The Psalms possess an enduring fascination for us. For frankness, directness, intensity and intimacy, they are unrivaled in all of Scripture. Somehow the psalmists seem to have anticipated all our awe, desires and frustrations. No wonder Christians have used the Psalms in worship from the earliest times to the present.

Yet the Psalms cause us difficulties when we look at them closely. Their poetry is unfamiliar in form. Many images they use are foreign to us today. And the psalmists sometimes express thoughts that seem unworthy of Scripture.

Tremper Longman gives us the kind of help we need to overcome the distance between the psalmists' world and ours. He explains the various kinds of psalms, the way they were used in Hebrewworship and their relationship to the rest of the Old Testament. Then he looks at how Christians can appropriate their message and insights today. Turning to the art of Old Testament poetry, he explains the use of parallelism and imagery.

Step-by-step suggestions for interpretating the psalms on our own are followed by exercises for further study and reflection. Also included is a helpful guide to commentaries on the 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



Introduction: An Invitation to the Psalms



Part I: The Psalms Then and Now

1. The Genres of the Psalms

2. The Origin, Development and Use of the Psalms

3. The Psalms: The Heart of the Old Testament

4. A Christian Reading of the Psalms

5. The Psalms: Mirror of the Soul



Part II: The Art of the Psalms

6. Old Testament Poetry

7. Understanding Parallelism

8. Imagery in the Psalms



Part III: A Melody 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!



Epilog



Notes



Answers to the Exercises



Guide to Commentaries