What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

What Does The Bible Say About Singing? Technically speaking, the Bible does not actually say how we are to sing. However, it says much about singing and its importance for God’s children. Whatever the case, it is important to note that the Bible invites all of us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm 95:1–2). To boost our praise and worship unto God, the Bible recommends Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). It is important to note that not all acts of singing are pleasing to God. That is, there are songs that are displeasing to God. We mean songs that do not bring honor to His Personality. There are even times that our sins make our singing displeasing to God. Remember what happened to the children of Israel.

The Bible tells us that when they turned away or rebelled against God, He no longer listened to the melody of their harps or the noise of their “idle” songs (Amos 5:23; 6:5). In addition, the Bible tells us that taking away the ability to sing or make the kind of music that pleases God was sometimes a sign of judgement on Israel and other nations (Amos 8:3, 10; Ezekiel 26:13). It is important to understand here that music itself, whether accompanied by instrumentation or simply sung with the voice, is not evil. On the other hand, when a song is directed to God out of the wrong motive, it is sinful. Same goes to songs directed to idols or other gods.

What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

What does the Scriptures say about Singing?

Psalm 95:1–2 says, “Come, let us praise the LORD! Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us! Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise.” The Scriptures clearly call on everyone to sing songs of praise and worship to God. Behold, God is worthy of our praise and worship. Occupying the first place in our lives, He deserves the best from our voice. It is our duty to raise our voices high in order to proclaim the good works of God. We are not to sing songs of thanksgiving only when things are going well. It is also our duty to praise God even when things are tough and we are in the midst of persecution, hatred, suffering, rejection, and pains. The Scripture is clear on the fact that God does all things for the good of those who love Him.

Psalm 59:16 says, “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” God never fails to protect, provide, guide, and turn all things for the good of His children (Romans 8:23). That is why you should always give thanks to Him no-matter the situation in which you find yourself (Ephesians 5:20). Raise your voice to God who is willing to hear and bless you. Call on Him and He will answer you (Jeremiah 33:3). Remember what happened to Paul and Silas when they were chained in Prison. The Bible says that about midnight, they were singing praises and worship to God Almighty and as a result, God sent an Angel who break their chains and even the prison gates (Acts 16). Learn why they prayed at Midnight.

What The Bible Says About Singing

Psalm 68:4-5 – “Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him — his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Psalm 32:7 – “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Acts 16:25 – “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Psalm 13:5-6 – “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

Psalm 66:17 – “I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.”

Psalm 63:3-4 – “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Psalm 59:16 – “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.“

Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Singing

Psalm 68:6 – “God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

Job 29:12-13 – “Because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.”

Psalm 71:23 – “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered.”

Psalm 108:3 – “I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.”

Psalm 9:2 – “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.”

Psalm 147:1 – “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Psalm 95:1-2 – “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”

Psalm 100:1-2 – “A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”

Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Singing

Acts 16:25 – “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”

Psalm 104:33 – “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”

Psalm 95:1 – “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”

James 5:13 – “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Ephesians 5:19 – “Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,”

Hebrews 2:12 – Saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

Psalm 13:6 – “I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

Psalm 105:2 – “Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save, he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

1 Corinthians 14:15 – “What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”

Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Singing

Matthew 26:30 – “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Psalm 33:3 – “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

Psalm 59:16 – “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.”

Isaiah 12:5 – “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.”

Romans 15:9 – “And in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.””

Psalm 149:1 – “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!”

Psalm 40:3 – “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Isaiah 42:10 – “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.”

Mark 14:26 – “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Exodus 15:1 – “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Singing

1 Chronicles 16:9 – “Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

Psalm 71:8 – “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.”

Psalm 30:4 – “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.”

Hebrews 13:15 – “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.“

Psalm 96:1 – “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!”

Psalm 144:9 – “I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,”

Psalm 98:1 – “A Psalm. Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”

Psalm 100:1-5 – “A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 149:3 – “Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!”

Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Singing

Exodus 15:2 – “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Psalm 68:4 – “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him!“

Psalm 100:2 – “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!“

John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Psalm 71:23 – “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”

Revelation 5:9 – And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,”

Psalm 101:1 – “A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.”

1 Chronicles 16:23 – “Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.”

Psalm 47:6 – “Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!”

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Psalm 135:3 – “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!”

Psalm 92:1 – “A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;”

Psalm 9:2 – “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

Isaiah 44:23 – “Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.”

Psalm 9:11 – “Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!”

Isaiah 55:12 – “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

Psalm 9:1 – “To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

Isaiah 49:13 – “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.”

1 Samuel 16:23 – “And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Psalm 147:7 – “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!”

Psalm 150:6 – “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 149:5 – “Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.”

1 Samuel 18:6 – “As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.”

2 Samuel 6:1-23 – “David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim, And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. …”

Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

1 Chronicles 15:27 – “David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod.”

Psalm 89:1 – “A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.”

Nehemiah 12:27 – “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.”

Psalm 96:1-13 – “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. …”

Psalm 81:1 – “To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Psalm 146:2 – “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Psalm 68:1-35 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. …“

Psalm 30:12 – “That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”

Revelation 15:3-4 – “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.””

1 Chronicles 15:22 – “Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.”

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Isaiah 54:1 – ““Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.”

Revelation 15:3 – “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!”

Jeremiah 20:13 – “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.”

Psalm 49:4 – “I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.”

Psalm 57:7 – “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!”

Psalm 33:2 – “Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!”

Psalm 137:1-9 – “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! …”

Psalm 68:32 – “O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord,”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …”

Psalm 7:17 – “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.“

Isaiah 35:10 – “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Psalm 150:1 – “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!”

Zechariah 2:10 – “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord.”

John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

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Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

1 Chronicles 15:1-29 – “David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever. And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers; …”

Amos 8:1-14 – “This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them. The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” declares the Lord God. “So many dead bodies!” “They are thrown everywhere!” “Silence!” Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, …”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Amos 6:5 – “Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,”

1 Chronicles 15:16 – “David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.”

Psalm 98:4 – “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!”

Psalm 27:6 – “And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”

Psalm 96:1-2 – “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.”

Psalm 67:4 – “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.“

Psalm 150:4 – “Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!”

1 Chronicles 13:8 – “And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

2 Samuel 6:14 – “And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.”

Psalm 98:1-9 – “A Psalm. Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! …”

Psalm 47:1-9 – “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. …”

Luke 19:40 – He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Psalm 30:11 – “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Singing?

Psalm 8:9 – “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Hebrews 2:10-12 – “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”