The Old Testament Book of Psalms

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 sacred songs, prayers, and poems found in the Old Testament. Traditionally attributed largely to King David, the…

The Hebrew Psalter numbers 150 songs. The corresponding number in the Septuagint differs because of a different division of certain Psalms. Hence the numbering in the Greek Psalter (which was followed by the Latin Vulgate) is usually one digit behind the Hebrew. In the New American Bible the numbering of the verses follows the Hebrew numbering; many of the traditional English translations are often a verse number behind the Hebrew because they do not count the superscriptions as a verse. The superscriptions derive from pre-Christian Jewish tradition, and they contain technical terms, many of t…