The 82 Psalms selected for this book are all based on the Ancient Greek translation, known as the Septuagint. This was the version used and frequently quoted by Jesus Himself and all the writers of the New Testament. Each of the selected Psalms is presented in two English versions. In the first section of the book, a literal translation is provided. In the second section, each Psalm is given an accurate, but more poetic form. This seems wholly appropriate, for the Psalms are not prose works. They are poems.
How many Psalms are there? This would make a great quiz question, because 100% of contestants would supply a wrong answer. 99% or more would reply, "150!" This is certainly the number given in all Bibles, except the Ancient Greek version known as the Septuagint which adds an extra Psalm of David, numbered 151. This additional Psalm was actually once included in the Hebrew Bible. Such a manuscript was recovered in the Dead Sea scrolls. Presumably, it was dropped from the Masoretic Hebrew text early in the medieval period. Why? There could have been little doubt that 151 was a genuine Davidic Psalm, so the reason for its deletion, I would guess, was purely numerical. 150 is an acceptable, even a commendable Biblical number. 151, on the other hand, most definitely is not. Unfortunately, despite this effort to keep the total number of Psalms in the Biblical book of that name standing at 150, there are not 150 Psalms in the collection at all. At the very most, the total reaches 147. The first problem lies in the fact that three Psalms are duplicates. Psalm 53 is word-for-word identical to Psalm 14; Psalm 70 replicates Psalm 40; while Psalm 108 combines verses 6-11 of Psalm 57 with verses 5-12 of Psalm 60. The second difficulty is that some Psalms have obviously been cut in two. Psalm 43, for example, is actually a continuation of Psalm 42. Psalms 146, 147 and 148 were originally one Psalm (as the Septuagint directly implies). Dubious additions to the original Psalms by priests, editors and copyists also confuse the issue. The headings to the individual Psalms, printed in some Bibles, are all later editorial additions and are not regarded as inspired. These headings often conflict not only with the text, but even with each other in the various manuscripts.
Throughout the centuries, the book of Psalms has been regarded as a unique source of comfort and inspiration, of praise and power. Not all Psalms, however, fit into these categories. They have been excluded from this selection. Also excluded are those Psalms, as noted above, that merely echo – or actually repeat word for word – other Psalms in the collection.
