The psalms were written by King David and his contemporaries throughout Israel as God continues to interact with the ancient Judean people. They are constructed with meter to be sung and chanted, and they are written with poetic form. Many are incredibly prophetic of the New Testament, others are great repetitive prayers, and some were written with praise of God as its purpose. Psalm 50 in the Septuagint is of particular importance to the Orthodox Church as it is the only psalm which is recited in its entirety during the Divine Liturgy. It is recited by the priest during the Cherubic Hymn as he prepares for the holy oblation, this is prior to the Epiclesis in which the priest blesses the gifts for them to become the body and blood of Christ. This psalm was written by David after his encounter with Bathsheba whom he had and affair with, he asks the lord for forgiveness repeatedly for the sake of repentance.
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