This document provides an overview of psalms and Hebrew poetry. It discusses that psalms were originally songs of praise and poetry in the Bible. Psalms express a wide range of human emotions and are prayers and praise to God. Hebrew poetry differs from Western poetry in that it does not rely on rhyme but uses thought parallelism between lines and imagery. There are various categories of psalms including hymns, laments, thanksgiving psalms, and more. Many psalms are attributed to authors like David, Asaph, the Sons of Korah, and others. The document also examines features of Hebrew poetry like parallelism, imagery, acrostics, and more. It provides examples and homework assignments analyzing specific psalms.

1. EXPERIENCING
THE PSALMS

2. What Is a Psalm?
• Greek psalmos
• Hebrew noun mizmôr, "song, instrumental
music”
• verb zāmar, "sing, sing praise, make
music”.
• he Book of Psalms was -- and is --
intended for singing
• the church's first song book

3. What is found in psalms?
• express the entire spectrum of human
emotion -- fear, despair, longing, love,
hope, joy, and exultation
• Made of prayers and praise to God
• Poems
• Songs
• Petitions

4. Psalms – Hebrew Poetry
• Hebrew poetry differs from most Western poetry
• It doesn’t rhyme
• two primary elements
• Thought parallelism
• Imagery
• western poetry we use both rhyme and rhythm
• Hebrew poetry the rhythm may be in terms of
units per line

5. 1. Thought Parallelism
• Thought A and Thought B
• Synonymous Parallelism
– Same idea repeated twice
– parallelism in Jesus' teaching, too (Matt 5:43-
45)
• Antithetic Parallelism
– A contrast to the first idea
– Contrast or Negation but to enforce the first
idea

6. 2. Imagery
• Imagery has a way of fixing an idea in our
minds with clarity
• There are two kinds of images
• 1. Simile is a comparison which is made
explicit by the presence of the word "like"
or "as." Ps 42:1
• 2. Metaphor is a comparison that is
implicit, that is, a comparison without the
mention of "like" or "as." Ps 23:1

7. Categories of Psalms
• The Hymn,
• The Lament
• Thanksgiving Psalms
• Psalms of Confidence
• Psalms of Remembrance
• Wisdom Psalms
• Kingship Psalms

8. Authors of Psalms
• 150 psalms
• 116 include an extended title or an
ascription that is part of verse 1 in the
Hebrew text
• Added by editors very early
• The titles at the beginning of many of the
psalms
• carry the ideas "of, for, from, at, in
reference to, belonging to.

9. Homework
• Psalm 34, 55, 85, 95, 135, and 40. read
and Identify the genre.
• Identify the genre of Psalms 40 and 54.
State why you get that from their structure.

10. Authors
• David Named as
author of nearly half the
collection
• Asaph Called "Asaph
the Seer" (2 Chronicles
29:30), and was from a
Levitical family. He
founded the temple choir
as chief musician (1
Chronicles 15;17-19;
chapter 16).
• =73 psalms
• Psalms 50, 73-
83 =12 psalms

11. Authors
• Sons of Korah A
Levitical family, singers
and musicians of the
temple choir founded by
Heman the Ezrahite (1
Chronicles 6:31-46).
• Ethan the Ezrahite =
Juduthun From a
Levitical family and
founded one of the
temple choirs (1
Chronicles 16:41; 25:1-6).
• Psalms 42-49, 84-85, 87-
88= 12 Psalms
• Psalm 89, 39, 62, 77=
4 Psalms

12. Authors
• Heman the Ezrahite
Called "Heman the
Musician" (1 Chronicles
6:33) and was founder of
a temple choir.
• Solomon Third king of
Israel
• Moses Leader during
the Exodus
• No title at all
• Psalm 88= 1Psalm
• Psalms 72, 127=
2Psalms
• Psalm 90= 1Psalm
• 34 Psalms

13. Origin and title
• The Title
• The title may give info about the author,
the historical occasion, the function…
• A Psalm without an author is generally
called an “Orphan Psalm” (ex. Psalm 33)
• Many psalms gave a historical title
ex. Psalm 3
• 14 of them/ Ps. 3, 7, 18, 30, 34, 51, 52,
54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 142.

14. Groupings
• The Psalms are divided into 5 groups
• Psalm 1- 41 Group 1
• Psalm 42-72 Group 2
• Psalm 73-89 Group 3
• Psalm 90-106 Group 4
• Psalm 107-150 Group 5
• The Book of Psalms is called in Hebrew:
Tehillim which means “songs of praise”

15. Technical terms
• Selah, 71 times – to lift up (rll) or to bend
(Aramaic)
• Higgaion (Haga) quieter instrument-
whispering
• Nasah is the choirmaster
• Hallel Psalms

16. Deeper in Hebrew Poetry
• Parallelism – two thoughts
• A Complete parallelism is called a line
• A line may contain two, three (rarely four
or more poetic phrases)
• Each line is a cola
• Two lines – a bicolon, three lines – tricolon
• Monocola- is a poetic line with only one
phrase

17. More….
• Elipsis in parallelism
• It is to bind the two phrases more closely
together
• Inclusio- A line that opens a closes a
poem
• Acrostic poems
• The Hebrew Alphabet
• Acrostic psalms: 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111,
112, 119, 145

18. Imagery
• Simile and metaphor
• Imagery is the fact that a picture is formed in
one’s mind by reading the psalm
• On many instances like a personification
• Images are not as precise as literal language/
but both are correct when you understand the
context and the meaning of the image
• Ex. The ennemy is a lion
The ennemy is ruthless and cruel

19. Incomprehensibility of God
• Why so many images in the Psalms? The
answer lies in God’s own nature. Images,
simile and metaphors help to communicate
the fact that God is so great and powerful and
mighty that He can’t be exhaustively
described. Images, may be accurate but less
precise that literal language. Images preserve
the mystery of God’s nature and being, while
communicating to us about Him and His love
for us

20. Homework due February 7
• Psalm 47. Do you find any ellipsis? identify
• Psalm 2
– Read
– identify the separate poetic lines.
– Identify the phrases within the lines and identify them as mono,
bi or tri cola (colon)
• Identify the metaphors in Psalms 80 and 129
• Read Psalm 124. The great image in this poem is water,
– Meditate on this image and
– show how water illuminates the depths of the author’s
suffering
• Read Psalms 30 and 35.
– List all the great images on God.
– Write how great, mighty and loving God is according to these
psalms
Due Tuesday either by email (or in person)/ or as you enter class –
Please cover page and indentify the questions as you’re answering them.
Thank you!

21. CLASS EXERCISE
• Psalm 46
– Different lines (mono, bi, tri cola [colon])
• Similes in Psalms 52, 83