"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20 NASB "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 NASB Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs can seem like the same word. While the repetition of a word three times is poetry in itself, each of these words had different implications for Paul’s readers in Ephesus. ψαλμοῖς | psalmois | words set to musicThe word Psalm comes from the Greek word ψαλμοῖς (psalmois), which means “to twitch” literally or “words set to music.” While the usage of the word probably wasn’t limited to what we understand as the Hebrew Psalms, Paul’s Jewish background coupled with the other two references to songs hints that ψαλμοῖς would have been understood as “scripture set to music” when it comes to Koine Greek. Hermann Gunkel identified five types of praises in the Hebrew Book of Praises (Gunkel, 1967):
Because several of these categories are reiterated later in his list, Paul was likely referring to Israel’s traditional worship songs and poetry. We have the advantage of several thousand more years of praises to draw from, though. I would include most of what we call “hymns” and some contemporary songs that set scripture to new music. Psalms, in this sense, have several significant advantages. First, by setting scripture to music, it’s easier to remember our holy texts. A lot of our scripture is written in a meter or repeated in a way (as in a chiasm) that makes it easier to repeat orally. Second, it connects us with fellow believers in the past and allows us to hold a tradition of worship and honor. ὕμνοις | hymnois | a song that gives honor, praise, or thanksgivingHymns existed in other ancient religions alongside Judaism and Christianity. The word comes from the Greek word hydeo (to celebrate). It’s unlikely that the hymns within the book of Psalms were referred to as such in the first century, so Paul is probably referring to what the Greeks and Romans understood. There are three distinct types of Greek hymns, which the Romans drew from, but while they differ in meter, they are consistent in theme: praise. Hymns praised, called upon, and told the greatness of gods. Some were only a few lines long; some were borderline epics. These songs wouldn’t necessarily need to quote specific scriptures but would instead include songs that focus on God’s glory, Their goodness, and Their love. There are several instances where Psalms and Hymns intersect. To the joy of Worship Ministers everywhere, Oceans falls into the hymn category in this case. ᾠδαῖς | ōdais | a song, odeThe ode is the hardest word to pin down in its origin and usage during the Greco-Roman reign. Across history, odes are defined as “an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally” (Wikipedia). While the Greeks usually read their odes to music, they were recited without music by the time of the Roman Empire. In general, odes were victory lyrics, celebrating Olympic or war accomplishments. Odes were primarily choral pieces, where people would come together to perform the many parts of the lyric. Paul specifies that these victory poems should be πνευματικαῖς (pneumatikais), or spiritual, in nature, emphasizing that our odes shouldn’t be of our own victories but Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s victories in our lives. weorþscipe | worship | worthinessPaul chose three specific words to refer to lyrical worship: scriptures, praises, and victory poems. These things had two heart-orienting things in common: first, they were shared in a community; second, they were focused on God’s authority and love. The psalms were shared in a variety of ways. Some were parts of sacred rites and individually recited to groups while others were sung in unison as a community. Hymns were written to be shared within a community of believers, to share stories of God’s work in their lives. Odes were created to sing as one people, and to a community. The words used were significant to the culture of the first-century church. They would have seen the gods of the Greeks and Romans worshipped with formal and impromptu lyrics and understood the content of those lyrics was focused on the glory of those gods. The context of this verse doesn’t change our view of worship, but it might expand it. We don’t limit our worship to the specific art forms of these three lyrical types, and it’s reasonable to believe that the first-century church didn’t either. Even in Rome, songs took a variety of forms and styles and shifted across the decades. What matters from this verse is the why and the where of lyrical worship. Paul calls us to draw attention to God’s glory within our community. It’s a tool to create one-minded reverence and to teach and, most importantly, give due honor to our Creator. The word worship is Old English in origin. Weorþscipe would be directly translated as worth-ship. While there is no single word used in the Bible for praises, thanksgiving, recitation of scripture, and prayer, we have collectively decided the best word is worship. The header, “Instructions for Worship,” was given to 1 Timothy 2, which discusses the way people should publically honor God. In verse 10, the word NIV translates as worship is a phrase: ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν (epangellomenais theosebeian), or professing adoration of God. Worship, then, is more than just psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It’s anything we do to draw attention to the glory of God intentionally. We are only limited in our worship by our ideas, abilities, and definitions. Just as art takes a variety of forms with ever-increasing multimodality, worship can too. It can be a song, or poetry, or a painting, but it can also be a scientific journal, a business, or even a word study. God’s power and love exist in all creation; all we have to do is highlight it and be thankful for it. References
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AuthorWren Bouwman is a student of linguistics and literature and a passionate Christo-feminist. Her works primarily focuses on advocated for equality in church leadership and marriage, although she has plenty of opinions on other things. ArchivesCategories |