My continuous reading of the Bible has broken down halfway through the longest book, Psalms. That's no reflection on the quality of the poetry or depth of wisdom but more a reflection of the fact that, without any overriding narrative, the Book of Psalms is likely best read in a targeted way according to the theme each psalm is addressing. This website does the best job that I've seen in breaking them down by theme, with psalms to be read in "times of trouble" figuring prominently, suggesting that one of the primary purposes of the psalms is to offer guidance and strength to Christians and Jews facing adversity.
In this way, they form a spiritual treasury that offers a word in season, and a word for all seasons, a vast collection of 150 hymns, meditations and prayers, many of which are attributed (without evidence) to King David. Some scholars believe they were written for worship during the Second Temple period (516BC-70AD), but this is only a hypothesis; whatever their original purpose, they have become the main handbook of prayer among Jews and Christians.
Seeking penitence and God's mercy is a recurrent theme, and psalm 6 is an especially poetic example:
Unquestionably the most famous evocation of psalm 137 is Boney M's River of Babylon:
Likewise, Bono was inspired by psalm 40 to write the U2 song, 40 (there's a clip of the song about 6 minutes into this very insightful discussion about the Psalms between Eugene Peterson, who wrote the modern-day version of the Bible, The Message, and Bono):
As well as being influential on popular culture, from Bach and Handel's Messiah (psalm 2) to Kanye West and Coolio – and even the film Titanic – the Book of Psalms is deeply engrained in the western canon and the mini-lecture below spells that out in more detail, especially the way the psalms have been hugely influential as model for how to communicate with God.
To finish, I'm going to quote several lines from one of my personal favourites, Psalm 37 – a real beauty that is about patience, renouncing evil and putting one's faith in a higher power to overcome the iniquities of this world – and also provide a Spotify link to my favourite collection of psalms set to music (arguably they're more powerful when heard as songs):
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| Psalm 23 manuscript |
In this way, they form a spiritual treasury that offers a word in season, and a word for all seasons, a vast collection of 150 hymns, meditations and prayers, many of which are attributed (without evidence) to King David. Some scholars believe they were written for worship during the Second Temple period (516BC-70AD), but this is only a hypothesis; whatever their original purpose, they have become the main handbook of prayer among Jews and Christians.
Seeking penitence and God's mercy is a recurrent theme, and psalm 6 is an especially poetic example:
O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?
Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears
Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping
The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer
Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
According to my Oxford World's Classics edition of the Bible, the first person to consider the psalms as a classical form of Hebrew poetry, with their own defining characteristics distinct from European poetry, was an academic in the mid-1700s called Robert Lowth. He picked out two elements of the poetry of the psalms that would go on to influence the Romantic movement of Blake, Wordsworth and Coleridge: 1) poetry as prophecy – this social role of the Hebrew poet is best exemplified by Jesus and his parables, and 2) parallelism – rather than possessing rhyme or rhythm, psalms contain verses or lines that echo one another, sometimes providing repetition and affirmation and other times contrast and contradiction.
Psalms 23 and 137 are arguably the best-known of all the psalms, and the first has had echoes in so many songs and films throughout the years, including one of my favourite Grateful Dead tracks, Ripple – see the reference to "still water" (he leadeth me beside the still waters) and a cup that can be full or empty (my cup runneth over). For me, the most memorable use of Psalm 23 in film is Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider, in which a young girl passes comment on the psalm while reciting it.
Likewise, Bono was inspired by psalm 40 to write the U2 song, 40 (there's a clip of the song about 6 minutes into this very insightful discussion about the Psalms between Eugene Peterson, who wrote the modern-day version of the Bible, The Message, and Bono):
As well as being influential on popular culture, from Bach and Handel's Messiah (psalm 2) to Kanye West and Coolio – and even the film Titanic – the Book of Psalms is deeply engrained in the western canon and the mini-lecture below spells that out in more detail, especially the way the psalms have been hugely influential as model for how to communicate with God.
To finish, I'm going to quote several lines from one of my personal favourites, Psalm 37 – a real beauty that is about patience, renouncing evil and putting one's faith in a higher power to overcome the iniquities of this world – and also provide a Spotify link to my favourite collection of psalms set to music (arguably they're more powerful when heard as songs):
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace
The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth
The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming
The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation
Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked
(Psalm 37, v8-16)
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