Guide to the Psalms
Summary
The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers and songs compiled throughout Israel’s history. It gets its name from the Septuagint, translated simply as “Songs,” although its name in Hebrew is best translated as “Songs of Praise” or “Hymns.” There are four main categories of the psalms: (1) prayers for aid or laments, (2) psalms or prayers of thanksgiving, (3) psalms or prayers of praise, and (4) royal psalms connected with the monarchy or the divine king. Many of the psalms were used in public worship, and many textual indications suggest that they formed an important part of the temple worship of ancient Israel. The psalms are divided into five books: (1) Psalms 1–41, (2) Psalms 42–72, (3) Psalms 73–89, (4) Psalms 90–106, and (5) Psalms 107–150. The purpose of these five divisions and their implications for the nature of the compilation of the book of Psalms has been debated by scholars.
Videos
Watch selected videos on this book of the Bible to enhance your study. Note: Not all videos included come from a Latter-day Saint perspective. Inclusion on this list should not imply endorsement for all content.
Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 979 BC*
Further Reading
LeGrand L. Baker and Stephen D. Ricks, Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?: The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship In the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2011).
Daniel L. Belnap, “A Comparison of the Communal Lament Psalms and the Treaty-Covenant Formula,” in Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 1 (2009): 1–34.
- Scott Burton, “The Hymnal of Ancient Israel (Psalms, Part 1),” in Studies in Scripture, vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi, ed. Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1993), 407–425.
- Scott Burton, “The Nature of God in the Psalms (Psalms, Part 2),” in Studies in Scripture, vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi, ed. Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1993), 426–447.
John Hilton III, “Old Testament Psalms in the Book of Mormon,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 291–311.
- Arden Hopkin and Shon D. Hopkin, “The Psalms Sung: The Power of Music in Sacred Worship,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 329–348.
Gerald E. Jones, “Psalms, Messianic Prophecies in,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., ed. Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1992), 1:1172–1173.
David J. Larsen, “From Dust to Exalted Crown: Royal and Temple Themes Common to the Psalms and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 45 (2021): 251–262.
David J. Larsen, “Ascending into the Hill of the Lord: What the Psalms Can Tell Us About the Rituals of the First Temple,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 38 (2020): 15–34.
David A. LeFevre, “‘Give Me Right Word, O Lord’: The JST Changes in the Psalms,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 349–366.
Victor L. Ludlow, Dee Darling, Jerome M. Perkins, Patty A. Smith, and Vern D. Sommerfelt, eds., Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The Thirtieth Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001).
Joseph F. McConkie, “Joseph Smith and the Poetic Writings,” in The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Robert L. Millet (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1985), 103–120.
Andrew C. Skinner, “Seeing God in His Temple: A Significant Theme in Israel’s Psalms,” in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament (2013 Sperry Symposium), ed. Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Matthew J. Grey, and David Rolph Seely (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 270–290.