Thirty-Fourth Study:  Psalms Of The Sons Of Korah, by G.S. Burroughs

It is puzzling to me at times why it is that JSTOR occasionally contains deeply interesting Bible Study materials, but that is certainly the case here.  An otherwise obscure Professor Harper edited the materials for this short study and it provides some intriguing material for those of us who are interested in the songs of the Sons of Korah in particular.  Material on the Sons of Korah is, as one might imagine, rather fragmentary in nature as the Bible has much to say about them but speaks about them in passages that are obscure and require a lot of work to put together.  This book appears to be focusing on the Psalms of the Sons of Korah and not on the entire history of the Sons of Korah that puts context on their materials and even their existence.  As such this Bible Study is certainly a good enough beginning but does not even hint at the massive importance of the Sons of Korah in the Hebrew scriptures and their involvement in many aspects of the tabernacle and temple service that alas have not been remembered or well understood by believers at present.

The material of this essay is only two pages long and consists of four short parts.  The study begins with a very brief look at the history of the Sons of Korah, including their loyalty to Moses in Numbers , their organization as part of the tabernacle and temple musical service in 1 Chronicles, and in their survival as an identifiable group in the Second Temple period as seen in Nehemiah, before focusing on the songs that are ascribed to them.  The next section then includes a biblical lesson of the Songs of the Sons Of Korah, namely Psalms 42-49, 85, 87, and 88, including their characteristic language that marks them as a separate body of Psalms that can be recognized as a coherent whole.  After that the third section includes some special studies, including an exhaustive treatment of the royal marriage psalm in Psalm 45 and a study of Psalm 84 and the importance of the worship within the tabernacle and temple and the desire of mankind to worship God.  The fourth and final section discusses some general topics, including a comparison of the songs of the Sons of Korah with those of Asaph and David as well as a look at how these psalms deal with themes about Man’s relationship with God, God’s providential care for His people, and the glories of Christ and the Church.