Wisdom Literature Part 13
Who wrote Psalms? Are they inspired by God? Why is there controversy about their authorship?
In this lesson we will consider the origin of the psalms and their purpose. Some of the questions we will address are, what is the controversy about the psalms’ authorship? Did David write all the psalms? How did the psalms come into being? How were the psalms used in ancient times?
Controversy about Authorship
There are 103 psalms that bear the names of individuals (or of groups of people) who authored them, including David, Solomon and Moses. However, some critics argue that these attributions in the psalm titles do not confirm authorship. Why not?
It comes down to the meanings of the prefix “le-” or lamed. When the Hebrew letter lamed is treated like a prefix, le-, it is often translated as the English preposition “of” as exampled below:
- “A psalm of David”
- “A psalm of Solomon”
- “A psalm of Moses”
However, as a prefix lamed could also be translated as “for, to, belonging to, or concerning.” If these meanings are applied, then the titles could read:
- “A Psalm for David”
- “A Psalm concerning Solomon”
- “A Psalm about Moses”
Skeptics use these other possible meanings of the prefix “le-” to argue that David, Solomon and Moses did not write the psalms that bear their names. They argue that those psalms were written about them but not by them. This question of authorship is a hotly debated issue! How would you respond to the critics?
- Each author was capable of writing psalms. The attributed psalmists were talented and educated. For example:
- David was a musician and poet (2 Samuel 23:1), and he established and organized musicians for Temple worship (1 Chronicles 6:31-32).
- Solomon was wise, highly educated and an established author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon (1 Kings 4:32).
- Moses “was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22).
- Their authorship was not doubted in any place in the Bible. Neither Jesus Christ nor any other New Testament writer questioned the authenticity of their psalms.
- Jesus Christ credited David with writing psalms, such as Psalm 110 (Luke 20:42).
- Peter credited David with writing Psalm 16 (Acts 2:25).
- Faith dictates that we believe Scripture.
- 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God . . .”
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13 states, “We thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
Despite the objections of skeptics, we have no reason to reject the Bible’s attributions of authorship to the psalms; instead, we have sound reasons to accept it. Our stance is to accept the authorship of the psalms as given in the titles. Now, we will identify the known authors of Psalms.
David
David is specifically ascribed to 73 different psalms. Of these psalms, 13 are directly connected to some of his personal life events: 3, 7, 18, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63 and 142. Tradition holds that David wrote thousands of psalms: “a Psalms scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls attributes 3,600 psalms to David” (Jewish Study Bible, p. 1266). How incredible! Additionally, Jesus Christ and New Testament writers never doubt his authorship.
The Sons of Korah
The Sons of Korah are attributed to 10 or 11 psalms. They are the descendants of Kohath, the son of Levi. Korah, grandson of Kohath (Numbers 16:1-3), had led a rebellion against Moses (his cousin). Korah was killed when God opened the earth beneath his feet, but his children survived (Numbers 26:9-11). The sons of Korah were originally appointed by David as temple leaders in choral and instrumental music and were well-equipped to write the psalms attributed to them.
Asaph
Asaph is attributed to 12 psalms. He is the descendant of Gershom a son of Levi. He was appointed by David to be the director of music at the Temple together with Heman and Jeduthun, (1 Chronicles 15:16-17 and 16:41-42; 2 Chronicles 35:15). He was celebrated in later times as a poet and a seer (2 Chronicles 29:30; Nehemiah 12:46).
Jeduthun
Jeduthun, a Levite, is attributed to three psalms. Jeduthun and Ethan may be the same person: Ethan in earlier accounts and later as Jeduthun (possibly a nickname). He is called the “king’s seer” (2 Chronicles 35:15); “prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD” (1 Chronicles 25:1). Jeduthun was appointed by David to be the director of music at the Temple together with Heman and Asaph.
Heman
Heman is attributed to one psalm, Psalm 88. He is the grandson of Samuel, a descendant of Korah (1Chronicles 6:33-37). In 1 Chronicles 6:33 he is called “the singer” and the “king’s seer.” He had 14 sons and three daughters (1 Chronicles 25:5). As mentioned previously, he was appointed by David to be the director of music at the temple together with Jeduthun and Asaph.
Ethan the Ezrahite
Ethan is attributed to Psalm 89 and is a descendant of Merari, a son of Levi. As mentioned above, Ethan and Jeduthun may be the same individual. 1 Kings 4:31 states that only Solomon excelled him in wisdom!
Solomon and Moses
Solomon is attributed to Psalm 72 and Psalm 127. Moses authored Psalm 90.
Some psalm titles may not have been written by the original author but added during Ezra’s time. That would not diminish the psalms. For example, the title of Psalm 3 reads: “A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.” The psalm was written in the first person “I,” but the title refers to David in third person “he” and “his.” The pronouns suggest that the title was added later.
How Did the Book of Psalms Come to Be?
The Book of Psalms came to be through a centuries-long process of writing and collecting. David had a gift for music from childhood (1 Samuel 16:16, 23), and God inspired David to compose many psalms. We know that David did not write the entirety of the Book of Psalms, but David was the most prolific writer. David also organized directors of music who were responsible for writing music and incorporating it into the worship of God. The directors of music would have collected and maintained David’s psalms and later added other psalms: the Book of Psalms was their hymnal.
The ancient Hebrews called this collection Tehillim, which means “songs of praise.” We call it the Book of Psalms. Since some psalms were written during Judah’s exile (e.g., Psalm 137, “By the waters of Babylon . . .”), scholars believe the Book of the Psalms was finalized after the Jews returned from exile, sometime after 537 B.C. The Book of Psalms essentially became fixed in place after the return of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Sources
Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler. “Psalms: Introduction.” The Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. Adele
Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. New York: Oxford UP, 2014. 1265- 1269.
Longman, Tremper. “The Origins, Development, and Use of the Psalms.” How to Read the Psalms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988. 37-50.
© 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.
