Joy, Despair, and Hope: Reading Psalms

by Edward Feld

Joy, Despair, and Hope recaptures the power and immediacy of psalms for modern readers, showing how these biblical poems can speak to us yet again. Accompanying the author on his personal spiritual search through psalms, readers find their own inner lives given voice within these texts. Edward Feld analyzes fifteen personal psalms from the book of Psalms, showing how each provides a different perspective on the life of faith. Feld's insights reveal how individual psalmists struggle with their faith, how they are wracked by doubt and self-questioning, and how they come finally to a greater understanding of faith. This book's clearly articulated analysis is both moving and sophisticated, helping us to enter the spiritual world of these writers, to recognize our own struggles in their ancient words, and to feel these poets alive and walking beside us. Along the way, Feld teaches us how to read psalms as poems and unlocks both their theological message and their literary splendor. Readers emerge with a new appreciation of and connection to the profound religious life and artistry of the biblical psalmists.

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2013

Reviews

[Lisa Feld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inviting, fresh look at the book of Psalms (not an easy task, considering how many books there are on psalms out there!) that is particularly notable for two reasons.

The book looks at the psalms as poetry (and translated poetry at that). The author takes us through poetic concepts and issues of translation and shows how they impact our reading of different psalms: Who is the speaker? How do stanza breaks affect the reader's sense of what ideas are related and when the mood shifts? What is the rhythm of the line? How do the translator's choices make for radically different readings of certain psalms? The author lays these concepts out clearly for the novice without being condescending to those who have a strong background in poetry, revealing hidden layers of meaning in these psalms.

The second thing that sets this book apart is the author's focus on psalms that question pat theological creeds and find answers that stretch the boundaries of faith. How do the authors account for a God who is so present in the Pentateuch and yet so absent in their own lives? Feld shows the psalms' authors grappling with troubling issues and coming to unique realizations about their faith through that struggle. The result is a book that is both graceful and rich with insight. Truly a pleasure to read.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of years ago, I took a series of evening classes on the Psalms from Rabbi Feld, at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. At that time, he said he was writing a book on the Psalms, and apparently that book finally came out. He analyzes 15 psalms, under the rubric of (as the title says) joy, despair, and hope. His writing style is wordier than I like, but he has interesting takes on the poems he analyzes, & I enjoyed the book.