PSALMS: DIFFERENT TYPES

This is a subject which is, or at least was, very important to critical scholars. It was felt that by grouping together similar types, one could determine the historical background of their writing. Using their criteria, they dated some of the psalms as late as 100 BC, compared to 1,000 BC for the time of King David.

There were at least four problems with their methodology:

1. In the first place, they couldn't seem to agree on how many categories there should be. Some have suggested that the Bible itself provides at least three categories. In I Chronicles 16:4 it says, “He appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. But of course those three categories do not at all exhaust the variety of subjects found in the Psalter.

2. Secondly, in those cases where they could agree on a classification category, they couldn't always agree where to put individual psalms. For example, Psalm 27 has been called by various scholars a psalm of confidence, an individual lament, a prophetic psalm and a royal psalm.

3. A third problem arose when they realized that some psalms started out as one type but then morphed into another type – mixed type psalms.

4. The critics' goal to pin down the date of writing of each psalm by classifying them according to type was doomed to failure from the start because it depended on a number of stated and unstated assumptions which were by no means proven.

Despite the above warnings, the exercise of dividing the psalms according to type does have its usefulness.

1. Since the Book of Psalms is not organized topically, it might provide a table of contents in case people wish to concentrate on one type of psalm at a time for their reading and study.

2. Such a list might be helpful to point out the variety of subjects treated in the Psalms and the relative weight given to each type.

3. The general purpose for writing each type is useful to know since it aids in the process of interpretation.

4. It helps to identify which psalms might best minister to our particular needs at a particular time period in our lives.

Below is yet another attempt to roughly categorize the psalms. There are three points that jump out immediately in considering this list.

1. It is obvious that psalms of a particular type are scattered throughout the Psalter rather than being grouped together in that collection.

2. Some of the psalms appear under more than one category, indicating that they share characteristics with different types at the same time.

3. The probable majority of us who may have had the feeling that the Psalms were mainly concerned with praising God are completely mistaken. Only a quarter of them fit firmly into that category.

I. The Praises of God

A. Hymns of Descriptive Praises

1. General (33, 46, 48, 104, 114, 136, 145-150)

2. God's Kingship (47, 93, 95-100)

3. Songs of Zion (76, 84, 87, 122, 132)

B. Individual Songs of Thanksgiving (9-10, 18, 32, 34, 92, 116, 118, 138)

C. National Songs of Thanksgiving (66-67, 124, 129)

II. Laments

A. Individual

1. Unjustly Accused (3, 5-7, 22, 25-28, 39, 41-43, 51, 54-57, 61, 63-64, 69, 71, 86, 88, 130, 140-143)

2. Psalms of Penitence (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)

3. Imprecatory (Cursing) (35, 59, 109, 137)

B. National (60, 74, 79-80, 83, 85, 90, 124, 126)

C. Psalms of Confidence (4, 11, 23, 27, 62, 125, 131)

III. Royal Psalms (2, 8, 16, 18, 20-22, 45, 72, 101, 110, 132, 144, and possibly 28, 61, 63, 89)

IV. Wisdom Psalms (1, 37, 45, 50, 78, 112, 122, 127-128, 133)

V. Speculative (16-17, 49, 73, 94)

VI. Prophetic (2, 12, 50, 60, 75, 81-82, 85, 91, 95, 110)

VII. Pilgrimage Songs (84, 122)

VIII. Psalms of the Law (1, 119)

Comments on these various types of psalms are given below:

I. The Praises of God: They are given in response to what God has done.

A. Hymns of Descriptive Praises

1. General: These usually take the three-part form: (a) an introduction such as “Praise the Lord,” (b) the body of the psalm giving the reasons, and (c) a conclusion which may either repeat the opening words or end in prayer.

2. God's Kingship: These are also called Enthronement Psalms. They describe God ascending to His throne to wield power, especially in the last days.

3. Songs of Zion: These indirectly praise God by praising the temple or the Holy City of Jerusalem.

B. Individual Songs of Thanksgiving: These form testimonies to others witnessing to God's grace in our lives. They differ from category IA in that God is talked directly to, not about in the third person.

C. National Songs of Thanksgiving: Songs meant to be recited or sung by the assembled people.

II. Laments

A. Individual

1. Unjustly Accused: The biggest surprise here is how many psalms fit into this general category.

2. Psalms of Penitence: The biggest surprise here is how few psalms fit into this category. Not all of them even contain an actual confession of sin.

3. Imprecatory (Cursing): These problem children are dealt with in another lesson.

B. National: Psalms appropriate to occasions of prayer and fasting due to some national calamity (drought, war, disease, etc.)

C. Psalms of Confidence: They are noted for their positive conclusions.

III. Royal Psalms: These portray the relationship between God and the king. But the king may also stand for the coming Messiah. It is hard to distinguish between these two possibilities.

IV. Wisdom Psalms: These show similarities with the teachings in Proverbs.

V. Speculative: By contrast to the previous category, these show closer affinities to the books of Job and Ecclesiastes.

VI. Prophetic: Some of these, especially Psalm 110, are quoted quite often in the New Testament.

VII. Pilgrimage Songs: They are like the Songs of Zion but meant to be sung on the journey to Jerusalem or to the temple.

VIII. Psalms of the Law: God is praised through praise of His Holy Word.