The Praise of the Righteous

This psalm is found in the Qumran Psalms scroll from Cave 11 and a fragmentary scroll from Cave 4. It likely dates to the first or second century BCE; its inclusion in the Psalms scroll indicates that it was originally composed in Hebrew. A Syriac version is included in the Peshitta as Psalm 154. The psalm glorifies wisdom, personified as female as in many biblical and postbiblical wisdom texts. It also features the idea that verbal praise of God is acceptable as a sacrificial offering, a concept with biblical roots (see Psalm 141:12) that became increasingly pervasive as prayer replaced sacrifice as the dominant mode of worship.