The enjoyable path of Psalms study\vinds through several fields. Attention can turn first to the original meaning and use of the psalms. Then interest may be held by their subsequent use and interpretation, starting already with their collection and arrangement. And just as interesting, and often astonishing, is the discovery of what they can contribute to the life of faith and worship today. I have shaped my treatment with these various fields in mind. In the Introduction I survey the historical areas and provide for convenient reference from the Commentary. For each psalm there is then a simple and regular pattern: I first give my own translation, then introductory remarks on the psalm's character, position and setting, then commentary on its sections, and so to a conclusion. In these conclusions I appreciate the psalm as a whole and in relation to spirituality today, especially in the Christian tradition; as a practical way of focusing this, I append a prayer I have drawn from my understanding of the psalm. Notes on textual details, poetic parallels and views of other scholars are gathered in an Appendix at the back of the book and are important for close study.

In my translation I have generally tried to meet the desire for inclusive language, but in some cases it seemed better to convey more exactly what is in the text. Already throughout Psalm 1 the dilemma arises (literally'Happy is the man...'). Some recent versions simply change to'Happy those...', but the reader will then not be able to appreciate the Jewish insight that sees here how the individual must be ready to stand against the crowd, or the Christian tradition that found here a prefigurement of Christ. Here and often, delicate judgements have to be made. Numbering of verses and even of psalms varies in old traditions; I have kept to the usual English numbers, as found for example in AV and NRSV.