CORPUS-PSALTERIUMSITZ IM LIED
Corpus Psalterium Vol. II cover

Corpus Psalterium  •  Sitz im Lied

Vol. II

Psalms 26 – 50

Cantillation and Structure

Psalms 26–50 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
26Psalm XXVI (26)CantillatedDeclarative Confidence3:33
27Psalm XXVII (27)CompositeConfidence to Lament5:05
28Psalm XXVIII (28)CantillatedLament Turning3:41
29Psalm XXIX (29)CantillatedRefrain Praise4:02
30Psalm XXX (30)CantillatedDeliverance Turning4:01
31Psalm XXXI (31)CantillatedLament Resolution3:51
32Psalm XXXII (32)DidacticConfession Instruction4:02
33Psalm XXXIII (33)CantillatedDeclarative Praise4:22
34Psalm XXXIV (34)CompositePraise Instruction2:52
35Psalm XXXV (35)CantillatedImprecatory Lament Turning3:34
36Psalm XXXVI (36)CantillatedLament Turning5:08
37Psalm XXXVII (37)DidacticWisdom Instruction4:33
38Psalm XXXVIII (38)CantillatedPenitential Lament Turning5:17
39Psalm XXXIX (39)CantillatedContemplative Lament Turning5:38
40Psalm XL (40)CantillatedDeliverance Lament Turning5:57
41Psalm XLI (41)CantillatedLament Turning4:52
42Psalm XLII (42)CantillatedRefrain Lament Turning4:57
43Psalm XLIII (43)CantillatedLament Turning5:34
44Psalm XLIV (44)CantillatedCommunal Lament5:24
45Psalm XLV (45)CantillatedRoyal Liturgy4:39
46Psalm XLVI (46)CantillatedRefrain Praise5:51
47Psalm XLVII (47)CantillatedRefrain Praise5:02
48Psalm XLVIII (48)CantillatedProcessional Zion Praise6:14
49Psalm XLIX (49)DidacticWisdom Instruction2:37
50Psalm L (50)CantillatedCovenant Courtroom Judgment4:12
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