singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
Parallel translations
- WEB speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
- KJV Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
- BSB Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,
- NKJV speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
- NASB speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Spirit-filled believers speak and sing to one another and to the Lord in psalms and songs. Worship overflows from a life filled with the Spirit.
Overview
The first result of Spirit-filling is heartfelt worship, both mutual ('to one another') and Godward ('to the Lord'). Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs express praise that springs from the heart. Corporate and personal worship are thus natural marks of the Spirit's work in God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Col 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
- 1 Cor 14:26What is it then, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has another language, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to build each other up.
- Ps 95:2Let’s come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let’s extol him with songs!
- Acts 16:25But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
- Ps 147:7Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving. Sing praises on the harp to our God,
- Jas 5:13Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
- Ps 105:2–3Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works.
- John 4:23–24But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers.
- Ps 62:8Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.
- Matt 26:30When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
- Ps 86:12I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forever more.
- Isa 65:14Behold, my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry for sorrow of heart, and will wail for anguish of spirit.
- Ps 47:7–8For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding.
- Matt 15:8‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.
How Ephesians 5:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.