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The Book of Psalms

The Psalms, traditionally attributed to King David, are a unique collection of 150 (or in the Septuagint, 151) different short poems, which vary in their genres and purposes. These include songs of praise and thanksgiving, laments, prayers, liturgies, reflections of wisdom concerning different aspects of life, and songs concerning the kingship of Israel and other national matters. There is evidence that some Psalms were used as prayers in the Jerusalem Temple, accompanied by musical instruments, and the varied works have been useful throughout the centuries as prayers expressing an abundance of situations which may come upon believers. The call “Praise the Lord! Give thanks to YHWH for he is good, for his mercy endures forever!” (Psalms 106:1) has probably been in constant use for over two millennia, and the entire Book of Psalms is central in the religious practices of the Bible-based religions: Judaism and Christianity.

In correspondence with the Pentateuch, the Psalms are divided into five books (Psalms 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150), thus equating the five books of Moses and their importance to the five books of David. The end of each book is marked by a praise of “Amen” or “Hallelujah.”

While reading the Psalms, we can learn much about the religious beliefs and poetic conventions that were current when they were written. In terms of beliefs, they present a happy man as one who delights on the study of Scripture and the Lord’s teachings, they glorify the God of Israel and the world He created, and mention the belief in a chosen Messiah. As for the characteristics of poetry, they teach us about the way a poetic line is built, the customary rhythm, and parallelism: an ancient convention which was popular throughout the Ancient Near East, as for example in Psalm 33:10: “YHWH dismisses the counsel of the nations // frustrates the thoughts of the peoples.”

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