Review: "How to Read the Psalms" by Tremper Longman III

How to Read the Psalms by Tremper Longman III is an excellent introduction to the Psalms for the lay person and the seminary student.

He divides his book into three large sections: First, he deals with the use of the Psalms in their historical context, exploring the genres of the Psalms, who wrote the Psalms and when, how one can understand the Psalms to be a summary of the Bible and the self, and how the Christian may interpret the Psalms in the light of the New Testament and the coming of the Promised Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the second section, he explores the grammatical and poetic structure of the Psalms, pointing out issues and devices that are not easy to see in English translations.

In the third section, he looks at sections of three Psalms and employs what he has said in the interpretation of them.

As I said, this book is a helpful work for any Christian interested in understanding the Psalms.

I would, however, note, that from my own study, there are a few weaknesses in his book: On page 41, he explains his view that the titles, or ascriptions, of the Psalms are later editions, though of reliable tradition. And again, on page 46, he talks about how some of the Psalms have been “updated” to include material that would otherwise been unknown to the actual author. In both such cases, I find it problematic to say that the biblical text has been “changed.” If it has been changed, how can we know that any of it is truly reliable? If it has been changed, can we say that there is any real prophecy in the Bible?

One other issue is his explanation of “mythological allusions in the Psalms” beginning on page 118. Longman does an excellent job of showing how the Psalmists use the gods and beliefs of pagans in parallel ways in the Psalms to show that God is the only God. But, then, he calls such beings as Leviathan “mythological.” It seems to hurt his case to say that such beings do not exist, simply because they are misused in the pagan religions. If there is no such being as Leviathan, for example, God’s rebuke of Job loses much of its power, does it not?

Those things being said, there is much in this book to recommend it. It is very readable and should find itself used greatly to the benefit of the Church, student, and minister.