Types of Psalms
1. Psalms of Praise
The largest single category of psalms is the hymns and Psalms of praise. These are offered either directly or indirectly to God. Seventy-four of the 150 psalms are considered as belonging to the praise psalms. They are poems which praise God, directly or indirectly.
Twenty-six refer to God's nature, attributes and deeds:
8, 19, 24,29, 33, 65, 68, 100, 103, 104, 105, 111, 113, 114, 115, 117, 134, 135, 136, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150.
Twelve Psalms of praise relate to thanksgiving:
30, 32, 34, 41, 66, 67, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138.
Six Psalms are hymns of praise of Zion as the pilgrimage place of the presence of God:
46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122.
Six hymns praise God as universal and eternal king:
47, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99
Four Psalms present praise to counteract lamentation:
9/10, 57, 77, 108.
Eleven psalms infer the presence of God, as a part of a lesson about man on the basis of what God is:
15, 36, 50, 75, 78, 81, 82, 95, 121, 125, 129.
II. Laments
Prayers of lamentation amid stress and difficulty comprise the second largest category of Psalms. Of the 150 Psalms, 56 are laments, and the majority are individual prayers of lamentation. These laments stem from contexts of spiritual, mental, physical, and material suffering. They begin with a cry for hearing and a plea for deliverance. It closes with confident faith in God and praise to Him.
There are thirty nine individual laments:
3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 17, 22, 25, 26, 28, 31, 35, 38, 39, 40, 42/43, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 61, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 86, 88, 94, 102, 109, 120, 130,140,141,142,143.
The community laments are cries from the congregation over some catastrophe affecting the community as a whole:
12, 14, 44, 53, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 106, 123, 126, 137.
III. Royal Psalms
These are Psalms which bear a direct relation to the rule in Jerusalem of David and his dynasty. They celebrate various aspects of the continuance of Davidic rule. The royal Psalms are relatively few:
2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, 144
IV. Wisdom Psalms
A few of the chronological Psalms are the clear contribution of the wise men of the temple academy, the sages of Israel who nurtured and propagated the traditional theology of Israel in an effort to discover the right way of life. The style of the wise men is apparent in many psalms, but these are plainly their own:
1, 37, 49, 73, 112, 119, 127, 128, 133
(This category is taken from John I. Durham, The Broadman Bible Commentary, "Psalms," pp. 165-167.)
The largest single category of psalms is the hymns and Psalms of praise. These are offered either directly or indirectly to God. Seventy-four of the 150 psalms are considered as belonging to the praise psalms. They are poems which praise God, directly or indirectly.
Twenty-six refer to God's nature, attributes and deeds:
8, 19, 24,29, 33, 65, 68, 100, 103, 104, 105, 111, 113, 114, 115, 117, 134, 135, 136, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150.
Twelve Psalms of praise relate to thanksgiving:
30, 32, 34, 41, 66, 67, 92, 107, 116, 118, 124, 138.
Six Psalms are hymns of praise of Zion as the pilgrimage place of the presence of God:
46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122.
Six hymns praise God as universal and eternal king:
47, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99
Four Psalms present praise to counteract lamentation:
9/10, 57, 77, 108.
Eleven psalms infer the presence of God, as a part of a lesson about man on the basis of what God is:
15, 36, 50, 75, 78, 81, 82, 95, 121, 125, 129.
II. Laments
Prayers of lamentation amid stress and difficulty comprise the second largest category of Psalms. Of the 150 Psalms, 56 are laments, and the majority are individual prayers of lamentation. These laments stem from contexts of spiritual, mental, physical, and material suffering. They begin with a cry for hearing and a plea for deliverance. It closes with confident faith in God and praise to Him.
There are thirty nine individual laments:
3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 17, 22, 25, 26, 28, 31, 35, 38, 39, 40, 42/43, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 61, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 86, 88, 94, 102, 109, 120, 130,140,141,142,143.
The community laments are cries from the congregation over some catastrophe affecting the community as a whole:
12, 14, 44, 53, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 106, 123, 126, 137.
III. Royal Psalms
These are Psalms which bear a direct relation to the rule in Jerusalem of David and his dynasty. They celebrate various aspects of the continuance of Davidic rule. The royal Psalms are relatively few:
2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, 144
IV. Wisdom Psalms
A few of the chronological Psalms are the clear contribution of the wise men of the temple academy, the sages of Israel who nurtured and propagated the traditional theology of Israel in an effort to discover the right way of life. The style of the wise men is apparent in many psalms, but these are plainly their own:
1, 37, 49, 73, 112, 119, 127, 128, 133
(This category is taken from John I. Durham, The Broadman Bible Commentary, "Psalms," pp. 165-167.)