When read closely, one of the first things we notice about the Psalter is that these “songs of David” are arranged into five books, each ending with a doxology.4 This fivefold arrangement is significant to how Jews and Christians have used the psalms. They are: • Book 1: Psalms 1–41 • Book 2: Psalms 42–72 • Book 3: Psalms 73–89 • Book 4: Psalms 90–106 • Book 5: Psalms 107–150 Each of these five books functions as a kind of mirror to the five books of Moses.
