Psalm 83

Psalm 83 is the last of the Psalms of Asaph, which include Psalms 50 and 73-83. It is also the last of the so-called "Elohist" collection, Psalms 42-83, in which the one of God's titles, Elohim is mainly used. It is generally seen as a national lament provoked by the threat of an invasion of Israel by its neighbors. The psalm has been seen by some commentators as being purely cultic in nature. Others have indicated that the fact that particular nations are specifically named indicates that it does refer to a specific historical period, even though the prayer itself would be offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. The dating of the composition of the Psalm is debated, but the reference in verse 9 to Assyria is by many sources seen as an indication that the Psalm was written during the time of Assyrian ascendancy, the ninth to seventh centuries BC. Others have placed the composition of the psalm between the time of Saul to the age of the Maccabees, suggested by Theodore of Mopsuestia.

Psalms

The Book of Psalms, Tehillim in Hebrew (תְּהִלִּים or תהילים meaning "Praises"), commonly referred to simply as Psalms or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. The title is derived from the Greek translation, ψαλμοί psalmoi, meaning "instrumental music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music." The book is an anthology of individual psalms, with 150 in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition and more in the Eastern Christian churches. Many of the psalms are linked to the name of King David, although his authorship is not accepted by modern Bible scholars.

Structure

Benedictions

The Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, each closing with a doxology (i.e., a benediction) – these divisions were probably introduced by the final editors to imitate the five-fold division of the Torah:

Psalm (disambiguation)

Psalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.

Psalm may also refer to:

Psalm 79

Psalm 79 (Greek numbering: Psalm 78) is the 79th psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms.

Uses

Judaism

References