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Book of Psalms
c. 1000–400 BC; 73 psalms headed 'of David'· Book of the Bible· Books & writings
Debated by scholarsHistorians and scholars disagree.
Psalms is the Bible's book of 150 songs and prayers, praise, lament and thanks, long credited mostly to King David.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
The psalms are grouped into five books, perhaps echoing the five books of Moses. Seventy-three are headed 'of David'; others are credited to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They range from Psalm 23 ('The Lord is my shepherd') to Psalm 22, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?', which Jesus cries from the cross. Orthodox and older Catholic Bibles, following the Greek, number most psalms one lower.
Why it matters
It is the prayer book of Jews and Christians, chanted daily by monks, sung as hymns, and among the Old Testament books the New Testament quotes most.
Sources and history
Psalms is the most-copied book among the Dead Sea Scrolls, about 40 manuscripts. Scholars date individual psalms from the monarchy to after the exile; Psalm 137 recalls the exile itself. Orthodox Bibles add a Psalm 151.
Questions and debates
How many psalms David actually wrote is unknown: many scholars think few or none, while traditional readers accept the headings.
Connections (3)
▸King David is credited with many psalms in Book of PsalmsDebated by scholars
The connection
The Bible remembers David as a harpist who soothed Saul and as 'the sweet psalmist of Israel' (2 Samuel 23:1). Seventy-three psalm headings bear his name, and some tie psalms to moments in his life, such as Psalm 51 after his sin with Bathsheba.
When and where
Traditionally Jerusalem, around 1000 BC; the headings were added later, and the collection was completed after the exile.
How do we know?
The headings are in the Hebrew text and the Greek Septuagint, which credits even more psalms to David, but scholars see them as later editorial notes.
Questions and debates
Whether David wrote any psalms is debated. The Hebrew 'le-David' can mean 'by', 'for' or 'in the manner of' David.
▸Book of Psalms is quoted by Jesus at Crucifixion of Jesus under Pontius PilateMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Mark and Matthew report Jesus' last cry in Aramaic, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?', 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?', the first line of Psalm 22. The scene echoes that psalm: mockers wagging their heads, soldiers casting lots for his clothes. In Luke he dies quoting Psalm 31:5, 'Into your hands I commit my spirit'.
When and where
Golgotha, outside Jerusalem, about AD 30 or 33; recorded in Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46, Luke 23:46 and John 19:24.
How do we know?
The quotations are in the Gospel texts. Many historians accept the Psalm 22 cry as authentic, since followers were unlikely to invent a cry of despair.
Questions and debates
Did Jesus have the whole psalm in mind, which ends in triumph, or voice real abandonment? And how far did Psalm 22 shape the way the scene was told?
▸Book of Psalms is chanted daily in Benedict and Western monasticismHistorical record
The connection
Benedict's Rule (chapters 8–18) spreads all 150 Psalms across the week, sung at eight daily 'hours' of prayer from night vigils to Compline. It cites Psalm 119: 'Seven times a day I praise you' and 'At midnight I rise.' Monks often knew the whole Psalter by heart, and this singing helped shape Gregorian chant.
When and where
Monte Cassino, Italy, about 540; earlier, the desert monks of Egypt recited the Psalms through the day and night.
Historical evidence
The Rule itself, chapter 18, insists the full Psalter be sung each week, noting that earlier monks managed it in a single day.
Questions and debates
How much Benedict's arrangement copied the prayer services of Rome's great churches, and how early chant melodies were sung before notation, are debated.