Introduction to Psalms
The Name
The book of Psalms has been and still is the irreplaceable devotional guide, prayer book, and hymnal of the people of God. The Hebrew title is “the book of praises” (tehillim). The Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) used psalmos for tehillim; the word means “a song sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument.” The Vulgate followed the Septuagint and used psalmorum, from the Latin psalterium, “a stringed instrument.” The King James Version adopted the word, and thus we have the book of Psalms.
The Writers
The writers of about two-thirds of the psalms are identified in the superscriptions. David leads the way with seventy-three psalms. He was Israel’s beloved “singer of songs” (2 Sam. 23:1) and the man who organized the temple ministry, including the singers (1 Chron. 15:16; 16:7; 25:1). The sons of Korah, who served as musicians in the temple (1 Chron. 6:31ff.; 15:17ff.; 2 Chron. 20:19), wrote eleven psalms (42—49; 84—85; 87), Asaph twelve psalms (50; 73—83), King Solomon two (72; 127), Ethan one (89), and Moses one (90). However, not all scholars give equal value to the titles of the psalms.
The Structure
The book of Psalms is divided into five books, perhaps in imitation of the five books of Moses (Genesis—Deuteronomy): 1—41; 42—72; 73—89; 90—106; 107—150. Each of the first three books ends with a double “amen,” the fourth ends with an “amen” and a “hallelujah,” and the last book closes the entire collection with a “hallelujah.” The book of Psalms grew over the years as the Holy Spirit directed different writers and editors to compose and compile these songs and poems.
The Purpose
Primarily, the Psalms are about God and His relationship to His creation, the nations of the world, Israel, and His believing people. He is seen as a powerful God as well as a tenderhearted Father, a God who keeps His promises and lovingly cares for His people. The Psalms also reveal the hearts of those who follow Him, their faith and doubts, their victories and failures, and their hopes for the glorious future God has promised.
In the book of Psalms, you meet the God of creation and learn spiritual truths from birds and beasts, mountains and deserts, sunshine and storms, wheat and chaff, trees and flowers. The psalms teach us to seek God with a whole heart, to tell Him the truth and tell Him everything, and to worship Him because of who He is, not just because of what He gives. They show us how to accept trials and turn them into triumphs, and when we’ve failed, they show us how to repent and receive God’s gracious forgiveness.
The God described in the book of Psalms is both immanent and transcendent, far above us and yet personally with us in our pilgrim journey. He is “God Most High” and “Immanuel—God with us.”
—Warren W. Wiersbe