
“Praise Jah,” from halal (to boast, shine, praise) and Yah, a short form of the divine name. The last five psalms each begin and end with it. Revelation 19 preserves it as Alleluia.
סֶלָה (selah, H5542) — “Selah”
Found 71 times in Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. Its meaning is uncertain; it probably marks a pause or lifting up of the music—an invitation to stop and consider.
חֶסֶד (chesed, H2617) — “mercy, lovingkindness”
God’s steadfast covenant love. It appears about 130 times in the Psalms, including every verse of Psalm 136: “for his mercy endureth for ever.”
מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach, H4899) — “anointed”
Psalm 2 sets the kings of the earth against “the LORD, and against his anointed.” The early church applied it directly to Christ (Acts 4:25–27).
Doctrinal study
The Messianic psalms
Psalm 2 presents the Son and coming King; Psalm 8 the Son of man; Psalm 16 the resurrection; Psalm 22 the crucifixion, opening with Christ’s cry from the cross; Psalm 23 the Shepherd; Psalm 24 the King of glory; Psalm 40 the obedient sacrifice; Psalm 45 the royal Bridegroom; Psalm 69 the rejected sufferer; Psalm 72 the millennial reign; Psalm 110 the priest after the order of Melchizedek; and Psalm 118 the rejected stone made head of the corner.
Psalms 22, 23, and 24
Three consecutive psalms present Christ as the Good Shepherd who gives His life (22; John 10:11), the Great Shepherd who cares for His sheep now (23; Hebrews 13:20), and the Chief Shepherd and King of glory who will appear (24; 1 Peter 5:4)—His past, present, and future ministry.
The imprecatory psalms
Some psalms pray for judgment on the wicked (35, 69, 109, 137). They were appropriate for a man under the Law praying for God’s justice and for the King of Israel’s enemies to be overthrown, and they anticipate the prayers of the Tribulation saints (Revelation 6:10). The Church, in this age of grace, is told to bless those who curse it (Romans 12:14).
Commentary notes
Hebrew parallelism
Western poetry rhymes sounds; Hebrew poetry rhymes thoughts. In synonymous parallelism the second line repeats the first (15:1); in antithetic parallelism it contrasts (1:6; 37:9); in synthetic parallelism it develops (19:8–9). Reading with this in mind clarifies many verses.
Acrostic psalms
Several psalms (9–10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145) are acrostics, each verse or stanza beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 has 22 stanzas of eight verses, every verse in a stanza beginning with the same letter.
Christ in the Psalms
He is Priest, offering Himself and interceding; Prophet, declaring the Father’s name (22:22); and King, triumphant over His enemies. He is the Son (2:12), the Blessed (72:17), the Son of man (80:17), the Firstborn (89:27), the Lord (110:1), and the headstone of the corner (118:22).
Christ in the book
- The Son and King set upon Zion (Psalm 2)
- The crucified Saviour (Psalm 22)
- The Shepherd (Psalm 23)
- The obedient Sacrifice: “Lo, I come... I delight to do thy will” (Psalm 40; Hebrews 10:5–9)
- The Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110)
- The rejected Stone (Psalm 118)
Applications
Historical
- The Psalms are a compilation of inspired poetic hymns read and sung by Israel in public and private worship, reflecting events in the lives of David and the nation.
- The psalms were composed in different circumstances and are not arranged as a continuous chronological history.
- The collection contains five divisions; headings, authorship notices, and historical settings should be considered individually.
Doctrinal
- The Psalms prophetically reveal God’s program from His love for Israel to the passion of Christ, the Tribulation, the Second Coming, and the millennial reign. Pay attention to the emotions: sorrow and anguish often point to the crucifixion or the Tribulation; joy, rest, and a king on the throne point to the Millennium.
- The Psalms bear witness to Christ as suffering Savior, sacrifice, priest, shepherd, cornerstone, and King.
- Prophetic hope includes Israel’s distress, deliverance, and the righteous reign of the Lord; distinguish the original speaker and setting from later fulfillment and application.
Devotional
- The Psalms contain the depth of human emotion and teach biblical truth through human experience. Psalms is the book of knowing God—the heart of God, as Proverbs is His mind.
- Both lament and praise express dependence on the Lord and provide language for presenting grief and gratitude to him.
- Psalm 119 connects prayer and love for God with sustained attention to his words, commandments, testimonies, and promises.
Answering the critics
Critics accept the Psalms as ancient and valuable but dispute the titles, especially whether “of David” or “for the sons of Korah” indicates authorship.
The preposition in the titles can indicate authorship, and the New Testament confirms it: Christ said David wrote Psalm 110 “by the Holy Ghost” (Mark 12:36), and the apostles attributed Psalms 2, 16, and 69 to David (Acts 4:25; 2:25; Romans 11:9). The critics’ doubts reveal their attitude toward the text; they do not change the fact that God preserved these psalms as written by holy men moved by the Holy Ghost.