THE PSALM PROJECT
what is a psalm
The word psalm comes from the Greek psalmoi, meaning "songs to be accompanied by stringed instruments", which is the translation of the Hebrew title for the psalms, tehillim, which means "praise."
The psalms were written over a span of time by various authors, though primarily King David. They are broken down into 5 groups that correlate with the Pentateuch, or first 5 books of the Old Testament (Hebrew Torah): Book I -V = Genesis - Deuteronomy, respectively.
The psalms were Israel's hymns, or songs of worship, inspired by the Holy Spirit. They express deep feelings of the human heart in relation to God. The Psalms are the most quoted Old Testament book within the New Testament; they maintain relevancy, are used at teaching tools, the people in the NT are clearly familiar with them, and many Psalms contain Messianic or prophetic messages, which are referenced by the NT writers.
The Secret Chord
Folk music's iconic singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen*, who often included Jewish and Messianic themes in his lyrics, starts his most famous song, Hallelujah, with the line: "I heard there was a secret chord/that David played and it pleased the Lord." Considering his Jewish heritage and career as lyricist/composer, it is likely he was familiar with the history behind the musical construction of the Psalms, namely, singing the name of G-D. Cohen even suggests the tonal structure later in that same verse: "It goes like this: the 4th, the 5th, the minor fall, the major lift..." There is a musical system devoted to David's "secret" chord called the Davidic Cipher, which directly applies to the tones and harmonics in singing the name of God, which is pronounced/spelled:
The Davidic Cipher is a code that is embedded in the psalms themselves that, when decoded, can tell you exactly how to sing the written stanzas. It is similar to the Italian musical phrase soggetto cavato (literally meaning carved theme or subject). The Psalms are more than they appear: they are finely crafted, specifically tuned songs composed to please the Lord. Needless to say, you need not be a famous folk singer or of Jewish heritage to read, recite, or sing the Psalms. But when we talk about the Bible being the inspired Word of God, the eloquence, poetry, and rawness of the Psalms is such an honest, transcendent expression of our relationship to the Divine, one's heart cannot help but sing! (Your heartbeat, after all, is built-in percussion!)
One more fun fact about Cohen's song: he may be waxing eloquently & cleverly about the cipher embedded within the psalms, but he's not keeping the secret to himself. The very title and repetitious chorus of the song gives it away: Hallelujah is two Hebrew words: Hal'lu and Yah, meaning "Praise You, [Lord]." The secret is not melodic in nature, which may be fun to discover and use, but it's not necessary; that which pleases the Lord is praise itself.
the Psalm Project
PBS has committed to writing psalms, in tandem with reading the Psalms of the Bible, gleaning wisdom, format, and inSpiration, applying those elements to our own. The goal is to write personally, while maintaining the traditional integrity, structure, and purpose behind the original psalms. Note: it is not necessary to be exact in poetic structure, though I will outline some used by the psalmists. The point, again, is simply to praise the Lord, and speak to Him/ about Him from the heart.
We invite anyone who wishes to participate in this collective project to contact us with inquiries and submissions. We hope you enjoy reading our Psalms; may they bring our Heavenly Father great tehillim!
Psalmic Structure
There are 3 typical "genres" within the psalms:
Ceremonial
Historical
Personal
(There is a 4th - "exile" psalms written during the Babylonian period - but I'm lumping them with historical.)
The purpose of the psalms are to express:
- Prayers to God about trust, love, adoration, thanksgiving, praise and desire for closer relationship.
- Prayers to God about discouragement, deep distress, fear, anxiety, humiliation, cry for freedom, need for healing, defense from enemies.
- Thanksgiving and worship songs, celebrating who God is and the great things He's done.
- Messianic/prophetic messages and statements.
You could organize them into categories as such:
Hallelujah/Praise
Thanksgiving
Prayer and Petition
Penitential
Sacred History Accounts
Enthronement ("the Lord reigns" expressions)
Liturgical (ceremonial, such as for feasts)
Trust and Devotion
Pilgrimage
Wisdom and Instruction
Royal or Messianic
Imprecatory (calling for disgrace and defeat for those who are not Godly)
COMPOSING your Psalm
(You can use these as skeletal structures to build your psalms if you wish, but don't feel bound by them.)
Lament Structure:
I. Address to God, Invocation
a) first person address to God (I, you)
b) an initial plea
II. Complaint to God
a) description of problem, questions asked of God
b) crisis of any kind; in penitential psalms it is sin
c) claim of innocence
d) often includes an initial plea for help
e) condemnation of "wicked" or "enemy"
III. Affirmation of Trust
a) "But as for me" or "Nevertheless"
b) turning point of the psalm; theological focus
IV. Petition
a) plea for God’s intervention
b) often uses the words "save" or "deliver"
V. Acknowledgment of Response
a) assurance of hearing
b) vow of praise, worship
VI. Doxology: blessings, praise
Thanksgiving Structure:
I. Summary of the Testimony of the Psalmist
a) recalls plea for help
b) recounts God’s intervention
II. Narration of the Psalmist’s experience
a) the original problem
b) the cry for help
c) God’s deliverance
III. Acknowledgement of God’s aid in Praise/Thanks
a) worship, with the word todah: praise, sacrifice, blessing
b) cry of praise
Hymn Structure:
I. Call to Praise
a) uses an imperative
b) addressed to the community (plural)
II. Reason for Praise
a) "because" or "for"
b) God described with participial clause, "God, who [activity]"
c) God’s deliverance
III. Renewed Call to Praise (balances beginning)
a) uses an imperative
b) addressed to the community (plural)
Enjoy this process of writing your own psalm, in whatever genre or theme you choose. Please feel free to share with us a praise report about your writing process, and/or your final composition! We look forward to hearing your conversation with God. (promisebiblestudy@gmail.com)
Resources:
"The Fire Bible", pp 794-795, "Introduction to the Psalms"; The Holy Bible English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles.
http://www.musicofthebible.com/playing_the_name.htm
Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen
http://www.crivoice.org/psalmgenre.html
*I'm not intending to promote the music of Leonard Cohen, but his song Hallelujah - particularly since his death in 2016 - has become one of the most covered songs of all time. What's remarkable about this is that literally millions of people are performing this song, singing the phrase "Hallelujah (Praise you, Lord)" over and over. Regardless of your feelings about him as an artist, I can't help but be moved by the fact that His praise is being proclaimed exponentially, and reverently, by so many people.