This is the first of a two-volume bible commentary covering the Psalms and examining the role of these biblical poems throughout Jewish and Christian history. Provides a fascinating introduction to the literary, historical, and theological background of psalmody - Examines the psalms through liturgy and prayer, study and preaching, translation and imitation, and musical composition and artistic illustration - Includes illustrations of significant psalms, helpful maps, and an extensive bibliography; an expanded bibliography to accompany the book is also available at www.wiley.com/go/gillingham - A forthcoming second volume is planned, which will take an alternative psalm-by-psalm approach - Now available in paperback, and published in the innovative reception-history series, Blackwell Bible Commentaries “Dr Gillingham has already published widely on the Psalms, and we look forward to her second volume.” ( Journal of Theological Studies , 1 October 2013) “A most impressive piece of work ...The coverage is truly encyclopaedic in scope and nothing seems to have escaped Gillingham’s attention.” ― Journal for the Study of the Old Testament “Gillingham meticulously masters the diverse reception history of the psalms ... Every page is bursting with solid research and influential insight. An invaluable addition to the field.” ― Religious Studies Review “This wonderful book whets the appetite both for its second volume, and for more volumes of this valuable series … [A] highly innovative and promising project.” ― International Review of Biblical Studies “ This book is a breakthrough in our understanding of the reception history of the Psalter. It will appeal to scholars and students of the Psalms and also to everyone who uses and prays them. The scope is extraordinarily wide and covers both Jewish and Christian use of the Psalms over nearly three thousand years.” ― John Barton, University of Oxford “As liturgical and devotional texts the Psalms occupy a unique place in Jewish and Christian tradition. In this impressively wide ranging study, Sue Gillingham explores how over the centuries the Psalms have inspired, been prayed, analyzed, interpreted and spoken with an extraordinary resonance to many kinds of human need. Musicians, liturgists and students of literature as well as theologians, clergy and Christian and Jewish teachers, will find fresh perspectives and new insights in this magisterial survey. We await with anticipation the second volume in which against this background the interpretation of individual psalms will be considered.” ― The Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell, Diocese of Europe This is the first of a two-volume commentary covering the Psalms. It provides a fascinating introduction to the literary, historical, and theological background of psalmody, examining the role of these biblical poems throughout Jewish and Christian history. Gillingham explores the psalms through liturgy and prayer, study and preaching, translation and imitation, and musical composition and artistic illustration. Included are illustrations of significant psalms, helpful maps, and an extensive bibliography; an expanded bibliography to accompany the book is also available at www.wiley.com/go/gillingham . A forthcoming second volume will provide readers with a psalm-by-psalm commentary using the now established reception history approach. Taken together, these books constitute the most comprehensive resource available on the topic. For further information about this innovative reception-history series, visit the Blackwell Bible Commentaries website at www.bbibcomm.net . This is the first of a two-volume commentary covering the Psalms. It provides a fascinating introduction to the literary, historical, and theological background of psalmody, examining the role of these biblical poems throughout Jewish and Christian history. Gillingham explores the psalms through liturgy and prayer, study and preaching, translation and imitation, and musical composition and artistic illustration. Included are illustrations of significant psalms, helpful maps, and an extensive bibliography; an expanded bibliography to accompany the book is also available at www.wiley.com/go/gillingham . A forthcoming second volume will provide readers with a psalm-by-psalm commentary using the now established reception history approach. Taken together, these books constitute the most comprehensive resource available on the topic. For further information about this innovative reception-history series, visit the Blackwell Bible Commentaries website at www.bbibcomm.net . Susan Gillingham is Fellow and Tutor in Theology at Worcester College and is Reader in the Old Testament at the University of Oxford. She has written various books and articles on the Psalms and Biblical Interpretation, including The Poems and Psalms of the Hebrew Bible (1994), One Bible, Many Voices: Different Approaches to Biblical Studies (1998) and The Image, the Depths and the Su