Apocrypha
Psalms 151-155
Hymns of Qumran
5 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
The five psalms that did not make the hundred and fifty — including the one David is said to have written after defeating Goliath, telling the story in the first person.
Where this text comes from
Psalm 151 exists in Greek in the Septuagint and turned up in Hebrew among the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the great psalms scroll from Cave 11. Psalms 152 to 155 survive in Syriac, and two of them also appeared in Hebrew at Qumran.
Why it is not in the Bible
Psalm 151 is canonical in the Greek, Russian, Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox churches and appears as an appendix in several Bibles. Psalms 152 to 155 are outside every canon except in some Syriac traditions.
What you will find
- In Psalm 151 David says he was the smallest among his brothers and that his hands made the flute — before telling of the duel.
- The Qumran version is longer than the Greek, showing the text being shortened in translation.
- Psalms 154 and 155 carry the vocabulary of the Qumran community, which helps date the set.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a Psalm 151?
- There is, and it is canonical in the Orthodox churches. It is in the Greek Septuagint and was also found in Hebrew among the Dead Sea Scrolls.