Additional information
by Hau Tzeng Au Yeong (Author), Jj Lim (Author)
This work is based on the 1650 Scottish Psalter. According to Andrew Duncan, "This version, after repeated revisals, was approved of by the Westminster Assembly; and, having undergone further careful revision by members of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, it was adopted and sanctioned in 1649, and, on the 15th day of May in the following year, was for the first time used publicly in Glasgow. It claims to be 'more plain, smooth, and agreeable to the text, than any' versions 'heretofore;' and though many attempts have been made to supersede it, yet none have been successful, the firmness with which it has held its place being, undoubtedly, owing to its real excellence, its intrinsic merits, as well as to the endearing associations with which it has come to be surrounded" (Andrew Duncan, 1882). We kept this 1650 version almost entirely intact apart from replacing some seriously archaic words, most notably in Psalms 18:26 and 88:8. These have been accordingly footnoted. "Sith" and "alway" have been changed to "since" and "always" respectively. Also where the tetragrammaton (יהוה) is found in the Hebrew, the word translating it has been adjusted to capital letters (e.g. LORD, GOD, JEHOVAH) in line with most Bible versions. Additionally, to help fathers and perhaps even pastors who use this psalter, we have provided with each Psalm and Psalm portion a brief introduction and comments which may be used to introduce the selection to those who will sing them, so that they may be sung with a more Christological understanding.
