| Psalms
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 categorise the whole book.
Various attempts have been made, by author or subject matter.
Book
1 (Psa 1-41)
Book
2 (Psa 42-72)
Book
3 (Psa 73-89)
Book
4 (Psa 90-106)
Book
5 (Psa 107-150)
Other
ways of classification
There
are a variety of ways we can try an analyse Psalms (a notoriously difficult
book to do this to!). Below are some attempts to help the reader obtain
an overview and note some of the characteristics of the psalms to raise
awareness and understanding:
By
Author:
David
73
Unnamed
50
Asaph
12
Sons
of Korah 11
Solomon
2
Ethan
1
Moses
1
Also
note this ancient system of classification:
(1)
mizmor ("psalm" or a
poem sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument )
(2)
shiggaion (Psa 7 title. a
lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion )
(3)
miktam (Psa 16,56,57,58,59 title: unknown but possibly a song
of mysteries)
(4)
shir (Psa 66,67,68,8,87,88,92,108 "a song")
(5)
maskil (Psa 32,42,44,45,52,53,54,55,60,74,78,88,89,142 title:
a contemplative poem)
(6)
tephillah (Psa 86,90,142 "sung prayer")
(7)
tehillah (Psa 145 "song of praise")
(8)
lehazkir (Psa 70 "for being remembered" i.e., before
God, a petition)
(9)
letodah (Psa 100 "for praising" or "for giving
thanks")
(10)
lelammed (Psa 60 title "for teaching")
(11)
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.
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. |
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. |
Other
Title Indications
In
addition there is sometimes, “ For
the director of music,” suggesting David wrote this when he was king
and had established musicians (yet in a number, for example Psa 56 &
57, this is accompanied by an earlier historical notation which may
indicate David wrote it earlier but added it to the music canon of his
musicians later). The fact that he speaks so often of “the director
of music” reveals something of the established structure of music during
his reign.
Note
also “song of ascents” which appears over many of the later psalms of
Book 5 and it has been suggested they were used in procession on the
way up to the Temple on special occasions.
There
are also musical notations, again which are not clear and so the following
examples are only suggestions:
Sheminith:
It seems most probable that Sheminith (e.g. Psa 6, 12 etc) denotes a
certain air known as the eighth, or a certain key in which the psalm
was to be sung.
Gittith:
a stringed instrument of music. This word is found in the titles of Ps.8, 81, 84.
You
will also note, sometimes, directions as to what tune or music is to
be used with a psalm.
By
Content:
Trying
to analyse by content could produce the following:
(1)
prayers of the individual (e.g., Psa 3:7-8)
(2)
praise from the individual for God's saving help (e.g., Psa 30; 34)
(3)
prayers of the community (e.g., Psa 12; 44; 79)
(4)
praise from the community for God's saving help (e.g., Psa 66; 75)
(5)
confessions of confidence in the Lord (e.g., Psa 11; 16; 52)
(6)
hymns in praise of God's majesty and virtues (e.g., Psa 8; 19; 29; 65)
(7)
hymns celebrating God's universal reign (Psa 47; 93-99)
(8)
songs of Zion, the city of God (Psa 46; 48; 76; 84; 122; 126; 129; 137)
(9)
royal psalms: concerning the king, the Lord's anointed (e.g., Psa 2;
18; 20; 45; 72; 89; 110)
(10)
pilgrimage songs (Psa 120-134)
(11)
liturgical songs (e.g., Psa 15; 24; 68)
(12)
instructional) songs (e.g., Psa 1; 34; 37; 73; 112; 119; 128; 133).
Messianic
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
In
the New Testament
At
the end of the page is a comprehensive list of the quotes from the Psalms
found in the New Testament
Key
Verses :
Trying
to pick out specific verses in Psalms tends to bring out the ones that
mean most to a reader. Rather than do that, may we suggest some key
psalms that perhaps stand out:
Psa
1 – focusing on God's word
Psa
119 – focusing on the various forms of God's laws
Psa
19 – Creation and the Law testify to the Lord
Psa
22 – a key messianic psalm
Psa
23 – probably the most famous psalm – the Shepherd psalm
Psa
51 – a psalm of awareness of guilt and need for cleansing
Psa
78 – a history of the early years of Israel
Psa
105 – history from Abraham to the Exodus
Psa
106 – history following the Exodus
Psa
139 – God who knows everything
•
The psalms have provided hope and consolation
for many.
•
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.
Appendix:
New Testament quotes of the Psalms:
2:1,
2 |
Acts
4:25, 26 |
2:7
|
Acts
13:33; Hebrews 1:5 ; 5:5 |
2:8,
9 |
Revelation
2:26, 27; 12:5; 19:15 |
4:4
|
Ephesians
4:26 |
5:9
|
Romans
3:13 |
6:3a
|
John
12:27 |
6:8
|
Matthew
7:23; Luke 13:27 |
8:2
|
Matthew
21:16 |
8:4-6
|
Hebrews
2:6-8 |
8:6
|
1
Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22 |
10:7
|
Romans
3:14 |
14:1c,
2b, 3 |
Romans
3:10-12 |
16:8
.
-11
|
Acts
2:25-28 |
16:10b
|
Acts
13:35 |
18:2b
|
Hebrews
2:13 |
18:49
|
Romans
15:9 |
19:4
|
Romans
10:18 |
22:1
|
Matthew
27:46; Mark 15:34 |
22:7
|
Matthew
27:39; Mark 15:29; Luke 23:35 |
22:8
|
Matthew
27:43 |
22:18
|
John
19:24;
compare
Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34 |
22:22
|
Hebrews
2:12 |
24:1
|
1
Corinthians 10:26 [28] |
31:5a
|
Luke
23:46 |
32:1,
2 |
Romans
4:7, 8 |
34:8
|
1
Peter 2:3 |
34:12-16
|
1
Peter 3:10-12 |
34:20
|
John
19:36 |
35:19b
|
John
15:25 |
36:1b
|
Romans
3:18 |
37:11a
|
Matthew
5:5 |
38:11
|
Luke
23:49 |
40:6-8
|
Hebrews
10:5-7 |
41:9
|
John
13:18 |
41:13
|
Luke
1:68 |
42:5
|
Matthew
26:38; Mark 14:34 |
44:22
|
Romans
8:36 |
45:6,
7 |
Hebrews
1:8, 9 |
48:2
|
Matthew
5:35 |
51:4
|
Romans
3:4 |
53:1-3
|
Romans
3:10-12 |
55:22
|
1
Peter 5:7 |
62:12
|
Matthew
16:27; Romans 2:6 |
68:18
|
Ephesians
4:8 |
69:4
|
John
15:25 |
69:9a
|
John
2:17 |
69:9b
|
Romans
15:3 |
69:21
|
Matthew
27:34, 48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:28, 29 |
69:22,
23 |
Romans
11:9, 10 |
69:25
|
Acts
1:20 |
72:18
|
Luke
1:68 |
78:2
|
Matthew
13:35 |
78:24
|
John
6:31 |
82:6
|
John
10:34 |
86:9
|
Revelation
15:4 |
88:8
|
Luke
23:49 |
89:10
|
Luke
1:51 |
89:20
|
Acts
13:22 |
90:4
|
2
Peter 3:8 |
91:11,
12 |
Matthew
4:6; Luke 4:10, 11 |
91:13
|
Luke
10:19 |
94:11
|
1
Corinthians 3:20 |
94:14
|
Romans
11:1, 2 |
95:7-11
|
Hebrews
3:7-11, 15, 18; 4:1, 3, 5, 7 |
97:7
|
Hebrews
1:6 |
98:3
|
Luke
1:54 |
102:25-27
|
Hebrews
1:10-12 |
103:17
|
Luke
1:50 |
104:4
|
Hebrews
1:7 |
105:8,
9 |
Luke
1:72, 73 |
106:10
|
Luke
1:71 |
106:45
|
Luke
1:72 |
106:48
|
Luke
1:68 |
107:9
|
Luke
1:53 |
109:8
|
Acts
1:20 |
109:25
|
Matthew
27:39 |
110:1
|
Matthew
22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42, 43; Acts 2:34, 35; Hebrews 1:13.
Compare. Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; 16:19; Luke 22:69; 1 Corinthians
15:25; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12,
13; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22 |
110:4
|
Hebrews
5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21 |
111:9a
|
Luke
1:68 |
111:9c
|
Luke
1:49 |
112:9
|
2
Corinthians 9:9 |
116:10
|
2
Corinthians 4:13 |
117:1
|
Romans
15:11 |
118:6
|
Hebrews
13:6 |
118:22,
23 |
Matthew
21:42; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:4, 7 |
118:25,
26 |
Matthew
21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; 19:38; John 12:13 |
132:5
|
Acts
7:46 |
132:11
|
Acts
2:30 |
132:17
|
Luke
1:69 |
135:14a
|
Hebrews
10:30 |
140:3b
|
Romans
3:13 |
143:2b
|
Romans
3:20 |
146:6
|
Acts
4:24; 14:15 |
|