The Book of Psalms (Hebrew: תְּהִלִּים or תהילים Tehillim 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.[1] The English title is from the Greek translation, ψαλμοί psalmoi, meaning "instrumental music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music."[2] There are 150 psalms in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition (more in the Eastern Christian churches), many of them linked to the name of King David, but his authorship is not accepted by most modern Bible scholars. Many psalms (116 of the 150) have individual superscriptions (titles), ranging from lengthy comments to a single word. Over a third appear to be musical directions, addressed to the "leader" or "choirmaster," including such statements as "with stringed instruments" and "according to lilies." Others appear to be references to types of musical composition, such as "A psalm" and "Song," or directions regarding the occasion for using the psalm ("On the dedication of the temple," "For the memorial offering," etc.). Some carry the names of individuals, the most common being David, and thirteen of these relate explicitly to incidents in the king's life Seventy-three of the 150 psalms in the Bible are attributed to King David, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls (11QPsa) attributes 3600 tehilim (songs of praise) plus other compositions to him.[18] Nevertheless, there is no hard evidence for Davidic authorship of any of them.[2] "Davidic authorship is not accepted as historical fact by modern scholars," note Adele Berlin and Marc Vzi Brettler in the Jewish Study Bible, but is seen rather as the way in which the ancients "confirm[ed] the divine inspiration and authority" of the writings by linking them to well-known biblical figures.

• published: 03 Oct 2014
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