Where it fits

Psalms is the 19th book of the Bible, with 150 psalms, and the longest book in it. It was written over roughly 1,000 years, from Moses (Psalm 90) to after the exile, and was collected into five books (1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–150), each ending with a burst of praise. About half the psalms are credited to David, and others to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, and Moses. Many are anonymous. Read straight through, it takes about three hours.

What it is and how to read it

Psalms is poetry, and Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme sounds. It rhymes ideas: a second line repeats, intensifies, or contrasts the first. The psalms come in several types. Hymns of praise celebrate who God is (8, 100, 145–150). Laments, about a third of the book, bring pain and complaint to God (13, 22, 88). Thanksgiving psalms look back on rescue (30, 116). Royal psalms celebrate God's king (2, 72, 110). Wisdom psalms reflect on how to live (1, 37, 119).

The book is arranged, not random. Psalms 1 and 2 are its doorway: the blessed person delights in God's Word (1), and God's chosen king reigns over the nations (2). The collection moves from many laments in the early books toward growing praise, ending with five psalms of full-throated worship (146–150) and a closing call that everything that has breath should praise the LORD (150:6). Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is an acrostic celebrating God's word.

Three ideas to hold on to

1. You can bring God everything. Joy, doubt, anger, guilt, and grief all have a place in the psalms. About a third are laments, and many end in trust.
2. God is a refuge and a shepherd. Psalm 23, Psalm 46 (“Be still, and know that I am God,” 46:10), and Psalm 91 show a God who protects, guides, and stays near.
3. God's Word and God's king are the center. The book begins with delight in Scripture (1) and a promised king (2), and both themes run through the whole collection.

Passages people ask about

• Psalm 1. Two paths, and the person who delights in God's instruction.
• Psalm 22. A cry of abandonment that turns to praise. Jesus quoted its first line on the cross (Mark 15:34), and the Gospels echo other parts of it.
• Psalm 23. The shepherd psalm, widely loved for its comfort.
• Psalm 51. A prayer of confession after David's sin.
• Psalm 88. A lament that ends in darkness, with no resolution. It shows that honest prayer doesn't have to tie things up.
• Psalm 137. Grief in exile that ends with a call for violent revenge on Babylon's children (137:9). These “imprecatory” psalms shock readers. Christians commonly read them as honest prayers of anger handed over to God, not as permission to take revenge, in light of Jesus' call to love enemies (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:19).

How it points to Jesus

Jesus read the psalms as speaking about himself. After his resurrection he told his disciples that everything written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:44). The New Testament quotes the Psalms more than almost any other part of the Old Testament. Psalms 2 and 110 point to the king who is also God's Son, Psalm 22 to the crucified one, and Psalm 118 to the stone the builders rejected, which becomes the cornerstone (118:22; Mark 12:10–11). Jesus himself prays the psalms, from the Passover hymns (Mark 14:26) to his last words on the cross (Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5).

A common misunderstanding

Psalms is often treated as a book of comforting verses to pick out and post. The book is more honest. About a third of the psalms are laments, and some, like Psalm 88, end without a hint of hope. The book teaches that faith includes complaint. The comforting psalms feel deeper when read alongside the dark ones.