| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Books of Ketuvim |
| Psalms |
| Proverbs |
| Job |
| Song of Solomon |
| Ruth |
| Lamentations |
| Ecclesiastes |
| Esther |
| Daniel |
| Ezra |
| Nehemiah |
| Chronicles |
Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Because the book consists of songs or chants, a psalm can be used to mean any religious chant or poem of praise. This article, however, deals with the book of scripture.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Psalms are counted among the "Writings" or Hagiographa (one of the three main sections into which the books are grouped). In Luke 24:44 the word "psalms" means the whole of the Writings, one of the sections into which the Jews divided the Old Testament.
A book containing the Psalms, usually set for singing or chanting, is called a Psalter.
The Book of Psalms is divided into 150 chapters, each of which constitutes a religious song or chant (though one or two are long and may constitute a set of related chants). The numbering of the chapters of the Book of Psalms differs slightly between the Hebrew ( Masoretic) and Greek ( Septuagint) manuscripts. Most Protestant translations are based on the Hebrew numbering, while most Catholic and Orthodox translations are based on the Greek numbering. The differences are as follows:
| Hebrew Psalms | Greek Psalms |
|---|---|
| 1-8 | 1-8 |
| 9-10 | 9 |
| 11-113 | 10-112 |
| 114-115 | 113 |
| 116 | 114-115 |
| 117-146 | 116-145 |
| 147 | 146-147 |
| 148-150 | 148-150 |
Most manuscripts of the Septuagint also include an additional 151st Psalm; a Hebrew version of this poem was found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls. For the remainder of this article, the Hebrew chapter numbers will be used unless otherwise noted.
Traditionally all the Psalms were thought to be the work of David, but modern scholars recognise them as the product of several authors or groups of authors, many unknown. Most of the psalms start with an introductory verse which ascribes them to an author or says something about their circumstances, and only 73 of these introductions claim David as author. In any case it is clear that the Psalms were not written down until around the 6th century BC, and since David's reign is dated to around 1000 BC, any Davidic material must have been preserved by oral tradition for centuries.
Psalms 39, 62, and 77 are addressed to Jeduthun, to be sung after his manner or in his choir. Psalms 50 and 73-83 are addressed to Asaph , as the master of his choir, to be sung in the worship of God. The ascriptions of Psalms 42, 44-49, 84, 85, 87, and 88 assert that the "sons of KorahPeople named Korah or Korach "Baldness; ice; hail; frost", Standard Hebrew Qora Tiberian Hebrew Qora in the Bible: One of Esau's sons. A grandson of Esau, mentioned in Genesis. It does not appear other places than Genesis 36:16. Some believe this is actua" were entrusted with arranging and singing them; ( 2 ChroniclesThe Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). It was originally written as one book, but at some time the book came to be divided into two, probably in accordance with more managable scroll sizes, and thus in Christian bib 20:19 suggests that this group formed a leading part of the Kohathite singers.