Book I of the Psalter · Psalms 1 to 41 · 41 psalms
The book of David
Almost every psalm in this book carries David's name, and the two that open it carry no name at all. Psalms 1 and 2 stand as the gate of the whole Psalter, and the Davidic prayers that follow are mostly the prayers of one man in trouble, asking to be heard.
- Sealed by
- Psalm 41:13
- Where it stands in the argument
- The book sets the terms the rest of the Psalter works out: two ways to live, a king the LORD has anointed, and a God who hears a man in the pit.
- Who the headings name
- David in the headings of Psalms 3 to 9, 11 to 32 and 34 to 41; Psalms 1, 2, 10 and 33 carry no heading.
Every psalm in Book I
41 doors, coloured by the kind of psalm- Penitential 3
- Imprecatory 1
- Royal 4
- Wisdom and Torah 4
- Thanksgiving 4
- Lament and trust 21
- Praise 4
The colour is the psalm's primary kind, following the form-critical categories of Hermann Gunkel (Einleitung in die Psalmen, 1933) as set out in C. Hassell Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms (2001). A psalm that carries more than one kind is filed under one of them, and every type is explained on the Psalms page.
The collections inside it
2 gathered groups, in the order they stand- The gatePsalms 1 to 2
Two psalms without headings, set at the door: the two ways and the anointed King.
- The first Davidic collectionPsalms 3 to 41
Psalms of David, thirteen of them tied by their headings to events in 1 and 2 Samuel.
The name of God in this book
The LORD, the covenant name, stands throughout: it is used far more often here than Elohim.
What the kinds of psalm come to here
- Penitential 3
- Imprecatory 1
- Royal 4
- Wisdom and Torah 4
- Thanksgiving 4
- Lament and trust 21
- Praise 4
The same nine kinds colour every psalm on this page and on the four other books of the Psalter.
The doxology that seals it
Psalm 41:13, Berean Standard Bible13Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Why the seam is marked
The doxology belongs to the collection rather than to the psalm it closes, which is how the five books can be seen in the text itself. The other four seams stand at Psalms 41:13, 72:18-19, 89:52 and 106:48, and the whole of Psalm 150 closes the Psalter.
Key psalms of Book I
8 doors, with what each one carriesThe two ways, and the tree planted by streams of water.
The nations rage and the LORD installs His King on Zion.
What is man that You are mindful of him.
The heavens tell of God, and the law of the LORD is perfect.
The cry Jesus prayed on the cross, and the hands and feet pierced.
The LORD is my shepherd, the best known psalm in the book.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven.
Do not fret because of evildoers.
The rest of the Psalter
5 books, 150 psalmsKeep studying
Read it1
On this page
Studies5
Doctrines1