Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;
in Thy presence is fulness of joy; in Thy
right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 16:11
Some people assume that David wrote the Psalms.
That’s easy to do because we tend to associate them together, even if we know he didn’t write them all.
He did write many of them, though.
But how many and which ones?
Table of Contents
How Many Psalms Did David Write?
David wrote 75 out of 150 psalms; that’s half. The other half were written by various authors or are unknown. He wrote Psalms 2-9; 11-32; 34-41; 51-65; 68-70; 86; 95; 101; 108-110; 122; 124; 133; and 138-145. David’s psalms are filled with praise and thanksgiving, lament and personal confession, and songs of trust and victory. He often petitions the Lord for his many needs or the needs of the people. And also writes about the future Messiah.
How We Know What Psalms David Wrote
All but 34 psalms have titles or superscriptions that tell you, among other things, who wrote the psalm.
And that’s how we know David wrote 73 of them. The other two you find in the New Testament.
There is no title for Psalm 2, but you find out David wrote it when you read Acts 4.
Acts 4:25-26 Who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Thy servant, didst say, “Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ.”
Psalm 2:1-2 Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed.
The same is true for Psalm 95. There isn’t a title, but Hebrews 4 tells us that David was indeed the author.
Hebrews 4:7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Psalm 95:7b-8a …Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…
RELATED > > > > > What is the Title of a Psalm?
The Kinds of Psalms David Wrote
You can classify David’s psalms into categories:
- Lament or petition, individual (e.g., Ps. 3), and communal (e.g., Ps. 44)
- Thanksgiving or praise, either individual (e.g., Ps. 30) or collective (e.g., Ps. 65)
- Trust in God (e.g., Ps. 4)
- The enthronement of Yahweh (e.g., Ps. 47)
- Concerning Zion and Christ’s Millenial reign (e.g., Ps. 2)
- Royal, some of which are Messianic (e.g., Ps. 2, 110)
- Didactic or wisdom (e.g., Ps. 37)
Or themes:
- Creation (e.g., Ps. 8, 19)
- The Exodus (e.g., Ps. 95)
- Imprecatory (e.g., Ps. 35)
- Confession (e.g., Ps. 143)
- Ascents (Ps. 122, 124, 131, 133)
- Messianic (Ps. 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 110)
5 Examples
1. Individual lament or petition
Psalm 69:1-2 Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
2. Communal Thanksgiving or Praise
Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3. The enthronement of Yahweh
Psalm 47:1-2 O CLAP your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy. For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth.
4. Imprecatory
Psalm 58:6-7 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord. Let them flow away like water that runs off; when he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.
5. Messianic
Psalm 110:1-2 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.” The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Thine enemies.”
RELATED > > > > > Why is God Called YHWH? – The I AM
When David Wrote His Psalms
Some people think David wrote his psalms while he was a shepherd boy. But there is no evidence for that.
In fact, many of the titles tell us that he didn’t. Instead, most seem to be written when he was on the run from Saul or his son, Absalom.
It’s also noteworthy that they aren’t in chronological order.
Psalm 3 – When he fled from Absolom his son
Psalm 18 – The day the Lord delivered him from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul
Psalm 34 – When he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and departed
Psalm 51 – When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba
Psalm 52 – When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, “David has come to the house of Abimelech
Psalm 54 – When the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
Psalm 56 – When the Philistines seized him in Gath
Psalm 57 – When he fled from Saul, in the cave
Psalm 59 – When Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him
Psalm 60 – To teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand
Psalm 63 – When he was in the wilderness of Judah
Psalm 142 – When he was in the cave
Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading “How many Psalms Did David Write?”
Hopefully, you know by now that David wrote 75 psalms. We know this because the titles of 73 of them identify David. And the other two are found in the New Testament.
David wrote many psalms that we can easily identify with: he lamented over his circumstances but, just as often, praised the Lord.
He talked a lot about his enemies and petitioned God for help and to be rescued. David also confessed his sin very honestly and trusted the Lord for forgiveness.
However, it’s unclear when David wrote most of his psalms, except for a few titles that give us clues.
Do you have a favorite psalm of David?