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Beloved Songs of Praise
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Responses to the First Readings from the Book of Psalms and Biblical Canticles
"When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers..." (Psalm 8:4) - Bryce Bradford
Music and poetry are integral parts of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. Some of the best-known passages in the Bible are songs and poems whose origins probably precede the rest of the scriptures. The “Canticle of Miriam” (Exodus 15:21) may be the oldest verse in the Bible. Likewise, the hymns quoted in Philippians 2:6 - 11 and Colossians 1:15 - 20 may be among the oldest passages in the New Testament.
The Book of Psalms has held a privileged place in the worship of Jews and Christians for thousands of years. On this page, we will use the word "psalm" to refer to any of the 150 songs in the Book of Psalms and the term “canticle” for any poetic biblical text outside the Book of Psalms.
To jump ahead to information on the two books of the Bible that we discuss most specifically on this page, please click on the links below:
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Music for Every Occasion
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"Sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea." (Exodus 15:21)
Miriam - Anselm Friedrich Feuerbach
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We know that in Jesus’ time, the most common form of worship in synagogues was the communal singing of psalms. Early Christians based their communal worship on singing psalms, too. Even today at Mass, after the proclamation of the first reading, we sing or speak a poetic response. More than 95% of the time, the response is from the Book of Psalms.
Because of the nature of poetic verse, some of the psalms and canticles of the Bible were probably intensely honed and polished by the community for generations before being written down. Unlike most of the prose passages of the Old Testament, the psalms and canticles frequently feature “I-you” language, giving them a more personal, intimate character. Since the psalms cover a range of human emotions, they witness to the variety of ways that the ancient Jewish community considered to be appropriate for prayerfully addressing God. The lyrics for much of the music we sing at Mass are based on the poetic passages of the Bible.
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The Beauty of Parallelism in Ancient Hebrew Poetry
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When translating poetry from one language to another, it is difficult to maintain the rhythm and rhyme of the original language. However, the main beauty of ancient Hebrew verse, the extensive use of parallelism, survives across translation. In parallelism, consecutive lines are constructed to say the same thing twice in similar words (synonym), to contrast opposing ideas (antithesis), or to build a more vivid picture (synthesis).
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"Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge."
(Psalm 19:2)
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"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands...
come before him with joyful song." (Psalm 100:1)
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Here are some examples:
Synonym:
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
(Psalm 9:2)
Antithesis:
The LORD knows the way of the just,
But the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
(Psalm 1:6)
Synthesis:
Deep waters cannot quench love,
Nor rivers sweep it away.
(Song of Songs 8:7)
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The Book of Psalms
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"With the harp I will solve my problem" (Psalm 49:5)
Paris Psalter, Bibliothèque Nationale
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The Most Quoted, Most Sung Book of Scripture
The most extensive collection of ancient Jewish religious music that has reached us is the Book of Psalms. We might not know what the music sounded like, but we have pristine documentation of the ancient Hebrew lyrics, some of which date back 3,000 years. While the authorship of many psalms is attributed to David (reigned c. 1010 - 970 BC), some of the psalms were clearly written long after his death, such as Psalm 137, which speaks of the Babylonian exile, 586 - 538.
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Most of the psalms were written for liturgical use. They include directions to the song leaders, and the texts sometimes describe ritual actions. For example, one can imagine Psalm 24 (“Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter”) being sung by an assembly as a king—believed to be appointed by God—entered the walled city of Jerusalem.
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"With the mouths of babes and infants, you have established a bulwark against your foes." (Psalm 8:3)
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"Why, LORD, do you stand afar and pay no heed in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1)
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The psalms can be categorized into a variety of genres, including songs of praise (such as Psalm 8), hymns of thanksgiving (Psalm 116), individual laments (Psalm 22), group laments (Psalm 44), and “royal” psalms about the king (Psalm 72). This variety within the Book of Psalms has often led to it being called “a school of prayer” for those looking to learn more about the various ways to converse with God.
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Order & Numbering
While an initial survey of the Book of Psalms may seem to indicate no overarching structure, a closer study reveals some logical order. Psalms 1 and 2 may explain the purpose of studying the psalms, and Psalms 41, 72, 89, 106, and 144-150 seem to be songs of thanksgiving that each wrap up five distinct collections of psalms comprising the whole book.
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Most groups of Jews and Christians count 150 psalms in the Book of Psalms, but there are two numbering systems—the Masoretic (Hebrew) and the Septuagint (Greek). Recent Catholic translations use the Hebrew numbering, even though St. Jerome used the Septuagint when he translated the Bible into Latin. What Catholics today call Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”), St. Jerome called Psalm 22. Adding a bit of confusion is that the superscriptions that introduce some psalms—such as Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6, 7—are assigned a verse number in Catholic Bibles, but not in traditional English translations.
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"Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
give praise in the mighty dome of heaven....
Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre." (Psalm 150:1 - 3)
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"They will receive blessings from the Lord, and justice from their saving God."
(Psalm 24:5) - Pieter van Lint (Wikimedia Commons)
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Someone reading the Book of Psalms will encounter the Hebrew word “selah” 71 times. (It also appears three times in the Book of Habakkuk.) The word is likely an instruction of how that particular part of a psalm is to be sung, but the actual meaning of the word has been lost over the millennia.
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Other Canticles
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Many other books of the Bible feature canticles, including substantial portions of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Six of the 7 wisdom books (all but Ecclesiastes) and 10 of the 18 prophetic books of the Old Testament consist almost entirely of poetry. The following are among the canticles occasionally used as sung or spoken responses at Mass:
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"After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb." (Matthew 28:1)
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"Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me." (Jonah 2:3) - Pieter Lastman
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Exodus 15:1 - 18 — “Song at the Sea”
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Deuteronomy 32:1 - 43 — “Canticle of Moses”
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1 Samuel 2:1 - 10 — “Canticle of Hannah”
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1 Chronicles 29:10 - 13 — “Canticle of David”
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Song of Songs 2:8 - 14
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Isaiah 12:1 - 6
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Isaiah 38:10 - 16 — “Canticle of Hezekiah”
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Jeremiah 31:7 - 14
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Jonah 2:3 - 10 — “Jonah’s Prayer”
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Daniel 3:52 - 87 — “Song of the Three Children”
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Luke 1:46 - 56 — “Canticle of Mary” or Magnificat
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Luke 1:68 - 79 — “Canticle of Zechariah” or Benedictus
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The most common form of Church communal prayer outside of Mass is the Liturgy of the Hours, often called “The Divine Office.” Clergy and consecrated religious are required to pray the Office, and others are welcome to pray it as well. The Office is based primarily on the Book of Psalms, but it is supplemented by other canticles from the Old Testament in morning prayer and by other canticles from the New Testament in evening prayer, plus some prose biblical readings. Every day of the year, morning prayer includes Luke 1:68 - 79, evening prayer includes Luke 1:46 - 56, and night prayer includes Luke 2:29 - 32. Through the repetition of these psalms and canticles in the Office over the years, many people come to know them extremely well, and some recite them from memory.
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"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."
(Luke 1:46) - Sandro Botticelli
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What About the Song of Songs?
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Biblical Love Poetry
One book of the Bible rarely used in the lectionary is titled "The Song of Songs," "The Canticle of Canticles," or "The Song of Solomon." The first two titles imply that this is the most magnificent of all songs or canticles. The third title comes from the designation in 1:1 that it was written by Solomon. Such a claim seems unlikely, as the style and the language of the book places it after the Babylonian exile, more than 400 years after the death of Solomon.
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"My lover speaks; he says to me,
'Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one!'" (Song of Songs, 2:10)
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The book is an extended love poem between a woman and a man. It is likely a compilation of a few shorter poems from Egypt and other regions of Mesopotamia, connected together by other material written by the compiler. Portions of this book are written from a woman's perspective, leading many scholars to propose that at least some portions of the Song of Songs were written by a woman.
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Inclusion in the Bible & the Lectionary
Because the Song of Songs rarely mentions God, some Jewish and Christian authorities over the millennia have questioned its inclusion in the Bible. Some have suggested that the entire book is a metaphor for the love between God and God's people, or Christ and the Church, or the unique role that Mary has in salvation history, but some of the specifics of the poetry—including many obviously sexual references—make these arguments hard to sustain.
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"Stern as death is love... its flames are a blazing fire." (Song of Songs 8:6b)
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Gian Lorenzo Bernini
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A plain, "by the letter" reading of the Bible, and of the Song of Songs in particular, is not how our spiritual ancestors would have approached this text. Bible study is not merely an intellectual endeavor. For 2500 years, Jews and Christians alike have upheld the Song of Songs as inspired scripture. It has touched, and continues to touch, the emotional, spiritual, and mystical heartstrings of many Jews and Christians. More than any other book of the Bible, even its title evokes an emotional connection. One of Origen of Alexandria's most influential and still-beloved writings was an allegorical, Christ-centered interpretation of the Song of Songs. Some of the great Christian mystics of the Church—including Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross—have found great inspiration in the Song of Songs for describing their personal experiences of the divine. The sweeping language of this book, its placement among other books of sacred scripture, and the influence of the Holy Spirit, lead many Christians to interpret it through a theological and Christological lens.
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"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal on your arm."
(Song of Songs 8:6a)
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Even though the content of the Song of Songs is quite different from the rest of the Bible, it makes the most logical sense to count it among the wisdom books. It is rare to hear the Song of Songs proclaimed in the liturgies of the Church, except at weddings. Although 2:8 - 14 is suggested as an option for the first reading on December 21, most worshiping communities choose the other option, Zephaniah 3:14 - 18a, because the Zephaniah reading feels more appropriately related to the gospel passage of the day, Mary's visitation with Elizabeth (Luke 1:39 - 45).
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In Defense of the Inclusion of the Song of Songs in the Bible
The Song of Songs offers a beautiful, extended example of mutuality in marriage. In the section on Hosea on this other page, we address the damage done through many prophets' comparisons of God's relationship to Israel to that of a jealous husband to an unfaithful wife. The mutuality in the Song of Songs serves as an important corrective.
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"Eat, friends, drink! Drink freely of love!" (Song of Songs 5:1) - Dennis Bacchus
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"My lover belongs to me and I to him." (Song of Songs 2:16)
For much of its history, the Church has been squeamish in discussing the goodness and beauty of sexual relations within a marriage. Since the beginning of Christianity, the Song of Songs has stood as a powerful counterwitness to the Church's reluctance to openly discuss sexual desire within marriage. Since Vatican II in the 1960s, and especially since Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" teachings delivered at a series of Wednesday audiences in the 1980s, the Church has made great strides in talking about the gifts and dangers of sexual relations in a more balanced way.
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"The winter is past... and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land."
(Song of Songs 2:11 - 12)
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Admittedly, some portions of the Song of Songs speak to vastly different standards of beauty held by the ancient peoples of the Middle East. Most readers will giggle when first reading the lover describe his beloved's teeth as "like a flock of ewes to be shorn, which come up from washing / All of them big with twins, none of them thin and barren" (4:2). On the other hand, some passages of the Song of Songs have held up marvelously over the centuries, leading to their inclusion in the wedding lectionary.
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This concludes page 7 of 40 in our Lectionary Guide. For a comprehensive reading of the entire guide, we suggest going next to Prophecy During the Time of the Divided Kingdoms.
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