Who was the book of Psalms written to?

Answer 1

It was not written to anyone in particular. The book of psalms is a collection of poems and songs that were used by the Jews of the Old Testament times during worship. Many are traditionally thought to have been written by King David, some by Solomon and others written by unknown authors. Some have instructions (eg 'selah!' - meaning unknown) that are elusive now as to their meaning but nevertheless suggest that the psalms were meant to be sung. Around 158 psalms are known - 150 of which are included in the Old Testament book. Jesus himsef knew the psalms well and even quoted them at times - even when he was dying on the Cross ("my God, my God - why have you forsaken me" - Psalm 22 verse 1). In modern terms, the psalms were a king of Jewish Hymnbook.

Answer 2

A:The Book of Psalms is a collection of pieces, rather than an integrated book in the traditional sense, so it was not written as a unity. In its present form, it is composed of 150 psalms many of which were originally written over a period of some two hundred years during and after the Babylonian Exile, but some were based on oral traditions passed down from the monarchical period. The intended audience for the Book of Psalms would have been the Jews themselves.

It is easier to define a purpose for individual psalms, be it praise, thanksgivings or even theological Propaganda from the priestly elite, than to identify a unified purpose for the book as a whole. It was clearly an important part of the process of emphasising that monotheism would henceforth be fundamental to Jewish belief.

Answer 3

The psalms, as we know them, were written during and after the Babylonian Exile, by the priestly class for the returning Jews. Some were warnings of difficulty or even talked of despair, others were songs of hope and praise, all depending on the circumstances at the time of writing. Some psalms state that God has dominion over the the old gods of former times, so they should no longer be worshipped (for example, Psalms 82, 121).

Answer 4

The Psalms, whose original text is in Hebrew, were written to the Israelites.

According to tradition, King David gave us the Book of Psalms. Seventy-three of the 150 bear his name, and tradition states that the unattributed ones are also from him (Talmud, Berakhot 9b).

Concerning those Psalms that have the names of other authors, tradition teaches that we may thank David for them too (Talmud, Bava Bathra 14b). This is because it was he who recorded them in their permanent form and in a single book. If not for King David, those Psalms would have gone lost.

The purpose of the Psalms:

To express love for God

To pray for everything

To pour out one's heart concerning worries, troubles, vicissitudes etc.

To express trust, hope and happiness

To sing to God in gratitude

To praise God's wisdom, kindness, power etc.

The Psalms (Tehillim), which we might call the soul of the Jewish people, express the yearning of King David and of the entire nation to be close to God. They are one of the foundations of our Hebrew prayerbook to this day.

See also:

About King David

Psalm 23