"The Book of Psalms is a revealing document of faith that opens a window through which we may peer into the soul-life of ancient Israel. It portrays the inner spiritual struggles of ordinary people as they grapple with adversity, bare their souls, display their anxieties, admit their doubts, rail against injustice, revel in joy, and proclaim their thankfulness. Its ideas and concepts, its varying moods, and its penetrating insights into the human condition imbue this Biblical book with eternal relevance." "Nahum Sarna's Songs of the Heart highlights these features as it examines the forms of expression, literary style, and range of religious ideas in the psalms. A representative selection of psalms is explored, each of which typifies one of the varied genres that make up the Psalter." "As in his previous books, Understanding Genesis and Exploring Exodus, Professor Sarna makes extensive use of archaeological finds from the excavations done in the Near East, as well as the data derived from artifacts, inscriptions, literature, and linguistic studies of the Biblical era. This stimulating multidisciplinary study sheds light on the cultural background of the psalms, which remain at the heart of Jewish and Christian worship to this day."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved