The Psalms have been well-loved and frequently used by Christians throughout history. For directness, intensity, and intimacy, they are unrivaled in all of Scripture. Somehow the psalmists seem to have anticipated our own awe, desires, and frustrations. Yet the Psalms also challenge us when we look at them closely. Their poetry is unfamiliar in form. Many images used are foreign to us today. And the psalmists sometimes express troubling thoughts that seem hard to reconcile with other teachings of Scripture. In this volume of the popular How to Read Series, Tremper Longman III gives us the kind of help we need to overcome the distance between the psalmists' world and ours. He explains the various genres of psalms, the way they were used in Hebrew worship, their relationship to the rest of the Old Testament, and the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. Then he looks at how Christians can appropriate the message and insights of Psalms today. Step-by-step suggestions for interpreting the psalms on our own are followed by exercises for further study and reflection, plus a helpful guide to commentaries on the Psalms. This second edition includes expanded content, updated sources, and a new appendix on the structure of the book of Psalms.
"For over thirty years, countless believers have benefited from How to Read the Psalms. Its secret sauce is its combination of literary guidance on genres and poetry, theological guidance for praying in view of Christ, and practical guidance on how readers can engage personally with God. May this second edition continue to equip the next generation to meet with God through the Psalter."
Andrew Abernethy, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College
"The Psalms have long been thought of as the great prayer book of the Bible, but that has often been a distinction more noted than lived. No more. Tremper Longman III has given us a guide for not only reading and understanding these classic expressions of the soul-at-depth but also allowing them to form our lives."
