The Psalms have been well-loved and frequently used by Christians throughout history. For directness, intensity, and intimacy, they are unrivaled in all of Scripture. Somehow the psalmists seem to have anticipated our own awe, desires, and frustrations.

Yet the Psalms also challenge us when we look at them closely. Their poetry is unfamiliar in form. Many images used are foreign to us today. And the psalmists sometimes express troubling thoughts that seem hard to reconcile with other teachings of Scripture.

In this volume of the popular How to Read Series, Tremper Longman III gives us the kind of help we need to overcome the distance between the psalmists' world and ours. He explains the various genres of psalms, the way they were used in Hebrew worship, their relationship to the rest of the Old Testament, and the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. Then he looks at how Christians can appropriate the message and insights of Psalms today.

Step-by-step suggestions for interpreting the psalms on our own are followed by exercises for further study and reflection, plus a helpful guide to commentaries on the Psalms. This second edition includes expanded content, updated sources, and a new appendix on the structure of the book of Psalms.



Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is the author or coauthor of over thirty books, including How to Read the Psalms, How to Read Proverbs, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation, and Old Testament Essentials.



Preface to the Second Edition



Preface to the First Edition



Introduction: An Invitation to the Psalms

Part 1: The Psalms Then and Now



1. The Genres of the Psalms



2. The Origin, Development, and Use of the Psalms



3. The Heart of the Old Testament



4. A Christian Reading of the Psalms



5. The Psalms, Mirror of the Soul

Part 2: The Art of the Psalms



6. Old Testament Poetry



7. Understanding Parallelism



8. Imagery in the Psalms

Part 3: A Medley of Psalms



9. Psalm 98: Let All the Earth Praise God, Our Warrior



10. Psalm 69: Lord, I Suffer for Your Sake



11. Psalm 30: Thank You, Lord, for Healing Me!



Epilogue



Appendix: Is There a Meaningful Order to the Psalms?



Notes



Answers to the Exercises



Guide to Commentaries on the Psalms



General Index



Scripture Index