What is Psalm 151? Should Psalm 151 be in the Bible?
Psalm 151 is a chapter that is only found in certain versions of the Bible, such as that of the Greek Orthodox Church. However, it is excluded from traditional Hebrew and Christian Bibles, which only have 150 psalms.
Neither Protestantism or Catholicism consider Psalm 151 to be canonical. The psalm is purported to be another psalm of David and is an autobiographical account of his defeat of Goliath and his anointing as king of Israel by Samuel. It also covers smaller details of David's life, such as his musical abilities of flute-playing and harp-making.
Psalm 151 was only known to scholars until the twentieth century as a Greek, Latin, or Syriac passage that appeared only in the Septuagint and translations made from it. However, Psalm 151 was found in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which caused it to become more commonly known. The Hebrew version found within the Dead Sea Scrolls is a bit different than the one found in the Septuagint. The Hebrew version splits the psalm into two parts, but the Septuagint shortens them and combines them into one text.
Psalm 151 is not included in most Bibles for at least a couple reasons. First, Psalm 151 is considered to be a part of the Apocrypha by traditional Judaism because it was not found within the traditional Masoretic Hebrew text. Second, even though Psalm 151 is included within the Septuagint, the original translators made a special note that it was "not of the number," meaning that they did not officially believe it to be a portion of the biblical canon.
You can read Psalm 151 online at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+151+1&version=CEB
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