There are numerous meta-details around the poetry of Scripture, especially throughout the Psalms. An analysis of facts and details around the structure and background of poetry from a historical, theological, and literary perspective offers a deeper and more comprehensive view of ancient biblical literature and worship.
Themes of Psalms
Contents
- Themes of Psalms
- Authors of Psalms
- Divisions of Psalms
- Categories of Hebrew Poetry
- Rhythm of Thought – Types of Hebrew Parallelism
- Rhythm of Sound – Types of Hebrew Poetry
- Messianic Psalms
- Interpretive History of Psalms
- Ancient Development of Psalms
- Psalm Order Formation by Intent
- Psalm Order Formation by Type
- Psalm Order Formation by Author
A. The Sovereign God
- The God of Creation (Ps 33, 74, 89, 95, 104, 135, 136, 147, 148)
- The God of Israel (Ps 105, 106)
- The God of the Nations (Ps 33)
- The God who will establish His Rule upon the Earth
B. The People of God – the Righteous; the Enemies of God – the Wicked
C. God’s Attributes Known to His People (Ps 100, 107)
- Loyalty
Ps 5:7; 6:4; 13:5; 17:7; 18:50; 21:7; 23:6; 25:6, 7, 10; 26:3; 31:7, 16, 21; 32:10; 33:5, 18, 22, 36:5, 7, 10; 40:10, 11; 42:8; 44:26; 48:9; 51:1; 52:1, 8; 57:3; 10; 59:10, 16, 17; 62:12; 63:3; 66:20; 69:13,16; 77:8; 85:7, 10; 86:5, 13, 15; 88:11; 89:1, 2, 14, 24, 28, 33, 49; 90:14; 92:2; 94:18; 98:3; 100:5; 101:1; 103:4, 8, 11, 17; 106:1, 7, 45; 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:4; 109:12, 16, 21, 26; 115:1; 117:2; 118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29; 119:14, 64, 76, 88, 124, 149, 159; 130:7; 136:1-26; 138:2, 8; 141:5; 143:8, 12; 144:2; 145:8; 147:11) - Goodness
Ps 16:2; 25:8; 34:8; 54:6; 68:10; 73:1; 86:5; 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 119:68; 135:3; 136:1; 145:9 - Faithfulness
Ps 33:4; 36:5; 40:10; 88:11; 89:1, 2, 5, 8, 24, 33, 49; 92:2; 96:13; 100:5; 119:75, 86, 90, 138; 143:1 - Righteousness
Ps 7:9; 11:7; 15:2; 22:31; 31:1; 35:24; 50:6; 51:14; 69:27; 71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24; 72:1; 89:16; 97:6; 98:2; 103:17; 111:3; 112:3, 9; 119:40, 142; 143:1; 145:7 - Compassion
Ps 25:6; 40:11; 51:1; 69:16; 77:9; 78:38; 79:8; 103:4, 8, 13; 106:46; 111:4; 112:4; 116:5; 119:77
D. The Davidic Covenant (Ps 78, 89, 132)
Authors of Psalms
Name | Quantity | References |
---|---|---|
David | 73 | Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 41-65, 68-70, 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145 |
Asaph | 12 | Psalms 50, 73-83 |
Descendants of Korah | 10 | Psalms 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87 |
Solomon | 2 | Psalms 72, 127 |
Ethan | 1 | Psalm 89 |
Heman | 1 | Psalm 88 |
Moses | 1 | Psalm 90 |
Anonymous | 50 | Remaining |
Divisions of Psalms
Psalms | Chapters | Quantity | Theme Correlation |
---|---|---|---|
Book I | 1 – 41 | 41 | Genesis: Creation, Sin, Salvation |
Book II | 42 – 72 | 31 | Exodus: Redemption |
Book III | 73 – 89 | 17 | Leviticus: Sanctuary |
Book IV | 90 – 106 | 17 | Numbers: Desert Wanderings |
Book V | 107 – 150 | 44 | Deuteronomy: Word of God |
Categories of Hebrew Poetry
- Pilgrimage
- Wisdom
- Lament
- Thanksgiving
- Imprecatory
- Praise
- Royal
- Messianic
Rhythm of Thought – Types of Hebrew Parallelism
Name | Example | References |
---|---|---|
Synonymous Parallelism | O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. | Ps 1:2, Ps 6:1, Ps 7:16, Ps 15:1, Ps 19:1, Ps 49:1, 51:3; Prov 9:10, Prov 16:18, Prov 16:28, Prov 19:29 |
Antithetical Parallelism | The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. | Ps 37:21, Ps 1:6, Prov 10:1, 2, 4, 7 |
Synthetic Parallelism | God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. | Ps 46:1, Ps 3:4, 29:1, 95:3, Eccl 11:1 |
Climactic Parallelism | In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. | Ps 22:4-5 |
Emblematic Parallelism | As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. | Ps 41, Ps 42:1, Ps 103:13 |
Formal (Catch-All) | “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” | Ps 2:6, others |
Rhythm of Sound – Types of Hebrew Poetry
Name | Definition | References |
---|---|---|
Acrostic | Text stanzas begin with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet and continue sequentially until completion. A memory device. | Ps 9, 10, 24, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145; Prov 31:10-31; Lam 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Alliteration | The same sound begins with different words through the text. | Ps 122:6 |
Assonance | The end of each line is a sound alike. | Ps 119:29 |
Paronomasia | A play on words as written and read – Mispat (justice) vs Mispah (bloodshed) | Is 5:7 |
Onomatopeia | A word that sounds like what it is describing. | Ps 81:7 |
Inclusion | A line of text is repeated again in the same text. | Ps 118:1, 29 |
Messianic Psalms
Instance | Messianic Description | Psalm | Fulfillment |
---|---|---|---|
1 | God declares Jesus to be His Son. | Ps. 2:7 | Matt. 3:17 |
2 | All things will be put under Jesus’ feet. | Ps. 8:6 | Heb. 2:8 |
3 | Jesus will be resurrected from the dead. | Ps. 16:10 | Mark 16:6-7 |
4 | God will forsake Jesus in His hour of need. | Ps. 22:1 | Matt. 27:46 |
5 | Jesus will be scorned and mocked. | Ps. 22:7-8 | Luke 23:35 |
6 | Jesus’ hands and feet will be pierced. | Ps. 22:16 | John 20:25-27 |
7 | Others will gamble for Jesus’s clothing. | Ps. 22:18 | Matt. 27:35-36 |
8 | Not one of Jesus’ bones will be broken. | Ps. 34:20 | John 19:32-33, 36 |
9 | Jesus will be accused by false witnesses. | Ps. 35:11 | Mark 14:57 |
10 | Jesus will be hated without a cause. | Ps. 35:19 | John 15:25 |
11 | Jesus will come to do God’s will. | Ps. 40:7-8 | Heb. 10:7 |
12 | Jesus will be betrayed by a friend. | Ps. 41:9 | Luke 22:47 |
13 | Jesus’s throne will last forever. | Ps. 45:6 | Heb 1:8 |
14 | Jesus will ascend to God’s right hand. | Ps. 68:18 | Mark 16:19 |
15 | Zeal for God’s house will consume Jesus. | Ps. 69:9 | John 2:17 |
16 | Jesus will be given vinegar and gall to drink. | Ps. 69:21 | Matt. 27:34 |
17 | Jesus will be a worldwide king. | Ps. 72:1-19 | Rev. 19:11-20:6 |
18 | Jesus will pray for His enemies | Ps. 109:4 | Luke 23:34 |
19 | Jesus’ betrayer’s place will be filled by another. | Ps. 109:8 | Acts 1:20 |
20 | Jesus’ enemies will be made subject to Him. | Ps. 110:1 | Matt. 22:44 |
21 | Jesus will be a priest like Melchizedek. | Ps. 110:4 | Heb. 5:6 |
22 | Jesus will be the chief cornerstone. | Ps. 118:22 | Matt. 21:42 |
23 | Jesus will come in the name of the Lord. | Ps. 118:26 | Matt. 21:91 |
Interpretive History of Psalms
A. Writings – Individual and Freestanding
Psalms separately inspired and valued as:
- Prophetic
- Instructive
- Allegorical
- Historical-Grammatical
B. Worship – For Choirs and Others
C. Compilations – Scrolls, Codices or Books
Ancient Development of Psalms
The process of origination of the Psalms followed (1) individual personal development (2) giving of the Psalms to the Levites for temple worship (later synagogues), and (3) for collection to the book or compilation.
Each psalm originated as a separate piece of individual original work among the political and cultic leaders of Israel (Levites). The political leaders of Israel include Moses, David, and Solomon, and the cultic leaders include Asaph, the sons of Korah, Heman, and Ethan among them all.
After the Psalms were given to the Israelites for public worship in the temple, they were arranged in collection for retrieval and use. The origination of the Psalms was not collected in chronological order, theme, or by the author. They were collected and arranged with editorial intent. The words were retained, but the accompanying music detail was lost.
Psalm Order Formation by Intent
Hebrew Terms of Intent: | Zakar | Yadah | Halel |
---|---|---|---|
Meaning: | Remembrance | Acknowledgment | Praise |
Idea: | A plea to God we are in trouble | Acknowledgment of answered prayer | Exaltation to God for who He is |
Type: | Dirge: Lament (Psalms of Disorientation) | Gratitude: Declared Praise (Psalms of Reorientation) | Hymn: Descriptive Praise (Psalms of Orientation) |
Psalm Order Formation by Type
The Laments (Psalms of Disorientation) | The Declaratives (Psalms of Reorientation) | The Descriptives (Psalms of Orientation) | |||
Components: | Address Lament Confession of Trust Petition Vow to Praise or Declarative Praise of God | Components: | Proclamation to Praise God Summary Statement Report of Deliverance Praise of God | Components: | Call to Praise Cause of Praise Renewed Call to Praise |
References: | Individual Laments: Ps 3-7, 9-10, 12-14, 17, 22, 25-28, 31, 35, 38-43, 52-57, 59, 61, 63-64, 69-71, 77, 86, 88, 89, 109, 120, 140-142 National Laments: Ps 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 9 | References: | Ps 18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 65, 67, 92, 106, 107, 116, 118, 121, 124, 138 | References: | Ps 33, 36, 105, 111, 113, 117, 135, 136, 146, 147 |
Psalm Order Formation by Author
Distribution of Books within Psalms
Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ps 1 – Ps 42 | Ps 43 – Ps 72 | Ps 74 – Ps 89 | Ps 90 – Ps 106 | Ps 107 – Ps 150 |
Distribution of Books within Psalms
Book 1 – Majority of Davidic Psalms
Anonymous (cf.: Acts 4:25-26) | David (Anonymous Ps 10, 33) |
---|---|
Ps 1 -2 | Ps 3 – 41 |
Book 1 – Majority of Davidic Psalms
Book 2 – Majority of Davidic Psalms
Korah | Asaph | David (Anonymous 66, 67, 71) | Solomon |
---|---|---|---|
Ps 42 – 49 | Ps 50 | Ps 51 – 71 | Ps 72 |
Book 2 – Majority of Davidic Psalms
Book 3 – Central Position of Davidic Psalm
Asaph | Korah | David | Korah | Ethan |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ps 73 – 83 | Ps 84 – 85 | Ps 86 | Ps 87 – 88 | Ps 89 |
Book 3 – Central Position of Davidic Psalm
Book 4 – Davidic Psalms Evenly Distributed
Moses | Anonymous | David (Anonymous 102) | Anonymous |
---|---|---|---|
Ps 90 | Ps 91 – 100 | Ps 101 – 103 | Ps 104 – 106 |
Book 4 – Davidic Psalms Evenly Distributed
Book 5 – Davidic Psalms Evenly Distributed
Anonymous | David | Anonymous | Ascents | Anonymous | David | Anonymous |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ps 107 | Ps 108 – 110 | Ps 111 – 119 | David: Ps 122 Ps 124 Ps 131 Ps 133 Solomon: Ps 127 | Ps 135 – 137 | Ps 138 – 145 | Ps 146 – 150 |
Book 5 – Davidic Psalms Evenly Distributed
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