Bible quiz
Psalms Quiz
This Psalms quiz has 15 questions in three parts: the best-known lines, who the psalms are linked to by their headings, and how the book of 150 psalms is arranged into five books. It starts easy and ends with a few harder questions, and every answer shows its verse in the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
- Medium
- 15 questions
- About 4 min
- Answers checked against the BSB
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Hi, I’m Pip. 15 questions, about 4 minutes. Every answer comes with its verse.
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1 of 15 · Easy
What does this quiz cover?
The first questions are lines many people know without knowing where they come from: the shepherd of Psalm 23, the deer of Psalm 42, the lamp of Psalm 119 and the hills of Psalm 121. If Psalm 23 is the one you know best, the Psalm 23 meaning page goes through it line by line.
The middle questions look at the people named in the headings and notes of the book. Many psalms are linked to David, and Psalm 72 ends with a note that the prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded. Others carry the names of Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. The David profile shows how his life connects to several psalm headings.
The last questions are about the shape of the book. Psalms is divided into five books, and each of the first four ends with a short blessing of God: Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:19, Psalm 89:52 and Psalm 106:48. The Psalms summary sets out the five books and their main themes.
How can I use this quiz in a group or at home?
Psalms are poems and songs, so they are good to read aloud. Before each question, read the psalm it names, or at least its first few verses, and let the group answer from what they heard. A small group can take one section a week: famous lines, then authors, then the five books.
For a family, the first six questions are the gentlest place to start, and each one leads straight to a psalm short enough to read together.
What is a good study tip for the Psalms?
Read the small heading above a psalm before the psalm itself. Headings name a person, an occasion or a musical note, such as a song of ascents or a psalm for the choirmaster, and they are where most authorship questions come from. Then notice how each of the five books closes with praise, so the whole book ends with Psalm 150 calling on everything that has breath to praise.
All questions and answers
Try each question first, then open the answer to see the verse it comes from (Berean Standard Bible).
1. In Psalm 23:1, what does the writer say God is to him?Easy
- My rock
- My shepherd
- My king
- My shield
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Answer: B. My shepherd
Psalm 23 opens by calling the LORD my shepherd, and the writer says he shall not want.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
2. In Psalm 42:1, which animal pants for streams of water?Easy
- A deer
- A lion
- An eagle
- A sparrow
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Answer: A. A deer
As the deer pants for streams of water, the writer says, so his soul longs after God.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.”
3. In Psalm 1, the person who delights in God's law is compared to what?Easy
- A house built on rock
- A tree planted by streams
- A deer by the water
- A city on a hill
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Answer: B. A tree planted by streams
Psalm 1 says this person is like a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither.
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.”
4. According to Psalm 119:105, what is God's word to the writer's feet?Easy
- A shield
- A staff
- A lamp
- A rock
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Answer: C. A lamp
Psalm 119:105 calls God's word a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
5. In Psalm 121:1, where does the writer lift up his eyes?Medium
- To the hills
- To the heavens
- To the temple
- To the sea
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Answer: A. To the hills
The writer lifts up his eyes to the hills and asks where his help comes from; verse 2 answers that it comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
6. Which psalm verse says, "Be still and know that I am God"?Medium
- Psalm 23:4
- Psalm 1:1
- Psalm 121:1
- Psalm 46:10
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Answer: D. Psalm 46:10
These words are in Psalm 46:10, in a psalm that opens by calling God our refuge and strength.
““Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.””
7. Which psalm opens with the cry "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me"?Medium
- Psalm 22
- Psalm 23
- Psalm 51
- Psalm 90
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Answer: A. Psalm 22
Psalm 22 opens with this cry, and Matthew 27:46 records Jesus crying out the same words on the cross.
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?”
8. According to Psalm 137:1, by the rivers of which place did the writers sit and weep?Medium
- Egypt
- Nineveh
- Babylon
- Damascus
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Answer: C. Babylon
By the rivers of Babylon they sat and wept when they remembered Zion.
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”
9. According to Psalm 90:4, a thousand years in God's sight are like what?Medium
- A single hour
- A day that passes
- A breath of wind
- A fading flower
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Answer: B. A day that passes
Psalm 90:4 says a thousand years in God's sight are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.
“For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.”
10. According to Psalm 139:14, how does the writer say he was made?Medium
- Shaped like clay by a potter
- Made as strong as a cedar
- Raised up to rule the nations
- Fearfully and wonderfully made
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Answer: D. Fearfully and wonderfully made
The writer praises God because he is fearfully and wonderfully made.
“I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.”
11. Psalm 150, the last psalm, closes by calling on what to give praise?Medium
- The kings of the earth
- Everything that has breath
- The trees of the forest
- The sun and the moon
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Answer: B. Everything that has breath
The final verse of the book calls on everything that has breath to praise the LORD.
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!”
12. Psalm 136 repeats one line again and again. Which line is it?Medium
- Put your hope in God
- Let all the people say Amen
- Lift up your heads, O gates
- His loving devotion endures forever
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Answer: D. His loving devotion endures forever
Each verse of Psalm 136 ends with the refrain that God's loving devotion endures forever.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His loving devotion endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever.”
13. Psalm 41 closes the first of the five books of Psalms with a blessing. Which words end that blessing?Hard
- Amen and Amen
- Hallelujah
- Forever and ever
- Peace be upon Israel
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Answer: A. Amen and Amen
Psalm 41:13 blesses the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting and ends with "Amen and Amen."
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”
14. According to the note at Psalm 72:20, whose prayers are concluded there?Hard
- The psalms of Asaph
- The songs of ascents
- The prayers of David son of Jesse
- The songs of the sons of Korah
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Answer: C. The prayers of David son of Jesse
Psalm 72:20 says that the prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded, at the end of the second book of Psalms.
“Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.”
15. According to 1 Chronicles 16:7, to whom did David first commit a song of thanksgiving?Hard
- Heman
- Ethan
- Asaph
- Jeduthun
Show answer
Answer: C. Asaph
David first committed this song of thanksgiving to Asaph and his brothers; twelve psalms (50 and 73 to 83) carry Asaph's name in their headings.
“On that day David first committed to Asaph and his brothers this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:”
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Book of Psalms?
The headings link many psalms to David, and others to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Heman, Ethan and Moses. A note at the end of Psalm 72 says the prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded (Psalm 72:20). Some psalms have no name in their heading.
How many psalms are there?
There are 150 psalms in most English Bibles. Bibles that follow the Greek and Latin numbering, such as Orthodox and older Catholic editions, number many of them one lower, so Psalm 23 can appear as Psalm 22.
What are the five books of Psalms?
The psalms are grouped into five books: Psalms 1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106 and 107-150. Each of the first four ends with a blessing of God, as in Psalm 41:13 and Psalm 106:48.
What is the shortest and the longest psalm?
Psalm 117 is the shortest, with 2 verses, and Psalm 119 is the longest, with 176 verses. Psalm 119 is arranged in sections named after letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Which psalm did Jesus quote on the cross?
Matthew 27:46 records Jesus crying out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?", which are the opening words of Psalm 22 (Psalm 22:1).