How is it determined who authored the Psalms in the Bible?
Some of the Psalms appear to have been written for individual recital, others for recital by the congregation. Many of them were written by professional musicians and include musical directions for instrumental performers. A few directions, such as the congregational response Praise the Lord, or Hallelujah, are still understood and used liturgically. The text attributes 74 psalms to the Hebrew king David, 12 psalms to his son and successor Solomon, and 1 to Moses; 32 psalms are identified with other individuals, but the rest are anonymous. Some bear descriptive titles such as A Psalm of Ascents (120-134) and Psalm for the Thank Offering (100). Ancient Jewish and Christian ecclesiastical traditions both held David to be the author of the book (and final editor of those psalms ascribed by the text to others), but modern biblical scholars agree that the book was compiled from older independent collections. Some have suggested that Psalms 42-83, which use Elohim, a name for God not found i
