Psalms

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Psalms In the OT, a collection of 150 self-contained poems and prayers without narrative contexts, traditionally ascribed to King David, but regarded by modern scholarship as mostly anonymous compositions of various dates and for undeclared occasions, which have to be inferred from the content.

The psalms have devices and techniques that are apparent in other Hebrew poetry, including parallelism, though there is no uniform system and the presence of a traceable metre is disputed. Some of the few psalms having a regular rhythm are Pss. 5, 29, 46, and 117. Ps. 29 (an early psalm, resembling literature found at Ugarit) contains parallelism in the first two verses. Other poetic devices include the use of repetitions and plays on words (e.g. Ps. 93: 4), refrains (Ps. 136), and acrostics (Ps. 111). Ps. 119 consists of twenty-two sections, each of eight lines, which begin with the same letter; the initial letters for each stanza are in turn the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalms were composed for a variety of purposes over a long period of the nation's history, certainly up to the Exile in Babylon (Ps. 137), and perhaps even to the Maccabean struggle (Ps. 44). But most modern scholars have been concerned less with possible historical settings than with the literary forms of psalms. Many are hymns celebrating deeds for which God is praised—the Creation (Ps. 8), the Exodus (Ps. 114), and the long course of events from Abraham to the invasion of Canaan—which presupposes a knowledge of Gen. and Exod. (Ps. 105) and so is probably a post-exilic composition. Another category is that of laments, sometimes in a personal form (Ps. 22) and sometimes in a communal cry of distress (Ps. 44). There are also personal thanksgivings, such as for recovery from illness (Ps. 30).

One group of psalms relates to the king of the line of David but it is uncertain whether those were composed during the time of the monarchy when a king on the throne was being honoured or, less probably, whether the psalms had in mind some future idealized king through whom divine blessings would be channelled to the nation. The king is regarded as a son of God, and there are references to his anointing and coronation (Pss. 2, 72 and 101). Some scholars believe that there was an annual enthronement festival. A royal wedding is the theme of Ps. 45, and Ps. 110 (which was to be an important text for the early Christian Church—e.g. Mark 12: 35–7) reflects the priestly role of the king in cultic ceremonies, acting on behalf of the whole people. The cultic context of these psalms is shown by Ps. 132, where the king and the Ark are associated in a thanksgiving for Jerusalem. Choral recitation in the Temple cult is suggested by psalms which contain antiphonal elements: Ps. 118 with liturgical instructions (verse 19) may have been for king and people to recite in turn; Ps. 15 was probably sung by pilgrims entering the building, perhaps at the feast of ingathering at the beginning of the year; they would be welcomed and invited to seek admission; they would respond by framing ten conditions (verses 2–5b); and then the priests pronounced a blessing (verse 5c). However, such is the diversity of forms that it is necessary to be cautious about the actual occasions for composition and use. Because there were changes in the cult over so many centuries scholars are reluctant to pronounce confidently about a context beyond that of liturgy in general for the Temple. Terms which appear, such as Selah (e.g. 3: 2), of uncertain meaning, and directions for the choir master at the head (e.g. Pss. 8–14) indicate the use of psalms with music in items of a service, such as a procession, or a blessing, or a petition.

The continuing liturgical use of the psalterargues for its having been specially put together for practical use in the Temple worship. Another view, however, proposes a literary emphasis: that it was compiled for teaching or theological purposes, expounding the everlasting kingship of God. On the latter view, the psalter is considered as a whole rather than as a collection of miscellaneous units, and the critical focus is more on the readers than on the original speakers of individual psalms in worship. But whether the psalter assumed its final shape through priests of the Temple as a book of hymns and prayers, or whether it was an anthology compiled by scribes, it is certain that the psalms have been an essential ingredient of both Jewish and Christian worship. Many psalms are among the Dead Sea discoveries at Qumran, and in the NT there are many quotations from the psalms. For example, sermons reported in Acts (e.g. 2: 25 ff.) quote Pss. 16 and 132 in support of belief in the resurrection of Christ, and Ps. 118 is regarded by the gospel of Matt. (21: 9) as foretelling Jesus to be the expected deliverer, leading a victory procession. By the 2nd cent. CE, the psalms were an established element in the Christian liturgy, and in due course became part of the daily office in religious houses whose members, both monks and nuns, were required to know the Latin psalms by heart before the invention of printing. It was a fixed text into which successive generations imported new meanings.

The variety of English translations is witness to the difficulties and ambiguities of the Hebrew text. For modern readers there is also the embarrassment of using psalms which derive from a different culture. The ‘enemies’ who are denounced in pleas to God for justice may be ‘evil doers’ or foreign foes. Allegorical or typological interpretations have often been applied to diminish the offence of certain verses, e.g. Ps. 137: 8–9.

An additional psalm, Ps. 151, is found in early Greek versions, and was also in use at Qumran. It is held to be canonical by some Orthodox Christians in the East. It celebrates David's killing of Goliath and thus taking away ‘reproach from the children of Israel’. In one English version (NRSV) Ps. 151 is included with the Apocrypha.

Psalms, Book of (Gk. ψαλμoi, ‘songs, accompanied by string music’). The OT Book contains 150 Psalms, variously enumerated; for the most part the Greek and Latin (Vulgate) versions are one number behind the Hebrew counting, which is followed in the BCP and most non-Catholic English Bibles, so, e.g. Ps. 90 AV is Ps. 89 Vulg.

The Psalms are traditionally divided into five books, namely 1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–50, but there are indications of earlier groupings which point back to independently existing collections. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that the order of the Psalms was not fixed until the Christian era. Rubrics in the Massoretic text and in the Septuagint make it clear that in its present form the Psalter is essentially a liturgical book; it has often been described as the ‘hymn-book of the Second Temple’. The popular belief that David was the author of the whole Psalter can no longer be sustained. Most scholars believe that the Psalms come from a variety of authors and are of widely different dates. Many probably come from the early years of the Monarchy and in their original form may have been used for worship in the First Temple. It is unclear when the various collections were made, but they were probably all post-exilic.

Traditionally interpreted, the Psalms are held to cover the whole range of relations between God and man. This interpretation has been challenged in the last 100 years, some for instance arguing that the ‘I’ of the Psalms commonly refers not to an individual but to Israel as a nation.

In the Church the Psalter has been used both in public worship and in private prayer from very early times. In the Divine Office of the RC Church, until its recent reordering, the whole Psalter was recited every week, as it still is in the E. Church (here twice a week in Lent). See also PSALTER.

Psalms or Psalter , book of the Bible, a collection of 150 hymnic pieces. Since the last centuries BC, this book has been the chief hymnal of Jews, and subsequently, of Christians. The hymns are of varying date and authorship, but many are ascribed to David , and some to Asaph 1, Solomon , Moses , and the sons of Korah . Many scholars believe that some of the Psalms originated in David's time and some even earlier. Most of them, however, took their present form between c.538 BC (when the Jews returned from Babylonian exile) and c.100 BC According to the Hebrew text, the Psalms are divided into five books: Psalms 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150. The poems vary significantly in tone and subject. Psalms occur throughout the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Pseudepigrapha. The Syriac Psalter adds Psalm 151, found also in the Psalms Scroll at Qumran . The history of Psalm translations is more extensive than that of any other part of the Bible. Earlier English versions include those of St. Aldhelm and of Richard Rolle . The Psalms have been translated into English metrical verse a number of times, e.g., the Bay Psalm Book and versions by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady and by Isaac Watts . Until the late 20th cent. the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer were in the version of the Great Bible of 1539 (by Miles Coverdale from the Vulgate ). The use of this version, instead of the Authorized Version, was continued because of its popularity.

Bibliography: See (besides books listed under Old Testament) studies by A. A. Anderson (1972), D. Kidner (1973, 1975), C. Westermann (1980), W. Brueggemann (1984), and H. J. Kraus (1987, 1989).

psalm OE. (p)s(e)alm (reinforced in ME. from OF.), corr. to OHG. (p)salmo (G. psalm), ON. (p)salmr — late L. psalmus — Gr. psalmós plucking with the fingers, sounding of the harp, (in LXX and N.T.) song sung to the harp, f. psállein pluck, sing to the harp.
So psalmist XV. — Late L. psalmody (-Y3) XIV. — Late L. psalmōdia — Gr. psalmōidíā (see ODE). So psalter OE. (p)saltere, corr. to OHG. (p)salteri, ON. (p)saltari — Late L. psaltērium — Gr. psaltḗrion stringed instrument, (in ChrL. and ChrGr. writers) the book of Psalms of the O.T.; and ME. sauter — AN. sauter, OF. sautier (mod. psautier). psaltery ancient stringed instrument. XIII. ME. sautr(i)e — OF. sauter(i)e — L. psaltērium; all finally superseded by latinized forms in ps-, which have been exclusively used since 1600.

psalm / sä(l)m/ (also Psalm) • n. a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship: a delightful setting of Psalm 150. ∎  (the Psalms or the Book of Psalms) a book of the Bible comprising a collection of religious verses, sung or recited in both Jewish and Christian worship. Many are traditionally ascribed to King David. DERIVATIVES: psalm·ic / ˈsä(l)mik/ adj.

psalm a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship. Recorded from Old English, the word comes via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek psalmos ‘song sung to harp music’, from psallein ‘pluck’.

Psalms is a book of the Bible comprising a collection of religious verses, many of which are traditionally ascribed to King David; their numbering varies between the Hebrew, Latin, and Greek versions of the Bible.

Psalms, Book of (Gk., psalmoi, ‘songs accompanied by string music’). The first of the Writings in the Hebrew Bible and nineteenth book in the Christian Old Testament. The Hebrew title is Tehillim (‘songs of praise’), from the same root as the common refrain Alleluia. The 150 Psalms are numbered differently in Protestant (following the Hebrew) and Roman Catholic (following the Septuagint/Greek and Vulgate) Bibles.

psalm. Hymn acc. by harp or other str. instrs. But by the term is generally understood the Old Testament Book of Psalms. In Christian church services these are sung antiphonally to various chants. Verse paraphrases of the psalms are known as metrical psalms. There are countless settings of individual psalms by composers from Bach to Britten (and by earlier and later composers).

Psalms, Book of Book of the Old Testament, consisting of 150 hymns, lyric poems, and prayers. The works were collected over a very long period, at least from the 10th to the 5th centuries bc, and probably achieved their final form before the 2nd century bc. Most carry titles added afterwards, and 73 are stated to have been composed or collected by King David.

psalm Musical hymn or sacred poem. The most famous are contained in the Old Testament Book of Psalms.

Psalms, see Hymns.

psalm •alarm, arm, Bairam, balm, barm, becalm, calm, charm, embalm, farm, forearm, Guam, harm, imam, ma'am, malm, Montcalm, Notre-Dame, palm, psalm, qualm, salaam, smarm •yardarm • sidearm • gendarme •wind farm • Islam • schoolmarm •tonearm • napalm • firearm •underarm • short-arm