Meaning & use
the Psalms
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Meanings
proper nounpluralreligion
A book of the Bible made up of 150 religious poems and songs, many traditionally attributed to King David.
Grammar: Takes a plural or singular verb in practice: the Psalms are read aloud.
Patterns
- the book of Psalms
- a verse from the Psalms
The Psalms include poems of praise, grief and trust.
Many hymns are based on lines from the Psalms.
He turned to the Psalms for comfort during the illness.
nounusually pluralreligion
Religious songs or poems of this kind in general, especially those sung or recited in worship.
Grammar: A single poem is a psalm: choir members sang a psalm.
Patterns
- sing the psalms
- recite the psalms
The monks sang the psalms at dawn each day.
Children in the school learned several psalms by heart.
The service ended with the psalms read together.
Word forms
| singular | psalm |
|---|
Common combinations
- the Book of Psalms
- The Book of Psalms is one of the longest books in the Bible.
- sing the psalms
- The congregation stood to sing the psalms.
- read from the Psalms
- She read from the Psalms at the funeral.
- a psalm of David
- The choir performed a psalm of David.
- recite a psalm
- He could recite a psalm from memory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hymns
- These are songs of praise that may be written by anyone, while the Psalms are the specific poems in the Bible.
- canticles
- These are biblical songs used in worship but taken from outside the Book of Psalms.
- scripture
- This is a general word for sacred writing and is far broader than one book.
Word family
Commonly confused: the Psalms or hymn?
the Psalms vs hymn
A hymn is any song of praise, often rhymed and composed later; the Psalms are specific ancient poems collected in the Bible.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence: 'She read one ___ aloud at the service.'
Choose one answer.
The article 'one' needs a singular noun, and a single poem from the book is a psalm. A psalmist is the writer and a psalter is a book.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the Psalms”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.