Psalter
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The term "Psalter" refers to the Book of Psalms, a collection of 150 poetic compositions found in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Psalms are a central component of both Jewish and Christian liturgical traditions and have been used for worship, prayer, and personal reflection throughout the centuries. The Psalter is traditionally attributed to King David, although other authors, such as Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, and Moses, are also credited with some of the psalms.

Structure and Themes

The Psalter is divided into five books, which some scholars suggest mirror the five books of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). These divisions are as follows:

1. Book I: Psalms 1-41
2. Book II: Psalms 42-72
3. Book III: Psalms 73-89
4. Book IV: Psalms 90-106
5. Book V: Psalms 107-150

Each book concludes with a doxology, a short hymn of praises to God, which serves to demarcate the sections.

The Psalms cover a wide range of themes, including worship, lament, thanksgiving, wisdom, and royal psalms. They express the full spectrum of human emotions, from deep despair to exuberant joy, and provide a model for how believers can communicate with God in various circumstances.

Key Psalms and Their Significance

· Psalm 23: Perhaps the most famous of all the psalms, it begins with "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" . This psalm is a profound expression of trust in God's guidance and provision.

· Psalm 51: A penitential psalm attributed to David after his sin with Bathsheba, it begins with "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion" . It is a powerful prayer of repentance and a plea for divine forgiveness.

· Psalm 119: The longest psalm, it is an acrostic poem that extols the virtues of God's law. Each section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's Word.

· Psalm 150: The final psalm, it is a call to praise God with music and dance, concluding the Psalter with a crescendo of worship: "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Hallelujah!" .

Liturgical and Devotional Use

The Psalter has been integral to Jewish and Christian worship practices. In Judaism, the Psalms are recited in synagogue services and personal prayer. In Christianity, they are used in the Liturgy of the Hours, hymns, and various liturgical settings. The Psalms have also been a source of comfort and inspiration for personal devotion, providing words for prayer and meditation.

Christological Interpretation

From a Christian perspective, the Psalms are often seen as prophetic, pointing to the life and work of Jesus Christ. For example, Psalm 22, which begins with "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" , is viewed as a foreshadowing of Christ's suffering on the cross. Similarly, Psalm 110, which speaks of a priestly king, is interpreted as a messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus.

Conclusion

The Psalter remains a timeless and vital part of the biblical canon, offering believers a rich resource for worship, prayer, and understanding of God's character and promises. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to articulate the depths of human experience in relation to the divine.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) The Book of Psalms; -- often applied to a book containing the Psalms separately printed.

2. (n.) Specifically, the Book of Psalms as printed in the Book of Common Prayer; among the Roman Catholics, the part of the Breviary which contains the Psalms arranged for each day of the week.

3. (n.) A rosary, consisting of a hundred and fifty beads, corresponding to the number of the psalms.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PSALTER, (PSALMS), OF SOLOMON

sol'-ter.

See APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE, sec. III, 1; BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS, sec. IV, 1, (1), (b).

SOLOMON, PSALMS (PSALTER) OF

See APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE, sec. B, III, 1.

Library

Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases
Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases. <. Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases Anonymous.
Table of Contents. Title Page. Psalm 1. Psalm 2. Psalm 3. Psalm 4. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/

The History of the Psalter
... XII THE HISTORY OF THE PSALTER. [Sidenote: Nature of the Psalter]
Corresponding to the book of Proverbs, itself a select library ...
/.../the origin and permanent value of the old testament/xii the history of the.htm

The Psalter of Solomon.
... I. LYRICAL. THE PSALTER OF SOLOMON. Among the apocryphal literature of the
Old Testament which has been preserved to our time, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the psalter of solomon.htm

Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases
Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases. <. ...
/.../anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/title page.htm

Editor's Preface.
... In working out the result, I have "done what I could." I have preserved the African
Psalter entire, with as much of the comment as was possible; even so ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/editors preface.htm

Ancient Versions of the New Testament.
... The Psalter of the English Prayer Book is taken from Cranmer's Bible called the
"Great English Bible:" and the version of the Psalms follows the Gallican ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxviii ancient versions of.htm

Knox Little -- Thirst Satisfied
... read to you for a text is one of those verses which justify in the highest degree
the action of the Christian Church in selecting the Hebrew Psalter as, in fact ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/knox little thirst satisfied.htm

That He who is to be Ordained a Bishop must be Steadfastly ...
... When we recite the psalter, we promise God: "I will meditate upon thy statutes,
and will not forget thy words." It is a salutary thing for all Christians to ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon ii that he who.htm

How to Use the Prayer-Book
... prayer. (3) On the nineteenth day of the month the Venite is not used before
the PSALTER, as it occurs in the portion for that day. ...
/.../regester/the worship of the church/how to use the prayer-book.htm

The Psalms.
... Treatises. The Psalms. Jerome first undertook a revision of the Psalter with the
help of the Septuagint about the year 383, when living at Rome. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/jerome/the principal works of st jerome/the psalms.htm

Thesaurus
Psalter
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. PSALTER, (PSALMS), OF SOLOMON. sol'-ter. ... IV, 1,
(1), (b). SOLOMON, PSALMS (PSALTER) OF. See APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE, sec. ...
/p/psalter.htm - 7k

Manasses (1 Occurrence)
... It is most frequently found among the odes or canticles following the Psalter, as
in Codices Alexandrinus, T (the Zurich Psalter) and in Ludolf's Ethiopic ...
/m/manasses.htm - 19k

Vulgate
... Having probably completed the New Testament from the Greek, Jerome began immediately
on the Old Testament from the Greek of the Septuagint. (1) Roman Psalter. ...
/v/vulgate.htm - 38k

Armenian
... It is said that Chrysostom, during his exile at Cucusus (404-407 AD), invented an
Armenian alphabet and translated the Psalter, but this is doubtful. ...
/a/armenian.htm - 18k

Praise (487 Occurrences)
... In later times Israel had its sacred Psalter, its guilds of trained singers (Ezra
2:41 Nehemiah 7:44), its skilled musicians (Pss 42; 49, etc.); and the praise ...
/p/praise.htm - 47k

Hymn (5 Occurrences)
... Matthew 26:30 Mark 14:26) was the second part of the Hallel, ie Psalms 115-118,
and the hymns of Paul and Silas were most likely also taken from the Psalter. ...
/h/hymn.htm - 11k

English
... Aldhelm, bishop of Sherborne in the county of Dorset (died 709), translated the
Psalter in another translation with which the name of King Alfred is associated ...
/e/english.htm - 38k

Psalms (44 Occurrences)
... There are in the New Testament 116 direct quotations from the Psalter. ... GROWTH OF
THE PSALTER 1. Division into Five Books 2. Smaller Groups of Psalms IV. ...
/p/psalms.htm - 54k

Prayer (406 Occurrences)
... It is most frequently found among the odes or canticles following the Psalter, as
in Codices Alexandrinus, T (the Zurich Psalter) and in Ludolf's Ethiopic ...
/p/prayer.htm - 80k

Psalteries (16 Occurrences)

/p/psalteries.htm - 12k

Resources
What is the Latin Vulgate Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Book of Common Prayer? | GotQuestions.org

What are the psalms of lament? | GotQuestions.org

Psalter: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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