Background and Context Psalm 84 is a beautiful and deeply loved Song of Zion, written by the “Sons of Korah.” The Sons of Korah were a guild of Levites who served as musicians and doorkeepers in the Jerusalem Temple. This background is essential for understanding the psalm. The author is not a distant admirer of … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 83 is the final psalm in the collection of Asaph. It is a desperate national lament and a fierce imprecatory prayer, a cry to God from a nation facing an existential threat. The psalmist reports that a massive coalition of ten surrounding nations has formed a confederacy with a single, terrifying … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 82 is a dramatic and powerful psalm of Asaph that unfolds like a scene from a divine courtroom. It is a prophetic lawsuit in which God Himself stands up as both prosecutor and judge to confront a group of corrupt authorities. The central interpretive question in this psalm is the identity … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 81 is a liturgical psalm of Asaph, composed for use during one of Israel’s major religious festivals. The mention of the “new moon” and the “full moon,” along with the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar), strongly suggests that this psalm was used during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This festival, … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 80 is a heartbreaking national lament from the collection of Asaph. The psalm is a desperate cry for restoration on behalf of the northern kingdom of Israel, which is represented by the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh (verse 2) and by the name of their ancestor, Joseph (verse 1). The … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 79 is a raw and devastating community lament, a national cry of pain from the heart of a disaster. Like Psalm 74, this “psalm of Asaph” is a response to the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The graphic descriptions of the defiled temple, … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 78 is a “Maskil of Asaph,” a psalm of instruction. At 72 verses, it is the second-longest psalm in the Bible and functions as an epic historical sermon in poetic form. Asaph, a prominent worship leader, takes on the role of a teacher, recounting the history of Israel from the Exodus … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 77 is a deeply moving psalm of Asaph that masterfully charts a journey from the depths of personal despair to a place of renewed and stable faith. The specific cause of the psalmist’s “day of trouble” is not mentioned, making this a timeless prayer for any individual or community wrestling with … Read more
Historical Background and Context Psalm 76 is a triumphant victory hymn from the collection of Asaph. It celebrates a specific, miraculous event in which God decisively intervened to save Jerusalem (called Zion and Salem) from a powerful, arrogant foreign army. The details within the psalm—the shattering of weapons, the sudden death of mighty warriors in … Read more
Background and Context Psalm 75 is a powerful and confident psalm of Asaph, a chief musician in David’s court. It is a prophetic hymn that functions as a direct response to a situation of national crisis where arrogant and powerful forces, either within Israel or from a hostile foreign nation, are boasting in their own … Read more