The Psalme

Psalm 84:2 -- My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

David's ability to find joy in a decidedly un-joyous circumstance is noteworthy. He is aware that his present situation is not forever. With firm conviction, he looks forward to an eternity with God. He believed that his pain/suffering would be replaced by the joy he would know in "the courts of the Lord."

Septuagint - the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament books of the Law. This is where we first find references to "Psalms" and "Psalter" and to stringed instruments and songs to accompany them. Our English word "psalm" comes from the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word "mizmor," a word meaning 'melody of praise'.

Genesis 15 makes reference to the Lord as Abraham's king/sovereign. Dt. 33:29 - "He is your shield and helper..."; 2 Samuel 22:3 - "...my shield and the horn of my salvation"; Psalm 7:10 - "My shield in God Most High..."; Psalm 84:9 - "Look on our shield, O God"

At the time Psalm 84 was written, David son of Jessie had been anointed king, but not yet recognized as king over all Israel. In fact, Saul pursued David, intent on killing him. David was no longer the king's right-hand man. Though wedded to Saul's daughter, Michal, David is hiding in caves from Saul's men, who scoured the countryside for him.

Psalm 84:3 - Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

David yearns to once more be favored with attendance on the Lord's altar. This refers both to the altar of sacrifice and the altar of incense, both of which typify Christ (see Hebrews 13:10: this 'altar' David speaks of foreshadows the coming of the Christ). Remember, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. St. Augustine is often cited as the source for the famous quote. However, its true origin is the Bible itself (see Luke 24:44 - this is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.)

Psalm 84:4 - Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah (pronounced suh-LAH, occurs 39 times in the Psalms. Selah was a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "praise, pause". It is used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible, the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures that includes the Torah, the Nev'im (knee-vee-IM), and the Ketuvim (keh-TUH-vim). To be sure, the precise origin and meaning of the Selah is debated by biblical scholars. It may mean "to exalt, to praise" or -- when seen in scripture -- it may be an instruction to stop, listen, and meditate upon the scriptures.

The various mizmorim were sometimes songs, sometimes poems, sometimes prayers. Those that were prayers specifically were called tephillot (TEF-let). For instance, Psalms 72 is a tephillot - the prayers of David, son of Jesse.

The Psalms are a collection of collections. They were gathered over a span of centuries and likely were put into their final form by post-exillic priests or other temple personnel (recall the Babylonian conquest of Judah).

The Hebrew Bible (Torah, Nev'im, and Ketuvim) became our modern day Old Testament. Except for a few passages in Aramaic, appearing mainly in the apocalyptic book of Daniel, these scriptures were written originally in Hebrew during the period from 1200 to 100 BCE. Note that BCE stands for Before Common Era. The designation BCE came into use by biblical scholars in the early 1700s AD.

So then, when did the Psalter begin to be referred to as the "Book of Psalms"? See Luke 20:42 and Acts 1:20.

Our modern Psalms are divided into five books:

• Book I (chapters 1-42)
• Book II (chapters 43-72)
• Book III (chapters 73-89)
• Book IV (chapters 90-106)
• Book V (chapters 107-150)

Books I and II were probably pre-exilic. Why this division of the Psalms into five books? Perhaps in imitation of the five books of the Law written by Moses.