Seventy years after the first English metrical Psalter, The Whole Book of Psalms, Collected into English Metre… Set forth and allowed to be sung in all Churches, of all the People together… (1562), was published, George Wither hoped to improve its poetry by writing a new Psalter, also in lyric verse. Earlier he had written the first English hymn book, Hymnes and Songs of the Church. A hymn is a song in lyric verse, written in praise of God. In traditional translations, the Psalms do not rhyme, making them difficult to set to music and perform. However, metrical Psalters allow the individual and the congregation to sing the Psalms with familiar tunes.

For each of the 150 Psalms, there is a paraphrase set in hymn meter, together with an introduction and a prayer based on the Psalm. Included is a list of hymn tunes, by meter, appropriate for each Psalm.

George Wither (1588–1667) was a noted poet, religious writer, and satirist. He lived from the time of Queen Elizabeth I to King Charles II and wrote about the tumultuous century in which he lived. When writing on the foibles of times, his pen caused him to be imprisoned at least twice. But, when he turned his pen to the Psalms and church hymns, he composed some of the finest works of his time.

“Of all translations extant of the entire Psalter, for fidelity, and harmony, and simplicity of expression, the palm seems due to Wither.”

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