Old Testament Overviews: The Book of Psalms

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

Introduction and Overview:

The Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible is actually a collection of five different "books" containing a total of 150 Psalms of several different literary genres. The following tables give an overview of several features of each of the Psalms, along with some summary statistics:

Books I-V: The common division into five separate "books" of Psalms is based on the concluding doxologies and/or "Amens" found in 41:14; 72:18-20; 89:53; 106:48; and the entirety of Ps 150 (see below for the full texts).
- Note that Book IV is found below Book III in the following chart, since both of these are much shorter than the other three books.
Ps# - The Psalms are numbered from 1 to 150 in the Hebrew Bible (Masoretic text); however, Psalms 9 & 10 really form one longer Psalm, just as Psalms 42 & 43 belong together;
moreover, the numbering of the Psalms between Ps 9 and Ps 146 is slightly different in other ancient and modern versions of the Bible (see below for a detailed chart).
- An asterisk (*) before the Psalm number marks the eight "Acrostic" Psalms (9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145), those in which the first letter of each verse (or group of verses) follows the alphabetical order of the Hebrew alphabet (which is also the main reason we know Ps 9 & 10 belong together).
#Vv. - The second column lists the number of verses in each Psalm, according to the versification of the New American Bible translation.
- For many of the Psalms, the numbering of verses is also slightly different (often one or two less) in the King James Version, Revised Standard Version, and other modern English translations, due to differences between the ancient Hebrew, the Greek Septuagint, and/or the Latin Vulgate versions of the Bible.
Type - In the Hebrew text itself, many of the Psalms have a superscription that identifies what type of composition it is: Psalm, Prayer, Song, Praise Hymn, etc.
- Biblical scholars are uncertain and debate what the "Maskil" and "Miktam" and "Shiggaion" are; there is greater agreement and clarity about those labeled "Song of Ascents" and "Halleluia" (Praise God).
Attrib. - Many psalms are also explicitly attributed to a particular biblical figure, very often (King) David, but sometimes also the Korahites, Asaph, or other individuals.
- An ampersand (&) in this column indicates those psalms in which the superscription gives further information about the text's historical context (e.g. Ps 102: "The prayer of one afflicted and wasting away whose anguish is poured out before the Lord"), and/or instructions (often explicitly addressed "To the Leader") about what type of musical instruments or tune to use (e.g., Ps 4: "With stringed instruments"; or Ps 46: "According to alamoth [a tune]").
Category - Modern Scholars classify the Psalms into several different literary categories, including Hymns, Laments, Songs of Thanksgiving, etc., some of which are individual (I/me/my), while others are communal (we/us/our).
- See the second table below for a complete listing of the different types, attributions, and categories of psalms, and the number of occurrences of each.
Full Texts - See the New American Bible translation of the Psalms on the website of the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).

Book I (Pss 1-41)					.	Book II (Pss 42-72)					.	Bk III (Pss 73-89)					.	Bk V (Pss 107-150)
Ps#	#Vv.	Type	Attrib.	Category		Ps#	#Vv.	Type	Attrib.	Category		Ps#	#Vv.	Type	Attrib.	Category		Ps#	#Vv.	Type	Attrib.	Category
1	6	.	.	Wisdom		42/43	12+5	Maskil	Kor	Lam-Indiv		73	28	Ps	Asa	WisPoem		107	43	.	.	Thnx-Cmty
2	12	.	.	Royal		44	27	Maskil	Kor	Lam-Cmty		74	23	Maskil	Asa	Lam-Cmty		108	14	Ps+Sg	Dav	Misc
3	9	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		45	18	Mas+Sg	Kor&	Royal		75	11	Ps+Sg	Asa&	Thnx-Cmty		109	31	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv
4	9	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		46	12	Song	Kor&	Zion		76	13	Ps+Sg	Asa&	Zion		110	7	Ps	Dav	Royal
5	13	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		47	10	Ps	Kor	YHWH		77	21	Ps	Asa&	Lam-Indiv		*111	10	Hal	.	Hymn
6	11	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		48	15	Ps+Sg	Kor	Zion		78	72	Maskil	Asa	Misc		*112	10	Hal	.	WisPoem
7	18	Shig	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		49	21	Ps	Kor	WisPoem		79	13	Ps	Asa	Lam-Cmty		113	9	Hal	.	Hymn
8	10	Ps	Dav&	Hymn		50	23	Ps	Asa	Misc		80	20	Ps	Asa&	Lam-Cmty		114	8	.	.	Hymn
*9/10	21+18	Ps	Dav&	Thnx-Indiv		51	21	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		81	17	.	Asa&	Misc		115	18	.	.	Trust-Cmty
11	7	.	Dav	Trust-Indiv		52	11	Maskil	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		82	8	Ps	Asa	Misc		116	19	.	.	Thnx-Indiv
12	9	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Cmty		53	7	Maskil	Dav&	Lam-Cmty		83	19	Ps+Sg	Asa	Lam-Cmty		117	2	Hal	.	Hymn
13	6	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv		54	9	Maskil	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		84	13	Ps	Kor&	Zion		118	29	.	.	Thnx-Cmty
14	7	.	Dav	Lam-Cmty		55	24	Maskil	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		85	14	Ps	Kor	Lam-Cmty		*119	176	.	.	WisPoem
15	5	Ps	Dav	Misc		56	14	Miktam	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		86	17	Prayer	Dav	Lam-Indiv		120	7	Asc	.	Lam-Indiv
16	11	Miktam	Dav	Trust-Indiv		57	12	Miktam	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		87	7	Ps+Sg	Kor	Zion		121	8	Asc	.	Trust-Indiv
17	15	Prayer	Dav	Lam-Indiv		58	12	Miktam	Dav&	Lam-Cmty		88	19	Ps+Sg+Mas	Kor&	Lam-Indiv		122	9	Asc	Dav	Zion
18	51	.	Dav&	Royal		59	18	Miktam	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		89	53	Maskil	Ethan	Lam-Cmty		123	4	Asc	.	Lam-Cmty
19	15	Ps	Dav	Hymn		60	14	Miktam	Dav&	Lam-Cmty		.						124	8	Asc	Dav	Thnx-Cmty
20	10	Ps	Dav	Royal		61	9	.	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		Bk IV (Pss 90-106)						125	5	Asc	.	Trust-Cmty
21	14	Ps	Dav	Royal		62	13	Ps	Dav&	Trust-Indiv		Ps#	#Vv.	Type	Attrib.	Category		126	6	Asc	.	Lam-Cmty
22	32	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		63	12	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		90	17	Prayer	Moses	Lam-Cmty		127	5	Asc	Sol	WisPoem
23	6	Ps	Dav	Trust-Indiv		64	11	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv		91	16	.	.	Trust-Indiv		128	6	Asc	.	WisPoem
24	10	Ps	Dav	Misc		65	14	Ps+Sg	Dav	Thnx-Cmty		92	16	Ps+Sg-Sab	.	Thnx-Indiv		129	8	Asc	.	Trust-Cmty
*25	22	.	Dav	Lam-Indiv		66	20	Ps+Sg	.	Thnx-Cmty		93	5	.	.	YHWH		130	8	Asc	.	Lam-Indiv
26	11	.	Dav	Lam-Indiv		67	8	Ps+Sg	&	Thnx-Cmty		94	23	.	.	Lam-Cmty		131	3	Asc	Dav	Trust-Indiv
27	14	.	Dav	Lam-Indiv		68	36	Ps+Sg	Dav	Thnx-Cmty		95	11	.	.	Misc		132	18	Asc	.	Royal
28	9	.	Dav	Lam-Indiv		69	37	.	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		96	13	.	.	YHWH		133	3	Asc	Dav	Misc
29	11	Ps	Dav	Hymn		70	6	.	Dav&	Lam-Indiv		97	12	.	.	YHWH		134	3	Asc	.	Misc
30	13	Ps+Sg	Dav	Thnx-Indiv		71	24	.	.	Lam-Indiv		98	9	Ps	.	YHWH		135	21	Hal	.	Hymn
31	25	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv		72	20	.	Sol	Royal		99	9	.	.	YHWH		136	26	.	.	Hymn
32	11	Maskil	Dav	Thnx-Indiv		.						100	5	Ps-Thnx	.	Hymn		137	9	.	.	Lam-Cmty
33	22	.	.	Hymn								101	8	Ps	Dav	Royal		138	8	.	Dav	Thnx-Indiv
*34	23	.	Dav&	Thnx-Indiv								102	29	Prayer	&	Lam-Indiv		139	24	Ps	Dav	Misc
35	28	.	Dav	Lam-Indiv								103	22	.	Dav	Hymn		140	14	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv
36	13	.	Dav&	Lam-Indiv								104	35	[Hal-at end]	.	Hymn		141	10	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv
*37	40	.	Dav	WisPoem								105	45	[Hal-at end]	.	Misc		142	8	Maskil	Dav&	Lam-Indiv
38	23	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv								106	48	Hal	.	Lam-Cmty		143	12	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv
39	14	Ps	Dav&	Lam-Indiv								.						144	15	.	Dav	Royal
40	18	Ps	Dav	Lam-Indiv														*145	21	Praise	Dav	Hymn
41	14	Ps	Dav	Thnx-Indiv														146	10	Hal	.	Hymn
.																		147	20	Hal	.	Hymn
																		148	14	Hal	.	Hymn
																		149	9	Hal	.	Hymn
																		150	6	Hal	.	Hymn

Abbreviations and Summary:

Here is a complete listing of the types and attributions mentioned in the superscripts of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the categories used by some modern scholars, along with the total number of each that occurs among the 150 Psalms. Please note the following:

There is some duplication, since some superscriptions mention both "psalm" and "song"; some songs are explicitly called "love song" or "sabbath song"; etc.
The exact meaning of maskil, miktam, and shiggaion is unknown and/or debated among scholars.
Some superscriptions mention the type but omit an attribution (e.g., Ps 92: "A Psalm. A sabbath song"), and vice-versa (e.g., Pss 25-28 simply say "Of David" without any identification as a "Psalm" or "Prayer," etc.).

Type (Headings in Hebrew Bible)		Total	.	Attribution (in HB)		Total	.	Category (suggested by Modern Scholars)		Total
Ps	Psalm / Mizmor	57		Dav	David	73		Hymn	Hymn / Song of Praise	19
Ps-Thnx	Psalm of Thanksgiving	1		Asa	Asaph	12		YHWH	Hymn of the Lord's Kingship	6
Sg	Song / Shir	30		Kor	Korahites	11		Lam-Indiv	Individual Lament	43
Sg-Asc	Song of Ascent	15		Sol	Solomon	2		Lam-Cmty	Community Lament	18
Sg-Lv	Love Song	2		Ethan	Ethan	1		Royal	Royal or Messianic Psalm	10
Sg-Sab	Sabbath Song	1		Moses	Moses	1		Thnx-Indiv	Individual Psalm of Gratitude	8
Mas	Maskil / (meaning?)	13		.	.	.		Thnx-Cmty	Communal Psalm of Gratitude	8
Mik	Miktam / (meaning?)	6		.	.	.		Trust-Indiv	Individual Psalm of Confidence	7
Hal	Praise God / Halleluia	11		.	.	.		Trust-Cmty	Communal Psalm of Confidence	3
Prayer	Prayer / Tephillah	5		.	.	.		Wisdom	Wisdom Poem	8
Praise	Praise / Tehillah	1		.	.	.		Zion	Song of Zion (God's Mountain)	6
Shig	Shiggaion / complaint?	1		&	[extra info]	41		Misc.	Miscellaneous, hard to classify	12

Discrepancies in the Numbering of the Psalms:

Unfortunately, great confusion in the numbering of the Psalms is caused by discrepancies between the Hebrew Bible (HB) and the Greek Septuagint (LXX) and Latin Vulgate (Vg) translations of the Old Testament. Most modern English translations of the Bible use the numbers of the HB, while others use the numbers from the LXX and Vg. Any biblical references found in Vatican documents use the Vulgate numbers. Thus, Ps 21:29 (Vulgate numbering) is the same as Ps 22:29 (Hebrew numbering).

Hebrew Bible
Psalm Numbers

Greek and Latin Bibles
(Septuagint and Vulgate)

1 to 8

1 to 8 (same)

9 & 10

9 (combined)

11 to 113

10 to 112 (each one less)

114 & 115

113 (combined)

116

114 & 115 (split)

117 to 146

116 to 145 (each one less)

147

146 & 147 (split)

148 to 150

148 to 150 (same)

Conclusions of the Five "Books" within the Book of Psalms:

Ps 41:14 – Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from all eternity and forever. Amen. Amen.
Ps 72:18-20 – Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful deeds.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may he fill all the earth with his glory. Amen and amen.
20 The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.
Ps 89:53 – Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen!
Ps 106:48 – Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, Amen! Hallelujah!
Ps 150:1-6 – “Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy sanctuary; give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.
2 Give praise for his mighty deeds, praise him for his great majesty.
3 Give praise with blasts upon the horn, praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Give praise with tambourines and dance, praise him with strings and pipes.
5 Give praise with crashing cymbals, praise him with sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD! Hallelujah!

Collections within the Book of Psalms:

An old collection of Psalms attributed to David (Ps 3–41)
An second collection of the Psalms of David (Ps 51–72)
A collection of Psalms attributed to the Korah musical guild (Ps 42–49; also 84–85 and 87–88)
A collection of Psalms attributed to the Asaph musical guild (Ps 50 and 73–83)
A collection Psalms of YHWH's kingship (Ps 93–99)
A collection of Psalms of Pilgrimage; a.k.a. Psalms of "Ascent" to Jerusalem (Ps 120–134)
Psalms 1–2 function as an Introduction to the whole book
Psalms 146–150 function as a Conclusion to the whole book.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

Shortest & Longest Psalms:
- Psalm 117 (only 2 verses!)
- Psalm 119 (has 22 sections of 8 verses each, totaling 176 verses!)
Duplicate & Similar Psalms:
- Psalms 14 and 53 are almost identical
- Psalms 40:13-17 and 70:2-6 are almost identical
- Psalm 108:2-6 is identical to 57:8-12
- Psalm 108:7-14 is identical to 60:7-14
Oldest Psalm:
- Psalm 29 was probably adapted from a Canaanite hymn to the storm-god Baal
Extra Psalm:
- Psalm 151 is not in the Hebrew Bible, but part of the OT Apocrypha
*Eight Acrostic Psalms:
- Four are in Book I: Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37
- Four are in Book V: Psalms 111, 112, 119, 145

Use of Psalms in Catholic Liturgy:

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Pastorally-Oriented Introductions & Commentaries:
- Matera, Frank J. Praying the Psalms in the Voice of Christ. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2023. (182 pages)
- Bergant, CSA, Dianne. O Lord, Open My Lips: The Psalms in the Liturgy. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2018. (87 pages)
- Harmon SNDdeN, Kathleen. Becoming the Psalms: A Spirituality of Singing and Praying the Psalms. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2015. (116 pages)
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique. An Introduction to the Psalms. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 2014. (116 pages)
- Bergant, CSA, Dianne. Psalms 1-72. Vol. 22, OT of New Collegeville Bible Commentary. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013. (144 pages)
- Bergant, CSA, Dianne. Psalms 73-150. Vol. 23, OT of New Collegeville Bible Commentary. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013. (152 pages)
- Nowell, OSB, Irene. Pleading, Cursing, Praising: Conversing with God through the Psalms. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2013. (104 pages)
- Brueggemann, Walter. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd edition. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books / Wipf & Stock, 2007. (116 pages)
- Brown, Sally A., and Patrick D Miller, eds. Lament: Reclaiming Practices in Pulpit, Pew, and Public Square. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2005. (192 pages)
- DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy L. Introduction to the Psalms: A Song from Ancient Israel. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004. (184 pages)
- Dombkowski Hopkins, Denise. Journey through the Psalms. Revised & expanded. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2006. (188 pages)
- Endres, SJ, John C., and Elizabeth Liebert. A Retreat with the Psalms: Resources for Personal and Communal Prayer. New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 2001. (272 pages)
- Prevost, SMM, Jean-Pierre. A Short Dictionary of the Psalms. Translated by Mary M. Misrahi. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1997. (104 pages)
- Mays, James Luther. Preaching and Teaching the Psalms. Louisville: Westminster/Knox, 1995; repr. 2006. (176 pages)
- Pleins, J. David. The Psalms: Songs of Tragedy, Hope, and Justice. Bible and Liberation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1993. (240 pages)
Larger Scholarly Commentaries & Studies:

Dombkowski Hopkins, Denise. Psalms: Books 2-3. Wisdom Commentary, 21. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2016. (462 pages)
DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy L. Psalms: Books 4-5. Wisdom Commentary, 22. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2020. (400 pages)
Brown, William P., ed. The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. (686 pages)
Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger, Jr. Psalms. New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge University Press, 2014. (640 pages)
Polan, OSB, Gregory J. The Psalms: Songs of Faith and Praise, The Revised Grail Psalter wit Commentary and Prayers. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 2014. (416 pages)
Gillingham, Susan. Psalms through the Centuries. 3 vols. Oxford: Blackwell, 2012-2022. (416 + 480 + 560 pages)
Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. (560 pages)
Schaefer, OSB, Konrad. Psalms. Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2001. (448 pages)
Davidson, Robert. The Vitality of Worship: A Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998. (494 pages)
Mays, James Luther. Psalms. Interpretation: A Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: Westminster/Knox, 1994. (457 pages)
Brueggemann, Walter. The Psalms and the Life of Faith. Edited by Patrick D. Miller. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1985; repr. 1995. (240 pages)

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Hebrew Bible Psalm Numbers	Greek and Latin Bibles (Septuagint and Vulgate)
1 to 8	1 to 8 (same)
9 & 10	9 (combined)
11 to 113	10 to 112 (each one less)
114 & 115	113 (combined)
116	114 & 115 (split)
117 to 146	116 to 145 (each one less)
147	146 & 147 (split)
148 to 150	148 to 150 (same)