2011 GCTS BibleJourney – Winter Term
The Mission of the People of God in the Promised Land: Interpreting the Historical & Poetic Books
6. (2/28) Psalms
Readings: Psalms; Arnold/Beyer chps 19 & 21; Duvall/Hayes chp 15
Recommended: Out of the Depths (B. Anderson); How to Read the Bible for all its Worth (G. Fee & D. Stuart)
Praise and Lament in the Psalms (C. Westermann)
In the Text
“Poetry” and the “poetical books” (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs)
Images and figures of speech
Structural features
Parallelism
Synonymous (19:1)
Antithetic (10:12)
Synthetic (37:16)
Chiasm (103)
Acrostic (119)
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Psalm types
Laments
Address, Complaint, Trust, Deliverance, Assurance, Praise
Individual (e.g., 3, 22, 31, 39, 42, 57, 71, 120, 139, 142)
Community (e.g., 12, 44, 80, 94, 137)
Penitential (51)
Imprecatory (137, 139))
Trust (11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131)
Hymns of praise
For God the Creator (e.g., 8, 19, 104, 148)
For the God of Israel (e.g., 66, 100, 111, 114, 149)
For the Lord of history (e.g., 33, 103, 113, 117, 145-147)
Thanksgiving
Introduction, Distress, Appeal, Deliverance, Testimony
Individual (18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, 138; cf. Jonah 2)
Community (65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136)
Historical (78, 105, 106, 135, 136; cf. Exodus 15, Judges 5)
Royal (2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 144)
Enthronement (14, 19, 47, 93, 95-99)
Zion (46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122)
Wisdom (36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, 133)
Torah (1, 19, 119)
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Psalm themes
Covenant
Creation
Sacrifice, praise, and worship
The five books of the Psalter (1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150)
Behind the Text
Music and worship in the ancient Near East (Canaan, Egypt, Babylon)
Themes in the Psalms
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In Front of the Text
God’s sovereignty over nature and history
Place for honesty
Place for individual and community
Place for images and figurative language
Interpreting and using the psalms
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