CORPUS-PSALTERIUMSITZ IM LIED
Corpus Psalterium Vol. I cover

Corpus Psalterium  •  Sitz im Lied

Vol. I

Psalms 1 – 25

Cantillation and Structure

Psalms 1–25 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.

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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.

The story behind the work

In ninth grade I was kicked out of school and essentially homeless. I got on my knees and cried out to Jesus, and God heard me from heaven. “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). That day He called me, and I received the Holy Spirit.

Since then I have studied the Scriptures in Greek and Hebrew (B.Th., M.Div., and now a PhD in Bible Exposition) and sung the Psalms, in rough recordings for decades. Today’s technology finally let me finish them, and God’s hand has been on the whole work. I pray they help you memorize the Scripture and see the Psalms as they were meant to be seen: as songs.

Paul Whitehorn

Choose a psalmTap any row, or press Play
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#TitleTypeSections
1Psalm I (1)DidacticWisdom Instruction2:52
2Psalm II (2)CantillatedRoyal Proclamation4:22
3Psalm III (3)CantillatedLament Turning4:42
4Psalm IV (4)CantillatedLament Exhortation4:01
5Psalm V (5)CantillatedLament Participation4:26
6Psalm VI (6)CantillatedPenitential Lament3:37
7Psalm VII (7)CantillatedLament Vindication4:04
8Psalm VIII (8)CantillatedRefrain Praise3:56
9Psalm IX (9)CantillatedJudicial Progression5:59
10Psalm X (10)CantillatedLament Delay6:04
11Psalm XI (11)CantillatedDeclarative Confidence4:18
12Psalm XII (12)CantillatedLament Divine Pivot3:53
13Psalm XIII (13)CantillatedLament Trust3:41
14Psalm XIV (14)DidacticCorruption Declaration2:02
15Psalm XV (15)DidacticRighteous Standard2:03
16Psalm XVI (16)CantillatedTrust Delight4:42
17Psalm XVII (17)CantillatedLament Vindication4:12
18Psalm XVIII (18)CantillatedAscending Petition4:33
19Psalm XIX (19)CompositeRevelation Transition4:27
20Psalm XX (20)CantillatedCommunal Intercession3:45
21Psalm XXI (21)CantillatedRoyal Praise3:17
22Psalm XXII (22)CantillatedLament Ascent4:32
23Psalm XXIII (23)CantillatedDeclarative Stability3:38
24Psalm XXIV (24)CantillatedDialogical Ascent4:19
25Psalm XXV (25)CantillatedLament Dependence3:44
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