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.

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
¹ I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.
² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
³ When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
⁴ You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider the days of old, the years long ago.
⁶ I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side.
¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
²⁰ You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (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 to You, graciously come before You, so that in all their necessities they may mark and receive Your manifold help and comfort; through Jesus Christ, Your 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 Maskil of David.
¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹ Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
¹¹ Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (ESV)

Prayer

O God, merciful Father, who does not despise the groaning of the contrite and does not scorn the emotion of the sorrowful: Be present to our prayers which mid afflictions that so heavily overwhelm us we pour out before You, 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 Your 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. A Song. A Psalm.
¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
² sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah
⁵ Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,
⁷ who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
⁸ Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
²⁰ Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (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.

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

Make me to understand the way of Your precepts. Strengthen me according to Your 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.

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
² Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
⁹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (ESV)

Prayer

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

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
⁴ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

Prayer

O God, our Refuge and Strength, who is the Author of all godliness, be ready, we implore You, to hear the devout prayers of Your Church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ, Your 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.

To the choirmaster. Of David.
¹ In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain,
² for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
³ if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
⁵ The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶ Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
⁷ For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (ESV)

Prayer

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

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
¹ Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
² beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
³ Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
⁴ For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.
⁵ As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.
⁶ Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.
⁷ By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.
⁸ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah
⁹ We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰ As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹ Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!
¹² Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers,
¹³ consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation
¹⁴ that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever. (ESV)

Prayer

Almighty, ever-living God, grant that I may gladly hear Your Word and that all my worship may be acceptable to You; 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.

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
³ You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”
⁴ For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.
⁵ You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:
⁶ in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
⁷ For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹ For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
¹⁰ The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?
¹² So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
¹³ Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.
¹⁶ Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
¹⁷ Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (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 Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured,
² how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
³ “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵ until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
⁷ “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
⁸ Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.
¹⁰ For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
¹¹ The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
¹² If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”
¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:
¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶ Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
¹⁷ There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
¹⁸ His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.” (ESV)

Prayer

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