Psalms

This song may have been sung in the temple as part of a thanksgiving for a good harvest. The occasion of its singing may have been the Feast of Unleavened Bread at the beginning of the barley harvest or at Pentecost after the general harvest.

After a general praise to God and thanks for His deliverance of Israel in the exodus the psalmist testified to his personal experience of God's grace. The historical experience of the whole community was repeated in the individual life of the believer.

The psalm is built upon the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26.

The people praised God for His protection of Israel and for the victories they had received. Israel's triumph over its enemies typified God's final triumph in Christ over all the powers. Paul cited 68:18 to that effect (Eph. 4:8).

David typified the suffering of the righteous believer at the hands of the godless, but this concept finds its fullest expression in the travails of Christ (compare 69:9 to John 2:17 and Ps. 69:21 to Matt. 27:34,48). (See "Christ in the Psalms.")

Compare Psalm 40:13-17. The brevity of this psalm matches the urgency of its tone. It is a call to God in a desperate moment.

The psalmist, aware that he was aging and his strength was failing, called on God to walk with him as he entered this period of life. Prior experience told him that God would continue to be faithful.

The superscript should be translated For Solomon since 72:20 implies that the psalm was by David. The song is a prayer for Solomon's coronation. It is based on 2 Samuel 7 and typifies the messianic reign. God's king was to exhibit righteousness, justice, and concern for the poor and oppressed.

The psalmist wondered how the wicked could impudently flaunt God's ways and thrive (see Job 21). He wondered if his piety had been for nothing. But he came to understand that God sustained him, not his own will, and that grace would lead him to eternal glory.

The psalm was probably written shortly after the Babylonian exile began. The people mourned the destruction of the temple. Remembering God's triumph over chaos at creation (Gen. 1:2), they prayed for God to defeat the enemy that conquered them and to restore the order of the temple.

God's determination to judge the earth and punish the wicked is certain. Verse 8 is a familiar prophetic image (see Isa. 51:17; Jer. 25:15-29; 49:12; 51:7).

Victory over one of Israel's enemies portrayed here typifies the final victory of God over all earthly powers.

Although voiced by an individual, these laments relate to the whole nation and not one person. Compare 77:16-19 to 74:13-17, which alludes to God's victory over the precreation chaos. Here the reference is to the exodus.

This psalm recites the events of the exodus, as recorded in the law, and ties the continual rebellion of the Israelites to the secession of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) from the house of David.

Like Psalm 74, this was apparently written in the Babylonian exile. Unlike the former lament, this psalm emphasizes the plight of the people rather than the destruction of the temple.

This psalm again laments the Babylonian captivity and calls on God to remember His former election of Israel. The image of the vine reappears in the prophets (Isa. 5:1-7; Ezek. 15).

This psalm begins like a hymn but moves to a long oracle of exhortation from God. It may have been sung at Passover or Tabernacles. Tabernacles was celebrated from the fifteenth of the month, at full moon.

God accuses the "gods" of having misgoverned the world. The identity of these "gods" is hard to determine. Some interpret them as spiritual powers that rule the world and others as human judges. But these alternatives are not mutually exclusive. Probably the human powers are treated as the earthly counterparts to spiritual forces (see Col. 1:16). God has determined to judge the powers and rulers who maintain a world system of oppression and injustice.

The psalmist listed the nations that he desired to see punished. The psalm likely was written sometime between 900 and 600 b.c., when Assyria was still a threat.

The psalm is not a mere cry for vengeance. Rather, it is a plea for the righteous God to demonstrate His sovereignty by defending His chosen people.

The singer celebrates the joy of worship in God's house. The "valley of Baca" was apparently along the path the worshipers took to the temple.

The problem the people faced is unclear. They prayed in an optimistic way, sure of God's help; for His love is unfailing.

The psalmist based this appeal on the kindness and universal power of God.

God has determined to bring even the Gentiles into His kingdom. "This one was born in Zion" means that the Gentile has been adopted into the covenant.

The sage Heman "the Ezrahite" is perhaps the same as the son of Zerah in 1 Chronicles 2:6 (see 1 Kgs. 4:31). This psalm shows remarkable parallels to Job, especially in the psalmist's personal affliction and abandonment.

Ethan the Ezrahite was possibly the brother of Heman (Ps. 88; see 1 Kgs. 4:31; 1 Chr. 2:6), but the psalm may have been written as late as the exile. It laments that although God made an eternal covenant with the house of David (see 2 Sam. 7), the dynasty now seemed abandoned.

In this psalm the community called on God for mercy, but in the tradition of wisdom literature the song strongly emphasizes the shortness of human life.

God extends the promise of protection to all who turn to Him. Contrary to Satan's interpretation (Matt. 4:6), Psalm 91:11-12 does not allow reckless behavior.

In 92:10 "you have exalted my horn" means that God had given the singer victory. "Fine oils are poured upon me" means that God had lavished favor upon him. The image of the righteous person as a flourishing tree is common in the Bible (see Ps. 1).

The permanence of the Lord's reign is the security of all who trust in Him. The pounding of the waves represents the power of death and destruction, but God's eternal regime controls all things. And as God's rule is eternal, so also are His statutes.

Distress over the crimes of the wicked gives way to confidence in God's justice. The psalm calls for patience and endurance.

Because God is sovereign over all, we must submit to His demand for obedience. Hebrews 3:7-4:11 expounds this psalm in detail. (See "Christ in the Psalms.")

The Lord God of Israel rules over all the earth, and all its peoples must bow to Him. This is the great missionary song of the Bible.

The power of the Lord is awesome enough to melt even the mountains. Israel can rejoice that its God is greater than all idols and so-called gods. For His people, God's fury promotes not terror but joy.

This psalm is a variant of Psalm 96 and follows the same missionary theme. All the world, not Israel alone, must submit to the Lord.

The Lord of heaven and earth has chosen Israel as His people and from them has taken His priests and prophets. All the nations, therefore, should acknowledge Him as the sole God and worship at His mountain.

The people may have chanted this psalm as they entered the temple or began their worship.

In resolving to remain faithful to God, the psalmist especially pledged to keep himself from association with evil men and abide with the righteous. He knew how strong the influence of others could be.

This psalm may have been written in the exile. The outcry of the psalmist is individual in perspective but concerns not a private problem but the destruction of Zion.

The people praise God for His compassion and forgiveness of sins. Verses 14-18 imply the eternal life of the believer. We are not by nature immortal, but God does not abandon us to death.

All creation testifies to the goodness and power of God. This psalm is based on Genesis 1:3-31.

This psalm recites the history of the Israelites from the patriarchs to the exodus as a reason for praise. Note the positive tone of the song. Contrary to Psalm 106 (which covers the same history) the sins of Israel are not mentioned. These two psalms form a pair. Psalm 105 ends where Psalm 106 begins: "Praise the Lord!"

This psalm praises God by reciting Israel's history from the exodus to the judges' time. God forgave many rebellions. Israel failed to believe at the Red Sea (Exod. 14:10-12). They complained about food in the wilderness (Ps. 106:13-15; Num. 11). Dathan and Abiram rebelled (Num. 16). Israel worshiped the golden calf (Exod. 32). They proved cowards at Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 14). Israel joined Moabite women in sexual sin and idolatry (Num. 25). Israel complained at Meribah (Num. 20:1-13). They accepted Canaanite ways (see Josh. 23) and repeated apostasy in the judges' time (Judg. 1:16).

Those who have suffered and then have seen God's salvation all have reason to praise God. This includes homeless aliens; war captives; those punished for their sin with personal illness; and those who have encountered dangers on the sea, famine, and other afflictions.

Verses 1-5 are from Psalm 57:7-11, and verses 6-13 are from Psalm 60:5-12.

The massive curse on the enemy is founded not on personal vendetta but rather on a sense of justice. (See "Vengeance and Vindication in the Psalms.")

This prayer for the Davidic king typologically portrays the glory of the ultimate Davidic King, the Messiah. He is a Lord above even His father David (Matt. 22:41-46) and a priest though not of the Levitical line (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:11-28). He is victor over all His enemies. (See "Christ in the Psalms.")

This general song of praise in acrostic form ends with the motto of biblical wisdom (see Prov. 1:7). Here we see the Old Testament proclamation of God's love and grace.

This acrostic psalm develops the praise of the Lord entirely along the lines of wisdom literature. (Compare the fates of the righteous and wicked in Prov. 10:3-30).

Compare this to the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

The congregation praised God for the exodus and conquest. The seas and mountains represent the apparently unconquerable earthly power opposed to Israel.

This psalm mocks idols (and those who worship them) in the spirit of Isaiah 40:18-20 and 44:6-20.

Compare 116:3 to Jonah 2:5, in another individual song of thanksgiving.

Opening and concluding exhortations to praise the Lord envelop the reason He ought to be praised: His enduring love.

An individual sang his thanks to God as the congregation responded with praise. Jesus took 118:22 as a prophecy of His rejection by the Jewish leaders (Matt. 21:42). (See "Christ in the Psalms.")

This massive psalm is a song in honor of the law. It is in twenty-two eight-verse stanzas, which are organized in acrostic order. Each verse of each unit begins with the same letter. This made the psalm easier to memorize.

The peace-loving psalmist was distressed at the slanders spoken against him but was certain that God would save him. Meshech was in Anatolia near the Black Sea, but Kedar was in Arabia. The psalmist did not literally live in these places. The names represent distant barbarian and pagan lands and picture his enemies.

Pilgrims going to Jerusalem may have sung this prayer for safety in the journey. The dangers along the way—accidents, wild animals, robbers, heat stroke—are implied in 121:3-6. The "sun" and "moon" represent all the dangers of day and night. A safe trip is promised in 121:7-8.

The pilgrims going up to Jerusalem here prayed for the security of the city and the house of David. The city was sacred because God's temple was there.

The worshipers in the temple prayed on behalf of their nation. The touching metaphor in 123:2 vividly portrays the people's dependence on God.

The people gave thanks for having escaped conquest at the hands of their enemies. The two images of a flood and a bird in a trap portray the helplessness they felt.

The psalmist rejoiced in the enduring security of Zion and its people but prayed that God would provide just rulers. God's people were secure in Him but groaned because of the evil powers among whom they dwelt.

This touching song may have been sung by the returnees from the Babylonian captivity. It is both a hymn of thanksgiving for restoration to Zion and a prayer for restored prosperity.

This psalm acclaims the value of family life under God. Working to the point of fatigue for the sake of one's family is useless; it is better to trust God and be able to rest in His care and protection. When living in God's care, children are not a nuisance or a burden but a gift.

This psalm may have been recited as a blessing upon a groom in a wedding ceremony. ("You" and "your" are masculine singular in Hebrew.) The prayer for sons, long life, and prosperity is natural in such a setting. The vine represents not only the wife's fruitfulness but also her cheerfulness (Judg. 9:13) and feminine beauty (Song 7:8).

Israel had suffered mightily under the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, and others; but it had survived. Its enemies were cursed with a prayer that they become as insubstantial and insignificant as dried grass on the housetops.

The psalmist did not clarify the nature of his troubles or explicitly confess any sin. But he was aware of his sinfulness and need for grace. The closing could suggest this was not a private but a national complaint, but many psalms conclude with a prayer for Israel. The repetition of "more than watchmen wait for the morning" in 130:6 heightens the sense of longing.

The psalmist testified to the tranquility of the one trusting God and exhorted others to trust as well.

As the people prayed for the house of David and the temple, they cited God's promises.

The image of brotherly unity being like the oil that runs down Aaron's beard is striking. Unity is God's gift and a sacred duty.

This psalm exhorts the priests of the temple to praise God and blesses them for their service.

This psalm praises the God of Israel for creation and the exodus and conquest. It mocks the foolishness of idol worshipers.

Apparently the people responded, "His love endures forever" as the temple priests or choir chanted the body of the psalm. The psalm links the theme of creation to the exodus and conquest. Israel was God's new creation, as miraculous as the first creation.

After the beautiful lament of 137:1-6, the reader is jolted by the astonishing ending to the psalm. This brutal blessing shows the Jews' anguish over what had happened to their nation. Other Jews (Daniel, Esther) learned God was with them in the exile.

The so-called "gods" of 138:1 may have been supernatural beings who filled God's heavenly court, or the term may refer to pagan powers and rulers.

David praised God for His omniscience and omnipresence. Verses 13-15 draw together the concepts that a person is formed in his or her mother's body and that humans are made from the clay of the earth (Gen. 2:7). Thus we, no less than Adam, are God's creation.

David's enemies were out to trap him and especially used slander as their tool.

By his willingness to suffer at the hands of the righteous, David showed that he was motivated by integrity and love for God rather than by a selfish desire for personal victory.

This psalm follows the normal pattern for the Song of Individual Complaint: introductory affirmation of God's goodness, complaint and appeal, expectation of deliverance, and promise of praise.

From beginning to end this psalm is an appeal to God. As part of his plea for help the psalmist also asked for instruction.

The martial spirit of this prayer is tempered by the fact that the object of victory is not conquest or military honor but security for the people.

Verses 3-7 stress the importance of passing from one generation to the next the tradition of what God has done.

It was the duty of the ancient king to be the protector and advocate of the helpless, but many failed in this and instead became oppressors. But God cares for the oppressed, the hurting, and the abandoned. Compare this to Mary's "Magnificat" (Luke 1:46-55).

The hymn alternates between praising God as Protector of Israel and as Creator.

Heaven and earth and all that is in them are exhorted to praise God.

Exuberant, joyful praise of God's people is the weapon by which they conquer all their enemies. Spiritual conflict requires spiritual weapons (see Eph. 6:10-18).

The loud, joyful, and exultant tone of this psalm tells us something of the nature of Israel's worship. It could be solemn and grand without tedium or empty pomp. The psalm tells where, for what, how, and by whom the Lord is to be praised.

Theological Significance. The psalms help today's believers to understand God, themselves, and their relationship to God. The psalms picture God as the Creator, who is worthy of praise and is capable of using His creative might to rescue His people from current distress. The psalms picture God as the just Judge of all the world, who rewards the righteous and opposes the wicked. Prayers that God curse the enemies of the psalmist must be understood in part as affirmations of God's justice and the certainty of His judgment. The psalms picture God as the faithful Friend of the oppressed. The psalms offer a refresher course in God's faithfulness throughout Israel's history. The psalms highlight God's promises to David and his descendants, promises that are not finally realized until Christ.

The psalms picture the full range of human emotions: joy, despair, guilt, consolation, love, hate, thankfulness, and dissatisfaction. The psalms thus remind us that all of life is under God's lordship. The psalms likewise illustrate the broad range of human responses to God: praise, confession, pleas for help, thanksgiving. The psalms thus serve as a source book for Christian worship, both public and private.

Alden, Robert L. Psalms. 3 Vols. Chicago: Moody, 1975.

Kidner, Derek. Psalms. 2 Vols. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1975.

Weiser, Artur. The Psalms. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Meet Yourself in the Psalms. Wheaton: Victor, 1983.