The poetic books of the Old Testament—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon—are often called humankind's reach toward God. The other books of the Old Testament picture God's reach toward man through the redemptive story. Yet these five books reveal the very heart of men and women struggling with monumental issues such as suffering, sin, forgiveness, joy, worship, and the passionate love between a man and woman.

C. Hassell Bullock, a noted Old Testament scholar, delves deep into the hearts of the five poetic books, offering readers helpful details, like:

• Hermeneutical considerations for each book
• Theological content and themes
• Detailed analyses of each book
• Cultural perspectives.

Hebrew is a language of "intrinsic musical quality that naturally supports poetic expression," says Bullock in his introduction. That poetic expression comes from the heart of the Old Testament writers and reaches all of us exactly where we are in our own struggles and joys.

Spring '26
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Fall '24
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Fall '22
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Fall '20
Recommended FLBC textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Nathan Olson.
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Jesus died with a psalm on his lips. For millennia, humans have been shaped by the Psalms. And before the Nazis banned him from publishing, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer published this book on the Psalms.

What comfort is found in the Psalter? What praise, and what challenge? What threat? In the pages of Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, discover the richness this book of Scripture held for Bonhoeffer, and learn to pray psalms along with Christ.

First published in 1940, this classic reveals how the Psalms are essential to the life of the believer and offers Bonhoeffer's reflections on psalms of thanksgiving, suffering, guilt, praise, and lament. Now with an introduction by Walter Brueggemann and excerpts from the Psalms, Bonhoeffer's timeless work offers contemporary readers ancient wisdom and resources for the living of these days. Includes a biographical sketch of Bonhoeffer written by his friend and biographer Eberhard Bethge.

Spring '26
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

SIT 2025
Recommended SIT textbook for Session A.
Psalms: Prayerbook of Jesus (Dr. Brad Pribbenow)

Fall '24
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Fall '22
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.

Fall '20
Required FLS textbook for Poetical Books course taught by Dr. Brent Olson, Professor of Old Testament.