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Psalm 31, along with Psalms 22 and 69, is among the longest and most impressive of the genre known variously as lament, complaint, protest, and/or prayer for help. Not coincidentally, these three psalms figure prominently (...)

Psalm 104 is classified as a creation psalm, a rare breed in the book of Psalms. Only Psalms 8, 19, 65, and 148 share the designation, and, at 35 verses, Psalm 104 is by far (...)

In Psalm 104, the world that God creates and recreates is not just ordered, but rhythmic, each created thing a note that contributes to the Spirit’s song. The whole of creation is like a song (...)

Psalm 66 is a hymn of thanksgiving in which the voices of the community of faith (verses 1-12) mingle with the voice of an individual psalm singer (verses 13-20). Verses 1-5 of the psalm echo (...)

God makes the whole world shout “Hooray!” It’s just this sort of shout, hari‘u, that begins Psalm 66. Hari‘u is an imperative verb meaning: “(Hey, all of you) make some noise! Shout!” The verb appears (...)

Psalm 66:8-20 is part of a hymn that extols God’s mighty deeds on behalf of God’s people. God’s mighty deeds on behalf of God’s people. Verses 1-12 are oriented toward the Israelites and how God (...)

Psalm 47 is a hymn that celebrates God’s reign as king over the earth. The psalm also portrays a procession for the purpose of celebrating God’s kingship. This is most evident in the declaration that (...)

While Psalm 68 is fraught with interpretive difficulties — several one-of-a-kind words, obscure allusions, unknown geographical locations, and a less-than-clear structure — its general character and movement are clear enough.1 As Konrad Schaefer helpfully suggests, (...)

While Psalm 68 is fraught with interpretive difficulties — several one-of-a-kind words, obscure allusions, unknown geographical locations, and a less-than-clear structure — its general character and movement are clear enough. As Konrad Schaefer helpfully suggests, (...)

It was my favorite children’s game for a summer evening. There was a whole street-full of players, including some of the “older kids” and then those of us who were in grade school. It was (...)