Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse calls for praise with specific instruments – trumpets, lutes, and harps. This isn't just a generic call for music; it highlights that all kinds of instruments, even those historically associated with different functions, were meant to be brought into God's worship. The emphasis is on the diversity of praise, suggesting no corner of creation should be withheld from celebrating Him.
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is the grand finale of the Psalter, a resounding call to worship that culminates the entire book. It begins by calling for praise in both the heavenly sanctuary and God's earthly dwelling, then moves to praising God for His mighty works, and finally exhorts all creation with every instrument imaginable to join in the chorus of praise. The verses immediately preceding and following this one expand the list of instruments, urging a full, vibrant, and all-encompassing celebration.
The final Psalm calls for a grand finale of praise, enlisting a whole orchestra! What does this tell us about how we should approach worship?
Psalm 150 is a powerful call to worship, and verse 3 specifically highlights the use of instruments. We see the trumpet, and then stringed instruments like the lute (or psaltery) and harp.
A Diverse Orchestra
These instruments weren't just random choices. The trumpet, often used for announcements and alarms, here signifies a majestic, attention-grabbing call to worship. The lute and harp represent a more melodic, perhaps intimate, expression of praise.
More Than Just Music
Commentators note that these instruments were part of the prescribed worship under the Old Covenant. The principle is that God deserves our best, and all creation's resources, including music, can and should be used to bring Him glory. This isn't just about pleasant sounds; it's about dedicating all that we are and all that we have to our Creator. The point isn't the specific instrument, but the heart behind the sound.
Even the most beautiful music can fall flat if the heart isn't in it. What truly makes praise acceptable to God?
While Psalm 150 celebrates the sounds of instruments, the broader wisdom of the Psalms and other scriptures reminds us that the source of the music matters most.
Inner Melody
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The ancient commentators emphasize that without a devout and pious heart – filled with faith, love, and trust in Christ – even the most technically perfect music is insignificant to God. It's like 'sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal' without genuine devotion.
Purposeful Praise
This principle extends beyond music. All our efforts in worship, whether vocal or instrumental, actions or words, are meant to flow from a heart surrendered to God. The 'sound' God truly desires is the melody of a spirit that rejoices in His goodness, trusts His promises, and submits to His will.
Understand the original words
šōp̄ār · Hebrew Noun
A wind instrument (shofar) typically made from a ram's horn, used in Israel for signaling, warfare, and significant religious celebrations.
nēḇel · Hebrew Noun
A stringed instrument (nebel) often used in temple worship and prophetic contexts to provide musical accompaniment for praise.
kinnōr · Hebrew Noun
A stringed instrument (kinnor) associated with joy, celebration, and the soothing power of music in the presence of the Lord.
tōp̄ · Hebrew Noun
A frame drum or hand-held percussion instrument commonly played during times of religious festivities and expressions of corporate joy.
māḥôl · Hebrew Noun
A rhythmic physical response to joy and worship, used historically in Israel to express profound gratitude and victory before God.
ʿūḡāḇ · Hebrew Noun
A term for wind instruments, often associated with piping or fluting, contributing to the melodic diversity of communal worship.
ṣelṣal · Hebrew Noun
Percussion instruments consisting of brass plates, used in the temple liturgy to create loud, ringing, or clashing sounds to mark moments of great celebration.
c. 1400 BC
Miriam's Song of Triumph
After the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam and the Israelite women celebrated with timbrels and dancing, signifying early use of music in worship and praise.
c. 1000 BC
David Appoints Temple Musicians
King David organized a large Levitical choir and orchestra, appointing skilled musicians to play instruments like harps and psalteries in the Tabernacle, emphasizing the role of music in worship.
c. 960 BC
Solomon's Temple Inauguration
The dedication of Solomon's Temple featured a grand musical celebration with trumpets, harps, and other instruments, showcasing the majestic use of music in religious ceremonies.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel led to the disruption of worship and scattering of its people, highlighting the vulnerability of religious institutions.
c. 597 BC - 538 BC
Babylonian Exile
Many Israelites were exiled to Babylon, a period where temple worship ceased and music took on new forms of remembrance and lament, as seen in Psalms like 137.
c. 516 BC
Second Temple Rededication
Following the return from exile, the rebuilt Second Temple was dedicated with renewed music and sacrifices, though perhaps with less grandeur than Solomon's Temple.
c. 150 BC - 50 BC— this verse
Compilation of the Psalms
This period likely saw the final compilation and arrangement of many Psalms, including Psalm 150, into the collection used by Jewish communities, with the Temple music serving as a backdrop for such liturgical poetry.
This passage describes David appointing Levites to lead the people in praise with various musical instruments, mirroring the comprehensive call to worship found in Psalm 150.
2 Chronicles 5:12-13This account highlights the unified praise of priests and Levites with trumpets, harps, and cymbals upon the dedication of Solomon's Temple, showing a parallel to the grand instrumental worship commanded here.
Revelation 14:2The heavenly worship described in Revelation includes the sound of harpers playing their harps, suggesting that instrumental music is not only appropriate for earthly worship but is also part of the eternal praise in God's presence.
Ephesians 5:19This verse encourages believers to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord, showing that inner devotion should accompany outward expressions of praise, including music.
bensonPsalms 150:3: "Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp."
Psalm 150:3-5 . Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, &c. — “It is impossible for us to distinguish,” says Dr. Horne, “and describe the several sorts of musical instruments here mentioned, as the Hebrews themselves acknowledge their ignorance in this particular. Thus much is clear, that the people of God were enjoined to use all the various kinds of them in the performance of their divine servic…
pulpitPsalms 150:3: "Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp."
Verse 3. - Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, (On the use of the trumpet in Divine service, see Leviticus 23:24; Leviticus 25:9; Numbers 10:10; 2 Samuel 6:15; 1 Chronicles 13:8; 1 Chronicles 15:24; 1 Chronicles 16:6; 2 Chronicles 5:12, 13; 2 Chronicles 7:6; 2 Chronicles 29:27; Psalm 81:3; Psalm 98:6.) Praise him with the psaltery and harp (comp. Psalm 57:8; Psalm 81:2; Psalm 108:2; 1 Chronicl…
The verse calls for praise with specific instruments – trumpets, lutes, and harps. This isn't just a generic call for music; it highlights that all kinds of instruments, even those historically associated with different functions, were meant to be brought into God's worship. The emphasis is on the diversity of praise, suggesting no corner of creation should be withheld from celebrating Him.
This psalm is the grand finale of the Psalter, a resounding call to worship that culminates the entire book. It begins by calling for praise in both the heavenly sanctuary and God's earthly dwelling, then moves to praising God for His mighty works, and finally exhorts all creation with every instrument imaginable to join in the chorus of praise. The verses immediately preceding and following this one expand the list of instruments, urging a full, vibrant, and all-encompassing celebration.
This psalm is the grand finale of the Psalter, a resounding call to worship that culminates the entire book. It begins by calling for praise in both the heavenly sanctuary and God's earthly dwelling, then moves to praising God for His mighty works, and finally exhorts all creation with every instrument imaginable to join in the chorus of praise. The verses immediately preceding and following this one expand the list of instruments, urging a full, vibrant, and all-encompassing celebration.
"Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!" — The verse calls for praise with specific instruments – trumpets, lutes, and harps. This isn't just a generic call for music; it highlights that all kinds of instruments, even those historically a…
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Last reviewed October 2026