Psalter - author, content, meaning

What is the Psalter

The Psalter is one of the most famous books of the Old Testament, containing 150 psalms. What are psalms in Orthodoxy? These are prayer chants of various contents, but having one cross-cutting theme - the relationship between God and man. In ancient times, the singing of psalms was accompanied by playing musical instruments. The word “Psalter” comes from the name of a multi-stringed plucked musical instrument, an analogue of the Russian gusli - psaltery.

In the Old Testament, the Psalter is located between the book of Job and the book of Proverbs of Solomon. This collection of psalms is revered in Christian denominations and Judaism. It is also reflected in the Islamic sacred text Zabur, sent by Allah to the prophet David.

Psalter opened on Psalm 131

Which psalms are used for what?

Psalm 1

For the successful completion of any business.
If there is a threat of miscarriage in a pregnant woman.
For peace and prosperity.
To help a woman in labor (dangerous birth, premature birth).
To prevent evil people from entering the house (thieves, scammers, etc.)
To wean off gambling.
For a successful approach to superiors.
Protection from ruin and poverty.
Attracting wealth and prosperity to the home.

Psalm 2

For rescue at sea.
Amulet against drowning.
Flood protection.
Protection from enemies and rivals.
For spiritual resilience in difficult situations.
To protect against the nagging and hatred of the stepmother and stepfather.

Psalm 3

To get rid of migraines, severe headaches
To get rid of back pain
To defeat blood relatives (if you are at enmity or suing)
For protection from enemies

Psalm 4

To attract good luck
For protection from enemies
From pests that do not allow you to live in peace
From deception, traps, setups
From blood enemies

Psalm 5

To protect business from authorities.
For good luck in business.
For assistance in court.

Psalm 6

Protection from black witchcraft.
Healing from any eye diseases.
Removing any negative impact.
For skin diseases.
to heal bones and joints.

Psalm 7

For protection from enemies.
Destroys black magic.

Psalm 8

For glory, honor and respect
For successful fishing
For business development

Psalm 9

To destroy the negative influences that you feel around you.
To restore men's health.
When a child is ill.

Psalm 10

Protection from unclean spirits.

Psalm 11

When you see the pride and anger of many, when people have nothing sacred left.
Hiding from persecution or danger.

Psalm 12

To get rid of persecution.
Ask for mercy from higher powers.
To solve a difficult problem.

Psalm 13

Protects against violent death for a day.
Helps those suffering from punishment.

Psalm 14

Gives favor to all people.
To protect against libel.

Psalm 15

If you need to change an unsuccessful situation into a happy one.
Against the presence of an evil spirit, madness, melancholy, despondency and depression.

Psalm 16

Gives joy in sadness.
Turns enemies into friends.
Allows you to find out the thief's name.

Psalm 17

Protects from evil during the day.
They read it in gratitude for the victory over the enemy.

Psalm 18

Theft protection.
To protect yourself from negative influences.

Psalm 19

Ask for help on a dangerous journey.
To obtain a fair court decision.

Psalm 20

From danger and any suffering.

Psalm 21

During a storm at sea.

Psalm 22

Against misfortune.
Used to open chakras.
Used for cleaning.

Psalm 23

To make your dreams come true.
To get an answer in a dream.

Psalm 24

For spiritual resilience in difficult situations.
To get out of a difficult situation.

Psalm 25

For rescue on water and from water.
For early release from prison.
If your enemies seek your destruction.

Psalm 26

From danger from land or water,
To return freedom
From a dangerous and evil person
To calm an angry person

Psalm 27

To receive help in a foreign country.
For cleansing before magical work.

Psalm 28

To reconcile enemies.
to increase magical powers.

Psalm 29

Drives out an evil spirit.
Read in gratitude during recovery.

Psalm 30

From all evil.

Psalm 31

From slander and slanderers.

Psalm 32

To receive mercy.

Psalm 33

Protects children from death.

Psalm 34

From the influence of sorcerers (from obedience, slavery, zombies).
From people who are plotting bad things against you.
From dependence on bad people.
For liberation from slavery.
To find friends and like-minded people.
To win a hopeless case in court.
If your enemies seek your destruction.

Psalm 35

Helps to win in court cases.

Psalm 36

Against evil and slander.

Psalm 37

From drunkenness.
If a person is rowdy when drunk.

Psalm 38

For a successful job search
From slander and slanderers.

Psalm 40

Read if your enemies led you to ruin
From evil spirits.
So that the enemies retreat.

Psalm 41

Psalm 42

Read if your enemies have led you to ruin.
If your enemies seek your destruction.

Psalm 43

Against enemies who bring losses.

Psalm 44

For reconciliation between spouses.
For safety from enemies.
For the treatment of heart diseases.

Psalm 45

For reconciliation between spouses.
So that lovers can be together.

Psalm 46

Read to reconcile husband and wife.
To receive the love and respect of others.

Psalm 47

To be loved and respected by loved ones.

Psalm 48

Stops enemies from causing harm.
From mortal damage.
If the sorcerer wants to lime you.

Psalm 49

To protect against robbers.
Against severe or incurable fever.
From damage, sorcerers and sorcerers.

Psalm 50

For repentance.
To atone for the sins of our ancestors.
Against severe or incurable fever.
For rashes, acne, pimples.

Psalm 51

They read it if they are burdened with serious sin.

Psalm 52

Against secret enemies.
Against slander.

Psalm 53

Against secret enemies.
From damage, sorcerers and sorcerers.

Psalm 54

Calm open or secret enemies.

Psalm 55

Against secret enemies.
Calm open or secret enemies.

Psalm 56

For good luck in all matters.
To free yourself from passion.

Psalm 57

To frustrate the plans of enemies and destroy them.
For happiness in your endeavors.

Psalm 58

Used to protect against enemies and rivals.
To protect against animal attacks.
From damage, sorcerers and sorcerers.

Psalm 59

To prevent sinful passions.

Psalm 60

Used as a talisman for the military.
Read before moving to a new home for good luck and prosperity.

Psalm 61

Read to receive a holy blessing before moving into a new home;

Psalm 62

To protect against the machinations of business partners.
For forgiveness of sins.

Psalm 63

Against unfair business partners.
From damage, sorcerers and sorcerers.

Psalm 64

For a successful completion of the journey on the water.
For good luck and entrepreneurship.

Psalm 65

For good luck in all your endeavors.
For success in all matters.
For protection from evil spirits.

Psalm 66

To expel evil spirits.

Psalm 67

Against fever.
From an evil spirit.

Psalm 68

To free yourself from bad habits.
Against fever, from evil spirit.

Psalm 69

To defeat the enemy.
Against enslavement by sinful passions.

Psalm 70

To send the evil back.
Against enslavement by sinful passions,
To stop the persecution.

Psalm 71

To be released from prison.
For help in difficult times.
From poverty and misery.
For prosperity and wealth.
So that the money arrives.

Psalm 72

To gain worldwide fame.
To never suffer from poverty.

Psalm73

To save peaceful people surrounded by enemies

Psalm 74

To appease the authorities.
From persecution by embittered enemies.

Psalm 75

Read by a mother who is afraid of childbirth.
To grant forgiveness of sins.

Psalm 76

Read daily to avoid evil.
For protection against fire and water.

Psalm 77

Against need or danger.

Psalm 78

For respect.

Psalm 79

From mortal enemies.

Psalm 80

To keep friends from making mistakes.

Psalm 81

To keep friends from making mistakes.

Psalm 82

To increase business.
To attract investment.

Psalm 83

For safety in war.
To avoid capture.

Psalm 84

From sweating.
If you smell bad.

Psalm 85

For understanding between people.

Psalm 86

For recovery after illness.

Psalm 87

For recovery after illness.

Psalm 88

For recovery after illness.

Psalm 89

For recovery after illness.

Psalm 89

To make it rain.

Psalm 90

Against the deception of evil spirits, ghosts against incurable disease.
At sea and epidemics.
In case of serious illness.

Psalm 91

Against the deception of evil spirits, ghosts against incurable disease.

Psalm 92

To achieve high honors.

Psalm 93

For revenge if you were unfairly offended.

Psalm 95

To defeat enemies and infidels.

Psalm 96

From the witchcraft of other nationalities.
From return witchcraft.
Brings contentment and happiness to your family.

Psalm 97

Brings contentment and happiness to your family.
To bless the family for happiness.

Psalm 98

To establish peace and unity between families.
To develop your spiritual perfection.

Psalm 99

To fulfill a good wish.
Opens the gates of good fate and bestows all sorts of blessings.
To become godly.

Psalm 100

To overcome all enemies.

Psalm 101

For infertility
Protect yourself from being persecuted by evil spirits or humans.

Psalm 102

For infertility and for conceiving a child.
For joint pain.
For diseases of the limbs.
For pain in the arms and legs.

Psalm 104

To destroy the influence of the devil.
To find love.
To make friends.

Psalm 105

About enlightening people so that they do not deviate from the path of salvation.

Psalm 106

About getting rid of infertility in women.

Psalm 107

For the treatment of fever.
At high temperature.
For viral diseases.
For inflammation.
To improve health.
To give strength to the patient.

Psalm 108

Serves to expose evildoers and get rid of oppressors.
To punish the enemy, and to send a curse.
To defeat the enemy.
For great success in business.

Psalm 109

Against a powerful enemy.

Psalm 110

To make friends.
Make enemies and oppressors beg.

Psalm 112

To increase your power and strength.

Psalm 113

For the healing of mental illnesses in children.

Psalm 114

For success in business.

Psalm 115

Win an argument with the infidels.

Psalm 116

For safety from violent or unexpected death.

Psalm 117

If you have not performed the promised act of mercy.

Psalm 118

They read according to the restless deceased.
It is read so that you will be listened to attentively in court.
For protection from heretics.

Psalm 119

To get out of a difficult situation.

Psalm 120

To help another person.
Gives the favor of the judge.
Protects babies from all harm.

Psalm 121

Amulet in a dangerous place.
For healing from the evil eye.

Psalm 122

Read before contacting your superiors.

Psalm 123

From snake bites.

Psalm 124

Protects when traveling on water.
Protects during long journeys and when traveling to another country.

Psalm 125

Protects during long journeys and when traveling to another country.

Psalm 126

To have a son.
So that the baby survives.

Psalm 127

The prohibition of evil for a newborn.
For peace and prosperity.

Psalm 128

For an easy pregnancy.

Psalm 129

To live piously and virtuously.

Psalm 130

To escape from a besieged city.

Psalm 131

To approach the authorities.
For good luck in government affairs.
To pass exams.
From evil bosses.
From the nagging of the authorities.
Protection from the sin of Pride.

Psalm 132

To develop punctuality and a sense of responsibility.
To bring harmony to a group of people.

Psalm 133

Gives love and strengthens friendship between friends.

Psalm 134

To increase your mind.

Psalm 135

Repentance for sins.

Psalm 136

Repentance for sins.

Psalm 137

Against hatred, envy and malice.

Psalm 138

Attracts love and friendship.

Psalm 139

Increases and maintains love between husband and wife.
From damage, sorcerers and sorcerers.

Psalm 140

To remove hatred between husband and wife.

Psalm 141

So that the danger recedes.

Psalm 142

For pain in the hips.

Psalm 143

For hand pain and hand diseases.

Psalm 144

Read when your arm is broken.

Psalm 145

Against the fear of ghosts and evil spirits.
Against the fear of the dark.

Psalm 146

For wound healing.
For recovery after injury.

Psalm 147

From scorpion and salamander stings.

Psalm 148

From a fire.
Strengthens magical work.

Psalm 149

From a fire.

Psalm 150

Whoever reads this psalm at a moment of joy will soon receive joy many times over.
Gratitude for avoiding danger.

Who is the author of the Psalter

The author of most psalms is traditionally considered to be the Hebrew king and prophet David, who lived 10 centuries before the birth of Christ. However, the composition of some psalms is attributed to Moses, Solomon and those close to King David.

The Psalms are considered examples of heartfelt, reverent, poetic prayer. Despite the general theme, the psalms can be divided into several genre categories. The Psalter contains psalms dedicated to the joyful glorification of God, and heartfelt prayer to Him, and expressions of gratitude. Some psalms can even be interpreted as historical overviews.

MODERN AND ANCIENT HOLY FATHERS ABOUT THE GREAT BENEFIT OF READING THE PSALMTER!

Anna Georgievna, an admirer of St. Blessed Matrona, says: “My sister Natalya died, I buried her, and on the 40th day I saw my sister in a dream, and she told me: “You always scolded me for wasting a lot of time.” , endlessly recording the dead, recording acquaintances and strangers. And when I went through the ordeal, I passed through it like an arrow. Screams came from everywhere: “Lord, have mercy on Natalia, she remembered us!”

In the life of the inhabitant of the Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, schema-abbot Savva (Ostapenko) (+1984) in his youth, there was such a case: he was reading the Psalter for the dead and one day he fell asleep. And he saw in a dream that he was looking out the window, there were a lot of people of different ages there , they rejoice, wave their hands, greet. Then he realized that these were the dead who were thanking him for reading the Psalter for the dead.

St. Paul “... Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:19 -20)

MARKEL - monastery presbyter from the Lavra of Cells Believe me, children, nothing outrages, worries, irritates, hurts, humiliates, insults and arms the demons and Satan himself, the culprit of evil, against us, as a constant exercise in psalmody. All Holy Scripture is useful, and reading it causes a lot of trouble for the demon, but nothing crushes him more than the Psalter. While practicing psalmody, we, on the one hand, offer up a prayer to God: according to Thy great mercy and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, cleanse my iniquity (Ps. 50:3), also: do not cast me away from Thy Face, and do not take away Thy Holy Spirit from less (Ps. 50:13); do not reject me in my old age, when my strength fails, do not forsake me (Ps. 70:9). On the other hand, we curse the demons: may God rise again and His enemies be scattered, and may those who hate Him flee from His presence (Ps. 67:2); in the same way: scatter the tongues, who want to fight (Ps. 67:31), or: I saw the wicked, exalting himself and towering like the cedars of Lebanon, and passed by, and behold, and sought, and his place was not found (Ps. 36 , 35-36); - also: let their sword enter into their hearts (Ps. 36:15) - or also: a pit of graves, and fossils, and they will fall into the pit that they made. His illness will return to his head, and unrighteousness will come down to his top (Ps. 7: 16-17).

Venerable Arseny the Great One monk asked the monk what he should do when, while reading the psalms, he did not understand their meaning. The saint replied that he should continue reading, because “the demons understand and run away.”

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian: Let the psalm be continually in your mouth. Where there is a psalm of contrition, there is God with the Angels. The psalm is the joy of lovers of God: it drives away idle talk, stops laughter, reminds of judgment, arouses the soul to God, and unites with the Angels. The psalm makes the holidays bright, it produces sorrow for God. The psalm also sheds tears from a heart of stone. The Psalm is the work of Angels, Heavenly residence, spiritual censer. Psalm - enlightenment of souls, sanctification of bodies. Psalm - attracting Angelic help, a weapon against the fear of unnecessary things, peace from the daily labors, safety of babies, decoration for the elderly, comfort for the elderly, decent decoration for women. Psalmody and prayer with humble thoughts elevate the mind above illicit passions and make the soul more courageous to desire Heavenly blessings.

St. John Chrysostom: He who sings psalms, even though he is extremely depraved, being ashamed of the psalm, curbs the power of voluptuousness, and, although he is burdened with countless vices and overcome by despondency, enjoying the pleasure, he lightens his thoughts, inspires the mind and elevates the soul. If you have fallen into temptation, you will find abundant consolation in the psalms; If you sin, you will find thousands of ready-made medicines here, whether you fall into poverty or into some kind of misfortune, (the psalms) will show you many havens. Psalmody is always a triumph for those who rejoice, a consolation for those who are despondent... It tames passions like wild animals: it curbs intemperance, extinguishes injustice, supports the truth, casts down blasphemous thoughts, kills shameful thoughts, proclaims the Divine law, preaches God, explains the faith, stops the lips of heretics, builds the Church.

Saint Basil the Great: The Book of Psalms... is a common treasury of good teachings and carefully seeks out what is beneficial to everyone. She heals the old wounds of the soul, and gives quick healing to the recently wounded, and restores the painful, and supports the undamaged; in general, as much as possible, it destroys the passions that dominate souls in human life under different forms. The psalm is the silence of the soul, the dispenser of peace. It softens the irritability of the soul and disciplines intemperance. It calms rebellious and disturbing thoughts. The psalm is a mediator of friendship, unity between distant people and reconciliation of those at war. For who can

The meaning of the psalms

Written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Psalter has been used in worship services since ancient times. Not a single service in the Orthodox Church is complete without reading or singing psalms or individual verses thereof. For example, an important part of Matins is called the Six Psalms, since it represents the reading of six psalms. Most of the hours, Compline, and Midnight Office also consist of psalms.

They are also used in the Divine Liturgy, prayer services, and during the performance of various Sacraments. There is an old monastic tradition: around the clock, taking turns, reading the Psalter with the memory of the living and the dead. This type of prayer is called the “Indestructible Psalter.”

In Orthodoxy, there is an ancient custom of continuously reading the Psalter over the body of the deceased before and after burial. The funeral reading of the Psalter brings great consolation to the souls of the newly departed and is a manifestation of special love for the deceased.

In Rus', the Psalter was widely used for teaching literacy, including by secularists. This book significantly influenced ancient writing. The writings of the Holy Fathers and chronicles contain many references to the sacred lines of the Psalter. Some phrases from it came into widespread use and became established as proverbs and phraseological units. For example, the common expression “Do not dig a hole for another, you yourself will fall into it” is a simplified transcription of one of the verses of the seventh psalm.

How to work with the psalms

Preparation

First of all, you need to choose the best time for the ceremony. At a minimum, the Moon must be in the required phase (if we attract something into our lives, the Moon must be growing, and if we get rid of something, it must be waning). Also pay attention to the day of the week - men perform (or begin if the ceremony takes several days) rituals on men's days, and women on women's days.

Next, you need to find a quiet, secluded place to work. It is extremely important that you are not distracted or disturbed until the work is completed.

As when using any magical practices, you should put yourself in the right state of mind - calm your emotions, discard all unnecessary thoughts and concentrate on the ritual.

Then, you must clearly imagine your goal, what effect your spell should ultimately produce. This is extremely important, because if there is no clear purpose, your spell will be useless. This is the main mistake of almost all novice practitioners - the inability to clearly and concisely imagine what your need is.

Once you have accurately imagined the desired result and are completely focused on the work, you can begin the ceremony.

Carrying out the ritual

As I said above, there are many schools of working with the Psalter. And it cannot be said that any method of working with the psalms is more effective or more correct. The most common methods of working with psalms are as follows.

Reading psalms from memory or from the Psalter.
Recording psalms and preserving them as a talisman, talisman, amulet.
Speak psalms on water.
Speak psalms on oil.
Reading psalms on candles, incense, incense, crystals.
Speak psalms on oil.
Reading psalms while burning incense.
Speak psalms on coins, jewelry and the like.

You should use the psalms with all faith, not for a moment doubting their power, and then you will feel their real power, which is capable of extending the years of your life and making a beggar a rich man and bringing an enemy to the grave in three days.

The Psalter as a source of prayer for all needs

Because of their importance and depth, psalms permeate all Orthodox services. They can be read in their entirety, for example, at the sixth psalm, a special part of the morning service. Or individual verses in the so-called prokeimnas.

In addition, according to the Church Charter, the entire Psalter must be read in order within a week. During Lent - twice a week.

It is of great importance for a Christian to read the psalms in his home prayer rule. The Holy Fathers recommend reading the Psalter in various difficult life situations and emotional experiences.

As the holy righteous John of Kronstadt said:

“David’s divinely inspired songs lead everyone to prayer, devotion to God, praise and thanksgiving to God for everything; they enlighten, nourish, delight and strengthen the souls of believers; they drive away invisible enemies, heal spiritual passions, teach them to love God and keep His commandments, pray for everyone and constantly ascend to God; and their sweetness, their benefit for the souls of the pious is innumerable...”

The Holy Fathers combined the psalms into specific groups indicating the needs in which prayers help. Based on this, a Psalter was compiled for every need. For example, for humility of spirit it is useful to read Psalms 5, 27,43, 54, 78. And in illness, Psalms 29, 46 and 69 will become helpers for a Christian.

The Monk Arsenios of Cappadocia often used psalms to bless various deeds and needs. The Athonite elder Paisius the Svyatogorets brought this together into a single Psalter of St. Arseny. In it, in order, under each number of the psalm, the need for which it is blessed to be read is indicated.

How to read the Indestructible Psalter

As a rule, the feat of reading the Undying Psalter is carried out by the entire brethren of the monastery. The abbot of the monastery draws up a schedule in advance, in which everyone has their own reading order both day and night. This order is necessary so that the Holy Psalter is never closed. The reading takes place in the temple or in a nearby cell specially designated for this purpose.

“I ask and pray you, beloved, do not leave your hour of reading the Incessant Psalter and pray more diligently for each other, for relatives, for everyone you know and for the whole world, for all the departed who thirst for our prayers, for this is a great help for their souls.” (schema abbot Savva (Ostapenko).

History and structure of the Psalter

The psalter takes its name from a ten-stringed musical instrument, the psalter, which is similar to the modern harp. This instrument served as an accompaniment to which psalms were sung during Old Testament services. The very name “Psalter” is translated as “Book of Praise,” since the psalms, like divine hymns, glorify the name of the Lord.

In total there are 150 psalms in the book. In addition to David (the 73 psalms are attributed to him), their authors were Solomon, Asaph and his descendants, Heman, Etham, the sons of Korah. The Psalter contains 20 sections, the so-called “kathisma” (chapters). Each of the kathismas includes, as a rule, from six to nine psalms. Kathisma, in turn, is divided into three “Glories”. At each of them the doxology is raised: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen”, etc.

Reading the Psalter is important for an Orthodox Christian. The psalms, like a tuning fork, tune the soul into the right spiritual mood. Whether a person prays for the forgiveness of sins, asks for God's intercession, or praises the Lord for His manifested blessings - the entire depth of human feelings and experiences is reflected in the inspired words of the psalms.

“I think that in the words of this book the whole human life, the whole state of the soul, the whole movement of thought is measured and embraced, so that nothing more can be found in a person. Is it necessary to perform repentance and confession? Are you overwhelmed by sorrow and temptation? Are they persecuting you or plotting against you? Has despondency taken hold of you? Or, seeing yourself happy and your enemy humiliated, do you want to bring gratitude and praise to the Lord? Everyone can find guidance in the divine psalms. Let them read their words about each of these states, and every person will offer them up to the Lord, as if they were written about him” (St. Athanasius the Great).