The Book of Psalms

An Ancient Hymn Book

The book of Psalms is a collection of sacred poems that are praises and prayers to God. The title of this book in Hebrew, Telhillim, means “praises.” The title of this book in Greek is Psalms, which means “songs.” Most of the poems in this book were written as songs and were intended to be sung with a stringed-instrument accompaniment. Singing was a part of temple worship services and public events, such as funerals, marriages, and other celebrations.

As mentioned above, many psalms are written to simply praise the Lord. In addition, you will find psalms that are specifically about the law, the temple, nature, or historical events. Some of the most beautiful and important psalms teach about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The book of Psalms is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament book. For a list of Old Testament scriptures quoted in the New Testament, see the Bible Dictionary, “quotations” (pp. 757–58).

We do not know the author of all of the psalms, although many do note an author. King David is mentioned the most as a writer of various psalms. Others are also mentioned: Moses, Solomon, Asaph (David’s musician), and Levite priests (the sons of Korah). Sometimes the author is anonymous.

Getting Ready to Study Psalms

Understanding a little about Hebrew poetry can help you better understand Psalms. Most poetry is written in the language of emotion. Poets do not try to “report” events as much as they express their feelings. To express themselves, they often use symbolic language and may exaggerate. In addition, they may also try to express their feelings or impress their audience by using some kind of pattern or rhythm.

Hebrew poetry creates a sense of rhythm by repeating ideas in a style called “parallelism.” Sometimes the writer will say the same kind of thing in different ways, while at other times he will put two ideas in opposition to one another. Consider the following example from Psalm 1. This psalm is written below so that the repeated ideas are grouped together. Notice that sometimes the ideas are additional examples of the first idea, while other times later ideas are opposites of the first.

Psalm 1:1–2 is an example of the opposite style of parallelism:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:3–4 shows symbolic language for both opposites:

Idea. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Opposite idea. “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.”
Psalm 1:5 is an example of a repeated idea:

“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”
Psalm 1:6 is another example of opposite parallelism:

“For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Notice in the example for Psalm 1:3–4 that the writer used images that seem to paint pictures with words. This kind of writing gives greater power to the ideas. We might just say that the man who is godly and delights in God’s laws will be blessed. But the psalmist instead gave the image of a tree, planted very close to a river, that receives constant nourishment and refreshment and continually grows and bears fruit. That image brings more power to the mind and heart of the reader or listener than just saying that the man is blessed.

If you read the book of Psalms keeping in mind these ideas about Hebrew poetry, you will find the psalms much more interesting and their teachings will come with greater power to your heart.

This study guide will direct you to several of the important psalms quoted by New Testament writers, psalms that are about the Savior, and psalms that have a special insight on an important doctrine of the gospel. But you are welcome to read all of the psalms. Perhaps a psalm not mentioned in this study guide will become one of your favorites.