Introduction to
the Psalms
The
Hebrew title is “Tehillim” (plural of “Tehillah,” praise or hymn), Praises or
Songs of Praise; or “Sepher Tehillim,” Book of Praise, expressive of the
character and object of the book, namely, “to declare the Glory of God.”
The
title given in New Testament is “Book of Psalms,” Luk 20:42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD
said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Act 1:20 For it is written
in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein: and his bishoprick let another take. In medieval times the
book alone was called “The Psalter,” a name derived from a musical stringed
instrument made of wood, in the style of a harp and in shape like a Greek
delta. 1Ki 10:12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the
LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there
came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. (KJV) 1Ki 10:12 The king made of the almug trees supports for the house
of the LORD and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the singers;
such almug trees have not come in again nor have they been seen to this day. (NASB)
The
word “Psalms,” as applied to the collection, is derived from the Greek
translation, the word psalmoi, in the plural - “psalmos” (a psalm) and
“psalmoi” (psalms). This word is derived from psallō, to touch, to twitch, to pluck
- as the hair or beard; and then, to touch or twitch a string, “to twang,” that
is, to cause it to vibrate by touching or twitching it with the finger or with
a “plectrum” - an instrument for striking the strings of a lyre. Hence, the
word is applied to instruments of music employed in praise, and then to acts of
praise in general.
The
noun - psalmos, - “psalm,” means properly “a touching, twang,” as of a
bowstring, or of stringed instruments; then a song, as accompanying stringed
instruments; and then specifically a psalm or song of praise to God. Thus, the
verb - psallō, - is used in the New Testament as denoting “praise” in the
following places:
Rom 15:9 And that the
Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will
confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
1Co 14:15 What is it then?
I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing
with the
spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Eph 5:19 Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your
heart to the
Lord;
Jas 5:13 Is any among you
afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
The
verb does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The “noun” - psalmos, - is
used in the New Testament in the following places as denoting psalms in
general:
1Co 14:26 How is it then,
brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a
doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all
things be done unto edifying.
Eph 5:19 Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord;
Col 3:16 Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to
the Lord.
In
the following places it is applied in the New Testament to the Book of Psalms,
considered as a collection of songs of praise;
Luk 20:42 And David himself
saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right
hand,
Luk 24:44 And he said unto
them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and
in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Act 1:20 For it is written
in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein:
and his bishoprick let another take.
Act 13:33 God hath
fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus
again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day
have I begotten thee.
The
word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament.
The Authors of
the Psalms
The
Psalms thus collected into a book are by no means the production of one poet or
one age. They stretch through a long period of Jewish history, certainly from
the time of Moses to the time of the return from the captivity of Babylon, and
probably later. So many of them, however, are the composition of David, that it
is customary to speak of them as “The Psalms of David,” though it is probable
that not much more than half of the psalms in the collection were written by
him. Of the 150 psalms comprising the collection, not quite one half are
usually ascribed to him. It is probable, however, that a portion of the psalms
to which no name is prefixed in the title was written by David.
The following
persons or groups are mentioned in the titles:
Moses - One psalm Ps.
90 is ascribed to Moses. No other psalm in the collection is ascribed to him,
though there are a few specimens of his poetry preserved in the Pentateuch.
David – the author of
many of the psalms in the collection. Critics are divided in opinion as to the
exact number that should be ascribed to him. In the Hebrew inscriptions of the
Psalms, 68 are attributed to him. This number varies among scholars due to variations
in the manuscripts in respect to the inscriptions; the different value attached
to these inscriptions by various critics; the fact that some psalms, though
without a title in the Hebrew, are supposed to be so certainly the production
of David.
Asaph - Twelve of the
psalms, Ps. 50; Ps. 73; Ps. 74; Psa_75; Psa_76; Ps. 77; Ps. 78; Psa_79; Ps. 80;
Ps. 81; Psa_82; Ps. 83; are ascribed to Asaph. These occupy a place together in
the collection Ps. 63–83, with the exception of Psa_1.
The sons of
Korah -
Eleven of the psalms, Psa_42; Ps. 44; Ps. 45; Psa_46; Psa_47; Psa_48; Ps. 49;
Psa_84; Psa_85; Psa_87; Ps. 88; are ascribed to “the sons of Korah.”
The Ezrahite - Two psalms, Ps.
88; Ps. 89 are ascribed to a person called “The Ezrahite.” Psalm 88 is ascribed
to “Heman the Ezrahite.” Psalm 89 is ascribed to “Ethan the Ezrahite.” The name
Heman occurs in 1Ki_4:31; 1Ch_2:6; 1Ch_6:33; 1Ch_15:17, 1Ch_15:19; 1Ch_16:42;
1Ch_25:1, 1Ch_25:4-6; 2Ch_5:12; 2Ch_29:14; 2Ch_35:15 - usually in connection
with Ethan, as among those whom David placed over the music in the services of
the sanctuary.
Solomon - Two of the
psalms, Ps. 72 and Psa_127, are ascribed to Solomon, or are “for Solomon.” It
cannot be positively determined whether those psalms are his composition, or
whether they were composed with reference to him or for him.
Songs of Degrees
-
Fifteen of the psalms, Ps. 120–134, are entitled “Songs of Degrees.” Of these,
four are ascribed to David and one to Solomon. The names of the authors of the
others are not mentioned. They are grouped together because they appear to have
been used on certain special occasions, rather than from anything special in
the psalms themselves.
Miscellaneous
prophets in the Septuagint – Some of the psalms are ascribed in the
Septuagint translation to Jeremiah, to Ezekiel, to Haggai, and to Zechariah. There
is nothing corresponding to this in the Hebrew titles.
The Formation of
the Collection and Arrangement of the Book
of Psalm.
Many
scholars ascribe the collection and arrangement of the Book to Ezra, and if so
the whole collection must have been formed about 450 years before Christ. There
is evidence in the psalms themselves of the existence of smaller collections
made before from which the general one was ultimately formed.
The
Book is divided in the Hebrew text into five minor books or collections. This
division is found also in the Septuagint version. The grouping is not precisely
accurate, that is, in the first part, the “Psalms of David” Ps. 1–41, not all
the psalms of David are included; and there are a few that are not ascribed to
him in the title; but still it was so complete at the time, probably, as to
make it proper to regard it as a collection of “his” psalms in respect to the
purpose for which that collection was made.
Book
I comprises chapters 1-41 and these are Songs of Deliverance; Book II, chapters
42-72 are about The Divine Judgments Book III, chapters 73-89 are National Hymns
of Judah; Book IV, chapters 90-106 are about The Over-ruling Kingdom; Book V,
chapters 107-150 are Anthems of Praise and Thanksgiving. Some scholars believe
that originally the books were three, and that they were altered into five in
imitation of the Pentateuch; the original divisions being — (1) 1-41, (2)
42-89, (3) 90-150. The Septuagint adds one more psalm, Psalm 151.
The
First, Second, and Third Books end with Amen and Amen; the Fourth, with Amen
and Hallelujah, the Fifth, with Hallelujah.
The
first section embraces the first 41 psalms, and was, probably, a collection of
David’s psalms as such, although it does not embrace by any means all that he
wrote, probably not all that were extant at the time when the collection was
made. The “close” of this “book” is indicated by the words “Amen, and Amen,”
Psa_41:13. All the psalms in this collection, except Psa_1; Psa_2; Ps. 10; Ps.
33; are expressly ascribed to David, and it is every way probable that all were
composed by him.
The
second section in the general collection comprises Ps. 42–72. This collection
is made up of the psalms of “the sons of Korah,” Ps. 42–49; of one of the
psalms of Asaph, Ps. 50; of 19 psalms of David; of two whose authors are not
named; and of one inscribed “to Solomon,” or “for Solomon,” Ps. 72. At the end
of this collection Psa_72:20 the following notice is given: “The prayers of
David, the son of Jesse, are ended;” and some have supposed that this was the
close of the entire psalms preceding it, as one book or collection, Ps. 1–72.
The
third section Ps. 73–89 consists in part Ps. 73–83 of psalms of Asaph, and in
part Ps. 84–89 of the psalms of the sons of Korah, including one of David Ps.
86. The book contains none of the psalms of David, with the exception of Ps.
86; and therefore the notice is given at the end of the second book Psa_72:20,
that “the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” It was evidently the
design of the author of the compilation at the “close” of that book not to
admit in the following book any of the psalms of David; perhaps it was the
intention “not” to collect anymore of the psalms of David for the purpose of
public worship.
The
fourth collection Ps. 90–106 is made up wholly of anonymous psalms, with the
exception of Ps. 90, which is ascribed to Moses, and Psa_101; Ps. 103; which
are ascribed to David. They are psalms which have almost no local references or
allusions, which might, for the most part, have been composed in any country or
at any period of the world; and which, in their structure and allusions, give
no indication of their authors or of the circumstances which led to their
composition. Their authorship, except in the three instances above mentioned,
cannot now be ascertained; nor is it necessary to determine that question in
order fully to understand and appreciate them. They were manifestly designed
for public worship, and probably written with the intention of being so used.
This book closes Psa_106:48 with the expression “Amen, Hallelujah.”
The General
Character of the Book of Psalm.
The
Psalms are mostly lyrical poetry, that is, poetry adapted to the harp or lyre;
to be used in connection with instrumental music; to be “sung,” not “read.”
Such poetry was common among the ancients. Lyric poetry is, for the most part,
an expression of deep feeling, and has its foundation in feeling or emotion.
The
uniqueness of the Hebrew lyrical poetry as distinguished from the lyrical
poetry of other ancient people, and from most of the lyrical poetry in modern
times, is its “religion.” It is lyrical poetry on subjects pertaining to
religion, or to be employed in religion: as expressing religious feeling, and
as designed to awaken and foster such feeling. It is intended to raise the
heart and the affections toward God; to lift up the thoughts of men from the
earth; to inspire confidence in God; to produce consolation as derived from God
in times of trouble; to cheer and comfort man in his pilgrimage along a path of
sorrow and trouble to a better abode.
Types of psalms
1)
Hymns in which the praise of God is the principal and leading object, as
a)
in general, God is praised as the God of nature and of men, Psa_8:1-9; Ps. 104;
Ps. 145;
b)
as the God of nature and of the Hebrew people, Psa_19:1-14; Psa_29:1-11; Ps.
33; Psa_65:1-13; Psa_93:1-5; Ps. 135; Ps. 136; Ps. 147;
c)
as uniquely the God of the Hebrew people, Psa_47:1-9; Ps. 66; Psa_67:1-7;
Psa_75:1-10;
d)
as the helper and deliverer of his people, Psa_46:1-11; Psa_48:1-14;
Psa_75:1-10; Psa_76:1-12; Ps. 18; Psa_30:1-12; Psa_138:1-8.
2)
Psalms pertaining to the Hebrew nation; to its history; to the Divine
interposition in its behalf; and to its relation to Yahweh. Ps. Ps. 78; Ps.
105; Ps. 106; Psa_114:1-8.
3)
temple psalms, or songs of Zion. Psa_5:1-12; Psa_15:1-5; Psa_24:1-10;
Psa_87:1-7; Ps. 132.
4)
Psalms in relation to trial, calamity, distress, whether of individuals or of
the nation. These abound, as Ps. 7; Ps. 22; Ps. 55; Psa_56:1-13; Ps. 109; Ps.
44; Ps. 74; Psa_79:1-13; Ps. 80; Psa_137:1-9; Ps. 69; Ps. 77; Ps. 102; Ps. 10;
Psa_12:1-8; Psa_14:1-7; Psa_36:1-12; and many others.
5)
Religious and moral psalms, Ps. 90; Ps. 139; Psa_23:1-6; Ps. 91; Psa_121:1-8;
Psa_127:1-5; Psa_128:1-6; Psa_42:1-11; Psa_43:1-5; Psa_101:1-8; Psa_131:1-3;
Psa_1:1-6; Psa_133:1-3; Ps. 119:
