Ephesians 5:19-20
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Paul is contrasting the empty revelry of drunkenness with the Spirit-filled life. Instead of being filled with wine and its debauchery, believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which naturally expresses itself through communal singing and praise to God. This spiritual expression is a vibrant, joyful, and edifying alternative to the destructive habits of the world.
Paul is instructing believers on how to live as followers of Christ, contrasting their behavior with the corrupt practices of the world. Immediately before this, he warns against being drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, and instead urges them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This verse describes a vital way that Spirit-filled believers express their faith and encourage one another: through singing spiritual songs.
What's the difference between a song about God and a song to God? This verse hints at a deeper purpose behind our singing.
Paul isn't just talking about any old tune. He contrasts the 'songs of drunkards' with 'psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs' that come from being 'filled with the Spirit.' These aren't merely pleasant sounds; they are expressions of genuine spiritual life.
The key isn't just the category of song, but the source: the Holy Spirit. This music is meant to build each other up and direct our focus to the Lord.
Who are you singing to when you sing? This verse suggests it's a communal act with an inward focus.
The phrase 'speaking to yourselves' (or 'one another') is crucial here. It points to the communal aspect of worship, where believers encourage and build each other up through song. This isn't just for a performance; it's a mutual exchange of spiritual encouragement.
But the emphasis quickly shifts inward: 'singing and making melody in your heart.' This tells us that external singing, no matter how beautiful, is incomplete without genuine heart engagement. It's the inner reality—the praise, thanksgiving, and devotion—that truly matters to God. Your heart is the instrument that makes the singing spiritual.
Understand the original words
kardia · Greek Noun
The central seat of human personality, encompassing the mind, will, affections, and conscience; the inner person where genuine worship and true devotion to God reside.
eucharisteō · Greek Verb
An expression of gratitude directed toward God for His character, His redemptive acts, and His sovereign providence in all circumstances.
onoma · Greek Noun
Refers to the authority, character, and mandate of Christ. To do something in His name is to act as His representative, under His authorization, and for His glory.
c. 200 BC - AD 100
Jewish Synagogue Worship Develops
During the centuries leading up to Christ, Jewish synagogues developed rich traditions of worship that included the public reading and singing of the Psalms and other scriptural songs. This practice laid a strong foundation for early Christian worship.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Institutes Last Supper with Hymn
Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn, likely from the Psalms, during their final Passover meal. This event demonstrated the importance of sung worship in the context of deep spiritual significance and fellowship.
c. AD 33
Apostles Sing in Prison
After being arrested and beaten, Peter and John prayed and sang praises to God in prison, showing how worship can be an act of defiant joy and faithfulness even in suffering.
c. AD 108-114— this verse
Pliny Describes Christian Worship
Roman governor Pliny the Younger, in a letter to Emperor Trajan, describes Christians meeting before dawn to 'sing hymns to Christ as to a god.' This attests to the early and widespread practice of Christian singing.
This verse highlights the joy and delight found in God's Word, a sentiment that fuels the 'spiritual songs' and 'making melody in your heart' mentioned in Ephesians 5:19.
1 Corinthians 14:15This passage, discussing spiritual gifts in worship, also emphasizes praying and singing with the understanding and the spirit, directly paralleling the 'singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart' in Ephesians 5:19.
Colossians 3:16This verse shares striking similarities with Ephesians 5:19, encouraging the Word of Christ to dwell in believers richly and to be expressed through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for mutual teaching and admonishment.
Acts 16:25This account of Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns to God in prison, even while chained, powerfully illustrates the 'making melody to the Lord with your heart' described in Ephesians 5:19, showing that praise can arise even in suffering.
Matthew 26:30This verse records Jesus and His disciples singing a hymn after the Last Supper, demonstrating that singing praises to God, even in the shadow of impending suffering, was a practice established by Christ Himself and integral to worship.
vincentEphesians 5:19: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
Speaking to yourselves (λαλοῦντες ἑαυτοῖς)Rev., one to another.The A.V. is literally correct, but is open to the misinterpretation each one communing with himself. The meaning is as in Colossians 3:13, and Rev. is better.PsalmsSee on 1 Corinthians 14:15.Hymns - spiritual songsSee on Colossians 3:16.
barnesEphesians 5:19: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
Speaking to yourselves - Speaking among yourselves, that is, endeavoring to edify one another, and to promote purity of heart, by songs of praise. This has the force of a command, and it is a matter of obligation on Christians. From the beginning, praise was an important part of public worship, and is designed to be to the end of the world; see the notes on 1 Co…
Paul is contrasting the empty revelry of drunkenness with the Spirit-filled life. Instead of being filled with wine and its debauchery, believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which naturally expresses itself through communal singing and praise to God. This spiritual expression is a vibrant, joyful, and edifying alternative to the destructive habits of the world.
Paul is instructing believers on how to live as followers of Christ, contrasting their behavior with the corrupt practices of the world. Immediately before this, he warns against being drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, and instead urges them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This verse describes a vital way that Spirit-filled believers express their faith and encourage one another: through singing spiritual songs.
Paul is instructing believers on how to live as followers of Christ, contrasting their behavior with the corrupt practices of the world. Immediately before this, he warns against being drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, and instead urges them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This verse describes a vital way that Spirit-filled believers express their faith and encourage one another: through singing spiritual songs.
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c. AD 150-200
Justin Martyr Describes Sunday Worship
The Christian apologist Justin Martyr details early Christian Sunday services, including the use of psalms, hymns, and songs of prophecy, highlighting the integration of sung praise into regular gatherings.
"addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," — Paul is contrasting the empty revelry of drunkenness with the Spirit-filled life. Instead of being filled with wine and its debauchery, believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which naturall…
