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Psalms
Poetry and Wisdom · Doctrinal study

Psalms: The Prayer Book of God's People

One hundred fifty songs for every season, and the Savior who sang them

Theologica Editorial8 min read
At a Glance

Psalms at a Glance

The Psalms are the Bible's prayer book and hymnbook. God's people have prayed and sung these poems for about three thousand years. Believers have sung them in worship and whispered them at sickbeds ever since.

  • Author. David wrote about half of them. Seventy-three carry his name in their titles, and the New Testament credits him with others, such as Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25). The rest are credited to Asaph (12), the sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (Psalm 90), Heman, and Ethan, and about fifty name no writer.
  • Date. The psalms were written over many centuries. Moses wrote Psalm 90 about 1400 BC. David's psalms come from about 1000 BC. Psalm 137 looks back on the exile in Babylon (586–538 BC). They were gathered into the five books we have.
  • Written To. God's people, for worship together and for prayer alone.
  • Setting. Every place a believer lives: a shepherd's field, a king's palace, a cave in the wilderness, the temple courts, and exile in a foreign land.
  • Key Verse. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6).
  • Key Word or Theme. Praise. The Hebrew name of the book, Tehillim, means praises. Even the saddest psalms belong to a book that ends in praise.

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Further reading

For Deeper Study

  • Be WorshipfulAmazon Warren W. WiersbePsalms 1–89 for ordinary readers. Its companion, Be Exultant, covers Psalms 90–150.
  • The Treasury of DavidAmazon Charles H. SpurgeonA Baptist classic on the whole book, rich in Christ. Spurgeon was a Calvinist, so we differ where election comes up.
  • Psalms 1–72Amazon Derek KidnerA concise Anglican commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). The second volume, Psalms 73–150, finishes the book.
  • Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.

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How the Bible Fits Together

The Bible is sixty-six books written by about forty men over some fifteen hundred years, yet it tells one story of God's redemption from creation to the new earth, and its center is Jesus Christ.

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