The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter

by Andrew Macintosh, David Frost and John Emerton

Book cover: The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter

Extent: 204 pages

Publisher: The Lutterworth Press

Subjects: Biblical Studies, Religious Studies

Language: English

Paperback (No longer our product)

(September 2024)

ISBN: 9780718897710

Price: $30.00

On back order

PDF (No longer our product)

(September 2024)

ISBN: 9780718897727

Price: $24.00

A faithful, revised, modern-English translation of the ancient Biblical Psalms.


The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter represents the best modern understanding of what is in places a very difficult Hebrew text. The revised edition of the book includes a new introduction by Andrew Macintosh that explains the process of translation, and the translated Psalms are reproduced in their original clarity and lyricism. Created by an expert panel of eight Hebrew scholars, in collaboration with the literary scholar Dr David Frost, this translation remains a faithful yet readable rendering of the original Hebrew. Remaining licensed for use in the Church of England and authorised for churches world wide, this translation has been used in six national prayer books, as well as appearing in the Alternative Service Book 1980. The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter represents the best modern understanding of a difficult Hebrew text, suitable for public and private worship.

Andrew Macintosh is a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He was Dean of Chapel from 1979 until retirement in 2002. An ordained priest of the Church of England, he lectured on Hebrew language and texts, and was secretary of the translation panel which produced The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter. David L. Frost was Professor of English at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and is a former Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He served for a time as a member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission. John Emerton (1928-2015) was Emeritus Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John’s College. His scholarship focussed on Hebrew and the Old Testament, on which he lectured and wrote extensively. He was chairman of the translation panel.

  • By (author) John Emerton
  • By (author) David Frost
  • By (author) Andrew Macintosh

"In renderings of the Psalter for liturgical use there is a delicate balance to be struck between long-loved familiarity of the traditional version and modern scholarly accuracy. The Cambridge Liturgical Psalter has proved itself to have got that balance just right. It was translated by a panel of some of England's leading Hebrew scholars of the day while at the same time relying on an expert in English for the final phrasing. It deserves its place as the premier resource for church use world-wide." Hugh Williamson, Emeritus Regius Professor of Hebrew, University of Oxford
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