Psalms put full range of human emotions, from joy to contempt, on display

At their worst, psalmists demand that God inflict harm on their enemies

Fragments of a Greek manuscript of part of the Psalms from the early 5th century. Image from the Smithsonian via Wikimedia Commons.

Just about anyone who has a passing interest in the Bible has most likely heard the opening line of the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It has become the classic example of Old Testament poetry with …