PSALMS
Some interesting Facts
The following is taken from the series of Bible Studies
presented by the Church of God (Seventh Day) out of Denver, in
their Sabbath school quarterly entitled "Psalms: A Book of
Praises" (published in 2001). To obtain this booklet write to:
Bible Advocate Press, 330 West 152nd Avenue, Broomfield, CO
80020, U.S.A. Single copies are $2.00 each.
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The Psalms were written over a period of almost 1,000 years,
beginning with Moses about 1410 B.C.
Superscriptions, or "titles," appear on 116 of the 150 psalms,
providing various kinds of information, such as authorship,
dedication, historical setting, kind of song, type of musical
accompaniment, etc.
King David is credited with half the psalms, either ones he
composed or those later dedicated to him.
Psalms are poetry, whether they are prayers or songs.
Several of them tell about the history of Israel. A few Psalms
discuss the Judeans' captivity in Babylon and their return to
Jerusalem.
Prophecies about Jesus Christ the Messiah are another integral
part of the Psalms.
The Hebrew name for the book of Psalms accurately is "Book of
Praises," because almost every psalm includes praise.
Many psalms were set to the accompaniment of musical instruments
and served as the temple hymnbook and devotional guide.
Moses is credited with writing Psalm 90, possibly during the
Exodus from Egypt, and is the book's earliest author.
Superscriptions regarding authorship ascribe 73 psalms to King
David, the most prolific of the authors, who wrote about his many
experiences as shepherd, musician, warrior, and king.
The words "of," "by," "for," - in Hebrew may indicate "belonging
to," "connected with," "concerning," "for," dedicated to," "in
the style of," or "by." Therefore the wording in the
superscriptions does not always mean authorship.
Superscriptions, or "titles," on 100 psalms give credit to SEVEN
composers. This does not necessarily mean that all these psalms
were composed by these men. Some of these psalms may have been
written by others, and dedicated to these men, as explained
above.
Following is the breakdown of the psalms that are credited to the
seven composers:
King David (73 + 2): 3-9; 11-32; 34-41; 51-65; 68-70; 86;
101; 103; 108-110; 122; 124; 131; 133; and 138-145.
According to New Testament texts (Acts 4:25 and Hebrews 4:7,
respectively) two anonymous psalms, 2 and 95, were also
written by David.
Asaph, a priest who headed the service of music (12): 50;
73-83.
Sons of Korah, a guild of singers and composers (10): 42;
44-49; 84; 85; 87.
King Solomon (2): 72; 127.
Moses (1): 90.
Heman (1): 88.
Ethan (1): 89.
The remaining 48 psalms are anonymous.
All of the authors listed above (except Moses and Solomon)
are mentioned in 1 Chronicles (15: 16-24 and 25: 1-31) as
men appointed by King David to serve as musicians and
singers, among a total of 228 (25:7). Their system of
worship was elaborate, highly skilled, and well staffed.
Their musical instruments included trumpets, harps, lyres,
timbrels, flutes, and bronze cymbals.
The Psalms are divided into five books, or collections: Book 1
(1-41); Book 2 (42-72); Book 3 (73-89); Book 4 (90-106); and Book
5 (107-150). David may have compiled Book 1; Hezekiah or Josiah
Books 2 and 3; and Ezra or Nehemiah Books 4 and 5.
Each book concludes with a doxology. This may explain why the
wording of a few psalms, or portions of them, appear in two
different books.
The psalmists express the inner life of humanity, identifying and
ministering to spiritual thoughts, longings, and needs -
sometimes in desperation. Sorrow and joy, hate and love, anger
and gentleness, resentment and thanksgiving, protest and praise,
fear and faith - all are expressed in the psalms.
Classifying the Psalms
The bulk of the psalms fall into three basic types: lament,
thanksgiving, and praise. These can be further divided into ten
types:
1. Individual Laments: Forty psalms directly petition God to
rescue and defend an individual.
2. Communal Lament: In nine psalms, the nation, rather than
an individual, makes the lament.
3. Individual Thanksgiving: In ten psalms, the psalmist
thanks God for something He has already done on his
behalf or expresses confidence in what God will yet do.
4. Communal Thanksgiving: Two psalms express the nation's
acknowledgement for God's actions on its behalf.
5. General Praise: Eight psalms are more general than the
thanksgiving psalms in magnifying the name of God and
boasting about His greatness.
6. Descriptive Praise: Ten psalms praise God for His
attributes and actions.
7. Enthronement: Six psalms describe God's sovereign reign
over all, with some anticipating the kingdom rule of
Christ.
8. Pilgrimage: Twenty-one psalms were sung by the pilgrims
travelling to Jerusalem for three annual religious
feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. They are
also known as Songs of Zion.
9. Royal: Eleven psalms portray the reigns of the earthy
kings and the heavenly King.
10.Wisdom and Didactic: Three psalms exhort and instruct
the readers in the way of righteousness.
Selah
Selah is an isolated word occurring 71 times in the Psalms and
three times in Habakkuk. The title of each Psalm in which it
appears, except 41 and 81, names the kind of melody or psalmody,
so it is generally agreed that Selah must be a musical or
liturgical sign, but its exact meaning is obscure. Several
possibilities have been suggested:
1) The root word from which Selah is thought to have come means
"to lift up." This may indicate that the singers and/or musicians
are to "lift up" (become louder) in their praise to God.
Or it could mean some other change in voice or musical
instrument, or to repeat.
2) It could be a liturgical mark, perhaps suggesting a place to
lift the voice or hands in prayer.
Possibly a priest offered a prayer at this point.
3) It may have marked places where a cry of worship was given,
such as "Amen" or "Hallelujah."
Poetry
The book of Psalms is written in poetry. Westerners, however, do
not detect rhyme, though more rhyme is in Hebrew poetry than can
be preserved in translation. While line endings are not matched
in sound, as in English hymns, Hebrew poetry rhymes in thoughts.
An idea once stated is repeated in deferent wording in a parallel
phrase, as in Psalm 1:2, 5; 2:1. Or ideas may be in antithetic
thought-rhymes, where the second line states the opposite of the
first, as in Psalm 6:1.
Or sometimes the thought "grows" as in Psalm 29:1-2a. There may
also be a combination of these. Not all psalms fall into this
over-simplified description, because their form is as varied as
their content.
Hebrew is a picturesque language. Instead of giving an orderly
story, sometimes a psalm will give a series of pictures that are
not necessarily connected, as in Psalm 46: 2-6.
Such writing styles have purpose: the repetition of ideas
emphasizes important thoughts. To benefit the most from its
messages, a person must be alert and aware of the literary art
when reading this poetry. In poetry, the connection between one
sentence and the next often lies in feeling, not in reasoning.
The psalmists often expose their deepest feelings and emotions,
as they openly communicate their thoughts to God in honesty,
sincerity and boldness. The psalms express timeless and
changeless truths. Their example of baring one's soul should
encourage us to open ourselves to God, to freely confess our sins
and faults, and to express our gratitude to God for His mercy and
grace and His gift of eternal life.
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For some fine personal or group Bible studies on the book of
Psalms I certainly recommend the booklet: "Psalms: A Book of
Praises" from the series Bible Studies for Adults, published by
the Bible Advocate Press, a division of the General Conference of
the Church of God (Seventh Day), P.O Box 33677, Denver, CO
80233-0677, U.S.A.
