Introduction to Psalms - Psalm 1 & 2

Ideas

Recognize them as poems and songs

List out the emotions in different psalms

The Psalms express the full spectrum of human emotion—joy, praise, reassurance, anger, sadness, desperation, fear, and desire. Here’s a curated list organized by emotional category:

Despair and Anguish

Psalm 22 expresses abandonment and startling isolation

Psalm 102 is a prayer of anguish in a time of distress

Psalm 88 cries out day and night before God, with the soul full of troubles and life drawing near to Sheol

Grief and Sorrow

Psalm 6 speaks of languishing, terror, weariness, grief, and weakness

Psalm 137 depicts weeping by the waters of Babylon when remembering Zion

Fear Yet Trust

Psalm 56 expresses fear yet ultimate trust in God

Psalm 27 declares the LORD as light and salvation, asking whom to fear when God is the stronghold of life

Longing and Desire

Psalm 63 is a prayer of longing and desire for God

Psalm 42 portrays the soul panting for God like a deer pants for flowing streams, thirsting for the living God

Praise and Thanksgiving

Psalm 33 is a song of praise to God

Psalm 30 affirms that weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning

Confidence and Security

Psalm 27 expresses David’s confidence in God

Psalm 91 is praise to God for the security he gives to those who trust him

Forgiveness and Repentance

Psalm 51 is a prayer for forgiveness

Psalm 130 cries out from the depths, asking the LORD to hear pleas for mercy, and acknowledges that with God there is forgiveness

Vindication and Justice

Psalm 109 is a prayer for God to vindicate a person who has been betrayed and falsely accused

Psalm 44 is a cry for help after defeat

The Psalms validate emotional experience and model bringing one’s full self before God with honesty and trust, encompassing the full spectrum from despair, fear, envy, anger, and hopelessness to joy, peace, gratitude, love, and hope.

The development of the book of Psalms

The book’s name

It came from the Septuagint title, ΨΑΛΜΟΙ which means “songs accompanied by stringed instrument.” This is where we get the title Psalms.

The Hebrew Bible title is תהלים, which means “praises.” Sepher Tehillim means book of hymns.

Both titles express what the book is about, singing songs and giving praises to God.

The book’s organization

Book 1: Psalm 1-41, Book 2: Psalm 42-72, Book 3: Psalm 73-89, Book 4: Psalm 90-106, and Book 5: Psalm 107-150

Hebrew scholars differ on why it’s organized thus; in fact we don’t really know.

Theory 1: One proposal suggests the five-book structure is a theological narrative about the Davidic covenant: Introduction of the covenant, the covenant’s transmission, the benefits of the covenant, the reasons for the covenant’s failure, the covenant’s restoration through a renewed hope for the Davidic line.

Theory 2: represent different collections of psalms that circulated separately during Israel’s history before being combined into a single compilation. Evidence suggests three primary groupings: an early collection (Psalms 1–41) possibly assembled between 1000–900 BCE; a second collection (Psalms 42–89) combining psalms of the Sons of Korah, David, and Asaph, perhaps unified around 700–600 BCE; and a third collection (Psalms 90–150) assembled after the Exile around 450 BCE

116 of the 150 psalms have some type of title, e.g., Psalm 3 or Psalm 4

Who were the authors of the psalms?

73 to David

12 to Asaph

11 to the sons of Korah

2 to Solomon

1 to Moses

1 to Ethan the Ezrahite

1 to Heman the Ezrahite

49 not identified

When were the Psalms written? There seem to be multiple stages in the book’s collection. Tradition has…

Book 1 - Solomon (950 B.C.)

Book 2, 3 - Hezekiah (700 B.C.)

Books 4, 5 - Ezra & Nehemiah (450 B.C.)

Types of psalms (Gunkel) in Day, J. (1999). Psalms (p. 11). T&T Clark.

Hymns - Psalms of praise, e.g., Psalm 33

Laments (mourning) -

Communal - national mourning of public disaster that has come upon it, e.g., Psalm 79

Individual - mourning about a personal issue, e.g., Psalm 51

Psalms of thanksgiving, e.g.,

Individual, e.g., Psalm 138

Communal, e.g., Psalm 124

Wisdom psalms, e.g., Psalm 1

Pilgrimage psalms, e.g., Psalm 120 to Psalm 134

Litergies, e.g., Psalm 15, Psalm 24