The Psalms Through Three Thousand Years

William L. Holladay offers an illuminating and informative overview of the Psalms, chanted, sung, and recited by so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) through the past three thousand years.

Though the Psalms are perhaps the most familiar portion of the Hebrew Bible, they are also among the most difficult to interpret. In this new, thoroughly updated edition of a successful textbook, a respected evangelical Old Testament scholar offers a guide to the book of Psalms that is informed by current scholarship and written at an accessible level. Designed for the undergraduate classroom, it includes photos, sidebars, and other pedagogical aids and features a new interior design.

This landmark volume covers the main aspects of modern Psalms study from the formation of individual Psalms down into the first centuries of the Common Era: the formation of the Psalter, individual Psalms and smaller collections, social setting, literary context, textual history, nachleben, and theology.

A user-friendly guide to the study and interpretation of the Psalms.

This collaboration by two esteemed evangelical scholars blends a verse-by-verse exposition of select psalms with a history of their interpretation in the church from the time of the apostles to the present. Bruce Waltke, who has been teaching and preaching the book of Psalms for over fifty years, skillfully establishes the meaning of the Hebrew text through the careful exegesis for which he is well known. James Houston traces the church's historical interpretation and use of these psalms, highlighting their deep spiritual significance to Christians through the ages. Waltke and Houston focus their in-depth commentary on thirteen psalms that represent various genres and perspectives or hold special significance for Christian faith and the life of the church, including Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 51, and Psalm 139. While much modern scholarship has tended to "despiritualize" the Psalms, Waltke and Houston's "sacred hermeneutic" listens closely to the two voices of the Holy Spirit heard infallibly in Scripture and edifyingly in the church's response. A masterly historical-devotional commentary, The Psalms as Christian Worship will deepen the church's worship and enrich the faith and life of contemporary Christians. - Publisher.

There are few biblical texts more familiar to Christians than Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . ." It is one of the Bible's most popular passages, retaining a special place in ministry and giving hope to the burdened. Internationally recognized Old Testament scholar Richard Briggs helps readers understand the power and vision of Psalm 23. He offers a close word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase reading of this classic and beloved text, showing how it can speak afresh to the life of the church today. Briggs explores the reception of Psalm 23 down through the ages, covers background issues, and examines the ways the psalm addresses practical issues such as stress, death, enemies, and hope. The book helps reconnect the Christian church to the Old Testament, making it perfect for sermon preparation and small group study. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible for the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.

Reclaim the Psalms for true worship, as well as prayer, as you learn how to approach God with the emotional intensity of the ancient psalmists. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins combines the insights of scholarship on the Psalms with artwork, liturgy, song, and poetry, to give us a new way to use the Psalms in our life of faith together, to empower our corporate identity and revitalize our worship. She examines how the Psalms formed the worship of ancient synagogues and the earliest churches and how they can do the same for our churches today. Reflective questions bring worship leaders and individuals alike to a new awareness of the power of the Psalms to enrich public worship and private devotions with an honesty that does not turn away from the realities of suffering and anger.