psalm

A psalm is a sacred poem or song, especially one in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. The English word derives from Latin psalmus, via Greek psallos, while the Hebrew terms mizmor, shir, and tehillah denote parts of this concept, meaning a psalm, a song, and praise, respectively. The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 distinct psalms widely used in Jewish and Christian worship.

Psalms cover a range of genres and aims, including lament, thanksgiving, praise, royal or enthronement psalms, and wisdom or penitential pieces. Many psalms attribute authorship to figures such as David, Asaph, the Sons of Korah, and Solomon, though a substantial number are anonymous. The form is primarily lyric, featuring vivid imagery and linguistic parallelism; some psalms are acrostic, with lines or stanzas arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet (notably Psalm 119).

Canonical status and textual history vary by tradition. In Judaism, the psalms are part of Tehillim and recited in daily prayer and liturgy. In Christianity, they are included in the Old Testament and have fed biblical interpretation, hymns, and liturgical practice across denominations. There are differences in numbering between the Masoretic Hebrew text and the Greek Septuagint, leading to occasional cross-referencing inconsistencies. Manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls show ancient precursors and variants of several psalms.

Psalms have exerted wide literary and musical influence, shaping devotional practices, music, and art across cultures and eras, and remaining central to both private prayer and communal worship.