Psalms
The Bible's songbook, and its permission slip to say anything to God.
Who wrote it: Many hands over many centuries. Seventy-three carry David's name; others belong to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses and unnamed writers. The collection reached its final shape after the exile.
What it is
There's no plot. Psalms is a collection, arranged in five 'books', each ending with a burst of praise. Inside are hymns for the temple, songs for walking up to Jerusalem, coronation songs, history lessons set to music, one alphabet poem that runs to 176 verses (119), and a great many complaints. The complaints, called laments, are the single biggest category. That surprises people who expect a hymnbook to be cheerful.
A lament has a shape: here's what's wrong, here's what I want you to do about it, here's why I still trust you. Sometimes the last part is one line (Psalm 13). Once it doesn't come at all (Psalm 88 ends in darkness). The psalmists accuse God of sleeping, forgetting, hiding his face. They also ask for their enemies' babies to be smashed on rocks (137), and the book keeps that in, not because it's right, but because it's what a person feels after watching their city burn, and God can hear it.
The other side is just as loud. Psalm 23, 103 and 139 are why people love this book: a shepherd, a father who remembers we're dust, a God who knew you before you were born. The praise psalms at the end (146 to 150) pile up reasons to thank him until the last line tells everything that breathes to join in.
Jesus quoted Psalms more than any other book. Psalm 22 opens with the words he said on the cross. Psalm 110 is the Old Testament verse the New Testament quotes most. Read them knowing that, and the songs get a second layer.
How to read it: not straight through, at first. Find the mood you're in and look for the psalm that says it. The Psalms in 30 days plan is one route; the mood pages on this site are another.
Verses worth keeping
1How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
Gen Zsame meaning, your wordsHow long, LORD? Are you going to forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long do I have to wrestle with my own thoughts and carry sorrow in my heart every day? How long does my enemy get to win?
Four 'how longs' in two verses. This is in the Bible as a prayer, which means it's allowed.
- Psalms 34:18WEB
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
Gen Zsame meaning, your wordsThe LORD is close to people whose hearts are broken, and he saves the ones whose spirit has been crushed.
Not 'fixes' or 'cheers up'. Close to. It's a smaller promise than people want and a truer one.
- Psalms 42:5WEB
Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.
Gen Zsame meaning, your wordsWhy are you so low, my soul? Why so restless inside me? Hope in God, because I'll praise him yet for the saving help of his presence.
The psalmist talking to himself, which is most of what prayer is on a bad day. The same verse repeats as a refrain, because once wasn't enough.
13Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. 14For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
Gen Zsame meaning, your wordsLike a father feels for his kids, the LORD feels for the people who fear him. He knows how we're made. He remembers that we're dust.
God's expectations of you are set by someone who knows exactly what you're made of.
23Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. 24See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Gen Zsame meaning, your wordsSearch me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know what I'm thinking. See if there's anything harmful in me, and lead me the way that lasts forever.
The end of the psalm that starts 'you have searched me and known me'. He's asking for something that's already true, and choosing to want it.
Read Psalms
The full text, every chapter, from the World English Bible, a modern public-domain translation. Pick a chapter below. The highlighted verses are the place to start if you have never read it.
Psalms 13
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
1How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
3Behold, and answer me, LORD, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
4lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;” lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.
5But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.
6I will sing to the LORD, because he has been good to me.
Questions about Psalms
Did David write all the Psalms?
No. Seventy-three have his name in the title, and the Hebrew 'of David' can mean by him, for him or in his style. Others are credited to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses (90) and Ethan, and around fifty have no name at all. Some clearly come from the exile (137) centuries after David died. The book is a collection built over a very long time, which is part of why it covers so much.
What do I do with the violent ones?
Psalm 137 ends by blessing whoever smashes Babylonian babies against rocks, and it's not alone. These are called imprecatory psalms. They're prayers, not commands: the writer hands the vengeance to God instead of taking it. They're also written by people who'd just seen it done to their own children. You don't have to pray them. But their presence means there's no rage you can feel that the Bible hasn't already brought to God.
Why does Psalm 88 end without hope?
Because sometimes that's where a person is, and the book wanted that person to have a psalm. Every other lament turns toward trust at some point. Psalm 88 goes down and stays down; its last word is darkness. It's still addressed to God, all the way through, which is the only hope in it. If you're there, you're not outside the Bible. You're in Psalm 88.
How should I read Psalms?
Slowly, and out loud if you can. They were written to be sung, and they're poetry, so they say things twice in different words on purpose. Don't start at 1 and grind through; pick a psalm that matches how you feel, or follow a plan that mixes types. Five a day gets you through in a month. One a day, properly, is better.