Course information | 125 Psalms (HNS CHC DL) S1 2026

Henderson Campus

3 Smythe Road
Private Bag 93104
Henderson
Auckland 0650
New Zealand

P +64 9 836 7800 or 0800 999 777
E henderson@laidlaw.ac.nz

Christchurch Campus

70 Condell Avenue
Papanui
Christchurch 8053
New Zealand

P +64 3 354 4270 or 0800 999 777
E chch@laidlaw.ac.nz

Distance Learning

3 Smythe Road, Henderson
Private Bag 93104
Henderson
Auckland 0650
New Zealand

P +64 9 836 7836 or 0800 999 777
E distancelearning@laidlaw.ac.nz

Welcome

Distance Learning students HERE is the link for the tutorials this semester

Distance Learning students HERE is the link if you would like to join the class on Wednesday afternoons

Distance Learning students HERE is the link to the video of the first tutorial

23 February - 1 March

The Lord is King (video)

Some stuff you may not know about the Psalms (and may not want to know)

Some stuff you may not know about the Psalms (and may not want to know) (PowerPoint)

Kingship in the Psalms

A King's Prayer (Psalm 101)

A King's Prayer (Commentary by Rolf Jakobson)

A Prayer for the King (Psalm 72)

A Prayer for the King (Commentary by Tremper Longman)

2 March - 8 March

The Legal Language of Prayer (video)

Glossary of Hebrew terms used in the notes on the legal language of prayer

1 Legal language, prayer and deliverance in Mesopotamia

2 Legal language, prayer and deliverance in Israel

3 "Righteousness" and intervention for the vulnerable in Israel

Psalm 7 - Calling on the LORD to Judge

Psalm 11 - Confidence in the Midst of Chaos

Projects to accompany the course notes

9 March - 15 March

Emotion in the Book of Psalms (video)

1 Emotions in Psalm 119 - Please complete this exercise first

2 Verbalising Hate in the Psalms

3 Human anger in the Psalms

4 The text of Psalm 37

5 Psalm 37 anger, the righteous, and the wicked (study guide)

6 Psalm 37 anger, the righteous, and the wicked (answers)

16 March - 22 March

Form Criticism and the Psalms (video)

Notes on Form Criticism

Form criticism - an exercise (read the notes first)

Form criticism - an exercise (answers)

The Lament Psalm

A contemporary lament by U2

Exercise - have a go at analysing a lament psalm

Exercise - analysing a lament psalm (answers)

23 March - 29 March

Completing exercises 1-4 - PLEASE READ ME FIRST

Exercise 1 - The structure of Psalm 51

Exercise 2 - Locating Psalm 51 in the narrative of 1 Samuel

Exercise 3 - Metaphors for sin and forgiveness

Exercise 4 - Do not take your Spirit from me

A Close Reading of Psalm 51

30 March - 5 April

The Psalms as Poetry: Parallelism in the Psalms (video)

An Overview of Hebrew Poetry

Exercise on Psalm 139

Hebrew Poetry - Parallelism

In-class exercise "Parallelism in Hebrew Poetry"

Psalm 73 (video)

PowerPoint for Psalm 73

20 April - 26 April

Death and the Afterlife in the Psalms (video)

Exercise - Death and afterlife in the Psalms

Exercise - "Afterlife" language in the Psalms

Notes - Death and the Afterlife in the Old Testament

John Goldingay, "Death and Afterlife in the Psalms"

A brief commentary on Psalm 49

Notes - Figures of Speech

27 April - 3 May

Praise in the Psalms (video)

Please read me first

Course notes on Praise Psalms

Exercise 1 (Psalm 118)

Course Notes on Psalm 118

Exercise 2 (Psalm 118)

Exercise 3 (Psalm 118)

Exercise 4 (Psalm 118)

Exercise - the vow of praise

Exercise - vow of praise (answer key)

4 May - 10 May

The Shape and Shaping of the Book of Psalms (video)

The shape and shaping of the book of Psalms

Course notes on Psalm 1

11 May - 17 May

Ethics in the Psalms (video)

Brueggemann "A Typology of Function"