Search Results

Psalm 139 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving.1 In this genre, singers praise God for God’s goodness in delivering them from various life-threatening situations, such as illness, oppression, enemy attack, etc. Here, the (...)

The psalms immediately preceding Psalm 25 form a collection that is arranged in a chiastic pattern as follows:1 A Psalm 15: entrance liturgy   B Psalm 16: psalm of assurance     C Psalm 17: individual lament       D (...)

Psalm 107, classified as a community hymn of praise, was most likely a liturgy of thanks offered by worshipers at a festival at the temple in Jerusalem.1 The psalm opens in verses 1-3 with  an (...)

Psalm 31 is one of three psalms that appear prominently in the story of Jesus’ passion.1 For the Gospel writers this psalm, along with Psalms 22 and 69, seems to have expressed better than any (...)

Borne out of a gut-wrenching anguish, Psalm 22 is the cry of one who knows what it is to be bullied by his enemies, rejected by his community, and abandoned by God.1 The threat for (...)

It is easy to see why Psalm 118 is the psalm selection for Easter for all three lectionary years.1 The psalm is bursting with exuberance and joy, the language barely adequate to the task of (...)

Psalm 98 is the fifth psalm in a group of six psalms in Book Four of the Psalter known as the Enthronement Psalms (Psalms 93, 95-99).1 The Enthronement Psalms celebrate the reign of God as (...)

Psalm 47 is a hymn that celebrates God’s reign as king over the earth.1 The psalm also portrays a procession for the purpose of celebrating God’s kingship. This is most evident in the declaration that (...)

Psalm 130, best known by its Latin incipit De Profundis, “Out of the Depths,” has inspired church musicians for centuries, usually in the context of a Requiem Mass.1 One need only mention Johan Sebastian Bach’s (...)

Jeremiah’s critique of leaders is born from his compassion for the people. “Woe!” This passage begins with the cry that marks an oracle of destruction. It is a hook that the audience can’t ignore. Corrupt (...)