How Many Psalms Are There? Psalm Numbering Explained

There are 150 psalms in the Book of Psalms, in Catholic, Protestant and Jewish Bibles alike. But if you look up a famous psalm in an older Catholic Bible, such as the Douay-Rheims, you may find it under a different number: “The Lord is my shepherd” is Psalm 23 in most modern Bibles but Psalm 22 in the Douay-Rheims. This is because there are two ancient ways of numbering the psalms. Below is why the numbers differ, a simple conversion table, famous psalms with both numbers, the five books of the Psalter, the longest and shortest psalms, and how the psalms are prayed in the Church today.

Why the psalm numbers differ

The psalms were written in Hebrew. Before the time of Christ they were translated into Greek in the Septuagint, which divides some psalms differently: it joins Psalms 9 and 10 into one, and Psalms 114 and 115 into one, while splitting Psalm 116 and Psalm 147 into two each. St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate followed the Greek numbering, and so did the Douay-Rheims Bible, the classic English Catholic translation made from the Vulgate. Modern translations, Catholic and Protestant, follow the Hebrew numbering.

On this site, Scripture is quoted from the Douay-Rheims, so we give the Douay number first and the modern number in parentheses, for example “Psalm 22 (23 in modern Bibles).”

Conversion table

Hebrew numbering (most modern Bibles)	Greek and Latin numbering (Douay-Rheims, Vulgate)
1–8	1–8 (the same)
9–10	9
11–113	10–112 (one lower)
114–115	113
116	114–115
117–146	116–145 (one lower)
147	146–147
148–150	148–150 (the same)

Rule of thumb: for most psalms between 10 and 147, the Douay number is one lower than the modern number.

Famous psalms with both numbers

First words	Modern	Douay
“The Lord is my shepherd”	23	22
“The Lord is my light and my salvation”	27	26
“As the deer longs for running streams”	42	41
“Have mercy on me, O God” (Miserere)	51	50
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High”	91	90
“Come, let us sing to the Lord” (Venite)	95	94
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains”	121	120
“Out of the depths” (De profundis)	130	129

Psalm 22 in the Douay-Rheims, which translates the opening as “The Lord ruleth me,” the psalm better known as “The Lord is my shepherd”:

A psalm for David. The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:
He hath converted my soul. He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake.
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!
And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

Verse numbers can differ too

Many psalms begin with a title, such as “A psalm of David.” The Hebrew and Latin traditions count the title as verse 1, while many English Protestant Bibles leave it unnumbered. So the same words may be verse 2 in a Catholic Bible and verse 1 in another.

The five books of the Psalter

The Psalms are divided into five books, perhaps in imitation of the five books of Moses, each ending with a blessing of God (modern numbering):

Psalms 1–41
Psalms 42–72
Psalms 73–89
Psalms 90–106
Psalms 107–150, ending with the great “Alleluia” psalms.

Psalm facts

Longest psalm: Psalm 119 (Douay 118), with 176 verses, a meditation on God’s law arranged by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Shortest psalm: Psalm 117 (Douay 116), only two verses: “O praise the Lord, all ye nations.”
Authors: many psalms are attributed to King David; others to Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses (Psalm 90) and anonymous writers.
Psalm 151: the Greek and Eastern Orthodox Bibles include a short Psalm 151 about David; it is not part of the Catholic canon of Scripture.

How Catholics pray the psalms

At Mass, a psalm is sung after the first reading: see the responsorial psalm.
In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s daily prayer, priests, religious and many lay people pray the psalms over a four-week cycle. See Lauds, Vespers and Compline.
In personal prayer, the psalms give words for every situation: praise, thanksgiving, sorrow, anger, fear and trust. Jesus himself prayed them, even on the Cross.

Psalm 150, the last psalm, calls everything that breathes to praise the Lord:

Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.

Frequently asked questions

How many psalms are in the Bible?

150, in the Book of Psalms. Some Eastern Bibles add a Psalm 151.

Why is Psalm 23 numbered 22 in Catholic Bibles?

Because older Catholic Bibles, like the Douay-Rheims, follow the Greek and Latin numbering, in which Psalms 9 and 10 are combined. Modern Catholic Bibles use the Hebrew number, 23.

Do Catholic and Protestant Bibles have the same psalms?

Yes, the same 150 psalms. Only the numbering in older Catholic translations differs.

What is the longest psalm?

Psalm 119 (Douay 118), with 176 verses.

More about Scripture and prayer

Sources

Scripture: Psalm 22:1–6 (23 in modern Bibles); Psalm 150:3–5, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.