Old Testament poetry

The poetic books in the Old Testament are Psalms, Lamentations, and the Song of Solomon. Perhaps the most important and most used of the books discussed here is the book of Psalms. However, all three books are supremely poetic and their poetry reflects various life situations: national tragedy (Lamentations), personal everyday and religious life (Psalms) or love experience (Song of Songs). 

Literature: 

Rendtorff, Rolf. The Old Testament, pp. 246-250; 261-264`; 267-270. 

Lewis Hall, Elizabeth M. Suffering in God's presence: the role of lament in transformation. Journal of spiritual formation and soul care 9 (2/2016), pp. 219-232 (see here). 

Biblical texts for final exam: 

The student is supposed to have read and to know all and entire Old Testament books; however, at the final exam (s)he will be confronted with one of these texts:

Psalms (according to masoretic numbering): 1 - 2 - 8 -16 - 22 - 23 - 31 - 36 - 40 - 42 - 43 - 45 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 62 - 72 - 73 - 89

- 91 - 100 - 103 - 104 - 110 - 114 - 118 - 121 - 122 - 126 - 127 - 130 - 136 - 137 - 139 - 150

Song 1,1-17 (let him embrace me!)

Song 2,8-17 (spring)

Song 3,1-4 (search for the beloved)

Song 8,5-7 (love is as strong as death)

Lam 1 (first lamentation) 

Verifying comprehension: 

1. Who are traditionally considered to be the authors of these books (i.e. Psalms, Song of Songs, and Lamentations)? Why? 
2. What historical event is depicted in Lamentations? 
3. How is the book of Psalms structured? 
4. What information is conveyed by the superscription of some psalms?