Book of Psalms

Psalms
Abbreviation	Ps
Class.	Old Testament
Category	Poetry
Chapters	150 Chapters
Record Related
Writer	David and many others
Date (Approx.)	Around 1500 B.C.– 400 B.C.

The book of Psalms is the nineteenth book of the Old Testament. Its name derives from a term meaning “a collection of poems.” In Hebrew, it is called Tehillim (תהלים), meaning “songs of praise.” The Psalms are classified as part of the poetic writings of the Bible, along with the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.

Background and Characteristic

Following the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, psalms composed by various authors—including Moses, David, and Solomon—were compiled for use in worship and praise. The psalms were intended to be sung with musical accompaniment, similar to hymns in later Christian tradition. Many psalms include titles that indicate the attributed author, the historical or personal context, and directions for musical performance. As a collection of poetry, the Book of Psalms employs figurative and metaphorical language more frequently than other biblical texts.

The Psalms vary widely in length. The shortest psalm is Psalm 117, containing only two verses, while the longest is Psalm 119, consisting of 176 verses. In the Hebrew text, Psalm 119 is divided into 22 sections of eight verses each, with every section beginning with a successive letter of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet. This acrostic arrangement gives the psalm its distinctive structure. Other psalms, including 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, and 145, also make use of this acrostic form.

Structure of the Book of Psalms

The book of Psalms consists of 150 psalms grouped into five sections.

Category	Chapters
Book 1	1–41
Book 2	42–72
Book 3	73–89
Book 4	90–106
Book 5	107–150

Classification by Writer

Writer	Chapters
David	73 psalms (Ps 3–9; 11–32; 34–41; 51–65; 68–70; 86; 101; 103; 108–110; 122; 124; 131; 133; 138–145).
Asaph (choir and music conductor)	12 psalms (50, 73–83)
The descendants of Korah (a family of professional musicians of the tribe of Levi)	10 psalms (42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87)
Solomon	2 psalms (72, 127)
Heman (choir and music conductor)	1 psalm (88)
Ethan (choir and music conductor)	1 psalm (89)
Moses	1 psalm (90)
Unknown Authors	50 psalms (1, 2, 10, 33, 43, 66, 67, 71, 91–100, 102, 104–107, 111–121, 123, 125, 126, 128-130, 132, 134–137, 146–150)

Classification by Topic

Topic	Chapters	Content
Praise	8, 11, 16, 18-21, 23, 24, 29, 30, 33, 34, 46-48, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 75, 76, 81, 84, 87, 91–93, 95–100, 103, 104–108, 111, 113-118, 121, 122, 124, 125, 131, 132, 134–136, 138, 145–150	These psalms praise God’s power and work of Creation, containing gratitude for God’s salvation.
Plea	3–7, 9, 10, 12-14, 17, 25-28, 31, 32, 35, 38–44, 51–61, 64, 69–71, 74, 77, 79, 80, 83, 85, 86, 88–90, 94, 102, 109, 120, 123, 126, 129, 130, 137, 139–144	These psalms express a deep plea to God, asking for His help and salvation in times of trouble. Many of them were written by David, who went through numerous hardships in his life.
Wisdom	1, 15, 36, 37, 49, 50, 73, 78, 82, 101, 112, 119, 127, 128, 133	These psalms are instructive about faith toward God and the importance of the law.
Messiah	2, 22, 45, 72, 110	These psalms prophesied about Christ, the Messiah who would come to this earth for salvation. Many prophecies refer to the Messiah as a king.

Musical Terms in the Book of Psalms

• Selah – A liturgical or musical marker, often understood as “lift up” or “pause,” possibly indicating a musical interlude or raising of the voice.
• Director of Music – Refers to the overseer of temple musicians and choirs.
• Sheminith – Possibly denotes an “eight-stringed instrument,” an “eighth mode,” or “for the eighth order of worship”.
• Shiggaion – Indicates a passionate or wandering song, often associated with lament.
• Gittith – Linked to the musical instruments of the Gittites from Philistia and is thought to denote a tune or performance instruction, possibly meaning “to be played.”
• Muth-labben – Literally “the death of the son”; thought to denote the title of a popular melody.
• Miktam – Possibly means “a golden psalm” or “atonement psalm.” The Septuagint renders it as “an inscription.”
• Aijeleth Shahar – Literally “the doe of the morning”; likely the title of a melody or symbolic phrase.
• Maskil – Indicates an “instructional” or “didactic” psalm, intended to impart wisdom.
• Jeduthun – Refers to a temple choir director under David; possibly a musical style associated with him or the choir.
• Shoshannim – Means “lilies”; possibly a tune name, a lily-shaped instrument, or a six-stringed instrument.
• Alamoth – Means “maidens” or “young women”; possibly denoting soprano voices, a melody for young women, or a high-pitched instrument.
• Mahalath – Means “sickness” or “affliction”; likely the title of a sorrowful tune.
• Jonath-elem-rehokim – Means “the dove on distant oaks”; probably the title of a melody.
• Altaschith – Means “do not destroy”; believed to refer to the title of a tune used for several psalms.
• Shushan Eduth – Means “lily of the covenant” or “testimony of the lily”; likely the name of a melody.
• Shoshannim Eduth – Means “lilies of the covenant”; similar to Shushan Eduth, possibly used for winepress festival music.
• Mahalath Leannoth – Literally “a song of sickness”; often interpreted as referring to spiritual suffering.
• Hallelujah – Means “praise the LORD.” This expression appears primarily in Psalms and Revelation.