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To my knowledge, there has not been a book written on the Psalms that deals solely with the genre of the songs of trust or psalms of confidence. The songs of trust are a sub-genre of the psalms of complaint or lament and there are roughly fourteen of them in the Psalter. Most scholars treat them within the broader genre of lament, although many psalms of complaint do have within them confessions of trust. But it is those psalms that are more brightly illumined in tone and mood by the dominant theme of trust which are commonly designated psalms of trust or songs of confidence.

These consist predominantly of affirmations of confidence and expressions of trust in YHWH, usually in the face of considerable troubles and severe adversity. These particular psalms are admittedly few in number in the Psalter. But their significance far outweighs their relatively small numbers. No two scholars agree completely on a specific list of psalms which are included in the genre of trust psalms but it is the dominance of the themes of trust and confidence that characterizes a particular psalm as warranting its classification as such. This book is not primarily focused on the genre of the psalms of trust although it does treat many of them. The book that treats solely the psalms of confidence genre is yet to be written.

I consider the following as fitting the genre of the psalms of confidence: Psalms 4, 11, 16, 23, 27, 46, 63, 73, 91, 115, 121, 125, and 139. Further, in my view, Psalms 90, 91, and 92, which open Book Four of the Psalter, are a literary unit and, when taken together, conform to the criteria of trust or confidence. Elements of thanksgiving and praise are evident, too, as well as notable didactic features. But the whole enterprise of form criticism—rewarding and instructive though it has been for Psalms studies over the past century—may be quite subjective and the lines of demarcation pertaining to particular psalm types ought not be drawn too finely. Strictly speaking, the entire book of Psalms is an ongoing dialog between Yahweh (יהוה) and the ancient people of Israel. It is in these pages where the voice of the people of God meets the voice of God; where the conversation has as its subject how life is to be lived this side of glory; when the very words spoken over and again instruct the faithful in the journey of faith.

Throughout I have chosen to use the Hebrew script for the sacred name YHWH, יהוה. The divine name is central to the book of Psalms, thematically and theologically, and therefore ought rightly be recognized and read as such. I have abandoned the Christian terms Old and New Testaments. Rather I choose to use the terms Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Scriptures and First Testament; and, the Second Testament and Christian Scriptures. I trust that these alterations may not prove too intrusive to the reader. In those places where I have used Hebrew and Greek script, an English translation is provided. Knowledge of Hebrew and Greek is not a prerequisite for reading this book.

Additionally, I have chosen to bracket the use of male pronouns such as [he], [him], [his] and [himself] and, frequently, the nouns [man] and [men] to show that, in fact, the usage of the language ought rightly embrace both male and female agency. This is not a perfect solution. However, it at least acknowledges the need for the use of an inclusive language model without resorting to the repetitious use of the word “God.” There are other models out there which adopt a more drastic solution to a gender neutral rendering of the text (eg. The Saint Helena Psalter). I deem these models deficient in that they depart from the text by removing all references of the holy names of God in Hebrew, which are so central to the study of the Psalms. The repetitive use of the word “God” is in my view not at all helpful in seeking to achieve an inclusive model for a gender neutral text. The individual Hebrew Names for God are laden with rich theological meanings and nowhere moreso than in the book of Psalms.

Regarding the use of modern English versions of the Bible, I have relied on the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the Revised English Bible (REB), the Grail Psalter, and the Jewish Publication Society’s Jewish Study Bible. Where no English version is indicated, I have supplied my own translation (LW). I have also used Mitchell Dahood’s translation in certain few instances. I have distributed thirty Hebrew psalms, including three which lie outside the Psalter, throughout the text where I treat them as illustrative of having a particular relevance to the topic at hand. Nearly all of these psalms are my own translation. A few of them include the embellishment of paraphrase (e.g. 4, and 91).

I wish to acknowledge the good people of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Sun City West, Az for their participation in a series of discussions on the Psalms which I led during the Lenten season of 2012. Also this book would never have seen the light of day were it not for the late Gerald Henry Wilson who encouraged me to put pen to paper in the days shortly before his untimely death. Additionally, I am indebted to my good friend Jim Sanders who perused the entire manuscript and offered valuable and helpful insights and suggestions along the way.

I also wish to extend my appreciation to the library staffs of the Claremont School of Theology Library, Claremont, CA, and the Hubbard Library, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, for their help and assistance with the research part of this project. I was very fortunate to have these two excellent libraries at my disposal only separated by 30 miles of freeway—an easy commute. Finally, I dedicate this book, lovingly, to our family’s three beautiful daughters. They are each gone now—far too soon, to be with the Good Shepherd, “who on his shoulder gently lay, and home rejoicing brought them.”

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Merry Beth Davis October 09, 1963 – May 07, 1965

Cheryl Kay Weaver May 07, 1967 – November 13, 2005

Kimberly Noelle Weaver May 25, 1970 – October 07, 2006

+Pax Requiscant+

Lorne Edward Weaver,

Trinity Sunday, 2018

Upland, CA