Psalms

The delight of first century Christians in this book is indicated by the extensive quotations from it
found in the New Testament. By one count, there are 283 direct quotes from the Old Testament in
the New. Of these 116 (over 40%) are from Psalms.
The English word “Psalms” is a transliteration of the Greek psalmoi – Book of Praises.

The complete collection of 150 psalms is divided into five books, each one of which ends with an
appropriate doxology:

Book Chapters Concluding Yahweh Elohim

Praise
1 1–41 41:13 277 48
2 42–72 72:18–19 31 188
3 73–89 89:52 43 59
4 90–106 106:48 101 19
5 107–50 146–50 226 28

Duplicate Psalms:

 Psalm 14 is the same as Psalm 53;

 Psalm 18 is to be found also in 2 Samuel 22:1–51;
 Psalm 70 is the same as Psalm 40:13–17; and
 Psalm 105:1-15/106:47-48 is the same as 1 Chronicles 16and
 Psalm 108 consists of Psalms 57:7–11 and 60:5–12.

Types of Psalms:

 Laments: in these psalms the individual or the community cries out to God, complaining
about some painful situation, asking God to help, and promising to offer a sacrifice to God
in thanksgiving for the help received. Nearly a third of all the psalms
are to be classed as this type. These kinds of Psalms come out of high emotions of Pain,
suffering, agony and stress.

The sequence of these several items is not everywhere the same nor is it everywhere
complete.

In accordance with the various afflictions of a material or spiritual kind which presented
the occasion for the laments and fashioned their content—be they a common calamity
such as bad harvests, dearth, epidemics, wars or enemies, or disease, persecution,
 mockery, doubt and the burden of sin such as the individual has to suffer—it is a many-
colored picture of public and private life into which the laments provide an insight.

Structure of a Hymn: Laments have parts.

1. A call upon God with an initial plea for help - Invocation

2. An actual Lament (Actual description of the problem - Lamentation
3. A profession of trust for deliverance - Motivation
4. A prayer for deliverance - Supplication
5. A promise of Praise - Vow

Community Laments: lamentation on the occasion of a plague of locusts and a drought

when the whole community was called upon to sing a lament in the house of God and to
observe various rites such as fasting, rending of clothes and girding with sackcloth. - 12,
44, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89*, 90, 94, 123, 126, 129

Individual Laments: bringing one's personal concerns before God on the occasion of the
pilgrim festival which was celebrated in the Temple. A prayer of one afflicted when he is
faint and pours out his complaint before the face of Yahweh. –

E.g. 3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27*, 28, 31, 36*, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 52*,
53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 70, 71, 77, 86, 89*, 120, 139, 141, 142

Specialized Lament Psalms

Penitential Laments: prayers specifically for forgiveness from sins committed –

E.g. 6, 32*, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143

Imprecatory Laments: are a much more radical version of the lament. In this handful of
psalms, there are curses pronounced on those who have caused the crisis. –

E.g. 35, 69, 83, 88, 109, 137, 140

 Wisdom Psalms: these are Psalms whose major purpose is to instruct the people about
Torah, the Law of God. practical wisdom which have an educational purpose. They have
didactic tone.

E.g. 1*, 36*, 37, 49, 73, 112, 119, 127, 128, 133
 Thanksgiving: these psalms generally include praise to God for having saved the
individual or the people, a statement of the situation from which God has saved them, a
confession that it was God who saved, and a concluding expression of thanksgiving and
praise.

Community - 65*, 67*, 75, 107, 124, 136*

Individual - 18, 21, 30, 32*, 34, 40:1-11, 66:13-20, 92, 108*, 116, 118, 138

 Hymns/ Doxology: Praise Him generally and grace exhibited in creation and in Israel’s
history.

Structure: they begin with a call (sometimes addressed by the psalmist to himself) to sing
the praise of Yahweh; this is followed by actual praise of God. here the nature and
providential rule of God are adored or described the conclusion often leads back to the
beginning.

E.g. 8*, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 67*, 95, 100, 103, 104, 111, 113, 114, 117, 145, 146, 147,
148, 149, 150

 Songs of Confidence: these are expressions of assurance that God will save the psalmist;
while total deliverance has not been experienced, still the psalmist knows that God will
answer his prayer.

Salvation History - 8*, 105-106, 135, 136

Songs of Trust - 11, 16, 23, 27*, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131

 Hymns of Zion: Celebrating God’s victory won at Jerusalem.

E,g, 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122

 Royal Psalms: these psalms praise the king of Israel as God’s representative (“son”) on
earth, the one through whom God brings victories to God’s people and the defeat of their
enemies. They see King as the Typology of Jesus who is the Antitype.

E.g. 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144 are listed as royal psalms.

 Pilgrim Psalms: these were sung by pilgrims as they came to Jerusalem for one of the
great annual festivals. 84, 121 and 122 qualify as pure pilgrim songs.
  Temple Service Psalms: 15:1, 24, 50, 75, and 85 are classified as liturgies, since they are
so closely related to the Temple service.

 Thematic Psalms: Psalm contains a theme. 93-99

Parallelism in Psalms:

Synonymous parallelism is on display when the second line of a poem uses similar words to
express the same thought as the first line.

An example of this is:

O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,
Nor chasten me in your hot displeasure
(6:1).

Antithetical parallelism takes us to the other end of the spectrum. Here the second line
expresses the opposite of the first:

An example of this is:

The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives
(37:21).

Synthetic parallelism occurs when the second line carries further or expands the first line:

An example of this is:

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble
(46:1).

Ascending parallelism takes place when succeeding lines repeat some words from the first line
and complete the thought:

An example of this is:

Our fathers trusted in you;
They trusted, and you
delivered them.
They cried to you, and were
delivered;
They trusted in you, and were
 not ashamed.
(22:4–5).

Comparative Parallelism (usually called ‘emblematic parallelism’) involves a simile or a

metaphor. The thought expressed in one line is compared to that of the other, as in:
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103.13

Writers of Psalms:

Many people have contributed towards Psalms:

1. David: 72
2. Asaph: 12
3. Sons of Korah:11
4. Songs of Ascents: 15 (Ps 120-134

TECHNICAL DESIGNATIONS OF PSALMS

Term No. Psalms Suggested Significance

Mizmor 57 A song sung to the

accompaniment of musical
(stringed) instruments.

Shir 27 A general term for (vocal?)

music.

Maskil 13 A didactic or contemplative

poem.

Mikhtam 6 Uncertain. Perhaps a

composition intended to
record memorable thoughts,
pithy sayings, or eloquent
refrains.
Tephillah 5 A prayer.

Tehillah 5 A song of praise.

Shiggayon 1 An irregular or wandering

song.

A more popular approach to the functional-genre method is the classification of psalms

according to their content or style; for example, psalms reflecting the human soul in its cry for
God: extreme distress (6; 69; 77), joy (1; 16; 24; 40; 103; 107), or thirst for God (42–43; 63);
psalms focusing on God himself: adoration (34; 45; 48; 95–100), contrasting him to idols
(14; 53; 115; 135), God as refuge (18; 46; 61–62; 90–91), or God as eternal king (47; 93; 97;
99); psalms relating to the Messiah (based on New Testament references) (2; 8; 16; 22; 24; 31;
34–35; 40–41; 45; 61; 68–69; 72; 89; 96–98; 103; 109–10; 118); psalms invoking a curse (i.e.,
imprecatory psalms) (35; 58–59; 69; 83; 109; 137); and acrostic (alphabet) psalms (9–10; 25;
34; 37; 111–12; 119; 145).

B. Backgrounds of Worship.

The growth of the Book of Psalms is directly related to interest in the temple of God. David
gathered materials for that structure. He also organized the music program which would be used
in the temple. Solomon began to build the temple in the fourth year of his reign (967 B.C.). The
work was completed in the year 959 B.C.

In the ancient Near East, guilds of singers and musicians connected with temples enjoyed
official status and were highly organized. The Bible claims that David established similar guilds
in Israel (1 Chron 6, 15, et al.). That such singers existed during the first temple period is
confirmed externally by a reference to male and female singers among the booty sent by King
Hezekiah to Sennacherib in 701 B.C.4 Among the Israelites who returned from captivity in
Babylon were two hundred singers of both sexes (Ezra 2:65, 70) besides the Asaphites (Ezra
2:41; Neh 7:44) who were also connected with temple music (1 Chron 6:39).

Another group associated with temple music were the Korahites (1 Chron 6:31–33). They are
not mentioned among those who returned from Babylon. This supports the Biblical claims that
the Korahites were singers and musicians in the first temple period. External evidence of the
existence of such a group during the late monarchy was found among inscribed Hebrew ostraca
discovered in the temple in Arad.5
To Interpret any Psalm, we need to know the background of the Psalm. Psalms are either reactive
of proactive. Proactive songs have established History. Based on the historical data worshiper
brings out a Psalm. On the other hand, Reactive Psalms are dynamic in nature. They are based on
the spontaneity. Since everything is History for us, it is a good practice to dive down to the actual
situation which resulted the Psalm.

E.g.

Psalm 3: David’s flight from Absalom – 2 Sam 15:13

Psalm 6: David’s prayer for Forgiveness

Psalm 24: Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh - 1 Sam 4:4 / 2 Samuel 6:12 /
Christology.
If one regards the New Testament as the final authority, then Psalms must be regarded as one
of the most Christological books in the Old Testament. Sixteen psalms may be classified as
personal messianic.36 These are displayed with supporting New Testament

MESSIANIC PSALMS

Psalm Title NT References

2 The Enthroned Son Acts 4:25–27; 13:33

8 The Last Adam Heb 2:6
16 Resurrection Acts 2:25ff.; 13:35
22 Death & Resurrection John 19:23f.; Matt 27:39ff.
40 Before Bethlehem Heb 10:5ff.
45 Messiah’s Deity Heb 1:8
68 Advent & Ascension Eph 4:8
69 Betrayer Punished Acts 1:16f.; Matt 23:38;
72 Messiah’s Reign 27:34
78:1f. Parable Teller
89 Promise to David Matt 13:34f.
102 Externality of Christ Acts 13:34
109 Judgment on Judas Heb 1:10ff.
110 The Royal Priest Acts 1:16f.
118 Rejected Cornerstone Heb 1:8f.; 5:6, 10; 6:20;
132 Promise to David 7:17, 21
Matt 21:9, 42; Acts 4:11
Acts 13:34