The Psalms have been and are one of the most appreciated and used books by Christians of all time. They contain wisdom, prophecies, doctrines, and all kinds of instructive teachings for Christians today. Something that makes them very attractive is also that they are written in the form of poetry, which means that many can be sung in our congregations, and that memorizing them is easier.
The book of Psalms is the longest in the entire Bible, as it contains 150 chapters, and was written by different authors at different historical times. Because of this, it is unlike any other book in the Bible.
So the way we read a psalm is not the same as the way we read a letter from Paul, or a narrative in the Gospels. We need to have the right tools to be able to read them, understand them, and genuinely apply them to our lives.
I would like us to see how Hebrew poetry works and some tools that will help you in reading and interpreting it.
Classification of the Psalms
There are different types of Psalms, and throughout history there have been different ways to classify them. I would like to propose a simple way of classification that will help you interpret them correctly.
1. Psalms of lament. This group is made up of psalms that express a deep trust in God, and help us express our struggles, sufferings, or failures to the Lord. There are psalms of individual laments (for example: 42, 71, 88) and of collective laments (for example: 12, 44, 94). This is the largest group, it includes more than 60 psalms. Elements of a lament psalm may include:
- To whom is the psalm addressed?
- The cause of lament
- Show of confidence.
- release request
- Assurance that God will work
- Praise for the grace of God.
2. Thanksgiving psalms. These psalms have the opposite function to those of the previous group. They declare joy and gratitude for what God has done, is doing, and will do for his people. Some of these psalms are 65, 67, 75, 107, 116, 118, and 138. The elements that we can find in this type of psalm are:
- Introduction
- The cause for which divine intervention is necessary
- petition for release
- The author again asks for release
- Testimony: the author praises God for his mercy
3. Psalms of celebration and affirmation. These psalms focus on aspects of God’s promises to his people, such as covenant renewal and kingship. They are also known as royal psalms. They include psalms like 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, and 101.
4. Hymns of praise. They focus on God, on his works done in favor of his people. They include Psalms 8, 33, 66, 104, and many others. Its fundamental elements are:
- Introduction
- Reason for praise
- Recapitulation
5. Psalms of the history of salvation. These psalms speak of the way in which God has historically preserved his people; the response is praise and thanks. Examples of these psalms: 78, 105, 106, 135, and 136.
6. Psalms of Wisdom. These psalms focus on wisdom, contrast the wicked with the righteous, and declare the importance of fearing God. This group is made up of psalms 36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, and 133.
7. Confidence Songs. The focus here is on the trust that can be had in God in the midst of adverse circumstances, and the way in which his people express that trust. In this group are psalms 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, and 131.
Features of Hebrew poetry
Hebrew poetry is different in form from modern poetry. Usually, modern poetry uses rhyme to give us an aesthetically beautiful and easy to remember poem. However, Hebrew poetry rarely rhymes, instead making use of other literary devices such as parallelism, repeated syllables, repetition of similar sounds, and sometimes using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet to create a stanza from each letter, such as the psalm 119. In order to understand a psalm, it is important to understand at least two of the main features used in Hebrew poetry: parallelism and the use of imagery.
In parallelism, the second line of the stanza is related to the first line. In these cases the author is not trying to say anything new, but trying to reinforce an idea. There are different kinds of parallels; Let’s look at the three most used.
- Synonymous parallelism. In this type of parallelism, the second line is designed to provide a bit more information, or to represent the information in a different way, either by addition, contrast, or specification. The idea is that, as the name implies, the second line becomes synonymous with the first. The author is simply reinforcing the idea.
- antithetical parallelism. In this type of parallelism, the second line contrasts with the first, and states the opposite truth.
- synthetic parallelism. In this parallelism, the second line cannot simply be considered a synonym, but adds information or emphasis to the second line.
Another widely used resource in Hebrew poetry is the use of images. Hebrew poetry is full of images. Of course, these are used figuratively. God is not a lion or a shepherd of sheep literally, but these images bring clarity to the idea that the author wants to convey to us, and also make the idea easier to remember.
The use of figurative language in the Psalms must be taken as such: figurative language.
For example, Psalm 23 is built on the basis of two images. The first image comprises verses 1 through 4, where God is represented as a shepherd and David as his sheep. The idea that the author wants to convey here is that God provides and cares for his servant. The second part of the psalm, verses 5-6, uses another image, the image of a banquet of triumph. God presents a fabulous dinner to his servant in the presence of his enemies without their being able to do anything about it. The idea that the author wants to convey here is that God blesses his servant.
An important clarification: the use of figurative language in the Psalms must be taken as such: figurative language. It should not be interpreted literally, but rather it helps us meditate on the image presented and how that image helps us understand the idea that the author is conveying. This does not detract from the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures. Let us remember that the Bible has two authors, one human and one divine. While the divine author, the Holy Spirit, is in charge of inspiring and transmitting God’s message, the human is in charge of putting that message in human terms, such as by using poetry and figurative language. In fact, to interpret a psalm or a portion of it in a literal way, when the original author did not intend that, but to give us figurative language, is to misinterpret the Scriptures.
Practical steps to interpret the Psalms
The first thing you need to correctly read and understand the Psalms is a literal version of the Bible, and an edition of it that shows poetic texts in a different way than other types of texts. I recommend modern versions, such as the American Bible, the Reina Valera, or the Textual Bible. If you open your Bible to the Psalms, you will notice that the text is arranged in a way that leaves more white space, not just on the sides, but every few lines there is more space at the beginning and end, thus separating the psalm into different stanzas.
Here are some steps you can follow to read and understand a psalm:
1. Identify the stanzas that make up the psalm and summarize the idea that the author wants to convey
This is the first step. In poetry, a stanza constitutes a unit of thought, where the author, in a very elegant (poetic) way, conveys an idea. The stanzas are constituted in turn by several poetic lines. Identifying the use of parallels, images, and voice changes will help you delimit the verses. Once the stanza is identified, and taking into account the literary resources that the author is using, try to summarize in a short and clear sentence the idea that the psalmist wants to give. You will be surprised how few words you can summarize the idea of a stanza, no matter how long it is.
2. Identify the central idea of the psalm
Finding what supports the psalm as a whole is the key to identifying the idea the author is trying to convey.
The basis for arriving at the idea that the psalm wants to give as a whole is to look for the way in which its parts are related. That is why the above exercise is important. Once you manage to identify the main idea or emphasis of each verse, then you have to see how these verses relate to each other. Sometimes the ideas of the stanzas are repeated, other times they are in contrast to each other, and sometimes there is a common idea that is repeated. Finding what supports the psalm as a whole is the key to identifying the idea the author is trying to get across.
3. Note if there are any specifications about the circumstances in which the psalm was written
Many psalms are anonymous and give no clue as to where or under what circumstances it was written, but there are many that do. When available, make use of it to understand the circumstantial context in which it was written, as this will shed light on the meaning of the psalm and how we can genuinely apply it to ourselves.
4. Keep in mind the message of the book of Psalms as a whole
Although each psalm is a self-contained unit, the macrostructure of the book is important. Tradition organizes the book of Psalms into five books, including an introduction and a conclusion.
Considering the way the psalter has been organized, we will observe a movement that begins with the introductory psalms (psalms 1-2), which establish the idea of the importance of obeying God’s law and the anointed king/son. . This leads to the first two books (Book 1: Psalms 3-41; Book 2: Psalms 42-72), where the king and his confrontation with his enemies is the main focus. Then we see many psalms lamenting the plight of the people and what the enemies have done (Book 3: Psalms 43-89), and as we get to Book 4 (Psalms 90-106), we begin to see more hope based on the works that God has done in the past in favor of his people. In the fifth and last book (Psalms 107-145), trust is evident, and the theme of the admired king: David is returned. This section includes the songs called “ascent”. The psalter ends with praise (psalms 146-150).
5. Look at how the psalm relates to Jesus Christ, specifically his work on the cross.
One of the hermeneutical principles that has been talked about and written a lot lately is how all of Scripture is centered on the work of Christ on the cross. This is not the place or the moment to delve into this point, other works can be consulted for it. But it is imperative that we understand that the Scriptures speak about Christ; in fact, Christ, throughout his ministry, used the Psalms to explain his…