Psalms: Lament, Praise, Thanksgiving, and Royal Psalms

Introduction

The Psalter is the Old Testament’s prayerbook and hymnal. Across 150 poems, Israel sings everything from raw grief to exuberant doxology, from public thanksgiving to royal hope. Within this broad anthology, four liturgical “families” help students orient themselves: laments, praise hymns, thanksgiving (todah) psalms, and royal psalms. These are not rigid boxes but recognizable patterns that reveal how Israel prayed its theology and theologized its prayer.

Historically, scholars after Hermann Gunkel named and analyzed these forms (German: Gattungen)—lament, hymn, thanksgiving, royal, wisdom, trust, pilgrimage, etc.—by consistent structures, motifs, and settings (Gunkel & Begrich, 1997). Claus Westermann sharpened the polarity between lament and praise as the basic movement of Israel’s address to God (Westermann, 1981). Walter Brueggemann reframed the spiritual arc as orientation → disorientation → new orientation, a pedagogical doorway into praying the Psalms in contemporary life (Brueggemann, 1984). More recent commentary traditions enrich this with close literary reading (Alter, 2007), theology (Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006–2008), and canonical shape (Wilson, 1985). This article equips you to teach these four families—lament, praise, thanksgiving, royal—with form, function, theology, and sample exegesis.

The Psalter at a Glance: Shape, Collections, Poetry

Five “Books,” Doxologies, and Gateways

The Psalms are arranged into five books (Pss 1–41; 42–72; 73–89; 90–106; 107–150), each ending with a doxology, culminating in the Hallelujah chorus of Psalms 146–150. Many scholars see Psalms 1–2 as a canonical doorway: Psalm 1 presents Torah piety, Psalm 2 presents royal/Messianic hope—together framing how to pray the rest (Wilson, 1985; Mays, 1994). Internal collections include Davidic clusters (e.g., Pss 3–41; 51–72), Asaph (73–83), Korahite psalms (42–49; 84–88), the Egyptian Hallel (113–118), Songs of Ascents (120–134), and the alphabetic acrostic masterpieces (e.g., Ps 119).

Superscriptions and Performance

Some psalms bear headings about authorship (e.g., “of David”), musical directions (e.g., “to the choirmaster; according to The Doe of the Dawn”), or historical notes. While not all are transparent, they witness to liturgical life—a people who prayed and sang these texts in temple, festival, and later synagogue (Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006).

Hebrew Poetry

Hebrew verse relies on parallelism (thought-rhyme): synonymous (“repeat”), antithetic (“contrast”), and synthetic/step (“advance”). Pay attention to wordplay, inclusio, chiasm, and metaphor drawn from creation, temple, and daily life. Robert Alter shows how parallelism creates semantic shimmer—subtle shifts rather than exact repetition (Alter, 2007).

Why Forms Matter: From Description to Discipleship

Form criticism (Gunkel) isn’t just taxonomy—it’s pastoral wisdom. Each form trains the heart in a distinct posture before God:

• Lament trains truthful grief and petition when life is broken.

• Praise hymns train wonder and proclamation when God’s acts and attributes overwhelm.

• Thanksgiving psalms train testimony after deliverance.

• Royal psalms train hope in God’s kingship and God’s promises to David.

Westermann showed that lament → praise is the dominant Psalter movement (1981). Brueggemann mapped this into a life-arc—some psalms stabilize (orientation), others disrupt (disorientation), others re-knit trust (new orientation) (Brueggemann, 1984). That arc will undergird our treatment of the four families.

I. Lament Psalms: Truthful Speech in Disorientation

Definition and Function

A lament (individual or communal) is a prayer from trouble—illness, enemies, guilt, drought, national disaster. It refuses pious denial and brings complaint, petition, and trust into God’s presence. Lament is not unbelief; it is covenant faith taking God so seriously that it argues, pleads, and waits (Westermann, 1981; Brueggemann, 1984).

Typical Structure

While flexible, many laments include:

1. Address to God (“O LORD…”).

2. Complaint (describe the trouble).

3. Petition (what the psalmist wants God to do).

4. Motivation/Reasons (appeal to God’s name, covenant, reputation).

5. Expression of trust (often a pivot).

6. Vow of praise (anticipating thanksgiving).

7. Imprecation (sometimes: naming justice against enemies).

Not every lament includes all elements, and order can vary (Westermann, 1981; Mays, 1994).

Examples and Exegesis

• Psalm 13 (individual): Six verses model the classic arc—“How long?” (vv. 1–2), petition (vv. 3–4), trust (v. 5), vow (v. 6). The move from “How long?” to “I will sing” is not psychological whiplash but liturgical training—lament disciplines the heart to trust before seeing (Mays, 1994).

• Psalm 22 (individual): From “My God, my God, why…?” to the global praise of vv. 22–31. The psalm becomes paradigmatic for innocent suffering, and later Christian liturgy hears it on Jesus’ lips (Alter, 2007; Brueggemann, 1984).

• Psalm 74 / 79 (communal): National catastrophe (temple defiled, people slain) becomes corporate grief and appeal to covenant faithfulness.

Theological Notes

• Permission to protest: Lament legitimates complaint as worship—a critical antidote to triumphalism.

• Imprecations: Prayers for judgment (e.g., Ps 69; 109) scandalize some readers. Within the canon, they are judicial speech entrusted to God, not vigilantism; they name injustice and place vengeance in God’s hands (Goldingay, 2006; Mays, 1994).

• Pivot to trust: Many laments pivot on “but I” or “yet”—a resolve to trust God’s ḥesed (steadfast love) before deliverance (Westermann, 1981).

II. Praise Hymns: Exuberant Orientation to God’s Reign

Definition and Function

A hymn of praise (sometimes called “descriptive praise”) is a communal or individual call to exalt God for who God is and what God does—creator, deliverer, king. If lament is speech from the pit, praise is speech from the mountaintop. Structure:

1. Call to praise (imperatives: “Praise YHWH,” “Sing to the LORD”).

2. Reasons (kî): God’s attributes and acts—creation, providence, redemption.

3. Renewed call / expansion (Alter, 2007; Westermann, 1981).

Examples and Exegesis

• Psalm 145: An acrostic hymn celebrating God’s greatness, goodness, justice, compassion; it universalizes praise—“All flesh” will bless God’s name. The psalm balances kingly power and tender care (vv. 14–20), offering a pastoral catechism of God’s character (Mays, 1994).

• Psalms 146–150: The Hallelujah finale. Each begins/ends with “Praise YHWH,” expanding praise from the poor rescued (146) to the cosmic orchestra (150). Praise becomes the air of Book V (Brueggemann, 1984).

• Psalm 8: A creation hymn that marvels at human vocation under divine majesty—praise as anthropology aligned to creation.

Enthronement: “The LORD Reigns” (Pss 93–99)

Often grouped as YHWH-kingship hymns, these celebrate God’s reign over nations and creation—thunder, seas, justice, Zion’s joy. They function as royal praise centering not on the human king but on God as king, crucial for exile and post-exile worship (Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006).

Theological Notes

• From reasons to relationship: Praise recites God’s resume to reshape desire; it is formative, not flattery.

• Public truth: Praise is missionary—it announces reality (“The LORD reigns”), inviting the nations to joy and justice (Ps 96).

III. Thanksgiving (Todah) Psalms: Witness after Rescue

Definition and Liturgical Context

Thanksgiving psalms (individual or communal) are the fulfilled vow after deliverance. In crisis, a supplicant promises, “If you rescue me, I will thank you in the assembly.” After rescue, the psalmist keeps that vow—testifying so the community learns to trust (Westermann, 1981; Mays, 1994). Structure:

1. Invitation to hear the testimony.

2. Report of distress and divine deliverance.

3. Thanksgiving and teaching (exhorting others to trust).

4. Sacrificial context (often implied): the todah offering.

Examples and Exegesis

• Psalm 30: From Sheol to song. The psalm narrates healing and rescue, then declares: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” It models public gratitude that turns private rescue into communal hope (Alter, 2007).

• Psalm 116: “I love the LORD, because he heard…” The psalmist vows to lift the cup of salvation and pay vows in the presence of all his people (vv. 12–19). The narrative alternates between I and you, knitting testimony and praise.

• Psalm 34 (acrostic): Testimony becomes catechesis—“Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

Theological Notes

• Memory as faith’s engine: Thanksgiving builds communal memory—a bank of divine faithfulness (Mays, 1994).

• Ethic of gratitude: Todah patterns humble joy rather than entitlement; it is the counter-litany to pride.

IV. Royal Psalms: Hope and Rule under God’s Covenant

Definition and Types

Royal psalms focus on the Davidic king—his coronation, warfare, justice, prayer, and promise—or on Zion and the ark. They belong to monarchy’s cult but persist after exile as memory and hope (Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006). Major subtypes:

• Coronation/Adoption: Psalm 2—the nations rage, God installs the king, who is declared God’s “son” (covenant adoption, 2 Sam 7 echoes).

• Royal Prayer/Trust: Psalms 20–21—intercession for the king in battle, then thanksgiving for victory.

• Royal Justice/Wisdom: Psalm 72—ideal king brings mishpat/tsedaqah (justice/righteousness) to the poor; global scope of shalom.

• Royal Oracle: Psalm 110—enigmatic priest-king “after the order of Melchizedek.”

• Covenant Crisis: Psalm 89—celebrates God’s steadfast love and Davidic covenant, then laments its apparent collapse—a royal lament that keeps hope alive in exile.

YHWH-Kingship vs. Davidic Kingship

Post-exilic worship leans into “The LORD reigns” hymns (93–99) even as Davidic hope persists. Theologically, the human king is viceroy under God’s kingship. After the monarchy’s fall, royal psalms become eschatological hope—God will restore righteous rule (Mays, 1994; Brueggemann, 1984).

Later Reception

• Jewish: Royal psalms sustain hope for anointed leadership and Zion’s renewal.

• Christian: Royal psalms become Christologically read—Ps 2, 110, 72 informing messianic confession; yet responsible reading keeps the original royal/liturgical sense first, then traces canonical trajectories (Childs, 1979; Mays, 1994).

Worked Examples: Four Mini-Readings

1. Psalm 13 (Lament)

   • Address: “O LORD…”

   • Complaint: “How long…?” (four times).

   • Petition: “Look, answer, light my eyes.”

   • Trust/Vow: “I have trusted in your ḥesed… I will sing.”
     Teaching tip: Invite students to label the lines (A–F). The psalm becomes a prayer template for pastoral care (Westermann, 1981; Mays, 1994).

2. Psalm 145 (Praise)

   • Call: “I will extol you.”

   • Reasons: God’s greatness, goodness, justice, compassion; God upholds the falling.

   • Universal horizon: “All your works… all flesh.”
     Teaching tip: Build a doctrine of God chart from v. 8’s creed (“gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love”) (Mays, 1994; Alter, 2007).

3. Psalm 116 (Thanksgiving)

   • Report: “He inclined his ear.”

   • Deliverance: “You delivered my soul from death.”

   • Response: “I will lift the cup, pay my vows in the presence of all his people.”
     Teaching tip: Connect private rescue to public witness—how testimony strengthens communal trust (Westermann, 1981).

4. Psalm 72 (Royal)

   • Petitions: Justice for the poor, flourishing like rain on mown grass, global homage.

   • Telos: “May the whole earth be filled with his glory.”
     Teaching tip: Ask how royal ethics shape modern leadership and public theology (Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006).

Theology Across the Forms

1. Covenant Honesty: Lament proves that faith can argue with God; the covenant welcomes frank speech (Brueggemann, 1984).

2. Creation and Kingship: Praise hymns locate ethics in cosmic order—the God who set the stars also defends the orphan (Ps 146). Worship is public truth-telling (Mays, 1994).

3. Memory and Mission: Thanksgiving converts private mercy into public catechesis—“Come, listen, I will tell…” (Ps 66:16).

4. Justice and the Poor: Royal and praise psalms insist that true kingship is justice for the lowly; doxology and mishpat belong together (Ps 72; 96; 98).

5. From Cry to Choir: The canonical flow from Books I–III (heavy with lament) to Book V (saturated with praise) embodies hope: Israel moves through exile toward Hallelujah (Wilson, 1985; Brueggemann, 1984).

Canonical Shape and Editorial Intent

Gerald Wilson argued the Psalter was deliberately edited to tell a story of kingship and hope: early Davidic laments, crisis in Book III (Ps 89), Mosaic/priestly interlude (Book IV, Pss 90–106) reframing hope under God as king, then renewed praise and Torah focus (Ps 119) as the community reconstitutes around Scripture and worship (Wilson, 1985). Psalm 1 (Torah) and Psalm 2 (Messiah) frame the whole; Psalm 119’s Torah acrostic and the Hallelujah finale suggest a community sustained by Scripture-shaped praise when monarchy is gone (Mays, 1994; Brueggemann, 1984).

Jewish and Christian Reception

Jewish Liturgy

Psalms saturate daily prayer (e.g., Pesukei deZimra), festival Hallel (113–118) at Passover, and mourning (Ps 23; 90). The Psalter becomes a portable sanctuary—a way to keep the temple’s music alive in synagogue and home (Mays, 1994).

Christian Liturgy

The church inherits the Psalter as the Liturgy of the Hours (monastic psalmody), Eucharistic lection, and hymnody. The New Testament quotes/echoes Psalms frequently; Jesus prays Ps 22 and 31 on the cross; Hebrews reads Ps 110 and 2 in Christological light. Responsible pedagogy honors original sense and then traces canonical fulfillment without erasing Israel’s voice (Childs, 1979; Brueggemann, 1984).

Practical Pedagogy: Forming Pray-ers, Not Just Analysts

1. Form-Labeling Workshop: Give students unmarked psalms (e.g., 13, 30, 72, 145). In groups, identify form elements (address, complaint, petition, trust, vow; call/reasons; report of rescue; royal petitions). Share and compare against commentaries (Westermann, 1981; Mays, 1994).

2. Write a Lament: Using Ps 13’s structure, students craft a contextual lament (personal or communal). Optional: pair with musical setting to feel the rhetoric of address and pivot to trust.

3. Praise Dossier: Build a doctrine of God from Psalms 103, 145, 146–147. List attributes and acts; write a short collect (prayer) using those reasons.

4. Thanksgiving Testimony Night: Students narrate a deliverance (health, provision, reconciliation) using Ps 116’s flow; practice public gratitude as formation.

5. Royal Ethics Seminar: Read Ps 72 alongside contemporary leadership case studies. How do justice for the poor and global shalom inform public theology?

6. Canonical Arc Map: Sketch Books I–V thematically (lament density, Book III’s crisis, Book IV’s “The LORD reigns,” Book V’s praise). Discuss how arrangement teaches hope (Wilson, 1985; Brueggemann, 1984).

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

• Flattening Forms: Don’t treat every psalm like generic praise. Name which form you’re in; let its logic lead.

• Silencing Lament: Communities often skip lament. Recover it as covenant obedience in suffering (Westermann, 1981).

• Ignoring the Poor in Praise: Praise that forgets the vulnerable betrays the Psalter’s God (Ps 146; 72).

• Over-allegorizing Royal Psalms: Teach the historical liturgical sense, then trace canonical trajectories without bypassing Israel (Childs, 1979; Mays, 1994).

• Proof-texting Imprecations: Frame them as entrusting judgment to God, not weaponizing them.

Competency Goals

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:

• Identify the structures and functions of lament, praise, thanksgiving, and royal psalms, and categorize sample psalms accordingly (Gunkel & Begrich, 1997; Westermann, 1981).

• Explain how lament and praise operate as a theological polarity and how Brueggemann’s orientation/disorientation/new orientation model aids pastoral use (Brueggemann, 1984).

• Perform close readings of representative psalms (e.g., 13; 145; 116; 72), showing how form and rhetoric serve theological claims (Alter, 2007; Mays, 1994; Goldingay, 2006).

• Articulate the canonical shape of the Psalter (Books I–V, doxologies, Ps 1–2 as gate, Book III crisis, Book IV kingship, Book V praise) and how that shape forms communal hope (Wilson, 1985; Brueggemann, 1984).

• Discuss Jewish and Christian liturgical reception, naming convergences and differences, and model responsible canonical reading (Childs, 1979; Mays, 1994).

• Design worship/lab exercises that use these forms to form communities in truthful lament, robust praise, public thanksgiving, and just hope.

References

Alter, R. (2007). The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary. W. W. Norton.

Brueggemann, W. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Augsburg.

Childs, B. S. (1979). Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture. Fortress Press.

Goldingay, J. (2006–2008). Psalms (Vols. 1–3). Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Baker Academic.

Gunkel, H., & Begrich, J. (1997). Introduction to Psalms: The Genres of the Religious Lyric of Israel (J. D. Nogalski, Trans.). Mercer University Press. (Original work published 1933)

Mays, J. L. (1994). Psalms. Interpretation Commentary. John Knox Press.

Westermann, C. (1981). Praise and Lament in the Psalms (K. R. Crim & R. N. Soulen, Trans.). John Knox Press.

Wilson, G. H. (1985). The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter. Scholars Press.

Kraus, H.-J. (1989). Psalms 1–59; Psalms 60–150. A Continental Commentary. Fortress Press.