The Psalms
The Psalms
The Psalms
The Psalms
The Psalms
Structure and Outline
• Book I Psalms 1—41
– Davidic Group I Psalms 3—41
• Book II Psalms 42—72
– Sons of Korah Group I Psalms 42—49
– Davidic Group II Psalms 51—71
• Book III Psalms 73—89
– Asaph Group Psalms 73—83
– Sons of Korah Group II Psalms 84—88
• Book IV Psalms 90—106
– Congregational Praise Group I Psalms 95—100
• Book V Psalms 107—150
– Hallelujah Group Psalms 111—117
– Songs of Ascent Psalms 120—134
– Davidic Group III Psalms 138—145
– Congregational Group II Psalms 146—150
The Psalms
• What Is Psalms?
Psalms is essentially the hymnbook of the Old
Testament. The Hebrew title, Tehillim, literally means
“praises,” but the English title is derived from the
Greek word, psalmoi, which means “songs.”
The 150 psalms are mostly addressed TO GOD.
They present a variety of poetic expressions and a
wide range of emotions, from praise to despair, joy to
fear, and faith to confusion. They are deeply
theological and contain much symbolism and
imagery, employing literary devices such as metaphor,
simile, hyperbole, and others.
The Psalms
• What Is Psalms? (continued)
“Psalms is a compilation of devotional
poetry that sets the tone for this part of the
Tanakh, which as a whole explores the morally
complex nature of the divine—human
relationship after the exile.” (Harris, 200).
The Psalms
• Who Wrote Psalms?
Since Psalms is a collection, there are many
authors who contributed to its final from. One-third
of the psalms are attributed to anonymous authors.
100 of the 150 psalms indicate a specific author or
group of authors.