Psalms by Category

These Psalms articulate deep sorrow, suffering, and distress, serving as vehicles for the 'shout of No' against hardship. They are used when contemplating physical or spiritual vexation, persecution, and asking God how long His wrath will last. They often shift abruptly from complaint to trust, and genuine lament is the Christian form that shapes the affective eruption engendered by suffering. Psalm 22 is considered the premier psalm of lament.

A Psalm of David.
¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
² Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
³ For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴ Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
⁵ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
⁷ Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸ Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
⁹ Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
¹¹ For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
¹² And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant. (ESV)

Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, the Consolation of the sorrowful and the Strength of the weak, may the prayers of them that in any tribulation or distress cry unto Thee, graciously come before Thee, so that in all their necessities they may mark and receive Thy manifold help and comfort; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

These psalms, particularly the Penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), deal with the knowledge of sin and the need for forgiveness and absolution. Repentance requires faith in the remission of sins, urging one to hear what God wishes to say rather than focusing on self-justification. Confession of sins before God is inclusive, acknowledging its totality and admitting no righteousness before Him.

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!
² For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
³ There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
⁵ My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,
⁶ I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
⁹ O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
¹⁰ My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹ My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.
¹² Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.
¹³ But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
¹⁵ But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
¹⁶ For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!”
¹⁷ For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.
¹⁸ I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
¹⁹ But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
²⁰ Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.
²¹ Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me!
²² Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (ESV)

Prayer

O God, merciful Father, who dost not despise the groaning of the contrite and dost not scorn the emotion of the sorrowful: Be present to our prayers which mid afflictions that so heavily overwhelm us we pour out before Thee, and graciously hear them, so that that which is laid against us as snares, the deceits of the devil and of man, may be reduced to nothing and scattered according to the counsel of Thy goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

These are Doxological Psalms, comprising the language of joy, used to recount God's wonderful deeds, proclaim salvation, and exhort the congregation to praise the Lord with instruments and gladness. Thanksgiving often accompanies confession of God's goodness and mercy. Doxology is the point where the lost meet God, as it cries for and dares to enter God's presence.

To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
¹ I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
³ When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.
⁴ For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
⁶ The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
⁷ But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,
⁸ and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.
⁹ The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
¹¹ Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!
¹² For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
¹³ Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴ that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.
¹⁵ The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
¹⁶ The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
¹⁷ The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸ For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
¹⁹ Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!
²⁰ Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah (ESV)

Prayer

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please you. For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

This group consists primarily of Torah Psalms, teaching the godly how to meditate on God's word, which is a lamp unto my feet. Meditation is not about how we meditate, but on what we meditate: the life-giving Word of God. These psalms anchor the Christian life in God's Word and provide metaphors of divine guidance.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
¹ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
⁸ the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
¹³ Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

Prayer

Make me to understand the way of Thy precepts. Strengthen Thou me according unto Thy Word.

The New Testament cites the Psalms more than any other Old Testament book to show that Jesus is the Christ. These Psalms fulfill prophecies concerning His person, priesthood, and passion, such as the cry of forsakenness on the cross (Psalm 22). They are direct or external psalms dealing with the faith in the promised Messiah.

Of Solomon.
¹ Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
² May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
³ Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!
⁴ May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
⁵ May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
⁶ May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
⁸ May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
⁹ May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
¹¹ May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
¹² For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
¹³ He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
¹⁴ From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
¹⁵ Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!
¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field!
¹⁷ May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
¹⁹ Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!
²⁰ The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. (ESV)

Prayer

O Lord God, heavenly Father, we give Thee thanks that of Thy great goodness and mercy Thou didst suffer Thine only-begotten Son to become incarnate and to redeem us from sin and everlasting death; and we beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit that we may evermore yield Thee unfeigned thanks for this Thy grace and may comfort ourselves with the same in all time of tribulation and temptation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

Psalms expressing firm confidence and security in God, viewing Him as a Refuge and Strength. They speak of abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, and encourage reliance on God's sustaining work in times of fear. This category teaches that salvation belongs to the Lord.

A Psalm of David.
¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
³ He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴ 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.
⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (ESV)

Prayer

O God, our Refuge and Strength, who art the Author of all godliness, be ready, we beseech Thee, to hear the devout prayers of Thy Church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

These psalms voice complaints and groans on behalf of the Church, which is set in the midst of the wicked. They petition God to deliver the righteous, judge the nations, and administer justice against oppressors, recognizing that God is the inspector of all that is done among men. They ask that enemies may not triumph over the righteous.

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
¹ O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
² many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
³ But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
⁴ I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
⁵ I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
⁷ Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah (ESV)

Prayer

O God, who art the Author of peace and Lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom, defend us, Thy humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies, that we, surely trusting in Thy defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

Psalms specifically associated with the assembly, the Temple, and fixed liturgical usage, serving as Introits (opening psalms) or Invitatories. The liturgical focus gravitates toward Mount Zion and its worship. Worship in the church is the place where people appear in God's presence, receive His blessing, and present petitions.

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
⁸ Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.
⁹ For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! (ESV)

Prayer

Almighty, ever-living God, grant that I may gladly hear Thy Word and that all my worship may be acceptable unto Thee; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Psalms addressing the anxieties of life and death, confronting the brevity of human existence, and seeking refuge from God's wrath. They provide words to commend anguish to a faithful Creator and provide consolation, especially the words of Christ, who shares His never-ending life in the very midst of our dying.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
² Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
³ My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?
⁴ Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
⁶ I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷ My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
⁸ Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (ESV)

Prayer

O dear Lord God, Father, this life of ours is so wretched... help us to survive such great evil and malice. And when our time comes, let it be a blessed hour and a joyful departure out of this place of sorrows, that we may neither fear death nor give way to despair, but in unwavering faith commit our souls into your hands. Amen.

This category includes the fifteen Songs of Degrees (120-134), traditionally sung on spiritual pilgrimage. They describe the ascent toward the Lord, where the feet move not by pride but by charity. These psalms lead the soul to heavenly things, teaching humility and meekness.

A Song of Ascents.
¹ When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
² Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
³ The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.
⁴ Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb!
⁵ Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
⁶ He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (ESV)

Prayer

O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, [as finally not to lose the things eternal].