Different types of Psalms

1. Different types of Psalms – 19th
January 2017
“The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need.”(Psalm 23:1).
In contrastto popularthinking,Daviddidnotwrite all of the psalmsinthe book of Psalms.Infact,
Psalmsincludesmore authorsthananyotherbookof the Bible.The followingauthorsandthe psalms
attributedtothemare as follows.
David(75 total psalms;73 notedin Psalms;Psalm2 isattributedtoDavidin Acts 4:25, “Longago you
spoke by the Holy Spirit.You spokethrough the mouth of our father David,who served you. Yousaid,
“‘Whyare the nationsangry?Why dothe peoplemake useless plans? We can observe again where
Psalm95 isattributedtoDavidin Hebrews4:7):3—9; 11—41; 51—65; 68—70; 86; 101; 103; 108—110;
122; 124; 131; 133; 138—145. Scholarsalsonote that the psalmsattributedtoDavidmay have
originatedorbeenassociatedwithDavidbutmayhave alsoincludedassistance fromothers.Intotal,at
leasteightauthorsare named,andother anonymouswriterscertainlywouldaddtothistotal.
Interestingly,the Psalmswere writtenovernearlya1,000-yearperiodrangingfromthe lifetimeof
Mosesin the wilderness(1440—1400 BC) to Ezra (fourthcenturyBC).Most psalmswere composed
duringthe lifetimesof DavidandSolomon. Psalm95 isattributedtoDavid in Hebrews 4:7: “SoGod
againchose a certain day.He named it today.He didthis when he spoke throughDavid a longtime
later. Here is what was written inthe Scripture alreadygiven. “Listen to hisvoice today. Ifyou hear it,
don’tbe stubborn” (Psalm95:7-8)
The firstpsalmof David’sthatwe findis Psalm3, is thoughtto have been writtenwhenDavidfledfrom
hisson Absalom.Fromthistitle we surmisethatDavid’spsalmsare notorganizedinchronological order
but ratherby themes.David’spsalmsare foundthroughoutthe five booksof the Psalmsthatwere likely
groupeduponthe completionof Psalmsduringthe time of Ezrainthe fourthcenturyBC.Many of
David’spsalmslackbackgroundinformationregardingtheircontext,butthirteendoshare detailsof
theirsetting:
The 150 psalmsinthe book of Psalms have oftenbeencategorizedintovarioustypes.There isnoone
wayto organize the psalms,butmostsystemsinclude similarcategorieswithonlyslightvariations.
Biblical scholarHermannGunkel’s systemcoversthe followingcategories:
Psalms withHymns: Many of the psalmsare simple hymnsorsongsof praise.Forexample, Psalm8:1, is
a hymnthat begins, Lord,our Lord, how majesticisyourname inthe whole earth!
Lament or ComplaintPsalms:These includesongsthatexpresssadnesstoGodor complaintsagainst
God’senemies.Forexample, Psalm3isa lamentpsalmthat says:“Lord, I have so manyenemies! So
manypeople are risingup againstme!2
Manyare sayingaboutme, “Godwill notsave him.” (Psalm
3:1-2). Some complaintpsalmssoundquitenegative,thoughtheyare setwithinacontextof God
respondinginlove orpower. Forexample we canreadfrom Psalm44:23–24, “Lord,wake up! Whyare
you sleeping? Getup! Don’t say noto usforever. 24
Whydoyou turn your face away fromus? Whydo
you forget our painandtroubles?
Royal Psalms:Several psalmswereperformedinthe presence of kingsordignitaries. Psalm18:50
states, “The Lord helpshis kingwin great battles.He showshis faithful loveto hisanointedking. He
showsit to David and to hisfamilyforever.”

2. ThanksgivingPsalms:These songsof thanksinclude boththanksgivingfromindividuals(suchas Psalms
30, 32, and 34) and fromthe community(suchas Psalms67 and 124). One of the best-known
thanksgivingpsalmsis foundinPsalm100:4–5, “Givethanksas you enter the gatesof his temple.Give
praise asyou enter its courtyards.Givethanks to himand praisehis name. 5 The Lord is good.His
faithful lovecontinuesforever. It will last for all time to come...”
WisdomPsalms:While manypsalmsdiscussaspectsof wisdom, certainpsalmssuchas Psalms 1, 37,
and 49 focusonthe theme of wisdom,speakingof the fearof the Lord or offeringwordsof wisdom.isa
We can learna great example inPsalm1:1–3, “Blessedis the person who obeysthe lawof the Lord.
They don’t followthe adviceof evil people.They don’tmake a habitof doingwhat sinnersdo. They
don’tjoin thosewho make fun ofthe Lord andhis law.2
Instead,the lawof the Lord gives them joy.
They think abouthis lawday and night. 3
That kindof person islike a tree that is plantednear a
stream of water. It always bearsits fruit at the right time. Its leaves don’tdry up. Everything godly
people doturns out well.”
SmallerGenres and Mixed Typesof Psalms:Some psalmsinclude amix of types. Psalms9, 10, and 123
are examples.Otherpsalmshave onlyasmall numberintheircategory,suchaspsalmsregardingthe
storiesof Israel (Psalms78, 105, and 106). The Songs of Ascent,writtentobe sungby worshiperson
theirwayup to Jerusalem,alsorepresentasmallergenre thatincludesmixedtypes(Psalms120—134).