Lament Psalms

Place and Content in Scripture

A lament psalm is a poem in which a suffering individual or community appeals to God, crying, "How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?" (Psalm 13:1) or "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). It is regarded as one of the most common types in the Book of Psalms. Scholars usually divide these psalms into two groups.

• Individual laments: Psalms in which one person cries out over illness, the threat of enemies, or guilt. Examples include Psalms 3, 13, 22, and 88.
• Communal laments: Psalms in which the people appeal to God together over disasters such as national defeat or the destruction of the temple. Examples include Psalms 44, 74, 79, and 80.

These psalms typically follow a pattern of invocation of God, complaint of suffering, petition for deliverance, confession of trust, and vow of praise. Many lament psalms end by moving from petition to praise, though some, such as Psalm 88, end in darkness. Laments of the same form also appear in Lamentations, in various passages of Job, and in Habakkuk 1.

Background

"Lament psalm" is not a name the biblical text gives itself. It is a term used by modern scholars who classified the psalms according to their form and setting in life (Sitz im Leben). The German Old Testament scholar Hermann Gunkel is generally credited with systematizing this classification in the early twentieth century. Among the communal laments, Psalms 74 and 79, which mourn the destruction of the temple, are often read in connection with the period surrounding the Babylonian exile. Scholars differ, however, on the exact date of composition of each psalm.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Lament psalms reflect a faith that believers may speak honestly to God even in the midst of suffering. For this reason they figure frequently in discussions of theodicy, which address suffering and the justice of God. The New Testament takes up this tradition in several places.

• Jesus cried out from the cross with the words of Psalm 22:1 (Mark 15:33–37). This saying is one of the Seven Last Words.
• Paul quotes Psalm 44:22 in Romans 8:36.
• Paul speaks of the "groaning" of creation, of believers, and of the Spirit (Romans 8:19–23; Romans 8:26).
• Hebrews records that Jesus offered up prayers "with strong crying and tears" (Hebrews 5:7–9).

Interpretation and Issues

• Psalm 22 and Christ: Reading this psalm as a prophecy of Christ's sufferings is widespread in many church traditions. Another interpretation reads it first as a psalm of an individual's suffering in David's time and holds that the New Testament subsequently applied it to Christ.
• Imprecations against enemies: Interpreters differ on how to understand passages that ask for retribution on enemies, such as Psalm 109 or Psalm 137. Some read them as prayers that entrust one's grievances to God; others regard them as expressions reflecting the limitations of the Old Testament.
• Relationship to the penitential psalms: Church tradition has grouped Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 as the "Seven Penitential Psalms." Many of these take the form of lament psalms.
• Expression of faith: John Calvin likened the Psalms to an anatomy of all the parts of the soul. The Reformed tradition often cites this remark in support of honest prayer, including lament.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Psalm 22 is frequently used as a text for sermons and meditation during Holy Week. Psalm texts are also read aloud together in worship in the form of responsive readings. In recent years there has been renewed attention to lament psalms in sermons that seek to comfort communities that have experienced disaster and loss.