The Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary (Eerdmans Critical Commentary)

The book's clearly written introduction treats such subjects as the longevity and ecumenicity of the psalms, their Near Eastern background, the Hebrew text and ancient versions, their music, their strophic structure, their literary genre, and their relations to the New Testament. In the commentary itself Terrien freshly elucidates the theological significance of these collected poems by putting readers in touch with the formal versatility and religious passion of the psalmists themselves. While Terrien always engages in scientific exegesis before drawing theological conclusions, he is careful to allow full expression to the theological - and, especially, the doxological - voice of these unmatched spiritual songs. The result is a commentary that provides a link between the archaic language of Psalms and the intellectual demands of modern thinking and spirituality.

Samuel Terrien (1911-2002) was Davenport Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Cognate Languages at Union Theological Seminary in New York.