OT - Survey 22 - Psalms

All content is derived from A Survey of the Old Testament by Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, with additional insights from R.C. Sproul's Dust to Glory. Further sources referenced are listed in the reference section below.

Authorship and Editorial Roles

Authorship of Individual Psalms

— The Psalter’s 150 individual compositions span roughly a millennium, from the early monarchy period in Israel (c. 1000 BC) through the post-exilic era (after 539 BC). This breadth of chronology is evidenced in the varied superscriptions. One hundred psalms bear the explicit heading “A Psalm of David” (e.g., Psalm 3:1; 18:1; 23:1), reflecting David’s enduring association with both shepherd-king imagery and military triumph. — Two psalms are credited to Solomon—Psalms 72:1 and 127:1—highlighting themes of just rule and temple service, while Moses is singled out in Psalm 90:1 with the invocation “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” — Levitical guilds also contributed: Asaph’s name appears in Psalm 50:1 and Psalms 73–83, indicating prophetic‐musical roles (Psalm 50:1), and the Sons of Korah provide Psalms 42–49 and 84–88, often emphasizing communal lament and pilgrimage (Psalm 42:1). Minor attributions include Heman (Psalm 88:1) and Ethan (Psalm 89:1), adding depth to the Psalter’s theological reflection. — Scholarly debate centers on whether these superscriptions denote original authorship or serve as ancient editorial annotations denoting liturgical use or musical notation. Conservative interpreters generally treat them as reliable due to their inclusion in the oldest Masoretic manuscripts, whereas critical scholarship often views them as secondary yet venerable editorial tags.

Editorial Compilation

— The final form of the Psalter emerged through distinct editorial stages, separate from the original acts of composition. While individual psalms addressed immediate contexts—private devotion, royal ceremony or temple worship—editors later gathered them into smaller clusters, which were then arranged into larger books. — The Dead Sea Scrolls, especially the Great Psalms Scroll (11QPsᵃ, ca. 100 BC), reveal that Books 1–3 (Psalms 1–89) had largely fixed order by the second century BC, whereas Books 4–5 (Psalms 90–150) still exhibited variant arrangements, implying ongoing redaction into the late Second Temple period. — Recognizing two editorial functions—“author” (original composer) versus “editor” (compiler and organizer)—clarifies the Psalter’s layered history, including the addition of doxologies and the insertion of seam-psalms to demarcate divisions.

Composition and Structure

Five-Book Division

— The Psalter’s five-book format intentionally mirrors the Pentateuch, underscoring its canonical status: — Book 1: Psalms 1–41 opens with the wisdom-oriented Psalm 1 and proceeds through personal laments, royal hymns and trust psalms. — Book 2: Psalms 42–72 focuses on the thirsting soul (Psalm 42:1–2), Davidic struggles and culminates with the Messianic vision of Psalm 72 (vv. 1–20). — Book 3: Psalms 73–89 moves into communal crises, exile themes and Asaph’s prophetic reflections (Psalm 74:1–2). — Book 4: Psalms 90–106 begins with Moses’ reflection on mortality (Psalm 90:1–12) and transitions to thanksgiving and post-exilic hope (Psalm 107:1–43). — Book 5: Psalms 107–150 concludes with praise anthems, including the Hallel (Psalms 113–118), Songs of Ascents (120–134) and the universal summons in Psalms 146–150.

— Each book ends with a doxology that functions as an editorial seam: “Praise the Lord!” closes Books 1 (Psalm 41:13), 2 (72:20), 3 (89:52) and 4 (106:48), guiding readers through the anthology’s architecture.

Embedded Sub-Collections

— Within each larger book, editors wove thematic collections that reflect specific liturgical or communal settings: — Davidic clusters (Psalms 3–41; 61–65; 101–103) frame royal identity and personal deliverance. — Asaph’s guild (Psalms 73–83) articulates prophetic lament and national crisis. — Sons of Korah (Psalms 42–49; 84) focus on pilgrimage imagery and sanctuary longing. — Congregational praise (Psalms 95–100) invites communal worship (“O come, let us sing to the Lord”—Psalm 95:1). — Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134) originally guided pilgrims to Jerusalem and were later repurposed to celebrate return from exile.

— The careful sequencing of these sub-collections—such as placing the Songs of Ascents immediately after the Hallel—creates a narrative bridge from personal deliverance to corporate restoration.

Literary and Historical Context

Near Eastern Hymnic Background

— The Psalms share poetic features with Egyptian and Mesopotamian hymns—parallelism, invocation and petition—yet diverge sharply in theology. Mesopotamian laments routinely employ magical incantations and ritual appeasement, whereas Israelite laments assert moral innocence and trust in a covenantal Deity (Psalm 51:4). — Israelite praise psalms uniquely employ imperatives—“Sing to the Lord” (Psalm 96:1; 98:1), “Praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:1)—inviting active congregational participation rather than mere recitation of divine titles.

Historical Development

— Although thirteen psalms bear historical subtitles—such as Psalm 18:1 (“when the Lord delivered me from the hand of all my enemies…”)—pinpointing precise occasions remains speculative. Attempts to link each psalm to specific festivals often depend on analogies to Babylonian rites that lack clear Israelite counterparts, rendering such reconstructions tentative.

Genres and Classification

Lament Psalms

— Lament psalms, the most numerous genre, follow a trajectory from complaint through petition, confession of trust and vow of praise. Psalm 3 (David’s prayer amid Absalom’s rebellion; Psalm 3:1–8) and Psalm 42 (the soul’s longing for God; Psalm 42:1–2) exemplify this structure, articulating profound distress yet affirming divine deliverance.

Praise Psalms

— Praise psalms either descriptively extol God’s attributes (Psalm 19:1–4; 104:1–35) or declaratively celebrate past acts of salvation (Psalm 118:1–29). Psalm 145 blends both forms, moving from God’s greatness (vv. 3–7) to personal trust (vv. 18–19).

Wisdom Psalms

— Wisdom psalms (e.g., Psalm 1; 119) emphasize divine instruction and moral choice. They adopt an instructional tone, advising “blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” (Psalm 1:1–2) and meditating extensively on the law’s delightfulness (Psalm 119:97–104).

Royal and Imprecatory Psalms

— Royal psalms (Psalm 2; 45; 72; 89) celebrate Davidic kingship and foreshadow an ideal Messianic ruler. Psalm 2’s affirmation “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (v. 7) sets a cosmic backdrop for Hebrew monarchy. — Imprecatory psalms (e.g., Psalm 58; 109) invoke divine judgment on enemies, rooted in the retribution principle that God must vindicate the righteous and punish the wicked (“Let them fall by their own counsels”—Psalm 58:6).

Hybrid Forms

— Some psalms blend genres. Psalm 22 begins as a lament (vv. 1–21) then shifts to praise (vv. 22–31), illustrating a theology of suffering and vindication later echoed in New Testament quotations.

Theological Themes

Retribution Principle: Part 2

— The retribution principle can be summed up in two-part affirmations: (1) The righteous will prosper and the wicked will suffer, and (2) those who prosper are righteous, while those who suffer are wicked. The first of these affirmations is generally supported in Psalms and throughout scripture (cf. Ps 1). It was acknowledged, however, that exceptions existed. The second affirmation, although is not given the support of Scripture, was clearly believed by many Israelites. This is obvious from the actions and concerns of Job’s friends, as related in the book of Job, and also from the statements in many of the psalms (e.g. Ps 37).

— A pervasive conviction in the Psalter is that God justly rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness in this life (Psalm 37:1–2). Lament psalms often include imprecations as the psalmist demands proportional divine justice (“Break the teeth in their mouths, O God”—Psalm 58:6). The Book of Job’s dialogues and the vehement curses in Psalms 58 and 109 reflect this intense focus on retributive justice.

Kingship and the Davidic Covenant

— The Psalter robustly affirms the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7), portraying David and his heirs as Yahweh’s anointed. Psalm 89:3–4 recalls, “You have said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant…’” Messianic interpretation reads these texts as pointing beyond David to the ideal King who fulfills God’s promises perfectly.

Creation and God’s Sovereignty

— Creation psalms (Psalm 8; 19; 29; 104) exalt God’s mastery over nature. “When I consider Your heavens…What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3–4) and the portrayal of storms under divine command (Psalm 29:3–11) distinguish Israel’s monotheism from polytheistic fertility cults, affirming that creation itself bears witness to God’s glory.

Purpose and Message

Authorial Intent

— Individual psalmists composed to address specific circumstances—mourning personal loss, celebrating temple festivals or seeking national deliverance—without a unified overall agenda. While later commentators attempt to reconstruct liturgical settings, direct evidence of Israelite festival calendars is sparse, making such reconstructions largely hypothetical.

Editorial Vision

— The final redaction shapes the Psalter into a coherent theological journey. Books 1–2 emphasize personal suffering and vindication through God’s faithfulness. Books 3–4 trace corporate exile, national crisis and hope for restoration. Book 5 climaxes in universal praise and eschatological expectation, affirming that all creation will join in worship (Psalm 150:1–6). — Seam psalms at each book’s conclusion (Psalm 72:20; 89:52; 106:48) reinforce the doxological focus, guiding the reader to perceive not a random anthology but a divinely orchestrated liturgy.

Description of the Entire Section

In Chapter 22 of A Survey of the Old Testament, Hill and Walton provide a panoramic study of the Book of Psalms, tracing its evolution from diverse authorship—royal, priestly and lay voices—to its complex editorial assembly into a five-book canon. Drawing on Dead Sea Scrolls evidence, Near Eastern hymn parallels and Hebrew literary analysis, they demonstrate how individual hymns and laments were woven into a grand theological composition. That composition underscores enduring convictions: God’s justice in rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked, the Davidic covenant’s messianic hope and God’s sovereign reign over creation—revealing the Psalter as both Israel’s personal prayerbook and a lasting testament to faith across generations.

Summary

Hill and Walton masterfully depict the Psalter as far more than an anthology of ancient songs: it is a carefully curated theological anthology. Composed over a millennium by multiple authors and patiently refined by generations of editors, its five-fold structure and embedded sub-collections guide readers through themes of suffering and deliverance, covenantal kingship, creation’s praise and ultimate cosmic worship. Through its diverse genres—lament, praise, wisdom, royal and imprecatory—the Psalter invites every generation into the ancient song of trust, protest and exaltation before the Lord.

References

Hill, A. E., & Walton, J. H. (2009), A survey of the Old Testament (3rd ed.). Zondervan Academic.

MacArthur, J. (Ed.). (2021). The MacArthur study Bible (2nd ed.). Thomas Nelson. (New American Standard Bible).