Word Study for G5567 (ψάλλω) | Strong's Concordance

psállō /psal'-lo/ Ask about this word

Rootprobably strengthened from (to rub or touch the surface; compare ψώχω)

Meaningto twitch or twang, i.e. to play on a stringed instrument (celebrate the divine worship with music and accompanying odes)

KJV usagemake melody, sing (psalms).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of psállō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word psállō, represented by G5567, originally means to twitch or twang, as in playing a stringed instrument. In its biblical usage, this evolves to mean celebrating divine worship with music and odes, translated as "make melody" or "sing psalms." It appears 5 times across 4 unique verses, highlighting its specific role in musical praise.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G5567 is used to describe specific acts of worship. In James, it is presented as the proper response to joy, in contrast to prayer, which is the response to affliction: "Is any merry? let him sing psalms" James 5:13. Paul describes it as an internal act of worship directed "to the Lord" in Ephesians 5:19, where believers are encouraged to be "making melody in your heart." In 1 Corinthians 14:15, the act is shown to engage both the spirit and the mind: "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." It is also an act of witness, as seen in Romans 15:9, which quotes the Old Testament, "I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the context of musical worship:

G5568 psalmós (a set piece of music, i.e. a sacred ode... a "psalm"): This noun is derived directly from G5567 and refers to the content being sung. It is used alongside its verb form in Ephesians 5:19.
G103 áidō (to sing): This is a more general verb for singing. It is used in parallel with G5567 in Ephesians 5:19, which encourages "singing and making melody," indicating two closely related actions of worship.
G4336 proseúchomai (to pray to God): This word is frequently paired with G5567, setting up a fundamental pattern of worship that includes both prayer and musical praise (James 5:13, 1 Corinthians 14:15).
G1843 exomologéō (to acknowledge or... agree fully:--confess): This term is linked to G5567 in Romans 15:9, where confessing God among the Gentiles is coupled with singing to His name.

Theological Significance

The use of G5567 carries specific theological weight, framing musical praise as a deliberate and multifaceted spiritual discipline.

Worship with Understanding: The command to "sing with the spirit, and... with the understanding also" establishes that this form of worship is not mindless or purely emotional but involves the whole person 1 Corinthians 14:15.
An Offering of Joy: It is positioned as the natural outpouring of a merry heart, a direct expression of gladness and thanksgiving offered to God James 5:13.
Internal Devotion: The phrase "making melody in your heart to the Lord" emphasizes that this worship begins internally, as a personal and sincere act of devotion before it is ever expressed outwardly Ephesians 5:19.
A Form of Confession: By linking singing to confession among the Gentiles, scripture shows that musical praise is a powerful tool for witness and for glorifying God for His mercy Romans 15:9.

Summary

In summary, G5567 psállō is more than a generic term for singing. It signifies a specific kind of musical worship that is rooted in the playing of instruments and extends to heartfelt, intelligent praise. It serves as an expression of joy, a practice of both the spirit and the mind, and a powerful confession of faith before God and others. This word captures the dynamic and intentional nature of musical worship in the life of a believer.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 5 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Future Active Indicative 1st Singular 3×
Present Active Imperative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 4 verses across 4 of the 27 books. 4 books tie for most frequent (1 verse each); never once in the other 23.

Romans

1 Corinthians

Ephesians

James

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.