The Bible Book

140

T

he Book of Psalms as we

know it probably dates

from the 6th century bce,

after the Jews returned from the

Babylonian exile. It was effectively

a hymn book for Israel, used in the

liturgy of the Second Temple,

where Psalms would have been

sung to an accompaniment of

lyres, harps, and cymbals.

The Psalms can be seen as the

human side of a dialogue between

Israel and its God. Often they are

brimming with positivity, as in the

ending of Psalm 23: “Surely your

goodness and love will follow me all

THE PSALMS

An illustration of King David

marks the initial at the beginning

of Psalm 1. This beautifully detailed

illuminated manuscript was made

in around 1450 by Leonardo Bellini.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

The Psalms

THEME

The prayers of the faithful

SETTING

From 10th century bce In

the First and Second Temples

of Jerusalem.

KEY FIGURES

David The second king of

Israel and Judah in the 10th

and 9th century bce. An

enthusiastic sponsor of singers

and musicians, he was known

as the “hero of Israel’s songs”

(2 Samuel 23:1).

Asaph A Levite, appointed

by David as one of the chief

musicians before the Ark of

the Covenant in Jerusalem.

Thought to have founded a

school or guild of temple

singers and musicians, known

as the “sons of Asaph.”

the days of my life, and I will dwell

in the house of the Lord forever.”

At other times, feelings are bleaker

and more raw: “You have put me

in the lowest pit, in the darkest

depths,” complains the writer of

Psalm 88. This broad emotional

variance allows the book to cover

a range of experiences relating

to religious life.

Origins and usage

Like all hymn books, the Book of

Psalms draws on earlier collections,

many of them already hundreds

of years old. Some Psalms bear

marked resemblance to hymns

used by other Near Eastern

peoples—for example, Psalm 104,

which has parallels with the Great

Hymn to the Egyptian sun god

Aten. This is more likely to be

because certain types of hymns

were common across the various

Near Eastern religions than

because one culture consciously

US_138-143_Psalms_of_David.indd 140 26/09/17 2:13 pm

141

plagiarized hymns from another.

Many of the common Psalm forms

were also used in Babylonian and

Egyptian liturgies.

Clues to the earlier collections

from which the Jewish Book of

Psalms was drawn can be found

in the superscriptions at the top

of some of the Psalms. There are

the Psalms of Asaph, for example,

which possibly emerged from a

tradition associated with Asaph,

son of Berechiah, appointed as a

temple singer under King David.

Another group are the Songs

of Ascent, which may have been

used by pilgrims to Jerusalem as

they climbed the Temple Mount.

Although King David is known

to have composed songs, the

collection labeled Psalms of David

was almost certainly inspired by

him and events in his life rather

than actually written by him.

It is hard to confirm any exact

dates for the Psalms, but scholars

emphasize their link with early

Temple worship before and after

the exile, and traditional Jewish

festivals—especially those in the

See also: David and Goliath 116–17 ■ The Nature of God 144–45 ■ Proverbs 148–51 ■ Song of Songs 152–53 ■

Parables of Jesus 214–15

WISDOM AND PROPHETS

fall before the harvest. It is likely

that at least some of these songs

and hymns were composed

specifically for festival use and

would have played a crucial part

in the ritual life of early Jews.

Thematic groupings

The 150 Psalms are divided into

five books—possibly to reflect

the structure of the Pentateuch—

and each book concludes with a

doxology, a short formula of praise,

usually starting: “Praise be to the

Lord ...” They contain a variety of

styles and themes. Many are about

royal events related to the reign of

King David—73 in total bear his

name—while others are more

prophetic in nature, or impart

an obvious moral lesson. Side by

side with grand hymns of glory

and devotion sit the more somber

Psalms, often of individual or

communal lamentation. In fact,

laments constitute a major portion

of the Psalms—around 40 of the

total 150. They almost always

conclude in trust and praise,

but in their initial forthrightness

Hebrew poetry

Almost a third of the Hebrew

Bible is poetry. The narrative

books are interspersed with

poetic passages; large parts

of the prophetic books are

in verse; and most or all of

Proverbs, Lamentations, Job,

and the Psalms are poetry.

Meter, as it is known in the

Western tradition, does not

exist in Hebrew poetry, nor does

rhyme. Instead, its key building

blocks are short lines in pairs,

as, for example, in the opening

of Psalm 24: “The earth is the

Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in

it.” The second line often

repeats the meaning of the first,

to create a sense of balance or

symmetry. The effect is also

cumulative, with the second

line amplifying the scope and

resonance of the first. Another

device in Hebrew poetry—one

that inevitably gets lost in the

translation—is the acrostic, in

which each line or group of lines

begins with a successive letter

of the Hebrew alphabet. Nine

psalms are organized in this

way, notably Psalm 119.

they say much about the heartfelt

directness and honesty of Israel’s

liturgical life.

Crying out to God

The causes of lament vary from

betrayal to imprisonment and

sickness. They are often on behalf

of a specific figure, who typically

plunges straight into his complaint.

“How long, Lord?” is Psalm 13’s

exasperated opening. “Will you ❯❯

I love you, O Lord,

my strength. The Lord

is my rock, my fortress

and my deliverer;

my God is my rock,

in whom I take refuge.

Psalm 18:1–2

Why are you downcast,

O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5

US_138-143_Psalms_of_David.indd 141 21/09/17 11:30 am