What are the different types of psalms?

Answer

The 150 psalms in the book of Psalms have often been categorized into various types. There is no single way to organize the psalms, but most systems include similar categories with only slight variations. The system developed by the biblical scholar Hermann Gunkel covers the following categories:

Hymns: Many of the psalms are simple hymns or songs of praise. For instance, Psalm 8 is a hymn that begins, “Lord, our Lord, / how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (verse 1).

Lament or Complaint Psalms: These include songs that express sadness to God or complaints against God’s enemies. For example, Psalm 3 is a lament psalm that begins, “Lord, how many are my foes! / How many rise up against me!” (verse 1). Some complaint psalms may sound negative, but they are situated within a context of God responding in love or power. Psalm 44:23–24, for instance, says, “Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? / Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. / Why do you hide your face / and forget our misery and oppression?”

Royal Psalms: Several psalms were performed in the presence of kings or dignitaries. Psalm 18:50 declares, “He gives his king great victories; / he shows unfailing love to his anointed, / to David and to his descendants forever.”

Thanksgiving Psalms: These songs of thanks include both individual thanksgivings (such as Psalms 30, 32, and 34) and communal thanksgivings (such as Psalms 67 and 124). One of the most well-known thanksgiving psalms is Psalm 100. Verses 4–5 proclaim, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving / and his courts with praise; / give thanks to him and praise his name. / For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; / his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Wisdom Psalms: While many psalms touch on aspects of wisdom, specific psalms like Psalms 1, 37, and 49 focus on the theme of wisdom, addressing the fear of the Lord or imparting words of wisdom. Psalm 1:1&ndaPsalm 1 is a great illustration: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Smaller Genres and Mixed Types: Some psalms include a combination of types. Psalms 9, 10, and 123 are instances. Other psalms have only a few in their category, such as psalms concerning the stories of Israel (Psalms 78, 105, and 106). The Songs of Ascent, designed to be sung by worshipers on their way up to Jerusalem, also represent a smaller genre that encompasses mixed types (Psalms 120—134).