Psalm 12, The Arrogance of the Wicked!

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

The Hebrew word "sheminith" (שְׁמִינִית) is presumably a musical term. It appears two other times in the Old Testament, in the heading of Psalm 6 and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 where it describes singing before the ark in Jerusalem. The word apparently has an association with the word "eight" (shemini, שְׁמִינִי) and the Strong's concordance link above suggests that the word refers to an eight string lyre.

Psalm 12:1-2, Everyone lies!

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;

 the faithful have vanished from among men.

Everyone lies to his neighbor; 

their flattering lips speak with deception.

This psalm follows a thread from Psalm 11 and elaborates on it. It is a specific case of "The Problem of Evil". How can a just and sovereign God allow evil? For David, the evil here is personal. David is likely the target of the lies and deception. So David's question is, "God, how can you allow such evil to happen to me?"

The success of evil has apparently led "everyone" to practice it.  No one is "godly" or "faithful"!  David feels alone, abandoned.

Psalm 12:3-4, Boastful tongues

May the LORD cut off all flattering lips 

and every boastful tongue that says, 

"We will triumph with our tongues; 

we own our lips --who is our master?"

James elaborates on this concept in a series of proverbs in his New Testament letter. See James 3:1-12 regarding our inability to "tame the tongue".

Psalm 12:5-6, Flawless words of YHWH

"Because of the oppression of the weak 

and the groaning of the needy, 

I will now arise," says the LORD. 

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

And the words of the LORD are flawless, 

like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

As in most of David's songs, there is resolution at the end. He eventually hears an answer from God, who promises to "arise". God will protect the weak.

In some way this is linked to God's "words"; I think the meaning here is that if God says that He will arise, then those actions will indeed be done.

The psalms of David have a repeated emphasis on social justice. This is, apparently, a major characteristic of God. The Jewish leader -- or any citizen of the kingdom of God -- should have similar concerns for justice!

Psalm 12:7-8, Safe

O LORD, you will keep us safe 

and protect us from such people forever.

The wicked freely strut about 

when what is vile is honored among men.

I have old notes which say to read 2 Samuel 23, where we see David's last psalm.

Note how the psalm ends in verse 8. Is this verse a positive or negative statement? Is this the ending you would have expected?  Verse 8, "The wicked freely strut", may be a proverb of David's day, which David is repeating.)

Embedded in the problem of evil is a secondary question: If God eventually deals with evil and injustice, why is God's action so slow?

Some Random Thoughts

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

.First published Oct 7, 2023; updated April 14, 2026 

Psalm 11, The Davidic Refrain

For the director of music. Of David.

This header probably means that the psalm is written by David, but the interpretation "for David" is also possible.

Psalm 11:1a, Refuge

In the LORD I take refuge.

This is David's theme, for this psalm, and throughout the psalms. Repeatedly David tells YHWH, "I stake my life on your protection" and then asks for help.

Psalm 11:1b-3, Flee? No!

How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain.

For look, the wicked bend their bows; 

they set their arrows against the strings 

to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed, 

what can the righteous do?"

In contrast to the theme, David, in the first three verses, is given panicky advice. "Flee, bird, to the mountains!" The world is in ruin, "what can the righteous do?" (Or, an alternate translation: "What is the Righteous One doing?")

There are always people forecasting disaster and ruin. Here David is warned that the wicked are lurking in the gloom, in the dark shadows, ready to fire on the upright.

Those individuals warning about the power and deceit of "the wicked" presumably claim some type of moral high ground. It is, presumably, other "righteous" people who are saying, "All is lost!"

Psalm 11:4-6, YHWH examines mankind

The LORD is in his holy temple; 

the LORD is on his heavenly throne. 

He observes the sons of men; 

his eyes examine them.

The LORD examines the righteous, 

but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.

On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; 

a scorching wind will be their lot.

But David calms himself and remembers that God is on his throne and the LORD is active and watching. The "foundations" are not being destroyed if they rest on the "holy temple", ie. the presence of God.

Verse 4 is quoted by the prophet Habakkuk, who writes (Habakkuk 2:20), "The Lord is in his holy temple" and adds, "let all the earth keep silent before Him."

(What Old Testament event is David probably remembering in verse 6?  See Genesis 19:24.)

Psalm 11:7, Upright people will see the Righteous One

 For the LORD is righteous, 

he loves justice; 

upright men will see his face.

The psalm ends with resolution. Calmly we are reminded: God is righteous. Just as God sees all of humanity (verse 4), so, in reverse, the righteous will see the face of God.

Some Random Thoughts

We are reminded that God is at work and on the side of the "upright", opposed to injustice. This should be very encouraging and should allow us to resist the various "apocalyptic" voices of our age. But David's psalm oes not leave room for us to relax and just say, "God is in charge. It will be OK." As other psalms and other parts of the Old & New Testaments make clear, there is an obligation to be involved in promoting justice, protecting the poor and the oppressed. A first step then is to understand that Seeking Justice is possible, that this fight is winnable. Instead of running from injustice, we should understand that "The Lord loves justice". Seeking and promoting justice is an important role of the citizens of God's kingdom.

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

.First published Oct 6, 2023; updated April 13, 2026 

Psalm 10 (continuation of 9), Justice!

Psalms 9 and 10 appear in the old Hebrew texts as a single psalm, forming an acrostic, each stanza beginning with a different Hebrew letter.  The acrostic breaks down at the beginning of Psalm 10 and then returns towards the end of Psalm 10. The Greek Septuagint translates this pair (from Hebrew to Greek) as a single song.

Psalm 10 continues the concepts of Psalm 9. But it begins on a very different note.  (Notice that there is no heading for this psalm, another indication that it was part of Psalm 9.)

Psalm 10: 1, So far away!

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In this psalm, distinct from Psalm 9, David is concerned that God does not seem to care about justice; the wicked and deceitful seem to be winning!

"Times of trouble" (verse 1) is apparently a unique Hebrew phrase, found only in Psalm 9:9 and here.

Psalm 10: 2-11, Look, look at the wicked!

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, 

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

He boasts of the cravings of his heart; 

he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; 

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

 His ways are always prosperous; 

he is haughty and your laws are far from him; 

he sneers at all his enemies.

He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me;

 I'll always be happy and never have trouble."

His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;

 trouble and evil are under his tongue.

He lies in wait near the villages; 

from ambush he murders the innocent, 

watching in secret for his victims.

 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; 

he lies in wait to catch the helpless; 

he catches the helpless 

and drags them off in his net.

 His victims are crushed, 

they collapse; 

they fall under his strength.

 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; 

he covers his face and never sees."

This long stanza details the arrogance of "the wicked man", characterizing him as consciously sneering at his enemies, including God. These hurried frantic verses represented a frustrated aside -- the psalmist cries out, "See, see, see!  Look what the wicked do!"  I think this is emphasized in Hebrew by the fact that the artificial acrostic structure breaks down. Verse 1 begins with the word lamah ("Why?") with first letter lamed. This is the twelfth letter of the alphabet and continues the acrostic begun in Psalm 9. But after verse 1 in this chapter, the psalm skips six letters, until verse 12 where it picks back up  with the word qumah, with first letter qof, the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Why does the acrostic fail? Is there a transmission error? Or is the psalmist so distraught in verses 2-11 that he gives up on the original structure?

The hurried phrases in this section come in pairs but also triples (verse 3: "boasts of the cravings/ blesses the greedy/ reviles the Lord", verse 9: "lies in wait/lies in wait/catches the helpless", and verse 10: "victims are crushed/they collapse/they fall.")

Psalm 10: 12-15, Arise, helper of the fatherless

Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. 

Do not forget the helpless.

Why does the wicked man revile God? 

Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; 

you consider it to take it in hand. 

The victim commits himself to you; 

you are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; 

call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

After expressing his frustration with the success of the wicked, David slows down and calls God to speak and act. He affirms that God does indeed have plans of judgment.

Psalm 10: 16-18, King forever and ever

The LORD is King for ever and ever; 

the nations will perish from his land.

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; 

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed, 

in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Like many of David's psalms, it ends with resolution. David is reassured that God is indeed protecting the fatherless.

Summary. David, representative of the Jewish people of the Old Testament, knows that justice is rare and so flees to God, pleading for righteous judgment.

Some Random Thoughts

Psalm 10 reminds me very much of the Christmas hymn, by Longfellow, which begins, "I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play, …"  The hymn, like this psalm, also laments that the wicked seem to be strong.

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

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First published Oct 5, 2023; updated April 11, 2026

Psalm 9 (& 10), Justice!

Psalms 9 and 10 appear in the old Hebrew texts as a single psalm, forming an acrostic, each stanza beginning with a different Hebrew letter. The acrostic breaks down at the beginning of Psalm 10 and then returns towards the end of Psalm 10. The Greek Septuagint translates this pair (from Hebrew to Greek) as a single psalm.

For the director of music. To [the tune of] "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David.

Presumably "The Death of the Son" was a known song of the time of David? (Just as Luther took popular beer-drinking songs for his hymns ... maybe David did something similar?) On a different tack, Alter suggests that the Hebrew laben (לַבֵּ֗ן, "death" or "death of a son", with consonants l-b-n and no vowels) might have originally been nevel (n-b-l), a type of lyre or harp.

Psalm 9:1-2, I will praise you

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

We begin with a declaration of praise and an intent to sing praises.

Psalm 9:3-6, Enemies stumble, nations rebuked

My enemies turn back; 

they stumble and perish before you.

For you have upheld my right and my cause; 

you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; 

you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, 

you have uprooted their cities; 

even the memory of them has perished.

After singing praises, David then turns to recounting things which the Righteous Judge has done in the past. This is a mixture of praise, emphasizing God's character and past actions.

Psalm 9:7-9, A throne for judgment

The LORD reigns forever; 

he has established his throne for judgment.  

He will judge the world in righteousness; 

he will govern the peoples with justice.  

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Once again David leans on God's righteousness and interest in justice. As C. S. Lewis points out in his essays on the psalms, the view of God as Judge and the request for Justice and Judgment is an Old Testament concept, in which a judge is the defender of the oppressed; it is before a judge that one gets their case finally heard.

Psalm 9:10-12, YHWH remembers those who trust Him

Those who know your name will trust in you, 

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.  

Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; 

proclaim among the nations what he has done.  

For he who avenges blood remembers; 

he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

This plea is now a bit more personal, less historical than the previous lines. In the next stanza it indeed becomes quite personal, as David, as an individual, gives a personal plea for justice.

Verse 12 ("he who avenges blood") looks back to Genesis 9:5-6, to God's covenant with Noah.

Psalm 9:13-14, Lift me up!

O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! 

Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 

that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion 

and there rejoice in your salvation.

We now alternate between personal appeals and appeals to national justice. David asks that, instead of being at the gates of death, he be allowed to return to the gates of Jerusalem (the Daughter of Zion) where he can praise God in public!

Psalm 9:15-18, Wicked ensnare themselved

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; 

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 

The LORD is known by his justice; 

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. 

Higgiaon. Selah.

The wicked return to the grave, 

all the nations that forget God.  

But the needy will not always be forgotten, 

nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

As is common in David's songs, at the end he turns his attention to his nation. A possible message to Israel is implied here -- Israel should be known by its justice. (But recall Nathan's chastisement of David in 2 Samuel 12!)

As in Psalm 7, David emphasizes the "reflection" of evil, how it rebounds upon the evil-doer. a form of divine karma....

Psalm 9:19-20, They are but men

Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; 

let the nations be judged in your presence.

Strike them with terror, O LORD; 

let the nations know they are but men.

Selah.

This is a final appeal, a national one.

Summary.  New Testament readers tend to view judgment as bad, as something scary for all of us, and tend to assume the "judgment" refers to some final Day of Judgment (as in Hebrews 9:27.)  But the psalmist's view of judgment is that judgment is a good thing, a time when things are made right, when the oppressed are defended and uplifted.  In this psalm, David delights in God's protection and judgment.

Some Random Thoughts

I am reminded of a event in 2015 in which a Cleveland police officer killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice. (One version of the story is here.) City officials, in their desire to get the case before a judge, took the unprecedented step of going directly to a judge (using an obscure Ohio law) instead of the traditional route through the local prosecutor. The officials apparently feared that the local prosecutor was too close to the police and would not be fair. That is the Old Testament concept of demanding a hearing before a judge!

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

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First published Oct 4, 2023; updated Oct 4, 2026

Psalm 8, The Awesome Heavens

Psalm 8 is a simple psalm of joyful praise.  This time there are no enemies, no trials, no pleas.  A shepherd, out among the night stars, sings to the Creator.

For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.

The Hebrew word "gittith" probably describes a musical instrument or instruction.  The serious musicians whom I have known delight in exploring different instruments, in finding new ways to make interesting sounds.  David seems to have had the same desire. 

Psalm 8:1-2, Such glory!

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 

You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise 

because of your enemies, 

to silence the foe and the avenger.

David lists several domains where God name & glory are set.  What are they?

Is the statement in verse 2 hyperbole (poetic exaggeration)?  Do you think David really means that the infants praise God?

How does this praise "silence" the foe?  (Or does it really?)

Psalm 8:3-8, Refuge in You

When I consider your heavens, 

the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, 

which you have set in place, 

what is man that you are mindful of him, 

the son of man that you care for him?  

You made him ruler over the works of your hands; 

you put everything under his feet: 

all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, 

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Consider a picture of a hundred galaxies.... In the Astronomy Picture of the Day here, the Coma Cluster of Galaxies is visible; almost every pixel of light in this picture is a galaxy, each with many billions of stars.  

Many other incredible pictures are available at NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day website. Another similar set of dramatic pictures occurs in the Hubble Deep Sky survey, in which a very small dark part of sky was revealed, under Hubble's magnification, to be filled with about ten thousand galaxies!  (That small portion of sky photographed was about one thirteen-millionth of the total night sky!)

What scenery, what parts of creation, set David into this aspect of prayer?

David turns from considering the stars to considering humankind. His question, "What is man?" is not a negative one, but one of astonishment. The One who created the immense heavens also created mankind as a special, important part of Creation.  "How can that be?" asks the psalmist.

We are made just a little lower than the elohim (אֱלהִי), the other divine beings, other "gods". (Some translations use the word "angels" here.)  Yet in all this, humankind is sub-ruler over much of God's work, caring for God's creation.  Recall the close relationship between "flocks and herds" and one's daily life in Old Testament times?  David, particularly, was a shepherd.

Who can notice God's glory?  Is it hard to find or clearly visible to everyone?  David assumes that this glory is clear and obvious, easy for all to see. Maybe even the nursing babes and small children are awed by it all!

In verse 7 the shepherd, David, praises God for "the flocks and herds", the very practical items of daily life in the ancient Near East.

Psalm 8:9, Enthusiastic refrain

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The psalm ends by repeating, as a bookend, the original verse of praise. (What does it mean for God's "name" to be majestic?)

Our understanding of this psalm is further developed by commentaries on it in the New Testament. See, for example, Hebrews 2:5-10 and I Corinthians 15:25-28. The Hebrews passage will interpret  "son of man", occurring in verse 4, as a reference to Messiah Jesus.

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First published Oct 3, 2023; updated April 9, 2026

Psalm 7, Violence and Recoil

Psalm 7 is an example of an "imprecatory" psalm, a psalm that includes anger and a request for destruction of one's enemies.

A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

The Hebrew word "shiggaion" may be some type of musical term.  But in this psalm, it comes across (to me) as a "angry rant" or maybe "frenetic chanting"!

The historical episode with Cush is unknown. Kidner suggests that since a number of Absalom's supporters were Benjamites, a significant number of Benjamites viewed David as their enemy.

Psalm 7:1-5, Refuge in You

O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; 

save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 

or they will tear me like a lion 

and rip me to pieces 

with no one to rescue me.

O LORD my God, if I have done this 

and there is guilt on my hands –  

if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me 

or without cause have robbed my foe -- 

then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; 

let him trample my life to the ground 

and make me sleep in the dust.

Selah.

From verse 1, David's request is simple: "Save me, protect me!" The metaphor of a lion shredding a kill describes the depth of his fear. In contrast to that, David has already taken refuge in God and staked his safety on God's character and action.

In verses 3-5, David describes the sins he could have committed, but did not. The rapid, repetitive "if I have done..." comes across as a vow, a strong statement of his innocence. David insists that his own actions have been above reproach, despite the claims of his enemies. By implication, David's enemies have done these things that David has not.

Psalm 7:6-9, Decree justice!

Arise, O LORD, in your anger; 

rise up against the rage of my enemies. 

Awake, my God; 

decree justice. 

Let the assembled peoples gather around you.  

Rule over them from on high; 

let the LORD judge the peoples.

Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, 

according to my integrity, O Most High. 

O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, 

bring to an end the violence of the wicked 

and make the righteous secure.

C. S. Lewis points out, in his short "Reflections on the Psalms", that the Old Testament view of justice is a little strange to New Testament readers. The New Testament emphasis is on mercy, on Christ's sacrificial atonement that gives freedom from divine judgment. But the Jewish writers saw judgment as a good thing, something often denied the poor and the oppressed. Jesus echoes this viewpoint in Luke 18:1-5, in a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow. To the psalmist, a judge was one who put things right and the poor were often unable to get their case heard before a judge. Only the rich had access to judges! So, from that viewpoint, hearing that God would judge one's case was a delight.

Psalm 7:10-13, My God sharpens his sword

My shield is God Most High, 

who saves the upright in heart. 

God is a righteous judge, 

a God who expresses his wrath every day.

If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; 

he will bend and string his bow.

He has prepared his deadly weapons; 

he makes ready his flaming arrows.

If "vengeance is God's" then maybe it is appropriate to give that up to God by asking that God take vengeance! It is God who is sharpening his sword and bending his bow!

The phrase "If he does not relent" offers an option for the wicked and suggests that God delays justice in order to give this option. Note, however, that in being righteous, God expresses "his wrath" every day. In context, this is something David seeks, so God's "wrath" involves setting things right and defeating those who lie, manipulate, and act in violence. God's "wrath" is something David longs to see!

Psalm 7:14-16, Pregnant with evil

He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble 

gives birth to disillusionment.

He who digs a hole and scoops it out 

falls into the pit he has made.

The trouble he causes recoils on himself; 

his violence comes down on his own head.

Ther wicked set traps for David and so David delights that those traps "recoil" back onto the schemers. Though "pregnant with evil" the wicked give "birth to disillusionment"; though digging a deep pit, they fall into it; all evil "recoils" onto the evil doer! If only that were always true! (James, in his New Testament letter, fleshes out the pregnancy metaphor a little more; see James 1:15.)

In the ancient Old Testament story of Esther, the bureaucrat Haman seeks to destroy the Jews and to impale Mordecai on a tall pole where all can see him. Yet, at the end of Esther 7, it is Haman who is killed in that way, hung on the gallows he created!

Some find this justice disturbing. But it resonates with me. Don't we all wish to see the abuser abused? And if "vengeance is God's" then maybe it is appropriate to give that up to God by asking that God indeed take vengeance!  I am more willing to hand over justice and retribution to God if I get to add some angry commentary as I do so!

At the heart of this psalm is a conviction that God is just and righteous, that ultimately the just can rely on God to rule on unjust actions.

Psalm 7:17, Thanks and praise

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness 

and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

In the first verses of the psalm, David's concern has focused on his personal enemies.  By the end of the psalm (verses 14-17) his viewpoint has changed.  At the end, David is energized, encouraged, thankful and (of course) singing.

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First published Oct 2, 2023; updated April 8, 2026

Models of Worship, An Introduction to the Psalms

In the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Samuel, we are told the story of David, the shepherd who became a king. We learn of David's soothing the anxiety and anger of King Saul by playing the lyre for him. We learn, in 2 Samuel 22, of at least one praise song by David. 

Prior to David, we are given a praise song by Moses in Exodus 15, a song of victory by Deborah in Judges 5 and a praise song by Hannah in 1 Samuel 2. The worship of YHWH by the Hebrew nation was filled with praise songs.  At some point, probably in the second temple period, the many praise songs of Hebrew worship were collected into one document, which we call the Psalms. Many of these songs were written by David but many more were written by other worshipers, including some involved in the worship in the temple built during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, after the nation had returned from Babylon.

The Hebrew book of Psalms (see this Wikipedia article) were called, in Hebrew, Tehilim, which means "Praises". The English word, "psalm" (the p is silent) comes from the Greek word "psalmos", meaning "plucking of the harp". The collection of psalms is often call the psalter.

The book of Psalms is itself broken into five books. The books were most likely earlier compilations of the songs. Book I covers psalms 1-41, Book 2 psalms 42-72, Book 3 chapters 73-89 and Books 4 and 5 cover chapters 90-106- and 107-150.  Many of the psalms come with an explanatory header. These headers (which are numbered as verse 1 in the Hebrew scriptures but unnumbered in the Christian Bible) often give the author of the song and sometimes give additional information about the setting of the song or instructions for its performance. Many psalms have no heading at all.

The Bible Project guide on Psalms summarizes the five books as follows. (It separates out Psalms 1 and 2 as introductory material for the entire book.)

• Psalms 1-2: Introduction to the Key Themes of Psalms
• Psalms 3-41: The Foundation of Covenant Faithfulness
• Psalms 42-72: Hope for the Messianic Kingdom
• Psalms 73-89: Hope for the Messiah After Exile
• Psalms 90-106: The God of Israel as the King of All Creation
• Psalms 107-150: Songs of Ascent and Poems of Praise

Problems and Questions

English poems occasionally use an archaic word or two. Someone reading a nineteenth century poem may need to understand the meaning of a sixteenth century word. This linguistic evolution is not unique to English poetry. According to Robert Alter, the psalms, already thousands of years old, occasionally use Hebrew words that were probably archaic even in the day of their writing. Unusual words or phrases are common and the interpretation of a phrase may be made more difficult by a possible copy error in which a letter may have been dropped or added. (A notoriously unknown Hebrew word in the Psalms is selah, appearing from time to time as a separate word at the end of a stanza. It probably represented a musical interlude or meditative pause. One edition of the NIV, sadly, leaves that word out completely.)

The psalms were clearly collected at some point into a single document and most likely some editing occurred at that time. This explains the various headers and the arrangement of some psalms. Psalm 1 is an introductory piece, intended to explain why one might read or sing through the Psalter.

The collation and editing of the Psalms is especially interesting in several places. Psalm 18 is the same song as that sung by David in 2 Samuel 22. Psalm 14, in Book I of the Psalms, is the same psalm as Psalm 53 in Book II of the Psalms.

Resources and References

My practice is to read through the text from the New International Version (NIV), copied into the blog and italicized in blue.  At the head of each blue paragraph of text I place a short title; after the text I place my thoughts or comments in black.  (Color differences, such as blue or pink, to not appear in the Substack version of these posts.) After I read through the text, I follow the study with my own reactions and thoughts and then supplement these comments with gleanings from a commentary or two. All the text of this blog, unless otherwise noted, is either text from the NIV or is my own composition. (And, no, I do not use AI!)

The real goal of this blog is to force me to read every verse thoughtfully. I hope that you, too, read the passages thoughtfully!   Feel free to disagree -- or to react in other ways! (I place hyperlinks in pink, created so that one can click on a link and see the linked site open in another window... and go down a rabbit hole if you wish!)

For the book of Psalms I have found two commentaries helpful. 

• Old favorites are the monographs Psalms 1-72 and Psalms 73-150 by Derek Kidner (Tyndale Press, 1973.)  
• A second text is the delightful The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary, by Robert Alter (2007.) 
  

In addition, in the online commentaries provided by EasyEnglishBible, is an online commentar on Psalms. Robert Utley has an online commentary on the Psalms here. Mike Mazzalongo has a preaching series on Psalms which begins here. (Mazzalongo's first video introduces the psalms and suggests there are roughly nine different psalm types, expressed in videos that follow. I have only lightly skimmed through most of the videos that follow.) A friend has recommended Psalms by the Day, A New Devotional Translation by Alec Motyer but I have only begun to look at that book. 

The Gospel Coalition has online commentaries by Bruce K. Waltke: Book I, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5.

The Blue Letter Bible has an introduction to the Psalms.

The Bible Project has a number of videos on the Psalms:

• A summary video outlines the book and argues that Books I through Book V should be read in that order, with a deliberate escalation that progresses through the books.
• An introduction to the Psalms emphasizes that the book is an example of Old Testament Hebrew poetry.
• The MidwestSafety Youtube channel publishes a website that covers a psalm a day. Discussion questions are created by Bea Zalel, a pseudonym for the AI Claude (a name suggested by the artist mentioned in Exodus 31:1-11.)
• The Bible project guide to studying the Psalms collects a number of resources, including some additional videos.

As always, the Bible Project material is excellent.

The psalms have served as hymns in the Christian church for several millennia. A number of modern artists, such as John Michael Talbot and Michael Card have spent time putting the psalter to song. There is also a musical group, Sons of Korah, who focus on the psalms.

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First published Oct 1, 2023; updated Sept 27, 2026