Commentary on the Psalms (Chapters 1-41) by Allen P. Ross

Study Psalms lately?  I recently used a new commentary in my study of Psalms.

 

This is a thick reference for the first 41 chapters of Psalms.  The table of contents provides a subject matter for each chapter of Psalms, making it easy to pick and choose what you study, or you can start at the beginning of Psalms and work your way toward.  For each chapter of Psalms, you’ll find about 15 pages of content to help you further your understand and application of Psalms.

For each chapter of Psalms, you will find:

Scripture Text Translated by the Author

While much of it remains the same, the variations include modern revisions, such as using “you” instead of “thee”, etc.  Also, some of the words and phrases have been altered, such as Psalm 31:4:

KJV – “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; for thou are my strength.”

Commentary Version – “You will bring me out from the trap that is set for me because you are my refuge.”

While, you may prefer to use your favorite translation, such as KJV, the included Scripture translation is helpful in understanding the meaning of its content.

Footnotes Providing Definition and Explanation

Provided are definitions of the words in the Scripture that come from various resources, including, Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and several Bible translations.

Having definitions and explanations help with words and phrases not easily understood.

Composition and Context

The author points out various places in the Bible that relate or refer to this passage, as well as men of the Bible that have or may experienced this particular event.

There’s a lot of speculation, but it helps one to really think about what the Bible is saying.

Exegetical Analysis

This is an outline of the message, summarizing what the Scripture is saying.  You’ll find the subject matter easily divided by main points, such as Introductory Cry, Confidence, Lament, Petition Prayer, and Praise and Exhortation (Psalm 31) with it broken down to 1-2 verses.

Commentary in Expository Form

This commentary section provides applicable points of the passage.  Included are Scripture references that relate and support the main Scripture.  This is the part that would be most helpful to someone looking to understand the Scripture.

Message and Application

While the above is a applicable commentary for each part of the Scripture, this section is a summarized application for the entire chapter.

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While you may not use the entire contents, you will find the parts that are most helpful in what you are seeking out, whether it’s facts and corresponding parts of the Bible, understanding or application.   Psalms can be hard to decipher, so this makes a great tool in furthering your studies.

About the Book

 

For thousands of years, the Book of Psalms has been one of God’s people’s richest resources for expression of worship and development of the spiritual life. At the same time it is one of the more complex and challenging sections of the Bible for expositors. Pastors, teachers, and all serious students of the Bible will find this commentary invaluable for developing their understanding of the Psalms and for improving their ability to expound it with precision and depth.

For each psalm, Dr. Allen Ross guides the reader through a detailed exegetical outline, proposes a homiletical outline, and offers a summary expository idea of the message of the whole psalm.

The commentary includes discussion throughout of three primary challenges to understanding the Psalms:

• Textual issues: Every major textual difficulty is addressed in order to help the expositor understand the interpretive issues and make decisions when there are multiple available readings.
• Poetic language: The Psalms are full of poetic imagery, devices and structures. Ross discusses this “language” of Hebrew poetry in its context with each psalm, specifying the precise devices being used and how they work in the psalm.
• The Psalms’ Hebrew grammar and syntax pose a challenge to many expositors, whether they are familiar with Hebrew or not. Thiscommentary illuminates Hebrew constructions word meanings in a way that is helpful both to readers who are comfortable with Hebrew and those who are not.