Zylstra’s article then quotes BibleGateway.com statistics showing that Psalms was the most popular book of the Bible last year, and that almost a quarter of the 100 most popular Bible verses searched for online in 2015 came from that book. Additionally, about a quarter of Americans have a favorite scripture, and for a quarter of those people that favorite scripture came from the Psalms – far more than from any other book.
Conversely, however, the article also highlighted another important recent finding on Psalms. Data compiled from social media show that the Book of Psalms also contains half of the least-popular Bible verses circulated on Twitter, with 13 of them receiving only a single tweet in 2015. Psalms that seem to speak of vengeance and violence are just not as popular.
Psalms is the book of the Old Testament most quoted by Jesus, and it was one of the most important books in the Bible for the early Church. It is enduringly important even today and has a tremendous ongoing impact on people in every walk of life. Yet Psalms is a book which many people do not know well – or only know parts of it well. We tend to know the comforting parts and often avoid, misunderstand, or miss the point of other parts.
If you would like to better know this important biblical book – including the “hard” parts – download our new, free e-book Spotlight on the Psalms. By providing insights into all the major categories of psalms, this book shows how even difficult psalms, such as those apparently promoting violence, can be better understood, as well as shedding light on the better known and well-loved psalms.
Spotlight on the Psalms is available in three formats (including PDF which can be read on any computer) and if you have not already done so, you can download your free copy here. You already know the importance of the psalms; why not get to know and understand them much better?
