The Message: Psalms [Hardcover]

Eugene H. Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Series: The message | Publication Date: April 1994

READ THE PSALMS AGAIN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

In most English translations, the Psalms sound smooth and polished. Elizabethan rhythms and style dominate. As literature, they are beyond compare. But as prayer-God-directed expressions of anger, praise, and lament-most English translations miss something vital.

"Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language," writes biblical languages scholar Eugene H. Peterson. "It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal. In the original Hebrew, the Psalms are not genteel-they're earthy and rough. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language. But they have an immense range of gut-level honesty and passion that provides them with terrific energy."

In Psalms, Peterson brings these ancient prayers to life for modern readers by translating the rhythm and idiom of the original Hebrew into contemporary English-all the while maintaining the song-like meter and lyrical quality of your favorite translations.

If this is your introduction to the Psalms, you will understand them instantly. And if you are a long-time student of the Word of God, we invite you to read the Psalms again-for the very first time.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The writer, whose The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, 1993) is a paraphrase of the New Testament, now applies the same method to the Old Testament book of Psalms. In a few places, the technique works; some of the rougher passages recover their harshness in the contemporary idiom, and the act of paraphrasing itself underscores the devotional value of putting the Psalms in one's own words. But too often Peterson uses paraphrase for its own sake, as when Psalm 19 turns "gold" and "honey" into "diamonds" and "strawberries," as though the former terms were unclear to the reader. He also imposes Christian categories on what is patently a Hebrew text. The writer's lack of skill at reproducing the poetry of the Psalms is evident everywhere; Stephen Mitchell's A Book of Psalms (LJ 6/1/93) is far preferable to this volume. The whole endeavor makes one understand why some people long for the days of the King James version. A marginal purchase.
W. Alan Froggatt, Bridgewater, Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

EUGENE H. PETERSON is a writer and poet. He has authored more than twenty books and is a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He is Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Eugene was also the founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he ministered for twenty-nine years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: Navpress; Second Edition edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891097678
• ISBN-13: 978-0891097679
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Highlight of Peterson's Project, September 30, 2006

By 

Stanford Gibson (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Message: Psalms (Hardcover)

I have never been a big fan of the Message translation of (commentary on) the Scriptures. As an X-er it seemed dated to me right off the press and I just didn't love what he did with some of my favorite texts. But when I saw the Peterson's attempt at the Psalms in a thrift store ($1) at the same time I was reading (and enjoying) his `Christ Plays in 10,000 places,' I decided to pick it up. Bottom line: It would have been worth more than full price. Peterson's poetic style fits the Psalms much better than the narrative of the Gospels/Acts or Paul's analytical approach. The words he chooses to render the stanzas of canonical worship tug at my soul.