Chapter 15

Rockin’ the Temple: Music in Ancient Israel (Psalms)

In This Chapter

Examining Psalms, ancient Israel’s hymnal

Rapping with biblical poets

Jamming with biblical instruments

Singing the best of the psalms

W ords are often inadequate to express our deepest emotions. That’s why there is music. Music allows us to convey feelings on a much more profound level than mere words. By way of example, imagine the lyrics to your favorite love song without the music — fairly empty in comparison (especially the ooh babys). Thus, when ancient Israelites stood before God to express their emotions, they set their prayers to music, and 150 of these beautiful religious hymns are preserved within the Book of Psalms.

In this chapter, you discover Israel’s musical heritage and sit in on an ancient jam session, as we rehearse some of Israel’s most memorable songs.

I Write the Psalms: Feeling Bible Music

The name Psalms (or Psalter) comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible known as the Septuagint (see Chapter 1). In the Septuagint, these works are collected under the heading psalmoi, which means “songs of praise.” The traditional Hebrew title for this book is tehillim (meaning “praises”), which is related to the Hebrew word hallelujah (meaning “praise the LORD”).

The Book of Psalms reveals how ancient Israel prayed, and what the Israelites thought and felt about God through both difficult and good times. Yet, because these psalms express human thoughts and emotions, they still speak to us today.

Considering the creation of the psalms

Tradition holds that King David composed many of the psalms, a tradition that seems to be based on several factors:

Aside from slaying Goliath, David is most famous for his ability to sing and play music. This is why David is frequently depicted in art as a king playing a stringed instrument known as a lyre (a harp-like instrument about the size of a ukulele).

Even after David’s death, David is remembered for establishing musical worship at the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:6).

Nearly half of the psalms contain the heading “A Psalm of David.”

Nevertheless, even psalms attributed to David need not be by King David. The name “David” can refer to his dynasty, and thus these psalms may have been composed by later kings in Jerusalem or even musicians patronized by Davidic kings. Alternatively, they may be songs in the style that David composed, or songs honoring David.

The Bible also ascribes psalms to other individuals, including David’s son, Solomon, (Psalms 72, 127), Moses (Psalms 90), the sons of Korah, a priest from Moses’ day (Psalms 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87, 88), and three worship leaders appointed by King David: Asaph (Psalms 50, 73–83), Jeduthun (also known as Ethan; Psalms 39, 62, 77, 89), and Heman (Psalms 88).

Of the 150 psalms, only 34 lack superscriptions, which are called orphan psalms (for example, 91 and 93–97).

Dating Psalms is extremely difficult, and scholars continue to debate when individual psalms were composed. Some psalms, including Psalms 29 and 82, appear to be early compositions — perhaps even earlier than King David, who ruled around 1,000 B.C.E. Conversely, Psalm 74, which describes the Babylonian destruction of the Temple, and Psalm 137, in which the author laments Judah’s exile in Babylon, were certainly composed after 586 B.C.E., when these events took place. Some Psalms even have historical notices as to when they were written, such as Psalm 51, which is a psalm of repentance ascribed to David, written after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

Regardless of the author and date, the psalms are both universal and timeless.

Examining the types

Psalms come in several types:

Liturgical: Liturgical psalms are sung at particular moments in the religious life of ancient Israel. Such events may include the dedication of the Temple, psalms for holidays, and psalms for the coronation of kings.

Laments: In laments, either individuals or the community inform God of their suffering and beg God to forgive and deliver them.

Thanksgiving: Psalms of Thanksgiving praise God for good fortune.

Imprecatory: A number of psalms are imprecatory, meaning they call on God to curse their enemies.

Psalm 119: The pinnacle of poetry

Check this out. Psalm 119 consists of 22 stanzas (for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet). Each stanza consists of eight lines all beginning with the same Hebrew letter. Additionally, Psalm 119 repeats eight key words, all related to legality: law, statutes, precepts, commands, judgments, decrees, word, and saying. In six of the stanzas, all eight terms are used, and in all of the stanzas, at least six of these terms are used. It is truly the work of a genius.

Appreciating the structure

Perhaps to mirror the five books in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — covered in Part II), the 150 chapters of Psalms are traditionally divided into five books as shown in Table 15-1.

Each book concludes with a doxology, or liturgical formula for praising God. For example, Book I ends with the doxology: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen and Amen” (Psalms 41:13).

Psalms records poetry that is sublime, but this does not mean that it rhymes. In fact, biblical poetry rarely rhymes (and mostly by accident), and it oftentimes lacks a discernable meter. So how do you know it’s poetry? Largely by its parallelism and alphabetic acrostics:

Parallelism: Hebrew poetry’s most pervasive and distinct feature is parallelism, in which words and themes mirror those immediately before and/or after. For example, Psalm 72:1–2 translates:

Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s son. Your people He shall judge in righteousness, and Your poor in justice.

Thus, “the king” is parallel to “the king’s son,” and “Your people” corresponds to “Your poor.” Furthermore, “judgments,” and “justice” are both parallel to “righteousness.”

Alphabetic acrostics: A number of Psalms contain what scholars call alphabetic acrostics. Within these literary gems, the first word of each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. For example, the beginnings of an alphabetic acrostic in English would look something like this (and see if you can find the parallelism):

A ssist me, O God, in my work; dear LORD , aid Your devotee in his toil. Before I found Your truths; prior to uncovering Your laws: Comfort was lost on Your servant, Your subject could not rest. Death seemed inescapable, mortality appeared to be my fate.

Acrostic poems in the Bible include Psalms 9–10, 25, 34, 37, 111–112, 145, as well as Psalm 119, the crowning achievement of all ancient Near Eastern poetry. ( See the sidebar, “Psalm 119: The pinnacle of poetry,” in this chapter.)

Musical Instruments in Ancient Israel

Have you ever attended a religious service that bans musical instruments? Religion in ancient Israel held quite the opposite attitude. The final Psalm in the Bible illustrates the vital role music and musical instruments played in ancient Israelite worship:

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the harp and the lyre. Praise Him with the tambourine and dance. Praise Him with strings and pipes. Praise Him on the cymbals loudly. Praise Him with the cymbals resounding. Let everything that breathes praise the LORD . Praise the LORD!

—Psalm 150:3–6

The preceding passage refers to many of the instruments used in ancient Israel to accompany the psalms. From this and other passages, percussion instruments such as drums and tambourines seem to be the most abundant. Of the stringed instruments, the lyre is the most common. Double flutes consisting of parallel twin pipes are also common.

Interestingly, it seems that some instruments tended to be gender specific. Thus, women most often played the tambourines or timbrels (hand drums) and men performed with lyres. By way of example, Miriam and the women play timbrels after crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20–21), while King David plays the lyre.

Unfortunately, these instruments rarely survive in ancient Israel’s archaeological record. Only those composed of metal, clay, and bone have been discovered. Though rare, at times statues or paintings depicting figures playing instruments have been found as well (see Figure 15-1).

Figure 15-1: Female Egyptian musicians playing ancient instruments.

How’d That Tune Go Again?

As important as these songs were to ancient Israel, very little survives about how the melodies went. Although musical accents are preserved above and below the biblical letters, the original meaning of these accents and certain terms having to do with the musical arrangement (such as “For the choirmaster” and “in the style of Gath”) are largely unknown. Many of these terms are thought to correspond to how the musical accompaniment should sound, and others pertain to once famous melodies. For example, many psalms are said to be set to the tune “Do not destroy” (for example, Psalm 59). No doubt this tune was beautiful, but, unfortunately, it’s been destroyed. Other tunes include “The Doe of the Morning” (Psalm 22), “A Dove on the Distant Oaks” (Psalm 56) and “The Lily of the Covenant” (Psalm 60). The meaning of a recurring musical notation, Selah, is also unknown, with guesses ranging from “pause” (for a musical interlude) to “crescendo” to “one more time!” (okay, that last one isn’t really a competing theory).

Psalms in their ancient Near Eastern context

Many Psalms in the Bible borrow heavily upon the writings and cultural concepts of their ancient Near Eastern neighbors. For example, many scholars are of the opinion that Psalm 29 was originally composed to glorify the Canaanite storm god Baal, and later transferred to Israel’s God. Thus, in verses 3–7, God’s voice “thunders” over the “waters” and “strikes with flashes of lightning” (common storm-god language). Additionally, scholars have long noticed the similarities of Psalm 104 to an Egyptian poem, known as the Great Hymn to the Aten, praising the sun god. Scholars debate whether Psalm 104 borrowed from the Egyptian hymn or whether both borrowed from a common source, but all agree on some relationship. Thus, in writing psalms, ancient Israel participated in a centuries-old tradition of composing poetry to honor the divine.

Israel’s Top Tunes: Psalms’ Greatest Hits

Many Psalms remain the most famous and cherished writings within the Bible. We discuss several of the most influential in the following sections.

Psalms 9–10

Thought to be a single poem that was later divided, Psalms 9–10 record an individual’s lament expressing his desire for deliverance from personal enemies.

Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble? In their pride the wicked pursue the poor. Let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. For the wicked boast of the desire and of their soul, and the covetous curses and scorns the LORD.

—Psalm 10:1–3

Psalm 22

Psalm 22 is another lament in which a sufferer begs God to intervene.

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me, and why are You far from my deliverance, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I call by day, but You do not answer, and in the night, but I find no rest. Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You, they trusted and You delivered them.

—Psalm 22:1–4

The powerful words in the opening lines of Psalm 22, in Hebrew eli, eli, lamah ‘azavtani? are quoted by Jesus (though, in Aramaic) immediately prior to his death on the cross, seemingly to emphasize his isolation in suffering.

Psalm 23

Inspirational Psalm 23 is the most famous Psalm in the English language, and masterfully likens our relationship to God as a sheep to a shepherd.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

—Psalm 23:1–6

Psalm 46

This Psalm describes the power of God and later forms the basis for Martin Luther’s famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress.”

The nations roar, the kingdoms totter; He utters His voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is a refuge for us.

—Psalm 46:6–7

Psalm 51

Tradition holds that David composed this psalm following his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of Uriah. The author takes full responsibility for his wrongdoing and begs God for forgiveness.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your love, according to the multitude of Your many mercies. Blot out my transgression. Greatly wash me from my iniquity, and from my sin cleanse me. Because I know my transgressions, and my sin is before me forever. Against You, You alone, I have sinned, and done evil in Your eyes.

—Psalm 51:1–4

Psalm 137

This remarkable song, in which the author vibrantly recalls the pains of exile, has the added distinction of being the only Psalm ever recorded by Don McLean, Bob Marley, and the disco band Boney M.

By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down, also we wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung our lyres. For there our captors asked us to sing a song, and our plunderers asked for mirth, saying, ‘Sing to us a song of Zion!’ How shall we sing the song of the LORD in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget. Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I don’t remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

—Psalm 137:1–6

Psalm 139

Psalm 139 is a powerful personal lament in which the author completely submits to God’s omniscience.

O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know my sitting and my rising. You understand my thought from far away. You search my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all of my ways. For even before there is a word on my tongue, O LORD, You know it completely. Behind and in front You have closed me in and Your palm is laid upon me.

—Psalm 139:1–5

Such are the songs that ancient Israel sang when worshiping God, and that have since “made the whole world sing.” We commend them to you.