Extended Contents

I have updated the emerging portrait of the psalter with links to the groupings of psalms as they define themselves: the 14 which reference an incident in (usually) David's life, singles, pairs, trios, and quartets which have a common title - musing, on strings, for Jeduthun, Do not destroy, related to lilies, etc. I expect there are a few headings I have not quite considered - it is a motley bunch of headings.

One wonders if there is structure. Certainly there is a move away from the concentration of Davidic themes at the beginning of the psalter and a move towards a concentration of praise psalms as we go to the end of the psalter. Only three psalms in Books 4 and 5 are 'To the Leader' whereas 48 are so dedicated in the first 3 books. Only 2 of the 14 psalms with a context of an incident in David's life are in Books 4 and 5. There are no psalms with miscellaneous instruments or singular titles in Books 4 and 5 except perhaps psalms 100 and 145 labeled praise and maybe psalm 110 if Oracle is a label.

We have begun to study the psalter here at St Barnabas in Victoria. We looked first at psalms 1-2, and 149 - the beginning and end. We will next look at the seam between Books 3 and 4 - Psalms 89-90-91. Lament-Prayer-and answer.