Wisdom Literature Part 12

Introduction 

Through the poetry of Psalms, the psalmists express thoughts and feelings that we might find difficult to express for ourselves! For any of life’s moments, we will likely find a psalm that will touch us in a personal and powerful way. 

The Book of Psalms, like all Scripture, is “given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), meaning “divinely- or God-breathed.” For this reason, we should study the psalms for their wisdom, correction, edification, comfort and inspiration. These are also the reasons why we sing psalms in our song service every Sabbath!  The words give us insight into how God thinks, and help us to get to know Him better.   

When we read the Book of Psalms, we may sometimes feel that the 150 individual psalms that make up this book are simply a bunch of unorganized, standalone poems that have little connection to one another. Also, when we read these various psalms, it can seem that the thoughts and ideas expressed in them seem to jump around with no reason and with little or no organization or structure. But that is not the case as we’re about to learn. 

So, to gain more from our reading of the Psalms, we will examine three major types of psalms as categorized according to structure and mood. After that, we will also see how the psalms can also be categorized into seven smaller subtypes according to subject content. 

Even though we may have been reading these psalms all of our lives, knowing something about the various types of psalms will help us gain more of God’s inspired instruction found in each psalm. 

The Three Major Types of Psalms 

The three major types of psalms are hymns, laments and songs of Thanksgiving. These three types are categorized primarily by structure and mood. 

Hymns 

Hymns are known for their mood or emotion of exuberant praise of God. They express the psalmist’s or the community’s praise to God. Hymns give specific reasons for praising God. 

Structure

Though hymns vary in length and specific content, hymns share a basic three-part structure: 

1. Begin with a call to praise God.
2. Follow with an explanation(s) for why God should be praised.
3. Close with more calls to praise God.

An example of a hymn is Psalm 113. We can see the three-part structure of the hymn with part one in verses 1-3, part 2 in verses 4-6, and part 3 in verses 7-9. 

Additional points about hymns

Hymns call upon the hearer to praise God. The psalmist gives more specific rather than vague reasons for why we should praise God. This is a good reminder to us that in prayer we should be more specific rather than vague! Hymns were part of temple worship anciently and remain part of our Christian worship today. 

Laments 

Laments represent the most common type of psalm. They provide the opposite emotions of the hymn: sorrow, distress and grief (yet hopeful). Laments express the psalmist’s response to God when he (or the community) is afflicted. Generally, the focus of a lament is on the psalmist’s complaint or distress: 

1. The psalmist’s own thoughts and actions 
2. The actions of others (often enemies) 
3. God Himself (God’s actions or inaction) 

Structure

The structure of a lament is more flexible than hymns usually containing these elements which appear in no set order:  

• Call to God 
• Complaint or description of distress 
• Plea to God to intervene and deliver 
• Expression of confidence and trust in God 
• Call for vengeance on enemies 
• Confession of sin or assertion of innocence 
• Exclamation of praise or blessing 

Psalm 54 is a contemplation of David that is a prime example of a lament. This psalm is specifically David lamenting his personal experience, but laments can also be communal, such as a psalmist speaking for many or for the nation. This psalm contains a typical ending—David’s distress about his enemies turns, and he ends in praising God. He trusted in God, and God delivered him. 

Honesty of emotion is a dominant feature of psalms in general but especially of laments. They also often have vague references to “enemies” which allows the meaning to be more universally applied. Laments teach us to be honest and truthful in our prayerful complaints that express our humility, praise and confidence in God. 

Songs of Thanksgiving 

Songs of thanksgiving can sometimes be identified as hymns because they are similar in structure and mood. They express the psalmist’s or community’s thankful praise to God for a specific act of deliverance and can also be a response to an answered lament to provide a witness of God’s deliverance. 

Psalm 32 is a song of thanksgiving by King David. His gratitude is personal, deeply felt and focused on a particular problem. God’s act of deliverance was God’s forgiveness of David’s sin. David’s praise sets an example for us as we come before God for specific purposes.   

Seven Psalms Subtypes 

From the three major types of psalms that we just discussed, scholars recognize at least seven subtypes of psalms. Subtypes offer a mix of hymns, laments and songs of thanksgiving. Familiarity with them enriches our understanding of the Book of Psalms. 

1. Royal or Kingship Psalms—These relate to matters of kingship, such as coronation (Psalm 2), enthronement (Psalm 24), war preparation (Psalm 20) and/or a royal wedding (Psalm 45). Such psalms direct our attention to the human king of Israel and to God as King; therefore, they bear strong Messianic overtones and duality of meaning.

2. Psalms of Confidence or Trust—Express profound confidence or trust in God for His deliverance, mercy, compassion, power and righteousness. Psalms of confidence use vivid metaphors which show the psalmist’s awareness of God’s presence, e.g., God is a refuge (Psalm 11), a shepherd (Psalm 23), a light (Psalm 27), a rock (Psalm 62) and help (Psalm 121) 

3. Wisdom Psalms—Focus on living righteously. They reflect on why the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer and urge hearers to follow wisdom. e.g., Psalm 37, Psalm 34. 

4. Imprecatory Psalms—Imprecatory means “to call down harm, a curse.” In these psalms a desire for justice is vented towards God in a forceful, hyperbolic language that calls on God to strike enemies with calamity and judgment. They show human beings as going to God when in anguish and trusting in Him but not in themselves to practice righteous judgment. Examples: Psalm 35 and in Psalm 137 especially verses 8-9.  

5. Penitential or Repentance Psalms—Penitential is defined as “repentant, remorseful and contrite.” In such psalms the sinner’s heartfelt repentance and desire for God’s forgiveness is expressed. The most well-known psalm of this type is King’s David’s, Psalm 51, a powerful and helpful psalm to study whenever we need to repent. Another psalm of this type to look at is Psalm 130.  

6. Psalms of Zion—All six psalms of Zion are hymns: Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122. They are specifically praising God by praising the city He has chosen to be the center of His worship and for His protection of that city. These also present duality of meaning with the Church of God. 

7. Torah Psalms—Psalms 1, 19, and 119 are Torah psalms are hymns: They praise God for His torah (instruction or law) and especially the five books of Moses (Pentateuch).  
   1. Psalm 1 describes the two ways to live: either obey God or disobey God.  
   2. Psalm 19 highlights God’s glory as revealed through His Creation and His Law.  
   3. Psalm 119 is the longest and the most carefully structured of psalms, emphasizing the beauty of God’s law.

Conclusion 

Grouping the psalms according to mood, structure and content reveals that the Book of Psalms is not a disorganized collection of random, stand-alone poems. There is structure, order and purpose. In our next lesson, we’ll delve into the origins and development of the Book of Psalms.   

Sources 

Lucas, Ernest C. “Psalms.” Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms and Wisdom Literature. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity P, 2003. 1-66. 

© Randy Urwiller, 2025. All rights reserved. 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.