was reared in the Presbyterian faith. One of my favorite memories is the singing of hymns and working on harmony. Fifty years ago I sang in our little church choir and thoroughly enjoyed the musical experience, an experience that has been a part of my collective memory for many years and helped form what little good character I possess. I love participating in group singing in four-part harmony and I love praising God in song.
We also studied the Holy Bible. At some point, I was made to realize that the Psalms were actually songs; songs that David sang in praise to God. Of course as I read the Psalms, I saw quickly that the western concept of rhythm and rhyme just are not there in the Authorized Version of the Bible. I was then told that when they were written (in Hebrew) that they indeed did have those two qualities originally. I thought upon the quandary of having 150 beautiful songs in the Bible that sounded clunky when you tried to sing them.
I have always wished that some gifted poet would transform a few of them into modern form for the purpose of singing while keeping the spiritual message intact. Surely someone could do that.
Fifty years later I have learned that indeed someone did do that and the first church to use a hymnbook composed entirely of Psalms, recreated in the King’s English, with perfect rhythm and rhyme, preserved with the original message intact, was the Church of Scotland (the Presbyterians). How about that.
First conceived in 1564 for use by John Knox’s congregations, the Psalter went through a few revisions and additions before its final evolution into the Scottish Psalter of 1650. The Presbyterian Church of Scotland used this hymnal solely until 1929. The Psalms are beautifully and artfully done. One example is transcribed below.
Psalm 147: Scottish Psalter 1650
1Praise ye the Lord; for it is good
praise to our God to sing:
For it is pleasant, and to praise
it is a comely thing.
2God doth build up Jerusalem;
and he it is alone
That the dispers'd of Israel
doth gather into one.
3Those that are broken in their heart,
and grieved in their minds,
He healeth, and their painful wounds
he tenderly up-binds.
4He counts the number of the stars;
he names them ev'ry one.
5Great is our Lord, and of great pow'r;
his wisdom search can none.
6The Lord lifts up the meek; and casts
the wicked to the ground.
7Sing to the Lord, and give him thanks;
on harp his praises sound;
8Who covereth the heav'n with clouds,
who for the earth below
Prepareth rain, who maketh grass
upon the mountains grow.
9He gives the beast his food, he feeds
the ravens young that cry.
10His pleasure not in horses' strength,
nor in man's legs, doth lie.
11But in all those that do him fear
the Lord doth pleasure take;
In those that to his mercy do
by hope themselves betake.
12The Lord praise, O Jerusalem;
Sion, thy God confess:
13For thy gates' bars he maketh strong;
thy sons in thee doth bless.
14He in thy borders maketh peace;
with fine wheat filleth thee.
15He sends forth his command on earth,
his word runs speedily.
16Hoar-frost, like ashes, scatt'reth he;
like wool he snow doth give:
17Like morsels casteth forth his ice;
who in its cold can live?
18He sendeth forth his mighty word,
and melteth them again;
His wind he makes to blow, and then
the waters flow amain.
19The doctrine of his holy word
to Jacob he doth show;
His statutes and his judgments he
gives Israel to know.
20To any nation never he
such favour did afford;
For they his judgments have not known.
O do ye praise the Lord.
Each Psalm is written in equal beauty and faithfulfness to the Scriptures. One wonders why every English-speaking church in Christendom would not be using such a remarkable resource.
