Psalms Flashcards
List the Types of Psalms and what they are about.
Psalms of Thanksgiving: Express gratitude for blessings received.
Didactic Psalms: Teach moral lessons (e.g., Psalm 1).
Hymns: Praise God’s majesty (e.g., Psalm 8).
Lament Psalms: Express sorrow and seek help (e.g., Psalms 12, 22).
Royal Psalms: Celebrate the king and God’s sovereignty (e.g., Psalms 2, 72).
Songs of Ascent: Pilgrimage songs (Psalms 120–134).
When were the Psalms composed?
Pre-exile and post-Babylonian exile.
Who wrote the Psalms
David, Asaph, and the Sons of Korah.
Psalm 1
“Blessed is the man…”
Vesperal Psalm.
Shows dichotomy between the righteous and the wicked. Emphasizes the importance of obeying the commandments.
Blessedness is associated with happiness, fortune.
Meditation on the Law.
Imagery of Growth.
Psalm 104
“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great…”
Vesperal psalm.
Celebrates creation and providence, and is similar to the Genesis creation narrative.
Praise for creation.
God’s presence depicted through light.
God as a provider for all creation.
Psalm 141
“Let my prayer arise like incense before You…”
Evening prayer of lament and supplication.
Vesperal Psalm.
Prayer as sacrifice, offered up as incense.
Guarding one’s speech.
Desire for righteousness.
Psalm 63
“My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast. Those who seek my life shall go down into the depths…”
Matinal Psalm.
One of the Hexapsalms.
Personal address to God like a friend.
Desert imagery, “My soul thirsts for You…”
Praise and trust.
Psalm 51
“Have mercy on me, O God, in Your kindness, in Your compassion blot out my offense….”
Matinal Psalm.
Penitential Psalm.
Confession and recognition of sin.
Desire for renewal.
Cultic language with sacrificial imagery, “Young bulls on Your altar…”
Psalm 148
“Praise Him sun and moon, praise Him shining stars…”
Matinal Psalm.
Universal praise from all creation.
Inclusivity in praise, as everyone praises the Lord.
Psalm 92
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord; to sing praises to Your name, O Most Hight…”
Thanksgiving and vindication.
Antiphonal Psalm.
Themes of praise, mystery, separation of the wicked from the righteous, and the reward of the just man.
Psalm of thanksgiving influenced by wisdom literature.
Song for the Sabbath.
Psalm 93
“The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty…”
“The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice…”
Antiphonal Psalm.
Prayed during Divine Liturgy and Saturday Vesperal prokeimenon.
Celebrates God’s kingship.
The might of God over chaos.
Psalm 95
“Let us worship and bow down before the Lord…”
Call to worship and obedience.
Antiphonal Psalm.
An invitation to praise God.
Warning against hardened hearts.
Remember His past deeds and be faithful.
Psalm 110
“You are a priest forever…”
“Stack the bodies high…”
Festal Psalm.
Divine kingship.
Messianic authority of Christ.
Melchizedek, the priest-king.
Psalm 19
“The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork…”
Festal Psalm.
Praise of creation and the law.
Creation’s testimony of God.
Personal reflection and desire for purity.
What are the Psalms of Ascent?
Psalms 120-134.
supplication and prayers of joy.
Psalm 121
“From where does my help come…”
Divine help.
Protection.
Eternal Care and God’s constant protection.
Psalm 137
“By the waters of Babylon there we sat down and wept…”
Gradual Hymn.
About the Babylonian exile.
Longing for home.
Call for justice.
