Psalm 150:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

NIV: praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

NASB: Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

CSB: Praise him with resounding cymbals; praise him with clashing cymbals.

NLT: Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

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

NKJV: Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

To praise God (Psalm 150:1–2), His people should use all manner of instruments as well as dancing (Psalm 150:3–4). This verse continues to list these, now including cymbals. The overall purpose of the passage is that mankind can use all sorts of instruments and musical styles—what matters is that they are being used to properly worship the Lord. This list includes every type of musical source, including the human voice.

The "cymbals" noted here would have been shells or small metal, wood, or clay disks tapped together or struck with a stick; these typically make a pinging or ringing noise. Smaller examples are seen attached to tambourines or held between the fingers; these are called "castanets." It's possible that the "loud clashing cymbals" or "resounding cymbals" (NIV) implies the larger kind such as those seen on modern drum sets or in the percussion section of an orchestra. These larger disks make more of a crashing, harsh noise.

Cymbals are often described in moments of intense celebration or excitement (2 Samuel 6:5; 1 Chronicles 15:16, 19, 28; Nehemiah 12:27). In the New Testament, Paul uses the cymbal as an example of something which merely makes noise, rather than conveying love and truth (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Psalm 150:3–6 lists many of the ways in which God's people can praise Him. This includes all manner of in-struments as well as one's own voice. The psalmist calls on everything alive (Genesis 1:30; Isaiah 42:5) to join in this unified worship of the Lord God. This supports the idea that Scripture calls on mankind to use instruments and music "in general," and does not prohibit instruments not explicitly named in the Bible.

This song uses a poetic form of repetition, calling for worship of the Lord. God should be praised for His attributes and mira-cles. All forms of instruments and singing should be included in this celebration. This psalm begins and ends with the He-brew phrase often translated into English as "hallelujah!"

This song completes the biblical collection of psalms, which traditionally has five divisions. These are Psalm 1—41, 42—72, 73—89, 90—106, and 107—150. Each "book" division ends with an exclama-tion of praise (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48). The last five songs of this "book" each begin and end with the term halelu-yāh, literally meaning "praise the Lord!" The text broadly describes all manner of instruments, indicating that worshipful praise can take many forms and styles.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.