Psalms.
The full range of human experience addressed to God — praise, lament, thanksgiving, complaint, repentance, hope.
Who wrote Psalms?
Multiple — David (about half), Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses, Heman, Ethan, and many anonymous.
Who was it written for?
Israel's worship — and through the church, the worship of every later generation.
Structure
- Book I (1–41)
- Book II (42–72)
- Book III (73–89)
- Book IV (90–106)
- Book V (107–150)
Key verses
Why Psalms matters
The hymnbook of Israel and of the church. Jesus quoted Psalms more than any other book; Acts and the epistles cite them constantly. The Psalter teaches that you can bring everything to God — even rage, even doubt — and the bringing is itself faith. The 150 are arranged with deliberate care, moving from individual lament toward corporate praise.
Related tools
Read the book, then test it.
Kerygma's trivia rounds cover Psalms in the Wisdom & Poetry stream — once you've sat with the overview, the questions go deeper into the text. Free for seven days.
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