Reference: Hymns
Fausets
Hebrew tehillim; in direct praise to God (Ac 16:25; Jas 5:13). Not restricted to church worship; but used to exhilarate Christians in social parties. "Psalms," mizmor, were accompanied with an instrument, carefully arranged. "Songs," Greek oodai, Hebrew shir, were joyous lyric pieces on sacred subjects; contrast the reveling, licentious songs of pagan feasts (Am 8:10). The accompaniment is the "melody of the heart," not the lyre. Tertullian (Apology, 39) records that at the love feasts (agapae), after the water was furnished for the hands and the lights lit, according as any remembered Scripture or could compose (compare 1Co 14:26, "improvised psalms"), he was invited to sing praises to God for the general good. The heart is the seat of true psalmody, "singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19).
Some generally accepted confession, in the form of a hymn, appears in 1Ti 3:16; the short unconnected sentences, with words similarly arranged, almost in the same number of syllables, the clauses in parallelism (the principle of Hebrew versification) antithetically arranged, each two forming a pair which contrasts heaven and earth, the order reversed in each new pair, flesh and spirit, angels and Gentiles, world and glory; the first and the last clauses correspond, "manifested in the flesh. .. received up into glory." So Pliny, 1:10, ep. 97: "the Christians are wont on a fixed day, before dawn, to meet and sing a hymn in alternate responses to Christ as God." Christ and His disciples sang a hymn after the Passover and the Lord's supper (Mt 26:30; Mr 14:26). Probably it was the Great Hallel or paschal hymn, usually sung after the Passover by the Jews, namely, Psalm 113-118.
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Your high feasts will I turn to sorrow, and your songs to mourning: I will bring sackcloth upon all backs, and baldness on every head. Yea, such a mourning will I send them, as is made upon an only begotten son, and they shall have a miserable end.
And when they had said grace, they went out into Mount Olivet.
And when they had said grace, they went out into the Mount Olivet.
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed, and lauded God. And the prisoners heard them.
How is it then brethren? When ye come together, every man hath his song, hath his doctrine, hath his tongue, hath his revelation, hath his interpretation: Let all things be done unto edifying.
speaking unto yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom. Teach and exhort your own selves, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs which have favour with them, singing in your hearts to the Lord.
And without nay, great is that mystery of godliness. God was showed in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, was seen of angels, was preached unto the gentiles, was believed on in earth and received up in glory.
If any of you be evil vexed, let him pray. If any of you be merry, let him sing Psalms.
Morish
These occur in this order: 'psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.' Eph 5:19; Col 3:16. The word 'psalms' is the same as the Greek ???????; so the word 'hymns,' ??????; for 'spiritual songs' it is ?.???? ????????????, spiritual odes or songs. There can be no doubt that the Psalms of David had been used by the devout of Israel as songs of praise, and some of these may have been used in the early church, such as Psalm 23, Psalm 103, etc., which in substance have found their way into nearly all modern hymnals.
But the new dispensation required new songs of praise, and some may have been written that retained the name of psalms; others were called hymns, which apply to those compositions which are addressed to the Father or the Son, or directly to God. The word used for 'songs' is employed in Re 5:9 for the song of the redeemed; and in Re 14:3 for the new song; and in Re 15:3 for the song of Moses, the sentiments of which are often repeated in the Psalms: cf. also Ex 15:1-19; De 32:1-44.
It will be noticed that the passages in Ephesians and Colossians do not refer to singing in the assembly, and the one in Colossians may be punctuated thus: "in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." The Lord sang a hymn with His disciples at the last passover; and we may be sure that there was singing in the assemblies. The heathen Pliny bore testimony that the Christians sang 'odes to Christ as God.' Christ is twice represented as praising God, in the midst of His congregations, that is, in the assembly, and in the great congregation of Israel and those associated with them. Ps 22:22,25. Among hymns generally it is easy to see that some are hymns of praise; others recount what God has done; others speak of what Christ has suffered; others refer to future blessing; and again others are really prayers.
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Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song unto the LORD, and said, "Let us sing unto the LORD, for he is become glorious, the horse and him that rode upon him hath he overthrown in the sea! The LORD is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation. He is my God, and I will glorify him! He is my father's God, and I will lift him up on high! read more. The LORD is a man of war, Jehovah is his name: Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea. His jolly captains are drowned in the reed sea; the deep waters have covered them; they sank to the bottom as a stone. Thine hand, LORD, is glorious in power, thine hand, LORD, hath all to dashed the enemy. And with thy great glory thou hast destroyed thine adversaries! Thou sentest forth thy wrath and it consumed them, even as stubble. With the breath of thine anger the water gathered together and the floods stood still as a rock, and the deep water congealed together in the midst of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will follow and overtake them, and will divide the spoil: I will satisfy my lust upon them: I will draw my sword, and mine hand shall destroy them.' Thou blewest with thy breath and the sea covered them, and they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among gods? Who is like thee, so glorious in holiness, fearful, laudable and that showest wonders? Thou stretchedest out thy right hand, and in the earth swallowed them. And thou carriedest with thy mercy this people which thou deliveredest, and broughtest them with thy strength unto thy holy habitation! The nations heard, and were afraid. Pangs came upon the Philistines. Then the dukes of the Edomites were amazed, and trembling came upon the mightiest of the Moabites, and all the inhabiters of Canaan waxed faint-hearted. Let fear and dread fall upon them through the greatness of thine arm, and let them be as still as a stone, while thy people pass through, O LORD; while the people pass through, which thou hast gotten. Bring them in and plant them in the mountains of thine inheritance, the place, LORD, which thou hast made for to dwell in, the sanctuary, LORD, which thy hands have prepared. The LORD reign ever and always!" For Pharaoh went in on horseback with his chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought the waters of the sea upon them. And the children of Israel went on dry land through the midst of the sea.
Hearken, o ye heavens; I will speak. And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. My doctrine drop, as doth the rain; and my speech flow, as doth the dew - as the mizzling upon the herbs, and as the drops upon the grass. read more. For I will call on the name of the LORD: Magnify the might of our God! He is a Rock, and perfect are his deeds, for all his ways are with discretion. God is faithful and without wickedness, both righteous and just is he. The froward and overthwart generation hath marred themselves to himward, and are not his sons for their deformities' sake. "Dost thou so reward the LORD? O foolish nation and unwise. Is not he thy father and thine owner? Hath he not made thee and ordained thee? Remember the days that are past: consider the years from time to time. Ask thy father and he will show thee; thine elders, and they will tell thee. When the most highest gave the nations an inheritance, and divided the sons of Adam, he put the borders of the nations fast by the multitude of the children of Israel. For the LORD's part is his folk, and Israel is the portion of his inheritance. "He found him in a desert land, in a void ground and a roaring wilderness. He led him about and gave him understanding, and kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle that stirreth up her nest and fluttereth over her young, he stretched out his wings and took him up and bare him on his shoulders. The LORD alone was his guide - and there was no strange god with him. He set him up upon a high land, and he ate the increase of the fields. And he gave him honey to suck out of the rock, and oil out of the hard stone. With butter of the kine and milk of the sheep, with fat of the lambs, and fat rams and he-goats, with fat kidneys and with wheat. And of the blood of grapes, thou drunkest wine. "And Israel waxed fat, and kicked. Thou wast fat, thick and smooth. And he let God go, that made him; and despised the rock that saved him. They angered him with strange gods, and with abominations provoked him. They offered unto field-devils and not to God; and to gods which they knew not; and to new gods that came newly up, which their fathers feared not. Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgot God that made thee. And when the LORD saw it, he was angry because of the provoking of his sons and daughters. And he said, 'I will hide my face from them and will see what their end shall be. For they are a froward generation, and children in whom is no faith. They have angered me with that which is no god; and provoked me with their vanities. And I, again, will anger them with them which are no people, and will provoke them with a foolish nation. For fire is kindled in my wrath: and shall burn unto the bottom of hell; and shall consume the earth with her increase; and set afire the bottoms of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them and will spend all mine arrows at them. Burnt with hunger and consumed with heat and with bitter pestilence. I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, and poison serpents. Without forth, the sword shall rob them of their children; and within in the chamber, fear: both young men and young women, and the sucklings with the men of gray heads. I have determined to scatter them throughout the world, and to make away the remembrance of them from among men, were it not that I feared the railing of their enemies - lest their adversaries would be proud and say: Our high hand hath done all these works, and not the LORD. "'For it is a nation that hath an unhappy forecast, and hath no understanding in them. I would they were wise, and understood this, and would consider their latter end.' How cometh it that one shall chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand of them to flight - except their rock had sold them, and because the LORD had delivered them. "For our rock is not as their rock; no, though our enemies be judge. But their vines are of the vines of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of gall, and their clusters be bitter. Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel gall of asps. Are not such things laid in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? "'Vengeance is mine, and I will reward! Their feet shall slide, when the time cometh. For the time of their destruction is at hand, and the time that shall come upon them maketh haste.' "For the LORD will do justice unto his people, and have compassion on his servants. For it shall be seen that their power shall fail, and at the last they shall be prisoned and forsaken. And it shall be said, 'Where are their gods and their rock wherein they trusted - the fat of whose sacrifices they ate, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up, and help you, and be your protection! "'See, now, how that I - I am he: and that there is no God but I. I can kill, and make alive; and what I have smitten, that I can heal. Neither is there that can deliver any man out of my hand. For I will lift up my hand to heaven, and will say: I live ever. If I whet the lightning of my sword, and mine hand take in hand to do justice, I will show vengeance on mine enemies and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunken with blood, and my sword shall eat flesh of the blood of the slain and of the captive and of the bare head of the enemy.' "Rejoice, heathen with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will avenge him of his adversaries, and will be merciful unto the land of his people." And Moses went and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, both he and Joshua the son of Nun.
I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
My praise is of thee in the great congregation; my vows will I perform in the sight of them that fear him.
speaking unto yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom. Teach and exhort your own selves, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs which have favour with them, singing in your hearts to the Lord.
and they sung a new song saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast killed, and hast redeemed us by thy blood, out of all kindreds, and tongues, and people, and nations,
And they sang as it were a new song, before the seat, and before the four beasts, and the elders and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty four thousand which were redeemed from the earth.
and they sang the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, saying,