Who wrote the Bible? | Biblica - The International Bible Society Who wrote the Bible? Who Wrote the Bible? Many people contributed to the writing of the Bible. In fact, the Bible is a diverse collection of writings from about 40 main contributors—30 in the Old Testament and 10 in the New Testament. Some books are actually collections of writings from several authors, not just one. For example, while many people think of David when they think of the book of Psalms, there are individual psalms attributed to Moses, Asaph, a man named Ethan, and the sons of Korah. Old Testament authors The accounts preserved in the Old Testament—also known as the First Testament or Hebrew Scriptures—go back thousands of years. They were written down and communicated orally. Many regard Moses as the primary human author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah. Regardless of the role others may have played in compiling the Torah, it’s thought that Moses ensured the narratives, genealogies, and law codes were collected and retold faithfully in these five books (which are, after all, known by many Jewish people as the “five books of Moses”).

As already mentioned, David is considered the main human author of the Psalms, though others contributed too. David’s son, King Solomon, is credited with writing or inspiring much of Bible’s wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.). The First Testament also contains oracles from prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and others. Many of these messages were delivered in person—shouted from street corners, spoken in front of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, or pronounced in the royal courts of Israel and Judah. Only later were these oracles written down, often by the prophets themselves or by their scribes. As time passed, all these writings were collected together into the First Testament. The Jewish people received them as divinely inspired Scripture. New Testament authors The New Testament consists of stories, teachings, and letters that circulated among the first Christian churches. Letters from apostles like Paul and Peter are among the earliest writings in the New Testament. These letters were meant to be read aloud by communities of believers in specific locations. After the recipients heard the message intended for them, they often memorized it and shared it with neighboring Christian communities.

Luke and Acts, a two-volume series on the life of Jesus and the early church, was penned by a physician named Luke, who was also a traveling companion to the apostle Paul. The gospel of Matthew is popularly attributed to a tax collector variously known as Levi or Matthew—though given its content, some think it was written by someone with more training in the Hebrew Scriptures. Mark’s gospel is thought to record the memoirs of Peter, as told through the pen of John Mark. The gospel of John was written by one of Jesus’ closest disciples, giving us an eyewitness account of the Messiah’s life. Not just any book, not just any author. Of course, for Christians, the Bible is more than just a human book. It is the authoritative, written Word of God. Through this ancient collection of books, God speaks into our world, revealing who he is and how he’s at work—then and now—repairing all that is broken. God did not simply give dictation to the human authors of Scripture; their contribution is real. Their personalities, perspectives, and writing styles are all discernable in the text—as are the unique situations and circumstances of those to whom they were writing.

Yet God’s universal message is present from Genesis to Revelation. It is truly amazing that God used so many people to tell his big story, one that transcends language, culture, and time. The Bible is a diverse collection of literature, yet it contains a unified message of redemption and renewal. God has given us a Bible that’s fully human and fully divine—fully inspired by his Spirit and fully a product of the world in which it was written. Back to FAQs Do you have questions about the Bible? Visit our FAQs page for in-depth answers to important questions. Did David Write the Psalms? - Flunking Sainthood Did David Write the Psalms? Posted by Jana Riess Short answer: no. Read on if you want to know why. Some Jewish and Christian traditions consider David the author of the Psalms, possibly all 150 but especially numbers 3 to 41, which are thought to comprise a collection. (They are all psalms of the individual rather than the community.) David is also credited as the author of Psalm 51 and 138-145, among others.

Since David is identified as a musician and a singer in several places in the Samuel narrative, the attributions made a kind of sense. But there are serious problems with this theory. UC Berkeley Hebrew professor Robert Alter says, “The Davidic authorship enshrined in Jewish and Christian tradition has no credible historical grounding. It was a regular practice in the later biblical period to ascribe new texts to famous figures of the past.” (The Book of Psalms, xv) The superscriptions that precede each psalm (e.g. “To the leader: A Psalm of David”) were added much later, even centuries after David’s death, as a way to honor Israel’s most famous king. The Hebrew preposition “l” can, like many Hebrew words, mean a variety of different things. Often translated “of,” it can also mean “to” or “for” (a Psalm for David) or “in the manner of” (a psalm that’s like something David might have written if he were still with us; R.I.P.).

In any case, the New Interpreters’ Bible commentary says that such superscriptions “do not identify the author of these compositions, but rather indicate that the psalm is to be associated with these figures in some fashion.” (p. 308) Is Psalm 51 less beautiful, or less powerful an expression of human sorrow for sin, just because David didn’t write it himself after sleeping with Bathsheba and then ordering the murder of her husband? Of course not. Yet many people continue insisting that David was the author of the Psalms. In the one – one! – lesson devoted to the Psalms in the LDS Gospel Doctrine manual , the manual explains that “many were written by David.” There is simply no evidence to support that. While some seem to be contemporaneous with David’s time period or slightly later (they assume, for example, that there is a temple in Jerusalem), others (like 137 ) are clearly later, even postexilic. Alter concludes by saying that it’s possible, though unlikely, that David wrote one or two of the psalms. In the end, the poems “were produced by many different poets over half a millennium.” Who wrote the Psalms?

Hint: not just David Psalms is the longest book of the Bible ( see what the longest book actually is ). Psalms was written by David. David didn’t write the book of Psalms. In fact, David only wrote about half of the Psalms—73 out of all 150, to be precise (though the Latin Vulgate and Septuagint credit a few more to him). He wasn’t even the one who put the whole collection together: some were written hundreds of years after he died! So that leaves us with a few questions: How do we know who wrote the Psalms? How many people besides David contributed to Psalms? Which psalms were written by David? Which psalms were written by the others? The good news is that we can find the answers using the psalm titles, some cross-references, and a little math. Let’s tackle these questions one by one. How do we know who wrote the Psalms? Old Testament authorship can be tricky, but Psalms makes it pretty easy for us in most cases.

While most of the Old Testament books don’t explicitly state their authors—we’re looking at you, Job !—whoever put the book of Psalms together labeled the Psalms by author. When look up a Psalm in your Bible, you’ll usually see something like this: While the italic headings in this example were added long after Psalms was written, the line, “A Psalm of David” was actually written in the Hebrew manuscripts. It’s kind of like the hymnals you find in churches—they give you the song’s title and the name of the guy or lady who wrote it. So for most of these Psalms, you can tell whom they recognized as author way back when. If you’re one of those do-it-yourself Bible-study people (or, as I call them, Home Depot Christians*), you can quit reading this post right now. Just go look up all 150 psalms, record who wrote which ones, and then do the math on your own. But if you don’t have that kind of time on your hands, good news! I did all that dirty work for you . . . with a little help from Logos Bible Software . =) *This is a lame joke.

I know. But I promise I made it up right as I was typing that sentence. It’s funny via spontaneity—trust me on this. How many people (besides David) wrote the Psalms? When you go through all the Psalms and note each heading, you get a long list of Psalmists. In fact, Psalms names more contributors than any other book of the Bible . The Psalms name more than seven authors, including five individuals and two families (who wrote psalms over the centuries). Here’s the spread: David: the God-anointed king of Israel. I’m sure you’ve heard of this guy—he killed Goliath. You can read his story in the books of First and Second Samuel . Asaph (the family): Asaph and his sons were ordained by David to lead the people in worship, and were recommissioned when Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem (1 Ch 25:1; Neh 7:44; 12:46–47). The sons of Korah (another family): back in the book of Numbers , a man named Korah rebelled against Moses and Aaron—and God caused the earth to swallow him up.

His sons survived, though (Nu 26:11), and continued to serve in the house of the Lord. They share one psalm (Ps 88) with the wise man Heman. Heman: not to be confused with He-Man. He was a wise man who co-authored the eighty-eighth psalm with the sons of Korah. His brother Ethan (1 Ch 2:6) wrote a psalm, too. Solomon: this king is better known for his work in Proverbs , Ecclesiastes , and Song of Solomon . He’s David’s son, and inherits his father’s throne. Moses: he wrote more words in your Bible than any other human. Most of those words are in the books of Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers , and Deuteronomy . Moses also wrote a psalm. Ethan the Ezrahite: we don’t know much about Ethan, except that he was a famous wise man. So famously wise, in fact, that the Bible makes a point to tell us Solomon was even wiser (1 Ki 4:31). Sorry, Ethan—but hey, somebody needs to get the silver medals.

The remaining 50 “orphan psalms” aren’t credited to any one author. One nameless nobody could have written all 50, but there’s a better chance that they were written by many people over many years. Which psalms did David write? So we know David wrote the most of the psalms—73 that we’re sure of. These ones are his, specifically: Psalms 3–9 Moses wrote Psalm 90. Ethan the Ezrahite wrote Psalm 89. Did you know that the Psalms isn’t the only place where songs show up in the Bible? There are dozens of other songs scattered throughout Scripture. Here’s where you can learn about all of them . David had a lot of help Just by looking at these numbers, we see that David wrote more psalms than anyone else, but God used a wide range of talented musicians over hundreds of years to write these pieces back to Him. We can’t neatly attribute Psalms to David, but I think that makes the book of Psalms a lot more interesting. Don’t you?

Oh, and one more thing: the Jews worshiped with songs written over a period of 700 years—and here we call 200-year-old hymns “old-fashioned.” Wouldn’t it be cool to study the Scriptures together? I’d love to send Bible-study tips, infographics, and posts like this one straight to your inbox every week. Just sign up for my email newsletter below. Overview Bible News The Book of Psalms - Life, Hope & Truth The Book of Psalms by Roy Demarest The major book in the Writings section is the book of Psalms. What can we learn from this book of Hebrew poetry and songs? What are its major themes? Do you have a favorite part of the Bible? Many people do. Many surveys have been done where this question has been asked of church-going Christians, and the answers are generally the same. In the New Testament, the four Gospels are consistently listed as the most popular. In the Old Testament, the book of Psalms is the clear winner. In fact, if there is only one chapter in the Bible that most people have actually memorized, it would most likely be a Psalm, and it would probably be the 23rd Psalm.

Actually, there are 150 psalms in the book of Psalms, and all of them contain valuable information about life’s most important questions. How much do you know about the other 149 psalms? What subjects do they deal with, what instructions do they give, and how can they help a person in the 21st century? It can be helpful to have some background information about the entire book. Even if we have been reading the Psalms for many years, would we be able to answer questions such as: Who wrote the Psalms? What does the word psalm mean? How were the Psalms used by God’s people in the Old Testament? Authors and sections The Psalms are a collection of the writings of several different authors. However, there is general consensus in conservative circles that King David of Israel was the major source and collector of the Psalms. The Psalms are divided into five major sections: Psalms 1-41 (Book 1). Psalms 90-106 (Book 4). Psalms 107-150 (Book 5).

David is listed in the superscription of 73 psalms. This does not necessarily mean that David wrote all of them, as the designation may mean simply that the psalm is about David. Moses is listed as the author of Psalm 90, and Solomon is listed as the author of Psalms 72 and 127. Other authors listed in the psalm titles include Asaph (12 psalms), descendants of Korah (11 psalms), Heman the Ezrahite (Psalm 88) and Ethan the Ezrahite (Psalm 89). Hymns and Hebrew poetry There are some very interesting things to note about the construction and style of the Psalms. The root meaning of the title of the book in both Hebrew and Greek is to play instrumental music and to sing to musical accompaniment. Services at God’s temple involved the singing of these hymns with the accompaniment of stringed and wind instruments. In one sense, the book of Psalms was like a hymnal for God’s temple services. There is another feature of the construction of the book of Psalms that makes it stand out from the rest of the Bible.

The book of Psalms is actually what we might call Hebrew poetry. However, it is unlike the English poetry many of us are familiar with, in that there is no rhyme and almost no meter or cadence in the writing. The outstanding feature of Hebrew poetry is the use of parallelism, meaning there is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical construction. Here are a few examples that illustrate this point: Psalm 15:1: “LORD, ‘Who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?’” In this verse, the thought is repeated using different words. Psalm 1:6: “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Here the thought is contrasted. Psalm 1:1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” In this verse the thought is built up and restated several times. This construction is important to remember so we can understand what the words are saying.

A word or phrase on one line may be clarified and explained by what is said on the next line. The key to fully understanding the message of a particular psalm is to make sure we read the entire section or psalm. The Psalms tend to place thoughts, concepts and ideas concerning doctrine together. The greatest benefits of Psalms The 150 psalms are much more than beautiful literary compositions. The greatest benefits to the seeker of truth from the book of Psalms are not found in its construction or musical origins, but the timeless and uplifting truths it offers to people of every nation and age. Eternal truths are written in a form that challenges the human intellect and touches the human heart. The words, phrases, lines and sentences with their recurring thoughts are able to teach us and reach us in ways that few things can. This is the book of Psalms’ greatest appeal. Nearly all of life’s important questions are addressed in these 150 psalms: How to remain godly in the face of great trials. Questions about the injustices of the world. Dealing with depression and despair. Facing our own mortality at the end of our lives. Why God allows suffering.

Repentance, forgiveness, mercy and the reconciliation of the whole world to God. The glory and grandeur of God. Overall themes There are certain overall themes that appear many times in the Psalms. In various commentaries on the Psalms, these themes are noted as always standing out. First, the Psalms show an awareness of God’s presence in people’s everyday lives. God was not just a doctrinal issue to people, but Someone who was interested in everything they did. We see this principle continued in the New Testament in what Jesus taught His disciples: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32). Second, man’s duty to serve and obey God is emphasized throughout the Psalms. Mankind must do more than just praise and talk about God; we must obey God’s law. It’s wonderful to be stirred by singing beautiful hymns about God, but what really matters is that we are moved to live a certain way—God’s way.

Third, the Psalms speak often of Israel and Zion. Mount Zion is Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is a type of the Kingdom of God . We often read of Israel being the “chosen people,” but in Psalms and the New Testament, it is clear that this never had the purpose of promoting an attitude of superiority. Peter said in the book of Acts that God is no respecter of persons ( Acts 10:34 , King James Version). A note of salvation for all the nations of the world is deeply embedded in some of the psalms. In reference to Zion, which represents God’s Kingdom, we read, “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ And of Zion it will be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.’ The LORD will record, when He registers the peoples: ‘This one was born there’” (Psalm 87:4-6). Thus Psalm 87 proclaims that people of all nations are going to become citizens of God’s Kingdom.

Commenting on verse 5 in Psalm 87, Dr. A. Cohen writes that the phrase “this man and that” means, “More idiomatically ‘each and every’ nation, not only those enumerated in the preceding verse will be entitled to claim citizenship in the universal Zion” (The Psalms, p. 284). One of the great truths of the Scriptures is that God’s plan is to save the entire world. The book of Psalms is certainly a section of the Holy Scriptures that has much to offer any student of the Word of God. In its 150 messages there is encouragement, instruction, inspiration, truth and solutions to the great issues facing mankind. The needs of the human heart and mind are cared for in this unique book. Why not take the time to study the 150 psalms more closely and benefit from the great source of godly inspiration they provide? For more on how to effectively study the Bible and practice what it teaches read the articles in the section on “ The Practical and Priceless Benefits of Bible Study .” The Psalms - Arend Remmers The Psalms 1.

Author and Time of Writing The book of the Psalms is probably the best known part of the Old Testament (OT). It is a collection of 150 poems or songs by various authors and it is divided into five books (similar to the Pentateuch). David wrote 73 Psalms. They are mainly to be found in the first, second and fifth book. Twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph, the conductor of David's choir of the temple (1 Chron. 16:7; 2 Chron. 29:30). Asaph's Psalms are Psalm 50 and 73-83. Ten Psalms are written by the sons of Korah (Ps. 42; 44-49; 84; 85; 87), two by Solomon (Ps. 72 and 127), one each by Moses (Ps. 90), Ethan (Ps. 89) and Heman (Ps. 88). The remaining 50 Psalms bear no author's name.

The following Psalms are also ascribed to David in the New Testament (NT): Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25) and Psalm 95 (Heb. 4:7). Together with the Psalms that bear David's name they add up to 75, which means David has written exactly half of all the Psalms. David was very suitable for this. He was an able poet, player (of an instrument) and singer (1 Sam. 16:18; 2 Sam. 23:1). He was filled with the Spirit of God (1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 23:2) and had gone through many experiences with God in his life of faith. Many references of Scripture tell us that David was very active in spiritual poetry and music (e. g. 1 Sam. 18:10; 2 Sam. 1:17-18; 6:5; 1 Chron. 6:31; 16:7; 25:1; 2 Chron. 7:6; 29:30; Ezra 3:10; Neh.

12:24, 36, 45; Amos 6:5). In some places David mentions the occasion or the reason for the composition of a Psalm in the heading: Psalm 3, 7, 18, 34, 51, 52, 54, 57, 59, 60, 63, 142. One of these occasions is described in 2 Sam. 22. This is where we find a nearly word-by-word parallel to Ps. 18. Psalm 90 is probably the oldest psalm: "A prayer of Moses the man of God". Moses lived in the 15th century BC. Most of the Psalms however have been written at the time of David who introduced the singing in the temple (1 Chron. 25). At the time of Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:25-30) reference is made to that (".according to the commandment of David") and to the Psalms of David and Asaph. These psalms therefore had already been joined to a sort of collection.

The last Psalms were written in the days of Ezra (5th century BC). Psalm 137 clearly refers to the Babylonian captivity. According to many researchers it was Ezra, the priest and scribe, himself who completed the final collection of the Psalms (Ezra 3:10). a) General The book of Psalms is the first and main book of the third part of the Hebrew Bible, of the "writings" (hebr. ketubim). The reference in Luke 24:44 "psalms" probably means the whole third part of the OT. The Hebrew title is "tehillim" (hebr. hillil, which means "to praise"; compare hallelujah) and signifies "praises". The name "psalm" for a singular praise originates from the Greek and means "singing with instrumental accompaniment" or "playing a stringed instrument". The Psalms particularly speak to the Bible-reader because the sentiments of God fearing men are expressed more than in other books of the Scriptures, be it in prayer, in confession, in praises or in grief.

In many of these situations the Bible reader finds himself and therefore is especially attracted and spoken to by the Psalms. b) Prophetic Character of the Psalms But this does not yet exhaust the substance of the Psalms. For the psalmists not only described their own feelings. The Spirit of Christ was working in them and was sharing in their distresses and joys and was at one with them (compare Is. 63:9; 1 Pet. 1:11). This is why we find Christ everywhere in the Psalms and not only in the so-called "messianic psalms", e. g. Ps. 16, 22, 24, 40, 68, 69 and 118. Christ is very distinguished in the "messianic psalms" but many psalms are referred to Him in the NT (and these are not the so-called messianic psalms).

The following Psalms ought to be mentioned especially: Psalm 2:7 - "Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee" (Acts 13.33) Psalm 8:6 - "Thou hast put all things under his feet" (Heb. 2:6-10) Psalm 41:9 - "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." (John 13:18) Psalm 45:6 - "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." (Heb. 1:8) Psalm 110:1 - "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand."(Mat. 22:44) Many more references could be added. Nearly half of all messianic references in the NT originate from the Psalms. If we see this spiritual link of Christ with the believing Israelites (who wrote the Psalms) the true character of the book, which is a prophetic character, opens up before our eyes.

The Spirit of Christ unites with the experiences and feelings of these believing Israelites. This is why the sufferings of the Lord and His feelings as true and perfect man are described in the book in such touching manner, for they are a proof of His interest in His earthly people. Describing the history of the Jewish remnant in the last days reflects the prophetic character of the Psalms. But again not the outward events are described but the inward feelings. This would also explain the pleas for punishment or for vengeance on the enemies (e. g. Ps. 137:9), which are difficult to understand for many a reader. The feelings explained in these Psalms are feelings of believers but not of Christians living in the household of grace (compare Rom. 12:17-21). They are feelings of believing Jews living in the coming last days. These Jews will await God's salvation and the just punishment of their oppressors, and especially of the Antichrist. c) Structure of the Psalms Taking the prophetic viewpoint we will find a fairly clear division of the book. All other divisions are more or less unsatisfactory.

The similar structure of the Psalms and of the Pentateuch is also remarkable and one can state certain parallels. The first Psalm of each book contains so to speak the "heading" and the last Psalm of each book concludes with praises. Book I The first book of the Psalms puts forward the principle of separation of the just from the unjust among the people of God. Connected with it the Messiah is seen as Son of God (Ps. 2), as Son of man (Ps. 8), as suffering servant (Ps. 22) and as true offering (Ps. 40). The prevailing name of God in this book is His covenant name Jehovah (which is mentioned approximately 275 times). Book II In the second book we find the sufferings of the just ones, who - separated from any blessing - live in great tribulation and who cry to God (Elohim is mentioned roughly 200 times) in their distress. Book III The third book describes the return of Israel as a people and God's mercy towards His people. Book IV The fourth book begins with the reign of Jehovah (app. 100 times) after introducing the firstborn into the habitable world (JND translation).

With this begins the reign of the glorified Son of man in the Millennium after the salvation of the whole of Israel. Book V The fifth book contains the summary of all Jehovah's ways with His people Israel as well as the praise, which is due to Him for His mercy (Ps. 111-113; 146-150). a) Hebrew Poetry Rhyme, rhythm and metre as well as partially the division into verses play an important role in classical European poetry. The Hebrew poetry is entirely different. Rhyme and metre are totally unknown. A division into verses, as we know it today is entirely unknown. Nevertheless we find a sort of division in Psalm 119, which 22 paragraphs of eight verses each are beginning with the same Hebrew letter continuously, that is verses 1-8 are starting by the letter aleph, verses 9-16 by the letter beth, etc. (acrostic). In saying this we have already mentioned one style of Hebrew poetry, which is alliteration. Alliteration means that the beginning of words is similar and not the ending of words.

One variety of alliteration is to have each verse begin with the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as we find it in Ps. 9, 10, 25, 34, 47, 111, 112, 145 as well as in Proverbs 31:10-31 and Lam. 1-4 (compare also Ps. 119). The often very pictorial comparisons are a further element of Hebrew poetry (see Ps. 1:3; 22:12-16). The most important characteristic however is parallelism. Parallelism means that a statement is stressed or extended by repetition. One distinguishes three kinds of parallelisms: a) Synonymous parallelism, for example Ps. 49:1 "Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world." - The same thought is expressed twice with different words. b) Antithetic (contrasted) parallelism, for example Ps. 1:6 "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." - The thought of the first sentence is stressed by the contrast in the final clause.

c) Synthetic (connecting) parallelism, for example Ps. 22:4 "Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them." - The final clause completes and expands the thought of the first sentence. b) Heading of the Psalms With the exception of a few Psalms all Psalms bear a heading. The 34 Psalms without heading are: Ps. 1, 2, 10, 43, 71, 91, 93-97, 99, 104-107, 111-119, 135-137, 146-150 (The words "Praise ye the Lord" are not headings but belong to the text). The most important headings are: Maschil 13 Psalms bear this heading (Ps. 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, 142). Maschil probably signifies teaching or instruction.

Poem Psalms 16 and 56-60 are headed "poem" (hebr. michtam). Song of Degrees Psalms 120-134 are songs of degrees that is songs of going up. It is assumed that they were to be sung either on journeys to great feasts in Jerusalem or going up to the hill where the temple stood. To the Chief Musician 55 Psalms of David's time bear this indication in the heading. The chief musician was certainly the conductor of the choir in the temple. In this we may see a hint to the Lord Jesus who Himself will sing praise in the midst of the assembly (compare Ps. 22:22; Heb. 2:12). Any further expressions have no need of special explanation or are explained in the various editions of the Bible. The Authors of Scripture - Study Resources Study Resources :: BLB Frequently Asked Questions :: The Authors of Scripture The Authors of Scripture Who were the authors of the Bible and when did they write? The identity of a book's author can sometimes give great insight into its meaning and intent. Some of the books of the Bible have easily identifiable authors while others remain a mystery to this very day.

The list below provides a key to probable Biblical authorship. New Testament Authors Old Testament Authors The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) was written by Moses at the end of his life in the wilderness just prior to the Israelites' entry into Canaan. Joshua, Judges, and Ruth were all likely written during (or immediately prior to) the kingly reign of David over Israel by unnamed, pro-David/anti-Saul, priestly historians. The large portion of the Psalms were written by King David before and during his reign over Israel. Other authors of Psalms include Moses ( Psalm 90 ), Solomon ( Psalms 72 and 127 ), the sons of Korah ( Psalms 42-49 ; 84-85 ; and 87-88 ), the sons of Asaph ( Psalms 50 and 73-83 ), and Ethan the Ezrahite ( Psalm 89 ). A number of Psalms are also written anonymously.

The book of Proverbs was penned largely by King Solomon during his reign—though chapters 30 and 31 were written by Agur and Lemuel respectively. Authorship of Song of Songs (also known as Canticles) is anonymous, though the majority of scholars have historically cited Solomon as the book's probable author (there is debate because some of the book's terminology probably didn't exist in the Hebrew language until perhaps 500 BC). Though such a date and parentage is contestable, Ecclesiastes likely finds authorship in the Post-Exilic period and is written in the voice of the character of King Solomon. It may well be the last Biblical book written previous the New Testament. The prophetical books of Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah were all written during the Kingdom Era by the prophets whose names are borne by the books' titles. The books of Samuel are anonymously written and probably came about during the Kingdom Era as well. Habakkuk and Joel were probably written just prior the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem and were written by the prophets for whom the books are named.

Jeremiah wrote the book of Jeremiah and wrote over a course of years spanning the periods immediately preceding and succeeding the capture of Jerusalem. The author of Lamentations is anonymous (though some traditions ascribe authorship to Jeremiah) and was likely written in the years immediately after Jerusalem's sack by Babylonian forces. Obadiah probably wrote just after the Exile in Babylon began, while Ezekiel's and Daniel's respective books spanned the entirety of Israel's 67-year captivity. The books of Kings were likely penned by their unknown author during the Exile. Ezra may have compiled both Ezra and Nehemiah and Jewish tradition names him the author of Chronicles, but whatever the case, the books were all written Post-Exile. Esther, written after the Exile, was likely penned by a Persian Jew. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were all written after Israel's return from Babylonian and Persian captivity and their authors share names with the books' titles. The book of Job is of a quite ambiguous origin, but though the author remains anonymous, it too was probably authored during the Post-Exilic Era (though the time of the events portrayed may even have occured millennia earlier, precursing even the Patriarchs).

New Testament Authors The gospel according to Matthew was written by Matthew the tax collector. The gospel according to Mark was written by John-Mark. The gospel according to Luke was written by Luke the Physician. The gospel according to John was written by John the disciple that Jesus loved. The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke the Physician. Epistles (or letters): The Pauline Epistles are those written by Paul (Saul) of Tarsus: Romans The Peterine Epistles are those written by Peter of the Twelve: 1 Peter The Johanine Epistles are those written by John, the disciple that Jesus loved: 1 John 2 John 3 John And though sharing in three literary traditions — apocalyptic, prophetic, and epistolary — listing John's Apocalypse (also called Revelation) as an epistle will suit our purposes here. This was written by the same John as above. The book of James was written most likely by James the brother of Jesus. The book of Jude was written by Jude the brother of James. The epistle of Hebrews is written anonymously. Some people ascribe it to the Apostle Paul while others prefer Apollos.

Most scholars lean toward someone other than Paul (simply because the grammar and use of certain key Pauline terms is markedly different from the whole body of his identified epistolary work). In the end, God didn't see the book's authorship as important to us (if He had, He would have identified the man He used in writing Hebrews), so any guess as to the identity of the author is mere speculation and should have no bearing upon our interpretation of the passages found within. Old Testament Summaries: Book of Psalms Old Testament Summaries: Book of Psalms Posted In: Religion Articles 6/18/12 By: Yona Williams It took several centuries to form the religious text known as the Book of Psalms ("Book of Praises"), which appears in the Old Testament. Throughout the pages, you will encounter the writing of several different authors that present a variety of themes. Some of the main topics concentrate on prayer, praise, and worship of God. In this article, you will learn the religious importance of the Book of Psalms. One of the main authors of Psalms is David, who is listed as the writer in 73 different mentions.

When reading the psalms, you can easily pick out the personality of David (if you are familiar with his writing). He wrote many of the individual psalms, but is not the author of all of the psalms. For examples, Solomon (David's son and successor) is credited with writing psalms 72 and 127. Moses is attributed with writing the prayer psalm 90. Other authors mentioned include the family of Asaph, the sons of Koran, Heman, and Ethan the Ezrahite. The Book of Psalms was written over the course of many centuries Ã¢â‚¬â€œ when taking into account the topics discussed in the text. Over time, the psalms were collected and an unknown individual put them all together. It is estimated that this act took place around 537 BC. Out of all the psalms, the oldest is most likely the prayer of Moses (90), which examines the frailty of man in comparison to the eternity of God.

One of the last psalms written is most likely 137, which offers a song of lament that has a distinct connection to the days when the Hebrews were being held captive by the Babylonians. This event took place from 586 to 538 BC. The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible Ã¢â‚¬â€œ there is 150 individual psalms to read and presents one of the most diverse religious texts. Some of the subjects discussed include His creation, worship, wisdom, judgment, justice, as well as the coming of the Messiah. Heated topics such as war, sin and evil are also in the text. Sections of the Book of Psalms were used as a hymnal during ancient Israel days for their worship services. Passages from the Book of Psalms include: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." (Psalm 22:16-19) "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want." (Psalm 23:1) "Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." (Psalm 119:1-2) Clickbank Name:

Question: Who is credited with writing most of the Bible book of Psalms?
Answer: King David