Psalms
INTRODUCTION
Psalms is a collection of 150 religious poems which enrich the spiritual life of God’s people. The Psalms touch on every human experience and on every aspect of the believer’s personal relationship with God. In powerful images they guide us today to worship, to praise, to trust, and to hope in the Lord. Hebrew poetry does not rely on rhyme or even rhythm for its power, but rather on parallelism, the matching or echoing of thoughts. Thus one line will reflect, contrast with, or reinforce the idea introduced in another, so that the original thought is enriched. This kind of poetry alone can be translated in all languages without loss of power or beauty. Many technical terms are found in introductions to individual psalms. These reflect use of the psalms in Israel’s public worship, and apparently indicate musical accompaniment, the type of psalm or occasion when used, etc. The Psalms are organized in five “books.” Each book was added to the official collection at a different date. Various types of psalms—of praise, worship, confession, imprecation, messianic hope, etc.—are found within each book in apparently random order. Superscriptions identify a number of authors of the psalms, including David (73), the sons of Korah (12), Asaph (12), and others. As no other book of Scripture, Psalms guides us to focus our thoughts on the Lord, and enrich our private as well as public worship.
| I. | Book I | Psalms 1–41 |
| II. | Book II | Psalms 42–72 |
| III. | Book III | Psalms 73–89 |
| IV. | Book IV | Psalms 90–106 |
| V. | Book V | Psalms 107–150 |
