Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Parallel translations
- WEB Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
- 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.
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
The worshipers are told to take up tambourine, lyre, and harp in praise. Music is enlisted for the joyful worship of God.
Overview
The summons to instruments shows that God's people engaged the whole of life, including art and music, in His praise. The variety of instruments reflects the richness and beauty fitting for worship of the living God. This corporate, joyful celebration models how redeemed hearts express gratitude to their Redeemer.
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.
- Ps 92:3with the ten-stringed lute, with the harp, and with the melody of the lyre.
- 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.
- Eph 5:19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
- 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.
- 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
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Commentaries & study tools
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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.