In this volume Kevin Foth provides a fresh presentation of two of the most important contrasting figures in the Hebrew Bible on his way to analyzing their role within the psalms. The study showcases the value of attending to the unique poetic expression of individual compositions rather than importing insights from other contexts. Judicious with past scholarship, Foth challenges past conclusions and charts new directions which will not only impact the reading of the psalms but also the use of the psalms for ethical reflection.

Mark J. Boda, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

“The Righteous” and “the Wicked” function as main characters in the poetic drama of the Hebrew Psalter. In this book, Kevin Foth draws out the complexities of the roles they play and the way these characters—particularly as they are set against one another—contribute to the meaning of individual psalms. This generative study not only offers deeper understanding of “righteous” and “wicked,” it also provides a model for applying insights about characterization to the interpretation of other aspects of the book of Psalms.

Rebecca Poe Hays, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

In this thoroughly engaging work, Kevin Foth has developed a truly landmark study on the “righteous” and the “wicked” and how they function in the Psalms. By employing a distinctly poetics approach matched by close readings of individual psalms, Foth teases out the varied nuances that these conventional “stock characters” carry in Hebrew psalmody. In so doing, he has advanced Psalms research in new and significant ways.

William P. Brown, Columbia Theological Seminary

In this clear and insightful work, Kevin Foth casts into new light one of the most important theological concerns in the Psalter—the nature and destiny of those called “righteous” vis-à-vis those labeled “wicked.” By exploring these figures as literary types, he advances our understanding, which has long been hindered by the limits of historical and cultic interpretations. This study is a must read for students of the Psalms and for those who want to understand the nature and importance of the righteous and the wicked within them.

Jerome F. D. Creach, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Research on the Psalms has often sought to understand them in terms of genre, cult function, or canonical placement. Research on character in Old Testament studies has typically engaged narrative books. We have therefore been waiting for an intervention such as Kevin Foth offers: an exploration of character in the Psalms—in this case, the righteous and the wicked—calibrated to the psalms’ own distinctive poetics. Foth forges a fresh path; his work is meticulous, subtle, and sound.

Collin Cornell, Fuller Seminary