150 songs and prayers — the poetry of Israel's worship, lament, praise, and trust in God.
Key themes: praise, lament, worship, trust, the Shepherd Psalm.
| Author | David (73 Psalms), Asaph, Sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses, and others |
|---|---|
| Date Written | c. 1410–430 BC (compiled over 1000 years) |
| Original Audience | The people of God in every generation |
The Psalms are the Bible's prayerbook, hymnbook, and the most-read book of the Old Testament. One hundred and fifty poems, songs, and prayers spanning the full range of human experience — unbounded praise, desperate lament, bitter complaint, confident trust, and prophetic declaration. C.S. Lewis called Psalms 'the very best introduction to the Psalter itself.' Every human emotion is validated here: joy, grief, rage, doubt, longing, and awe. The most-read psalm is Psalm 23 — 'The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want' — perhaps the most memorized passage in all of Scripture. Psalm 22 is a prophetic description of the crucifixion, quoted by Jesus from the cross. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, devoted entirely to the Word of God. The Psalms do not shy away from darkness — Psalm 88 ends without resolution, in darkness. But the dominant note, reached again and again, is praise: 'Let everything that has breath praise the LORD' (150:6).
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