Book of Psalms

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

150 songs of praise, lament, thanksgiving and royal ceremony. Psalm 23 ('The Lord is my shepherd') is among the best-known texts in the world.

Traditional attribution

Largely composed by King David.

Historical scholarship

Many authors over many centuries; collected as the hymnbook of the Second Temple.

Context and curiosity

Psalms is the book most often found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Judaism (Ancient Israel). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 10th–3rd century BCE and original language or script as Biblical Hebrew. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalms

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.