CORPUS-PSALTERIUMSITZ IM LIED
Corpus Psalterium Vol. III cover

Corpus Psalterium  •  Sitz im Lied

Vol. III

Psalms 51 – 75

Cantillation and Structure

Psalms 51–75 set to music by their Hebrew grammar, following the natural flow of the text. Each psalm is arranged according to its functional type, so you can hear what the text is doing.

Download Vol. III (264 MB)All 150 psalms
Didactic

Psalms that teach rather than speak: wisdom and instruction that form the mind.

Cantillated

Psalms spoken, sung or performed before God: prayer, praise, lament, declaration, dialogue.

Composite

Psalms that move from one mode into the other.

Choose a psalmTap any row, or press Play
0:000:00
#TitleTypeSections
51Psalm LI (51)CantillatedPenitential Lament Turning5:32
52Psalm LII (52)CantillatedJudicial Confidence5:12
53Psalm LIII (53)CantillatedDeclarative Stability4:42
54Psalm LIV (54)CantillatedLament Turning5:02
55Psalm LV (55)CantillatedBetrayal Lament Turning5:58
56Psalm LVI (56)CantillatedRefrain Confidence5:09
57Psalm LVII (57)CantillatedRefrain Praise3:32
58Psalm LVIII (58)CantillatedImprecatory Judgment4:56
59Psalm LIX (59)CantillatedImprecatory Lament Turning5:06
60Psalm LX (60)CantillatedCommunal Lament4:49
61Psalm LXI (61)CantillatedRefuge Lament Turning5:27
62Psalm LXII (62)CantillatedDeclarative Stability5:51
63Psalm LXIII (63)CantillatedDesire Praise5:56
64Psalm LXIV (64)CantillatedImprecatory Lament Turning5:18
65Psalm LXV (65)CantillatedDeclarative Praise5:16
66Psalm LXVI (66)CantillatedCommunal Thanksgiving5:48
67Psalm LXVII (67)CantillatedRefrain Blessing Praise4:26
68Psalm LXVIII (68)CantillatedProcessional Victory4:53
69Psalm LXIX (69)CantillatedImprecatory Lament Turning5:41
70Psalm LXX (70)CantillatedUrgent Lament4:09
71Psalm LXXI (71)CantillatedAged Confidence6:03
72Psalm LXXII (72)CantillatedRoyal Blessing5:19
73Psalm LXXIII (73)CantillatedSanctuary Lament Turning5:24
74Psalm LXXIV (74)CantillatedCommunal Lament5:39
75Psalm LXXV (75)CantillatedDialogical Judgment4:04
About these songs. They are a summary and a commentary on the Psalms, not a word-for-word translation. Read what these songs are →

What These Songs Are, and What They Are Not

These songs are not a word-for-word translation of the Psalms. They were never meant to be. Nor do they try to capture every idea in every psalm. In a song, that would be impossible.

What we have done is capture the essence of each psalm: what matters most in it. Think of each song as a summary. Think of it as a cheat sheet. The purpose of the psalm is still being met. God's word to mankind is still being heard.

Behind many of these lines is word research: deep study of the meaning of the Hebrew. So where a line sounds different from your translation, and you think it is wrong, study it. We believe you will find that the essence of what we sing is true.

The truth is that no one can set the Psalms to music without also becoming a commentator. That is what this is. It is a modern commentary on the Psalms: not only the Psalms themselves, and not only the Psalms being sung. So do not think that every word of the psalm is here. It is not. Read the psalm itself, in full.

Why do this at all? Because we believe God intended humanity to be surrounded by His word. This was always the entertainment He wanted us to have: not hours of television, not a day lost in a phone looking at nonsense. The blessed man of Psalm 1 meditates on God's word day and night. How can we meditate on His word if we do not surround ourselves with it?

As ministers, our first responsibility is to share God's word with people. That is what these songs are for.

Paul Whitehorn