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Quiz about About the Psalms
Quiz about About the Psalms

About the Psalms Trivia Quiz


This quiz asks for more than just the completion of quotes; it also presents some background to the book of Psalms. (KJV version)

A multiple-choice quiz by skylarb. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
skylarb
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
140,397
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
1849
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (9/15), Guest 99 (5/15), Guest 216 (11/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. "Psalms" (or more precisely "Psalmoi") was first given as the title to this collection in what translation of the Bible? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. The word "Psalm" comes from the Greek and is generally used to indicate a song that is: Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. The most common poetic device used in the Psalms is: Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. In which Psalm does David ask, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me"? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. What do most scholars think is the meaning of the term "Selah," which is often used in the Psalms? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Psalm 119 is unusual in that it is: Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Psalm 136 says, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his ____ endureth forever" (KJV). Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. This five line Psalm commands us to "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands." Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Some have actually argued that William Shakespeare had a hand in translating this Psalm for the King James Bible. They say he left several clues. Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. In Psalm 18, the singer says, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the ___ of my salvation." Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. This is the psalm Christ quotes on the cross, when He is crucified, saying, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. How many Psalms are attributed to Moses? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. The numbering of the Psalms in most Protestant and Catholic Bibles differs.


Question 14 of 15
14. What fraction of the Psalms is anonymous? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. In Psalm 137, the exiled Jews sing of hanging their harps on the willows of what nation? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Dec 05 2024 : Guest 174: 9/15
Nov 21 2024 : Guest 99: 5/15
Nov 17 2024 : Guest 216: 11/15
Nov 16 2024 : Guest 98: 12/15
Nov 16 2024 : Guest 102: 9/15
Nov 15 2024 : Guest 24: 10/15
Nov 10 2024 : hellobion: 15/15
Nov 07 2024 : Guest 51: 12/15
Oct 28 2024 : Guest 136: 10/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "Psalms" (or more precisely "Psalmoi") was first given as the title to this collection in what translation of the Bible?

Answer: The Septuagint

The Hebrew title of the book is sepher tehillim, or "book of praises." The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and there the book is first titled "Psalmoi." The term "Psalms" was therefore used for subsequent English translations.
2. The word "Psalm" comes from the Greek and is generally used to indicate a song that is:

Answer: Accompanied by musical instruments

In 370 A.D., Gregory of Nyssa defined the different types of Christian songs thus: "The psalm (PSALMOS) is the melody produced on the musical instrument (ORGANON). The song (ODE) is the utterance of melody (MELOS) through the mouth with words. Hymn (HUMNOS) is the praise offered to God" (For more on this subject, see http://www.kyowva.com/articles/apsalmis.htm)
3. The most common poetic device used in the Psalms is:

Answer: Parallelism

The primary devices of English poetry (until the late 20th century) were rhyme and meter, but Hebrew poetry did not employ either of these devices. There are acrostic psalms, but not many. Every psalm, however, employs some form of set repetition, or parallelism.
4. In which Psalm does David ask, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me"?

Answer: 51

Popular praise songs and hymns have been created from this line in Psalm 51. Psalm 23 famously begins, "The Lord is my shepherd."
5. What do most scholars think is the meaning of the term "Selah," which is often used in the Psalms?

Answer: A musical interlude

The meaning of this term is obscure and debated, but most scholars have concluded that it is some kind of musical interlude. Some have argued otherwise, however. A Jewish music expert, Suzanne Haik-Vantoura, suggests that rather than being an instruction to the musicians, Selah was an actual spoken word, much like Amen. (Source: http://www.restoredcog.org/questions/p032.a.html)
6. Psalm 119 is unusual in that it is:

Answer: An alphabetical acrostic

In an acrostic psalm, each line begins with a different (successive) letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, though not all are necessarily used in an acrostic psalm - but the ones that are used are in the order of the alphabet. Psalm 25 is another example of an acrostic psalm.
7. Psalm 136 says, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his ____ endureth forever" (KJV).

Answer: Mercy

This isn't the only place we are told that God's mercy endureth forever. See also 1 Chronicles 16:34, 2 Chronicles 5:13, Ezra 3:11, and Jeremiah 33:11.
8. This five line Psalm commands us to "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands."

Answer: 100

The Psalms are a frequent source of praise music. One is made from this song, and the chorus is taken from verse 4: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise."
9. Some have actually argued that William Shakespeare had a hand in translating this Psalm for the King James Bible. They say he left several clues.

Answer: 46

The number of the Psalm (46) corresponds to the age Shakespeare would have been when the KJV was translated in 1611. Also, the 46th word from the beginning of the Psalm is "shake," and the 46th word from the end is "spear." Though an interesting theory, it is not one most scholars take seriously.

There is a list of the translators' names, and Shakespeare is not among them. Furthermore, Ben Jonson famously said that Shakespeare knew "little Latin and less Greek," so he would have had some trouble doing translations from the Septuagint and the Vulgate!
10. In Psalm 18, the singer says, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the ___ of my salvation."

Answer: Horn

This Psalm has been turned into a popular English praise song with its chorus taken from verse 46: "The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted."
11. This is the psalm Christ quotes on the cross, when He is crucified, saying, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Answer: 22

It is a fitting psalm to quote, for it seems to describe his very crucifixion, with lines such as: "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people"; "They pierced my hands and my feet"; and "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
12. How many Psalms are attributed to Moses?

Answer: One

The 90th Psalm is ascribed to Moses, the leader of the Jewish people in the Exodus.
13. The numbering of the Psalms in most Protestant and Catholic Bibles differs.

Answer: True

The Septuagint and the Hebrew translations of the Bible use a slightly different numbering system. Protestant Bibles follow the Hebrew numbering, Catholic Bibles the Septuagint. Both have a total of 150 Psalms, but they are divided differently. For instance, Psalm 147 in the Hebrew Bible is divided into Psalm 146 and 147 in the Septuagint, while Psalms 114 and 115 of the Septuagint are grouped together as Psalm 116 in the Hebrew.

There are some other Greek translations that add a 151st Psalm as well.
14. What fraction of the Psalms is anonymous?

Answer: About one-third

48 of the 150 Psalms are anonymous. 73 are explicitly ascribed to David. Other authors include Solomon, Moses, Asaph, and Ethan the Ezrahite.
15. In Psalm 137, the exiled Jews sing of hanging their harps on the willows of what nation?

Answer: Babylon

Pslam 137:1-3: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. / We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. / For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
Source: Author skylarb

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
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