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Daniel Lyons' Notes

Psalm

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Psalm

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The English-language title of the book derives from the Greek word psalmoi (ψαλμοί), meaning 'instrumental music', and by extension referring to "the words accompanying the music". Its Hebrew name, Tehillim (תהילים), means 'praises', as it contains many praises and supplications to God.

Structure

Book 1 Psalms 1–41 Psalms 1–2 provide an introduction to the Psalms as a whole. Except for Psalms 10 and 33, the remaining psalms of Book 1 are psalms of David. Most of them are prayers of distress. Others are statements of confidence in the God who alone can save (e.g., 9; 11; 16; 18), striking the note that concludes the book (40–41). Reflections on ethics and worship are found in Psalms 1; 14–15; 19; 24; and 26.
Book 2 Psalms 42–72 Book 2 introduces the first group of psalms by the “sons of Korah” (42; 44–49; 50). There are also more psalms of David (51–65; 68–69), including most of the “historical” psalms (51–52; 54; 56–57; 59–60; 63). Once again, lament and distress dominate these prayers, which now also include a communal voice (e.g., 44; compare 67; 68). The lone psalm attributed to Solomon concludes Book 2 with a look at God’s ideal for Israel’s kings—ultimately pointing to Christ as the final great King of God’s people.
Book 3 Psalms 73–89 The tone darkens further in Book 3. The opening Psalm 73 starkly questions the justice of God before seeing light in God’s presence. That light has almost escaped the psalmist in Psalm 88, the bleakest of all psalms. Book 2 ended with the high point of royal aspirations; Book 3 concludes in Psalm 89 with these expectations badly threatened. Sharp rays of hope occasionally pierce the darkness (e.g., 75; 85; 87). The brief third book contains most of the psalms of Asaph (73–83), as well as another set of Korah psalms (84–85; 87–88).
Book 4 Psalms 90–106 Psalm 90 opens the fourth book of the psalms. It may be seen as the first response to the problems raised by Book 3. Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, reminds the worshiper that God was active on Israel’s behalf long before David. This theme is taken up in Psalms 103–106, which summarize God’s dealings with his people before any kings reigned. In between there is a group of psalms (93–100) characterized by the refrain “The LORD reigns.” This truth refutes the doubts of Psalm 89.
Book 5 Psalms 107–150 The structure of Book 5 reflects the closing petition of Book 4 in 106:47. It declares that God does answer prayer (107) and concludes with five Hallelujah psalms (146–150). In between there are several psalms affirming the validity of the promises to David (110; 132; 144), two collections of Davidic psalms (108–110; 138–145); the longest psalm, celebrating the value of God’s law (119); and 15 psalms of ascent for use by pilgrims to Jerusalem (120–134).
Sources ESV.org

Commentaries

My Notes

Categories of Psalms

Source:

Types Description Psalms
praise extolling God for his character and actions 23, 24, 34, 46, 67, 76, 95, 100, 103, 111, 117, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
historical overviews of interactions between God and his people 78, 81, 89, 105, 106, 114, 132, 135, 136
Torah poems about the Torah and the benefits of obedience 1, 19, 112, 119
creation songs about the well-ordered creation 8, 19, 65, 104, 148
royal poems about the king; messianic psalms 2, 20, 21, 45, 61, 72, 101?, 110, 144?, 149?
enthronement poems about God sitting on his throne and ruling 9, 24, 29, 33, 47, 50? 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 102, 113, 145, 146
wisdom extolling wisdom and disparaging folly 1, 14, 15, 37, 49, 52, 53, 73, 90, 101, 112, 127, 128
prophecy words spoken by God to the people 2, 50, 81, 82, 91, 108, 110, 132
trust expressing confidence in what God will do 57, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 82, 85, 91, 94, 102, 115, 121, 125, 131
petition asking for deliverance (usually from enemies) 3, 6, 7, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31, 36, 40, 41, 54, 56, 59, 60, 69, 70, 79, 86, 108, 123, 141
complaint complaining, asking “how long?” “why?” etc. 13, 42, 43, 44, 60, 74, 80, 88, 89, 120
repentance repenting from sinful action(s) 32, 38, 39, 51, 130
imprecatory wishing God to harm one’s enemies 5, 10, 11, 12, 28, 35, 55, 58, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140
thanksgiving thanking God for the deliverance he has provided 4, 16, 18, 30, 40, 64, 65, 66, 75, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138
Zion, pilgrimage songs praising Zion/Jerusalem or talking about going there 48, 84, 87, 122, 125, 126, 128, 129, 133, 134, 147
Sources restitutio.org

Footnotes

Links to this page
Allison on the Psalms
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Ps-150
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