Walter Brueggemann is Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and was a past president of the Society of Biblical Literature. His most recent books include Disruptive Grace: Reflections on God, Scripture, and the Church and Journey to the Common Good. William H. Bellinger, Jr, is W. Marshall and Lulie Craig Chairholder in Bible, Chair of the Department of Religion and Professor of Religion at Baylor University. He is author of Psalms: A Guide to Studying the Psalter, 2nd edition, and Psalmody and Prophecy, among other books. Professor Bellinger currently chairs the Steering Committee for the Book of Psalms Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and serves on the editorial board of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

'Walter Brueggemann and Bill Bellinger form an impressive team. Both are outstanding interpreters of the Psalms, and together they have produced a commentary that is clear in structure and lucid in style, up to date in scholarship and astute in application – indeed, a compelling introduction for anyone seeking to appreciate the Psalms in their ancient and contemporary settings.' Susan Gillingham, Worcester College, University of Oxford

• Introduction; Psalm 1-Psalm 150.