Psalms 149:1
in Psalms 149Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song— His praise in the assembly of the godly.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Praise ye Jehovah. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, And his praise in the assembly of the saints.
KJV
Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
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This verse in Psalms 149
Commentary
9 notes on this versePsalm 149 has been read, which has at its beginning: Sing to the Lord a new song. The holy presbyter has said that both the ninety-fifth psalm and the ninety-seventh have the same beginnings. The ninety-fifth psalm is headed with this title: A Psalm of David, when the house was being built after the captivity. The house of Christ is built after the captivity, that is, after repentance.
This site's exposition
Sing to the LORD a new song
on Psalms 149:1-3
The song is new. It is sung in the assembly of the godly, where Israel rejoices in the One who made them and Zion's children rejoice in their King. Spurgeon hears the dancing, the tambourine and the harp as the Red Sea triumph sung again, where Miriam led the women.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Let us praise the Lord both in voice, and in understanding, and in good works; and, as this Psalm exhorteth, let us sing unto Him a new song. It beginneth: "Sing ye to the Lord a new song. His praise is in the Church of the Saints" (ver. 1). The old man hath an old song, the new man a new song. The Old Testament is an old song, the New Testament a new song. In the Old Testament are temporal and earthly promises. Whoso loveth earthly things singeth an old song: let him that desireth to sing a new song, love the things of eternity. Love itself is new and eternal; therefore is it ever new, because it never groweth old. ...And this song is of peace, this song is of charity. Whoso severeth himself from the union of the saints, singeth not a new song; for he hath followed old strife, not new charity. In new charity what is there? Peace, the bond of an holy society, a spiritual union, a building of living stones. Where is this? Not in one place, but throughout the whole world. This is said in another Psalm, "Sing unto the Lord, all the earth." From this is understood, that he who singeth not with the whole earth, singeth an old song, whatever words proceed out of his mouth. ...We have already said, brethren, that all the earth singeth a new song. He who singeth not with the whole earth a new song, let him sing what he will, let his tongue sound forth Halleluia, let him utter it all day and all night, my ears are not so much bent to hear the voice of the singer, but I seek the deeds of the doer. For I ask, and say, "What is it that thou singest?" He answereth, "Halleluia." What is "Halleluia"? "Praise ye the Lord." Come, let us praise the Lord together. If thou praisest the Lord, and I praise the Lord, why are we at variance? Charity praiseth the Lord, discord blasphemeth the Lord." ...
O brothers, o sons, o Catholic offspring, o holy and celestial seeds, o regenerated in Christ and born from above, listen to me, rather through me: Sing to the Lord a new song. "Look," you say, "I sing." You sing, indeed you sing, I hear. But let life not contradict the testimony of the tongue. Sing with voices, sing with hearts, sing with mouths, sing with lifestyles: Sing to the Lord a new song. Are you asking what you should sing about him whom you love? Without a doubt, you want to sing about him whom you love. You seek his praises to sing. You have heard: Sing to the Lord a new song. Are you seeking praises? His praise is in the congregation of the saints. The praise of singing is the singer himself. Do you want to speak praises to God? Be yourselves what you say. You are his praise if you live well. For his praise is not in the synagogues of the Jews, not in the madness of the pagans, not in the errors of the heretics, not in the applause of the theaters. Are you looking for where it is? Pay attention, be yourselves: His praise is in the congregation of the saints.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Praise ye the Lord,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Praise ye the Lord. Specially you, ye chosen people, whom he has made to be his saints. You have praised him aforetime, praise him yet again; yea, for ever praise him. With renewed zeal and fresh delight lift up your song unto Jehovah. Sing unto the Lord a new song. Sing, for it is the fittest method for expressing reverent praise. Sing a hymn newly composed, for you have now a new knowledge of God.
Praise ye the Lord. Specially you, ye chosen people, whom he has made to be his saints. You have praised him aforetime, praise him yet again; yea, for ever praise him. With renewed zeal and fresh delight lift up your song unto Jehovah. Sing unto the Lord a new song. Sing, for it is the fittest method for expressing reverent praise. Sing a hymn newly composed, for you have now a new knowledge of God. He is ever new in his manifestations; his mercies are new every morning; his deliverances are new in every night of sorrow; let your gratitude and thanksgivings be new also. It is well to repeat the old; it is more useful to invent the new. Novelty goes well with heartiness. Our singing should be "unto the Lord"; the songs we sing should be of him and to him, "for of him, and to him, and through him are all things." Among our novelties there should be new songs: alas! men are fonder of making new complaints than new Psalms. Our new songs should be devised in Jehovah's honour; indeed all our newest thoughts should run towards him. Never can we find a nobler subject for a song than the Lord, nor one more full of fresh matter for a new song, nor one which we are personally so much bound to sing as a new song "unto the Lord." And his praise in the congregation of saints. Saints are precious, and a congregation of saints is a treasure house of jewels. God is in the midst of saints, and because of this we may well long to be among them. They are so full of his praise that we feel at home among them when we are ourselves full of praise. The sanctuary is the house of praise as well as the house of prayer. All saints praise God: they would not be saints if they did not. Their praise is sincere, suitable, seasonable, and acceptable. Personal praise is sweet unto God, but congregated praise has a multiplicity of sweetnesses in it. When holy ones meet, they adore The Holy One.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Sing unto the Lord a new song - That is, as we have often had occasion to remark, an excellent song, the best we can possibly pronounce. So the word חדש chadash is often understood; and so the word novus, “new,” was often used among the Latin writers: - Pollio amat nostram, quamvis sit rustica, musam. Pollio et ipse facit. Nova Carmina Virg. Ecl. iii., ver. 84. Pollio loves my lines, although rude: Pollio himself makes excellent odes. Tamely and inexpressively translated by Dryden: - “Pollio my rural verse vouchsafes to read. My Pollio writes himself.” O what a falling off is here! Servius, in his comment on nova, says, magna, Miranda. Nova means great, admirable. So on novum nectar, Ecl. v., ver. 71, he says, id est, magna dulcedo; “nectar of Excellent flavor.” Congregation of saints - The Israelites, who were, by profession and by injunction, a holy people.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Praise ye the Lord - Margin, Hallelujah. See the notes at Psa 146:1. Sing unto the Lord a new song - As if there was a new and a special occasion for praise. This would be so if the psalm was composed on the return from the exile; on the rebuilding of the city; and on the re-dedication of the temple. On the meaning of the language, see Psa 33:3, note; Rev 5:9, note; Rev 14:3, note; see also Psa 96:1; Isa 42:10. And his praise in the congregation of saints - In the assembly of the people of God. See Psa 148:14, note; Psa 111:1, note.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַ֥לְלוּ | halu | praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| יָ֨הּ׀ | yah | Yahweh | H3050 → | 50 times |
| שִׁ֣ירוּ | shiru | sing | H7891 → | 86 times |
| לַֽ֭יהוָה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| שִׁ֣יר | shir | a song | H7892 → | 59 times |
| חָדָ֑שׁ | chadash | new | H2319 → | 53 times |
| תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹ | tehilato | praise his | H8416 → | 56 times |
| בִּקְהַ֥ל | bikhal | in [the] assembly of | H6951 → | 123 times |
| חֲסִידִֽים׃ | chasidim | faithful [people] | H2623 → | 33 times |
הַ֥לְלוּpraise
haluH1984 →165 times
יָ֨הּ׀Yahweh
yahH3050 →50 times
שִׁ֣ירוּsing
shiruH7891 →86 times
לַֽ֭יהוָהto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
שִׁ֣ירa song
shirH7892 →59 times
חָדָ֑שׁnew
chadashH2319 →53 times
תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹpraise his
tehilatoH8416 →56 times
בִּקְהַ֥לin [the] assembly of
bikhalH6951 →123 times
חֲסִידִֽים׃faithful [people]
chasidimH2623 →33 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 5:9And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and…
it leads to
- Psalms 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 1:18–19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
- 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
- Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
- Romans 3:24–26
and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
- Psalms 40:3
Through
Hebrews 2:12He says: “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.”
it leads to
- Psalms 22:22
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.
- Psalms 22:22
Through
Psalms 148:1Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places.
it leads to
- Psalms 69:34
Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
- Psalms 89:5
The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD— Your faithfulness as well— in the assembly of the holy ones.
- Psalms 69:34
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 149; Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 34; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Jerome, Homily 59, on Psalm 149; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.