Learn About the 5 Books of Psalms

Psalms is broken down into five “books”. It’s a love story, the history of the Israelites, along with other poetry and hymns.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS

There is so much to unpack in the book of Psalms that I struggled with what to highlight and what to take out in order to create my Psalms printables. But when stripped down to it’s most basic, it’s a collection of praise, prayers and remembrance of what God’s done and a reflection on who he is.

The book of Psalms models for us how to be in true relationship with a God that we can’t see.

It’s a book of worship.

Psalms is the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters and is divided into five sections, called books. Some think it reflects the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy). I’m unsure when Psalms officially divided into these sections, but the earliest copies found in the Dead Sea Scrolls included 5 books as well (which I was lucky to see on tour a few years ago!).

Before my study, I thought that David wrote all the Psalms, but he only wrote about half of the chapters (73). The rest were written by:

Asaph (a Levite music leader)
the sons of Korah (descendants of Moses’ cousin)
Solomon
Moses
Heman the Ezrahite (musician and grandson of prophet Samuel)
Ethan the Ezrahite (Levite musician)

USE PSALMS AS YOUR OWN PRAYERS

I love that you can read these and pray them as your own. The hymns/prayers/petitions/laments and praises of these poems are timeless and can be applied to so many situations in your very own life.

Take Psalm 139 for example. I read this when I need a reminder that I am not alone.

PSALM 139

1 You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS PRINTABLES

Open up your Bible, read through Psalms, and print out these visual notes to guide you as you read. I’ve taken all the confusing stuff and simplified it for you. Nothing on these pages is there to take up space. Even the top doodles are a way to help you retell the story in your own words!

You can order these in my shop:

SHOP PSALMS PRINTABLES

SHOP THE WISDOM & POETRY BOOKS BUNDLE

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So a few years ago, I made this Old and New Testament Summary Printable, and now I’m working my way through each book of the Bible! To get the rest of the printables, check out my Timeline Bundles for the best deal:

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