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Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
Psalms 81:2 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
  • BSB Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
  • NKJV Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute.
  • NASB Raise a song, strike the tambourine, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.
  • NLT Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp.

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.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Ps 149:1–3Praise Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
  • 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.
  • Ps 92:3with the ten-stringed lute, with the harp, and with the melody of the lyre.
  • Exod 15:20Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
  • Mark 14:26When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
  • Eph 5:19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
  • Ps 95:1–2Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
  • Jas 5:13Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 81:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 81:2 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 Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.