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In the past one hundred years, two approaches to the study of the Book of Psalms have tended to dominate, namely form criticism and shape and shaping (canonical criticism). Other studies such as the theology of psalms, the poetics of psalms, the redaction of psalms, as well as psalms and intertextuality have also been done. These approaches to the Psalter will continue to be points of focus for studies – the recurrent trends. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, other approaches to the Psalter emerged such as, among others, rhetorical criticism, liberation theology, feminist criticism, the psalms and spirituality, and so forth – the current trends. This article offers a summary of the current state of the form critical and the shape and shaping studies of the Psalter – the recurrent trends – and then moves on to examine a number of the 21st-century approaches to the book of Psalms – the current trends. The article concludes with some tentative thoughts about the future of psalm studies in the 21st century.

This article surveys the imprecatory words in the book of Psalms and examines and questions their place in the faith life of the third decade of the 21st-century world, one that is fraught with the impact of a global pandemic, political uncertainties, and racial injustices. The first section of the article examines the vitriolic words and sentiments found in the Psalter and in other places in the Old and New Testaments. It then suggests that we, as readers of these texts, in the words of Phyllis Trible, wrestle with such words and demand a blessing from them, much as Jacob did at the Jabbok with his mysterious wrestler. The second section of the article discusses various 20th- and 21st-century scholarly and ecclesial understandings of the Psalter’s imprecatory words. Next, the article discusses the form and scriptural status of the Psalter’s imprecatory words, emphasising the poetic and metaphoric characteristics of the Psalter’s words. Finally, the article addresses the ethics and appropriation of the Psalter’s imprecatory words in the 21st century. It concludes that, without the languages of absolute lament against injustice and violence that these biblical words provide, our dialogue with and our cries to God are empty and lifeless.

This article surveys the imprecatory words in the book of Psalms and examines and questions their place in the faith life of the third decade of the 21st-century world, one that is fraught with the impact of a global pandemic, political uncertainties, and racial injustices. The first section of the article examines the vitriolic words and sentiments found in the Psalter and in other places in the Old and New Testaments. It then suggests that we, as readers of these texts, in the words of Phyllis Trible, wrestle with such words and demand a blessing from them, much as Jacob did at the Jabbok with his mysterious wrestler. The second section of the article discusses various 20th- and 21st-century scholarly and ecclesial understandings of the Psalter’s imprecatory words. Next, the article discusses the form and scriptural status of the Psalter’s imprecatory words, emphasising the poetic and metaphoric characteristics of the Psalter’s words. Finally, the article addresses the ethics and appropriation of the Psalter’s imprecatory words in the 21st century. It concludes that, without the languages of absolute lament against injustice and violence that these biblical words provide, our dialogue with and our cries to God are empty and lifeless.

A close reading of Psalms 90, 91, and 92, along with an understanding of the “storyline” of the Psalter as a whole, reveals “voices” within the three psalms that go largely unnoticed in translations of the Masoretic Text. This article outlines the placement of Psalms 90, 91, and 92 in the overall “shape” of the book of Psalms, examines their interconnectedness, discusses in detail various key Hebrew words and phrases, and demonstrates that we may hear within the three psalms the often neglected voices of Israelite women who were key actors in the Exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian Exile, and the Postexilic community.

This article surveys the imprecatory words in the book of Psalms and examines and questions their place in the faith life of the third decade of the 21st-century world, one that is fraught with the impact of a global pandemic, political uncertainties, and racial injustices. The first section of the article examines the vitriolic words and sentiments found in the Psalter and in other places in the Old and New Testaments. It then suggests that we, as readers of these texts, in the words of Phyllis Trible, wrestle with such words and demand a blessing from them, much as Jacob did at the Jabbok with his mysterious wrestler. The second section of the article discusses various 20th- and 21st-century scholarly and ecclesial understandings of the Psalter's imprecatory words. Next, the article discusses the form and scriptural status of the Psalter's imprecatory words, emphasising the poetic and metaphoric characteristics of the Psalter's words. Finally, the article addresses the ethics and appropriation of the Psalter's imprecatory words in the 21st century. It concludes that, without the languages of absolute lament against injustice and violence that these biblical words provide, our dialogue with and our cries to God are empty and lifeless.

A close reading of Psalms 90, 91, and 92, along with an understanding of the \"storyline\" of the Psalter as a whole, reveals \"voices\" within the three psalms that go largely unnoticed in translations of the Masoretic Text. This article outlines the placement of Psalms 90, 91, and 92 in the overall \"shape\" of the book of Psalms, examines their interconnectedness, discusses in detail various key Hebrew words and phrases, and demonstrates that we may hear within the three psalms the often neglected voices of Israelite women who were key actors in the Exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian Exile, and the Postexilic community.