Preface

The biblical text has in it no indication of emphases for reading. In a number of texts quoted herein, we have italicized certain words in order to assist the reader in noting the rhetorical force of the text. In each case, such underscoring is our own work and of course coheres with our own sense of the text. When emphasis appears in a reference other than the Bible, the emphasis is ours unless stated otherwise. When a verse is cited without a book or chapter reference (e.g., v. 1), it is understood to refer to the psalm presently under discussion.

The authors thank the editors and publishers of the New Cambridge Bible Commentary for the opportunity to work on the book of Psalms. Special thanks also go to Libby Ballard, B. J. Parker, Anna Sieges, and Kim Williams Bodenhamer. May these comments on the Psalms help today’s readers and hearers embrace these ancient texts in transforming ways.