Psalms structure & dates

The Shape of the Psalter

Unlike the narrative books, the Psalms have little geography of their own; their “landscape” is the life of prayer and the worship of the temple in Jerusalem. Yet Zion — the city of God and the site of His dwelling — is a recurring center of gravity, especially in the “Songs of Zion” (Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87) and the Songs of Ascents (120-134), which were sung by pilgrims journeying up to worship at the temple. Babylon appears as the place of exile and longing in Psalm 137, and the exodus from Egypt is celebrated again and again as the paradigm of God’s saving power.

The Psalter’s true structure is not spatial but literary and theological, arranged into five books, each closing with a doxology (41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48; and the whole of Psalm 150). This fivefold shape, perhaps echoing the five books of Moses, moves the reader from the opening meditation on God’s law, through every kind of prayer and praise, to a final crescendo of unbroken praise, so that the Psalter as a whole travels from “Blessed is the man” to “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.”

Timeline of Composition

• c. 1400 BC - Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, the oldest psalm.
• c. 1010-970 BC - The many psalms of David, arising from his life, reign, and worship.
• c. 970-930 BC - Psalms associated with Solomon (72, 127) and the temple’s establishment.
• The monarchy - Psalms of Asaph, the sons of Korah, and other temple musicians.
• 586 BC and after - Exilic psalms such as Psalm 137, sung “by the waters of Babylon.”
• c. 538-400 BC - Post-exilic composition and the final compilation of the Psalter into its five books.