Praying the Psalms: A Commentary [Paperback]

Stanley L. Jaki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

Since the psalms are Old Testament prayers by origin, their teaching is very incomplete about trials, whose full meaning was revealed only through Christ’s suffering. The psalms contain only faint hints about the fact that in God’s perspective life really begins with death. But the psalms remain unparalleled expressions of souls who struggle to hold on to God no matter what and who experience moments of surpassing joy.

The purpose of this fine book is to help Christians grasp the basic meaning of each psalm so that the act of praying them might truly become an elevation of the mind to God. After providing general background on the psalms, including reflections on their use as both Jewish and Christian prayers, Stanley Jaki offers commentary on each individual psalm. He avoids exegetical minutiae, providing instead precisely enough explanation of the original cultural and theological setting of each Scripture to let the usefulness of praying the psalms fully emerge.

A widely respected Christian scholar, Jaki has recited all 150 psalms at least once every two weeks for the past sixty years. As a result, this book not only offers learned insight into the meaning of the psalms but is also built on personal experience, making it a powerful devotional tool as well. Readers will find here helpful pointers for turning the recitation of the psalms into living prayers relevant to today’s troubled world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Jaki, a professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and a much-published author, has produced a highly accessible and rather nonacademic guide to the Psalms. Jaki's psalm-by-psalm comments should prove unthreatening and reasonably helpful to the general reader, but his remarks are personal and subjective. Jaki seems to accept certain tenets of critical scholarship, but some readers may find him distressingly conservative; he has rather tart things to say against Kant and atheism and philosophy, but his straightforwardness is appealing and should provide a point of entry to these important texts for many readers. Recommended for larger collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802847714
• ISBN-13: 978-0802847713
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,790,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, April 28, 2003

By 

L. Andersen (Williamsburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Praying the Psalms: A Commentary (Paperback)

This book starts with a general introduction to the Psalms, then goes on to provide a page or two of commentary for each individual Psalm. It would be a great help in praying your way through the whole book of Psalms as a daily devotion, because each commentary balances scholarly information with the author's personal insights, comments, and stories. I recommend it to anyone wanting to come closer to God through the Psalms.