…and beyond
Psalm 151
One psalm more, little David, the harp, and Goliath, in the first person.
A short psalm in the voice of David, describing his smallness among his brothers, his making of an instrument, his anointing, and his fight with Goliath. It appears at the end of the Greek and Syriac psalters, is numbered separately as outside the count of a hundred and fifty, and was long assumed to be a late Greek composition until Hebrew versions turned up among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran, which showed it was considerably older than anyone thought. Canonical in Orthodox tradition, printed among the Apocrypha by others, and a good example of how a manuscript discovery can change the standing of a text.
If you remember one thing
A short psalm in David's voice describing his anointing and the fight with Goliath in the first person, labeled in the Greek as outside the number.
Who, when, and why
- Written
- Found in the Greek Psalter and among the Dead Sea Scrolls in Hebrew.
- First readers
- Readers of the Psalms.
- Why it was written
- David's own account of being chosen and of Goliath.
How it is shaped
- 1 to 4David the youngest, and the instrument he made
- 5 to 7The anointing, and Goliath
What it keeps coming back to
A verse to carry
“I was small among my brothers, and the youngest in my father's house.”
Psalm 151:1
Passages that trouble readers
Discovery
Long assumed a late Greek composition until Hebrew versions were found at Qumran, which showed it to be considerably older than anyone thought.
Named here rather than skipped. Where Christians read a passage differently, we say so instead of choosing for you.
Who receives this book
In Orthodox psalters (and found at Qumran); not in Catholic or Protestant canons.
No one from this book has a write-up yet. The hall is still filling.
The whole book, with the people and places explained as you read. Available in Brenton. Chapters marked ✦ carry a verse the New Testament takes up.
A quiz for Psalm 151 is on the workbench. In the meantime, the games for the judges, the kings, and the prophets are open.