Brilliant commentary on the most cherished book of the Bible

The Psalms have a double identity. They are scripture and liturgy. They compose a book of the Bible and are found in our hymnals and books of worship and prayer. When we think of them in historical perspective, another identity emerges. They are the liturgical poetry of ancient Israel, texts with a history of composition and use before they became scripture. A commentary in this Interpretation series needs to keep all three identities in view. That puts some strain on the commentator's task. The attempt to interpret the Psalms in awareness of the depth in their identity explains some things about the commentary and its writing. - Preface.

This commentary on the book of Psalms by Robert Davidson seeks to show how a knowledge of the place the psalms originally had in the worship of ancient Israel enables them to come alive in worship within believing communties today.i

The first of a three-volume commentary on the book of Psalms in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series.

"A new, poetic translation of the Book of Psalms faces the Masoretic Hebrew text. A running textual commentary takes us inside the translation process. A second, spiritual commentary connects each psalm to the events, struggles, and triumphs in our spiritual lives"--