If you’ve ever flipped through the Bible, you’ve probably come across the Psalms. Maybe you saw one on a coffee mug, or someone quoted it in a tough moment—“The Lord is my shepherd” and all that. But what exactly is a psalm? A fancy religious poem? A prayer? A song?

Short answer: all of the above.

A Psalm’s meaning goes beyond just poetry They were written as prayers, meant to be sung, chanted, or cried out loud. Some are all about praising God. Others were straight-up laments where the writer is like, “God, where are you?” They’re raw, emotional, and incredibly human—which is probably why people have been reading and singing them for thousands of years.

The word psalm comes from the Greek psallein, meaning “to pluck” (as in, strumming a harp). And that makes sense, because these weren’t just words on a page—they were performed. Picture ancient Israel, a crowd gathered in the temple, music playing, and someone singing a psalm straight from the heart. It wasn’t just reciting nice words, it was pure worship.