Hallelujah! Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Psalm 150 is generally regarded as the last psalm in many Jewish and Christian texts. However there are several more which appear in Eastern Orthodox texts. As a schoolgirl, I was very pleased, when I opened my King James Bible after being told to learn Psalm 151, to discover that it didn't have one.

Almost half of the 150 psalms are attributed to King David. Some of the rest have other authors including Asaph, Solomon and Moses. The remainder are anonymous; Psalm 150 is one of those. The book of Psalms can be divided into five sections each of which finishes with a doxology (a song of praise). The first section has Psalms 1-41, then Psalms 42-72 are in the second. Psalms 73-89 form the third part, followed by the fourth section with Psalms 90-106. The last part has Psalms 107-150. So Psalm 150 is the last of the songs of praise in that part of the bible.

I have used the text from the New International Version of the Bible. It was a new translation, first produced in 1978, to provide the Scriptures for Protestant Christian churches using less archaic language than that used in the King James Version from the seventeenth century.

Different versions of the Bible use 'Hallelujah' or 'Alleluia' instead of the words 'Praise the Lord' at the beginning and end of the psalm. 'Mighty heavens' is probably much more readily understandable than 'the firmament of his power' as used in the seventeenth century King James Bible. 'Lyre' is another word which appears in different forms in other versions; 'psaltery' is used in the older translations; some of the newer ones use 'lute'. Some of the modern versions refer to a 'tambourine', not a 'timbrel'. Many versions describe the cymbals as 'loud' and 'high sounding'. Perhaps surprisingly, 'sanctuary' usually remains the same.

Some of the translations of the Bible give a title to the psalm, while others just leave it as Psalm 150. 'Praise for God's Surpassing Greatness' is used in the Revised Standard Version. The American Standard Version has 'Call to praise God with musical instruments'. The first seems to cover the earlier verses of the psalm, while the second appears to concentrate on the later verses.