Psalms Volume 1

In this newest addition to the NIV Application Commentary series, Dr. Gerald H. Wilson examines the first 2 books of the Psalter (Psalms 172), bringing together over 20 years of personal research and teaching. Wilson9s seminal work on the shape and shaping of the Hebrew Psalter has opened a new avenue of psalms research by shifting focus from exclusive attention to individual psalms (through form critical analysis) to include the significance of groups of psalms and the arrangement of the Psalter as a whole. Bridging the distance from the prayer and worship of ancient Israel to the contemporary life of faith, this volume challenges the reader to see familiar psalms with new eyes. Individual interpretation is coupled with insight into the influence of the broader context, and the shaping of the book of Psalms as a whole is explored so that the Psalter emerges as a unified collection with a purpose of its own. When complete, the two-volume set will include original discussions of the shaping of the 5 books of the Psalter and of the collection as a whole, as well as extended consideration of Hebrew poetics, and the theology of the psalms. Scholars and students, clergy and laity will find this volume a stimulating window onto the historical, literary, and spiritual riches of the psalms.