Psalms 150:5

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Praise {H1984} him upon the loud {H8088} cymbals {H6767}: praise {H1984} him upon the high sounding {H8643} cymbals {H6767}.

Praise him with clanging cymbals! Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!

Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Praise him with loud cymbals: Praise him with high sounding cymbals.

Psalms 150:5 is a vibrant call to worship, specifically instructing the use of percussion in the praise of God. It highlights the intensity and joyous nature of biblical worship, inviting believers to express their adoration with fervor and enthusiasm.

Context

This verse is part of the final psalm, Psalms 150, which serves as a magnificent doxology and the culmination of the entire book of Psalms. The chapter is a grand crescendo of praise, listing various instruments—trumpet, psaltery, harp, timbrel, stringed instruments, organs, and cymbals—all dedicated to exalting the Lord. It builds to the ultimate declaration in "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD." This psalm emphasizes that God is worthy of all praise, from every source and with every means.

Key Themes

  • Exuberant Praise: The repetition and description of "loud cymbals" and "high sounding cymbals" underscore a theme of passionate, unreserved, and joyful worship. It encourages a praise that is not timid but bold and expressive.
  • Worship through Music: This verse, along with others in the psalm, illustrates the central role of musical instruments in ancient Israelite worship, providing rhythm and emphasis to communal praise.
  • The Majesty of God: The call for such intense and diverse praise reflects the belief that God's greatness and holiness demand the highest forms of adoration and celebration.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Hebrew word for "cymbals" is tzelatzlim (צֶלְצְלִים), referring to percussion instruments, likely metallic plates or clappers struck together.
  • "Loud cymbals" translates from tziltzelei shama (צִלְצְלֵי שָׁמַע), which literally means "cymbals of hearing" or "cymbals of sound," implying those that produce a clear and strong sound.
  • "High sounding cymbals" comes from tziltzelei teru'ah (צִלְצְלֵי תְרוּעָה). The word teru'ah often denotes a loud blast, a shout of joy, or a triumphant cry, as seen in Numbers 10:5. Here, it signifies a resounding, triumphant noise, emphasizing the celebratory and powerful nature of the praise.

Practical Application

  • Wholehearted Worship: Psalms 150:5 reminds us that our praise should be wholehearted and expressive. While the specific instruments may vary today, the principle of giving our best and most passionate worship remains.
  • Embrace Joy in Worship: The use of "loud" and "high sounding" instruments encourages believers to embrace joy and enthusiasm in their worship, allowing their adoration to be heard and felt. This aligns with other calls to "sing joyfully to the LORD."
  • Diverse Expressions of Praise: Just as different instruments are called upon, this verse subtly suggests that various forms of expression can be used to honor God, as long as they contribute to sincere and reverent adoration.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 1 Chronicles 15:16

    And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren [to be] the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.

  • 1 Chronicles 25:1

    ¶ Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:

  • 1 Chronicles 15:28

    Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

  • 1 Chronicles 15:19

    So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, [were appointed] to sound with cymbals of brass;

  • 1 Chronicles 25:6

    All these [were] under the hands of their father for song [in] the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.

  • 2 Samuel 6:5

    And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of [instruments made of] fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

  • 1 Chronicles 16:5

    Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;

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