Strata: How Many?

How many Psalms bear the name of Asaph?

Answer: 12

The phrase lě’āsāp introduces 12 Biblical Psalms (50, 73–83). This phrase, most often translated into English as “of Asaph,” possibly indicates authorship, meaning that either Asaph himself or one of his descendants wrote these psalms. It may also indicate association with an Asaph tradition—or that these psalms were sung in a style associated with Asaph’s guild of musicians.

Asaph himself appears in the Biblical tradition as a prominent Levitical singer and seer in David’s court (1 Chronicles 6:39; 15:17, 19; 16:4–7; 2 Chronicles 29:30). The son of Berachiah of the tribe of Levi, he is the eponymous ancestor of the “Sons of Asaph,” one of the great family guilds of temple musicians. The books of Chronicles describe Asaph as the “chief” of the Levites appointed by David to minister before the ark of the Lord and to sing the songs of Thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 16:4–7). Asaph and his sons are also associated with a tradition of cultic prophecy: Asaph is described as a “seer” (2 Chronicles 29:30), and his sons as prophets within David’s temple service (1 Chronicles 25:1).