OT320 Psalms Course Guide Instructor: Tom Mauch CALVARY CHAPEL BIBLE COLLEGE 39407 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, Murrieta, California, 92563 951. 696.5944 fax 951.696.5634 WEB: www.calvarychapelbiblecollege.com Email: [email protected] 1 2 CALVARY CHAPEL BIBLE COLLEGE THE BOOK OF PSALMS PSALMS is a title derived from the Greek psalmos, denoting a poem sung to the accompaniment of musical instruments. The Hebrew title for the book was Sepher Tehillim, meaning Book of Praises. This word occurs in the New Testament in: 1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. The Hebrew title for the Book of Psalms is tehillim, meaning "praises." This is certainly a fitting title because of the preponderance of the element of praise throughout the book. The Hebrew Old Writings (Old Testament) consists of three major divisions: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The importance of the Psalter is evidenced by the fact that it stands as the first book in the Writings and apparently could be used to designate the entire division. The Book of Psalms, the hymnal of the Jewish people, is the Old Testament book most frequently quoted in the New Testament. Luke 24:44 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Luke 20:42 42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 1 Acts 1:20 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. The Book of Psalms was compiled in the Fifth Century B.C.: The psalms, of course, were originally individual poems. With the passing of time these were collected to form smaller books. The Book of Psalms in its present form comprises five of these smaller books . The earliest known individual psalm is that of Moses (Ps. 90); the latest is probably Psalm 137, which could not have been written before the sixth century B.C. Though most of the psalms were written and collected during the Davidic era, 10 Century B.C., or shortly thereafter, the final compilation of Psalms was probably not complete until the latter half of the fifth century B.C., during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (450- 425 B.C.). AUTHOR(S): David and Others: No other book of the Bible has as many different authors as does Psalms. Seventy-seven psalms are attributed to David in the superscriptions . Psalm 2 is ascribed to David in Acts 4:25; Psalm 95 is attributed to him in Hebrews 4:7. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, 275-150 B.C.) adds David's name to an additional fifteen psalms not so designated in the Hebrew text. David was truly the "sweet psalmist of Israel". 2 Samuel 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, There are 186 quotations from the entire Book of Psalms in the N.T. writings. The longest chapter in the bible is Psalm 119. The shortest Psalm 117. The exact middle of your bible falls on Psalm 117. The Psalms have a wonderful capacity to capture the reality of our human experience. Composed by numerous authors, the various psalms express the emotions, personal feelings, attitudes, gratitude, and interests of the average individual. Universally, people have identified their lot in life with that of the psalmists.” In every experience of our own, no matter how deep the pain or how great the frustration or how exhilarating the joy, we can find psalms which echo our inmost being; psalms which God uses to bring comfort or to confirm release. The psalms were used in public worship in Israel, as well as for private devotions. They show us how intimate and free our relationship with God can be, as we share every thought and feeling with Him. LITERARY FEATURES: The poetry of the Psalms is unsurpassed. 2 The one characteristic of Hebrew poetry most evident is parallelism, the relationship of one line or verse to another. Not based on rhyme or rhythm. Four of the most important types of Hebrew parallelism are: (1) synonymous parallelism, in which the second line of a couplet repeats the idea of the first line (3:1; 24:1); Psalm 3:1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalm 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (2) antithetic parallelism, in which the thought of the second line is contrasted with that of the first line (1:6; 90:6); Psalm 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 90:6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. (3) synthetic parallelism, in which the second line is a further development of the thought begun in the first line (1:1; 19:7); and Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (4) emblematic parallelism, in which the second line illustrates the thought of the first line, often by a simile (42:1). 3 Psalm 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. When reading the Psalms or any other Hebrew poetry, it is important to be aware of parallelism. Our understanding of the text, and our interpretation of it, hinges on sensing this thought pattern. The word parallelism in literature means the deliberate repetition of particular words or sentence structures for effect. Let’s use Psalm 1 as an example to illustrate parallelism. Psalm 1 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Synthetic , second line develops the thought in the first line) 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Synonymous , second line repeats the idea of the first line) 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Synthetic 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Synthetic 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Synthetic 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Antithetical , the second line contrasts the thought of the first line) Rhythm. In the original text there are accent marks, which indicate stress to be placed on words and phrases. But this rhythm is not metrical, and it cannot be distinguished in English translations. Figures of speech. Hebrew poetry, like the Hebrew language itself, uses vivid images, similes, and metaphors to communicate thoughts and feelings. These, like parallelism, are easily translated into other languages, even though at times idiomatic uses may be obscure. 4 In reading Hebrew poetry then, and especially in reading the Psalms, we need to be sensitive to these literary distinctives. We need to be aware of the role of repetition and imagery in the Psalms, and discover their meaning in these characteristics. Nine psalms are alphabetical or acrostic (Ps. 9; 10; 25; 34; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145). In acrostic psalms each successive line or group of lines begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet A equals Alef, B equals Bet, C equals Vet and so on. Like our A,B,C etc., only using the Hebrew alphabet. The classic example of an acrostic poem is Psalm 119, in which each of the eight verses in a given stanza begins with the same letter. There are editorial titles or superscriptions for all except thirty-four psalms. In the Hebrew text, these superscriptions are normally reckoned as the first verses of the psalms; whereas in the English Bible they are looked upon as introductions.