Bible Dictionary: Song

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) That which is sung or uttered with musical modulations of the voice, whether of a human being or of a bird, insect, etc.

2. (n.) A lyrical poem adapted to vocal music; a ballad.

3. (n.) More generally, any poetical strain; a poem.

4. (n.) Poetical composition; poetry; verse.

5. (n.) An object of derision; a laughingstock.

6. (n.) A trifle.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

MOSES, SONG OF

The name given to the song of triumph sung by Moses and the Israelites after the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the hosts of Pharaoh (Exodus 15:1-18). The sublimity of this noble ode is universally admitted. In magnificent strains it celebrates the deliverance just experienced, extolling the attributes of Yahweh revealed in the triumph (Exodus 15:1-12), then anticipates the astonishing effects which would flow from this deliverance in the immediate future and later (Exodus 15:13-18). There seems no reason to doubt that at least the basis of the song-possibly the whole-is genuinely Mosaic. In the allusions to the guidance of the people to God's holy habitation, and to the terror of the surrounding peoples and of the Canaanites (Exodus 15:13-18), it is thought that traces are manifest of a later revision and expansion. This, however, is by no means a necessary conclusion.

Driver, who in LOT, 8th edition, 30, goes with the critics on this point, wrote more guardedly in the 1st edition (p. 27): "Probably, however, the greater part of the song is Mosaic, and the modification or expansion is limited to the closing verses; for the general style is antique. and the triumphant tone which pervades it is just such as might naturally have been inspired by the event which it celebrates."

The song of Moses is made the model in the Apocalypse of "the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb," which those standing by the sea of glass, who have "come off victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name," sing to God's praise, "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty," etc. (Revelation 15:2-4). The church having experienced a deliverance similar to that experienced by Israel at the Red Sea, but infinitely greater, the old song is recast, and its terms are readapted to express both victories, the lower and the higher, at once.

James Orr

SONG

(shir, shirah): Besides the great collection of sacred songs contained in the Psalter, as well as the lyric outbursts, marked by strong religious feeling, on great national occasions, it is natural to believe, and we have evidence to show, that the Hebrews possessed a large number of popular songs of a secular kind. So of Songs (which see) of itself proves this. Probably the very oldest song or fragment of song in the Old Testament is that "To the well" (Numbers 21:17). W. R. Smith (Religions of the Semites, 167) regards this invocation of the waters to rise as in its origin hardly a mere poetic figure. He compares what Cazwini 1,189, records of the well of Ilabistan: "When the water failed, a feast was held at its source with music and dancing, to induce it to flow again." If, however, the song had its origin in an early form of religious belief, it must have been secularized later.

But it is in the headings of the Psalms that we find the most numerous traces of the popular songs of the Hebrews. Here there are a number of words and phrases which are now believed to be the names or initial words of such lyrics. In the King James Version they are prefaced with the prep. "on," in the Revised Version (British and American) with "set to," i.e. "to the tune of." We give a list:

(1) Aijeleth Shahar the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) Aijeleth hash-shahar, 'ayyeleth ha-shachar. The title means (Revised Version, margin) "The hind of the morning," but whether the original song so named was a hunting song or a morning serenade it is useless to conjecture. See HIND OF THE MORNING.

(2) Al-taschith (the King James Version), Al-tashheth (Revised Version), 'al-tashcheth, i.e. "Destroy not," Psalms 57-59; 75, is apparently quoted in Isaiah 65:8, and in that case must refer to a vintage song.

(3) Jonah elem rehokim or Yonath'elem rechoqim (Psalm 56), the Revised Version margin "The silent dove of them that are afar off," or-with a slightly different reading-"The dove of the distant terebinths."

(4) Machalath (Psalm 53) and Machalath le`annoth (Psalm 88). Machalath may mean "sickness," and be the first word of a song. It might mean, on the other hand, a minor mode or rhythm. It has also been held to designate a musical instrument.

(5) Muthlabben (Psalm 9) has given rise to many conjectures. Literally, it may mean "Die for the son," or "Death of the son." An ancient tradition referred the words to Goliath (death at the hand of the son [?]), and they have been applied to the fate of Absalom. Such guesses need only be quoted to show their worthlessness.

(6) Lastly, we have Shoshannim = "Lilies" (Psalms 45; 69), Shushan `Edhuth = "The lily of testimony" (Psalm 60); and Shoshannim `Edhuth = "Lilies, a testimony" (Psalm 80), probably to be explained like the others.

The music to which these songs were sung is irretrievably lost, but it was, no doubt, very similar in character to that of the Arabs at the present day. While the music of the temple was probably much more elaborate, and of wider range, both in notes and expression of feeling, the popular song was almost certainly limited in compass to a very few notes repeated over and over in long recitations or ballads. This is characteristic of the performances of Arab minstrels of today. The melodies are plaintive, in spite of the majority of them being in major keys, owing to the 7th being flattened, as in genuine Scottish music. Arabic music, further, is marked by great variety and emphasis of rhythm, the various kinds of which have special names.

See SPIRITUAL SONGS.

James Millar

SONG OF SONGS

(shir hashirim; Septuagint Asma; Codices Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi, Asma asmaton; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Canticum Canticorum):

I. CANONICITY

II. TEXT

III. AUTHORSHIP AND DATE

IV. HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION

1. The Allegorical Interpretation

2. The Typical Interpretation

3. The Literal Interpretation

V. CLOSING HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

LITERATURE

The full title in Hebrew is "The So of Songs, which is Solomon's." The book is called by some Canticles, and by others Solomon's Song. The Hebrew title implies that it is the choicest of all songs, in keeping with the dictum of Rabbi `Aqiba (90-135 A.D.) that "the entire world, from the beginning until now, does not outweigh the day in which Canticles was given to Israel."

I. Canonicity.

Early Jewish and Christian writers are silent as to the So of Songs. No use is made of it by Philo. There is no quotation from it in the New Testament, nor is there any clear allusion to it on the part of our Lord or the apostles. The earliest distinct references to the So of Songs are found in Jewish writings of the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. (4 Esdras 5:24, 26; 7:26; Ta`anith 4:8). The question of the canonicity of the So was debated as late as the Synod of Jamnia (circa 90 A.D.), when it was decided that Canticles was rightly reckoned to "defile the hands," i.e. was an inspired book. It should be borne in mind that the So of Songs was already esteemed by the Jews as a sacred book, though prior to the Synod of Jamnia there was probably a goodly number of Jewish teachers who did not accept it as canonical. Selections from Canticles were sung at certain festivals in the temple at Jerusalem, prior to its destruction by Titus in 70 A.D. (Ta`anith 4:8). The Mishna pronounces an anathema on all who treat Canticles as a secular song (Sanhedhrin, 101a). The latest date for the composition of the So of Songs, according to critics of the advanced school, is toward the close of the 3rd century B.C. We may be sure that it was included in the Kethubhim before the ministry of our Lord, and so was for Him a part of the Scriptures.

II. Text.

Most scholars regard the text of Canticles as comparatively free from corruption. Gratz, Bickell, Budde and Cheyne have suggested a good many emendations of the traditional text, a few of which commend themselves as probable corrections of a faulty text, but most of which are mere guesses without sufficient confirmation from either external or internal evidence. For details see Budde's able commentary, and articles by Cheyne in JQR and Expository Times for 1898-99 and in the The Expositor, February, 1899.

III. Authorship and Date.

The title in the Hebrew text ascribes the poem to Solomon. That this superscription was prefixed by an editor of Canticles and not by the original writer is evident from the fact that the relative pronoun employed in the title is different from that employed throughout the poem. The beauty and power of the book seemed to later students and editors to make the writing worthy of the gifted king, whose fame as a composer of both proverbs and songs was handed on to later times (1 Kings 4:32). Moreover, the name of Solomon is prominent in the So of Songs itself (1:5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11). If the traditional view that Solomon wooed and won the Shulammite be true, the Solomonic authorship may even yet be defended, though the linguistic argument for a later date is quite strong.

The question in debate among recent critics is whether the So was composed in North Israel in preexilic days, or whether it is post-exilic. The author is at home in Hebrew. His vocabulary is extensive, and the movement of the poem is graceful. There is no suggestion of the use of lexicon and grammar by a writer living in the period of the decadence of the Hebrew language. The author is familiar with cities and mountains all over Palestine, especially in the northern section. He speaks of the beauty of Tirzah, the capital of North Israel in the 10th century B.C., along with the glory of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah (Songs 6:4). The recollection of Solomon's glory and pomp seems to be fresh in the mind of the writer and his contemporaries. W.R. Smith regarded Canticles as a protest against the luxury and the extensive harem of Solomon. True love could not exist in such an environment. The fidelity of the Shulammite to her shepherd lover, notwithstanding the blandishments of the wealthy and gifted king, stands as a rebuke to the notion that every woman has her price. Driver seems inclined to accept a preexilic date, though the arguments from vocabulary and philology cause him to waver in his opinion (LOT, 8th edition, 450). An increasing number of critics place the composition of Canticles in the post-exilic period, many bringing it down into the Greek period. Among scholars who date Canticles in the 3rd century B.C. we may name Gratz, Kuenen, Cornill, Budde, Kautzsch, Martineau and Cheyne. The chief argument for bringing the So into the time of the early Ptolemies is drawn from the language of the poem. There are many Hebrew words that are employed elsewhere only in later books of the Old Testament; the word pardec (Songs 4:13) is a Persian loan-word for "park"; the word for "palanquin" may be Indian, or possibly Greek. Moreover, the form of the relative pronoun is uniformly that which is found in some of the latest books of the Old Testament. The influence of Aramaic is apparent, both in the vocabulary and in a few constructions. This may be accounted for on theory of the northern origin of the Song, or on the hypothesis of a post-exilic date. The question of date is still open.

IV. History of Interpretation.

1. The Allegorical Interpretation:

All interpreters of all ages agree in saying that Canticles is a poem of love; but who the lovers are is a subject of keen debate, especially in modern times.

First in point of time and in the number of adherents it has had is theory that the So is a pure allegory of the love of Yahweh and His people. The Jewish rabbis, from the latter part of the 1st century A.D. down to our own day, taught that the poem celebrates a spiritual love, Yahweh being the bridegroom and Israel the bride. Canticles was supposed to be a vivid record of the loving intercourse between Israel and her Lord from the exodus on to the glad Messianic time. The So is read by the Jews at Passover, which celebrates Yahweh's choice of Israel to be His spouse. The Targum interprets Canticles as an allegory of the marital love of Yahweh and Israel. Origen made the allegorical theory popular in the early church. As a Christian he represented the bride as the church or the soul of the believer. In more recent centuries the Christian allegorical interpreters have favored the idea that the soul of the believer was the bride, though the other type of the allegorical view has all along had its advocates.

Bernard of Clairvaux wrote 86 sermons on the first two chapters of Canticles; and a host of writers in the Roman church and among Protestants have composed similar mystical treatises on the Song. Devout souls have expressed their fervent love to God in the sensuous imagery of Canticles. The imagery could not become too fervid or ecstatic for some of these devout men and women in their highest moments of beatific vision. Whatever may be the final verdict of sane criticism as to the original purpose of the author of the Song, it is a fact that must not be overlooked by the student of Canticles that some of the noblest religious souls, both Hebrew and Christian, have fed the flame of devotion by interpreting the So as an allegory.

What justification is there for theory that Canticles is an allegory of the love between Yahweh and His people, or of the love of Christ and the church, or of the love of the soul of the believer and Christ? It must be frankly confessed that there is not a hint in the So itself that it is an allegory. If the modern reader of Canticles had never heard of the allegorical interpretation, nothing in the beginning, middle or end of the poem would be likely to suggest to his mind such a conception of the poet's meaning. How, then, did the early Jewish interpreters come to make this the orthodox interpretation of the Song? The question is not easy to answer. In the forefront of our answer we must recall the fact that the great prophets frequently represent the mutual love of Yahweh and Israel under the symbolism of marriage (Hosea 1-3; Jeremiah 3; Ezekiel 16; 23; Isaiah 50:1; Isaiah 54:5, 6). The Hebrew interpreter might naturally expect to find some echo of this bold imagery in the poetry of the Kethubhim. In the Torah the frequent command to love Yahweh might suggest the marital relation as well as that of the father and son (Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 7:7-9, 13; 10:12, 15; 30:16, 20), though it must be said that the language of Deuteronomy suggests the high ethical and religious teaching of Jesus in the matter of love to God, in which the sexual does not appear.

Cheyne suggests (EB, I, 683) that the So was too joyous to be used, in its natural sense, by the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem, and hence, they consecrated it by allegorical interpretation. The suggestion may contain an element of truth.

It is an interesting fact that the Psalter has so few expressions in which love to Yahweh is expressed (Psalm 31:23; Psalm 97:10; Psalm 145:20; compare 18:1; 42:01:00; 63:1). In this manual of devotion one would not be suprised to find the expansion of the image of wedlock as expressive of the soul's relation to God; but we look in vain for such a poem, unless Psalm 45 be capable of allegorical interpretation. Even that beautiful song of love and marriage contains no such highly sensuous imagery as is found in Canticles.

Christian scholars found it easy to follow the Jewish allegorical interpreters; for the figure of wedlock is employed in the New Testament by both Paul and John to represent the intimate and vital union of Christ and His church (2 Corinthians 11:2 Ephesians 5:22-33 Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation 21:2, 9).

The entire body of true believers is conceived of as the bride of Christ. Naturally the purity of the church is sullied through the impure conduct of the individuals of whom it is composed. Hence, the appeal to individuals and to local churches to live pure lives (2 Corinthians 11:1). To the unmarried believer the Lord Jesus takes the place of the husband or wife as the person whom one is most eager to please (1 Corinthians 7:32 f). It is not difficult to understand how the fervid, sensuous imagery of Canticles would appeal to the mind of a man like Origen as a proper vehicle for the expression of his passionate love for Christ.

Sober inquiry discovers no sufficient justification of the allegorical interpretation of the So of Songs. The pages of the mystical commentators are filled with artificial interpretations and conceits. Many of them practice a familiarity with Christ that is without example in the Biblical devotional literature.

2. The Typical Interpretation:

The allegorical interpreters, for the most part, saw in the So of Songs no historic basis. Solomon and the Shulammite are introduced merely as figures through whom God and His people, or Christ and the soul, can express their mutual love. In modern times interpreters have arisen who regard the So as primarily the expression of strong and passionate human love between Solomon and a beautiful maiden, but by virtue of the typical relation of the old dispensation, secondarily, the fitting expression of the love of Christ and the church.

The way for this modern typical interpretation was prepared by Lowth (Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews, Lectionaries XXX, XXXI) in his modified allegorical view, which is thus described by Canon Driver: "Bishop Lowth, though not abandoning the allegorical view, sought to free it from its extravagances; and while refusing to press details, held that the poem, while describing the actual nuptials of Solomon with the daughter of Pharaoh, contained also an allegoric reference to Christ espousing a church chosen from among the Gentiles" (LOT, 451). Few interpreters have been found to follow Theodore of Mopsuestia and Lowth in their view that the So celebrates the marriage of Solomon and an Egyptian princess; and Lowth's notion of a reference to the espousal of a church chosen from among the Gentiles is one of the curiosities of criticism. Of the typical interpreters Delitzsch is perhaps the ablest (Commentary on Ecclesiastes and the So of Songs).

The typical commentators are superior to the allegorical in their recognition of Canticles as the expression of the mutual love of two human beings. The further application of the language to Yahweh and His people (Keil), or to Christ and the church (Delitzsch), or to God and the soul (M. Stuart) becomes largely a matter of individual taste, interpreters differing widely in details.

3. The Literal Interpretation:

Jewish interpreters were deterred from the literal interpretation of Canticles by the anathema in the Mishna upon all who should treat the poem as a secular song (Sanhedhrin, 101a). Cheyne says of Ibn Ezra, a great medieval Jewish scholar, he "is so thorough in his literal exegesis that it is doubtful whether he is serious when he proceeds to allegorize." Among Christian scholars Theodore of Mopsuestia interpreted Canticles as a song in celebration of the marriage of Solomon and Pharaoh's daughter. This strictly literal interpretation of the So was condemned at the second council of Constantinople (553 A.D.). For the next thousand years the allegorical theory reigned supreme among Christian interpreters. In 1544 Sebastian Castellio revived the literal theory of the Song, though the allegorical view remained dominant until the 19th century.

Herder in 1778 published a remarkable little treatise entitled Lieder der Liebe, die altesten und schonsten aus dem Morgenlande, in which he advanced theory that Canticles is a collection of independent erotic songs, about 21 in number, which have been so arranged by a collector as to trace "the gradual growth of true love in its various nuances and stages, till it finds its consummation in wedlock" (Cheyne). But the greatest and most influential advocate of the literal interpretation of Canticles was Heinrich Ewald, who published the 1st edition of his commentary in 1826. It was Ewald who first developed and made popular theory that two suitors compete for the hand of the Shulammite, the one a shepherd and poor, the other a wise and wealthy king. In the So he ascribes to Solomon 1:9-11, 15; 2:02; 4:1-7; 6:4-13 (quoting the dialogue between the Shulammite and the ladies of the court in 6:10-13); 7:1-9. To the shepherd lover he assigns few verses, and these are repeated by the Shulammite in her accounts of imaginary or real interviews with her lover. In the following passages the lover described is supposed to be the shepherd to whom the Shulammite had plighted her troth: 1:2-7, 9-14; 1:16-2:1; 2:3-7, 8-17; 3:1-5; 4:8-5:1; 5:2-8; 5:10-16; 6:2; 7:10-8:4; 8:5-14. The shepherd lover is thus supposed to be present in the Shulammite's dreams, and in her waking moments she is ever thinking of him and describing to herself and others his many charms. Not until the closing scene (Songs 8:5-14) does Ewald introduce the shepherd as an actor in the drama. Ewald had an imperial imagination and a certain strength of mind and innate dignity of character which prevented him from dragging into the mud any section of the Biblical literature. While rejecting entirely the allegorical theory of Canticles, he yet attributed to it an ethical quality which made the So worthy of a place in the Old Testament. A drama in praise of fidelity between human lovers may well hold a place beside Ecclesiastes and Proverbs in the Canon. Many of the ablest Old Testament critics have followed Ewald in his general theory that Canticles is a drama celebrating the loyalty of a lowly maiden to her shepherd lover. Not even Solomon in all his glory could persuade her to become his queen.

Within the past quarter of a century the unity of Canticles has been again sharply challenged. An account of the customs of the Syrian peasants in connection with weddings was given by the Prussian consul at Damascus, J. G. Wetzstein, in 1873, in an article in Bastian's Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie, 270;, on "Die syrische Dreschtafel," in which he illustrated the Old Testament from modern Syrian customs. Driver thus describes the customs that are supposed to throw light upon Canticles: "In modern Syria, the first seven days after a wedding are called the `king's week'; the young pair play during this time king and queen; the `threshing-board' is turned into a mock-throne, on which they are seated, while songs are sung before them by the villagers and others, celebrating them on their happiness, among which the watsf, or poetical `description' of the physical beauty of the bride and bridegroom, holds a prominent place. The first of these watsfs is sung on the evening of the wedding-day itself: brandishing a naked sword in her right hand, and with a handkerchief in her left, the bride dances in her wedding array, lighted by fires, and surrounded by a circle of guests, half men and half women, accompanying her dance with a watsf in praise of her charms" (LOT, 452). Wetzstein suggested the view that Canticles was composed of the wedding-songs sung during "the king's week." This theory has been most fully elaborated by Budde in an article in the New World, March, 1894, and in his commentary (1898). According to Budde, the bridegroom is called King Solomon, and the bride Shulammith. The companions of the bridegroom are the 60 valiant men who form his escort (Songs 3:7). As a bride, the maiden is called the most beautiful of women (Songs 1:8; Songs 5:9; Songs 6:1). The pictures of wedded bliss are sung by the men and women present, the words being attributed to the bride and the bridegroom. Thus the festivities continue throughout the week. Budde's theory has some decided advantages over Ewald's view that the poem is a drama; but the loss in moral quality is considerable; the book becomes a collection of wedding-songs in praise of the joys of wedlock.

V. Closing Hints and Suggestions.

Having given a good deal of attention to Canticles during the past 15 years, the author of this article wishes to record a few of his views and impressions.

(1) Canticles is lyric poetry touched with the dramatic spirit. It is not properly classed as drama, for the Hebrews had no stage, though much of the Old Testament is dramatic in spirit. The descriptions of the charms of the lovers were to be sung or chanted.

(2) The amount that has to be read between the lines by the advocates of the various dramatic theories is so great that, in the absence of any hints in the body of the book itself, reasonable certitude can never be attained. (3) The correct translation of the refrain in Songs 2:7 and 3:5 (compare 8:4) is important for an understanding of the purpose of Canticles. It should be rendered as follows:

`I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the gazelles, or by the hinds of the field,

That ye stir not up, nor awaken love,

Until it please.'

Love between man and woman should not be excited by unnatural stimulants, but should be free and spontaneous. In Songs 8:4 it seems to be implied that the women of the capital are guilty of employing artifices to awaken love:

`I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

Why do ye stir up, or awaken love,

Until it please?'

That this refrain is in keeping with the purpose of the writer is clear from the striking words toward the close of the book:

"Set me as a seal upon thy heart,

As a seal upon thine arm:

For love is strong as death;

Jealousy is cruel as Sheol;

The flashes thereof are flashes of fire,

A very flame of Yahweh.

Many waters cannot quench love,

Neither can floods drown it:

If a man would give all the substance of his house for love,

He would utterly be contemned" (Songs 8:6 f).

(4) Canticles discloses all the secret intimacies of wedded life without becoming obscene. The imagery is too sensuous for our taste in western lands, so that words of caution are often timely, lest the sensuous degenerate into the sensual; but I have been told by several Syrian and Palestinian students whom I have had the privilege of teaching, that Canticles is considered quite chaste among their people, the wedding-songs now in use among them being more minute in their description of the physical charms of the lovers.

(5) Canticles is by no means excluded from the Canon by the acceptance of the literal interpretation. Ewald's theory makes it an ethical treatise of great and permanent value. Even if Canticles is merely a collection of songs describing the bliss of true lovers in wedlock, it is not thereby rendered unworthy of a place in the Bible, unless marriage is to be regarded as a fall from a state of innocency. If Canticles should be rejected because of its sensuous imagery in describing the joys of passionate lovers, portions of Proverbs would also have to be excised (Proverbs 5:15-20). Perhaps most persons need to enlarge their conception of the Bible as a repository for all things that minister to the welfare of men. The entire range of man's legitimate joys finds sympathetic and appreciative description in the Bible. Two young lovers in Paradise need not fear to rise and meet their Creator, should He visit them in the cool of the day.

LITERATURE.

C. D. Ginsburg, The So of Songs, with a Commentary, Historical and Critical, 1857; H. Ewald, Dichter des Alten Bundes, III, 333-426, 1867; F. C. Cook, in Biblical Commentary, 1874; Franz Delitzsch, Hoheslied u. Koheleth, 1875 (also translation); O. Zockler, in Lange's Comm., 1875; S. Oettli, Kurzgefasster Kommentar, 1889; W. E. Griffis, The Lily among Thorns, 1890; J. W. Rothstein, Das Hohe Lied, 1893; K. Budde, article in New World, March, 1894. and Kommentar, 1898; C. Siegfried, Prediger u. Hoheslied, 1898; A. Harper, in Cambridge Bible, 1902; G. C. Martin, in Century Bible, 1908; article on "Canticles" by Cheyne in EB, 1899.

John Richard Sampey

SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN

" 1. Name

2. Canonicity

3. Contents

4. Author and Date

5. Original Language

6. Text and Versions

LITERATURE

For general remarks concerning the Additions to Daniel see BEL AND THE DRAGON.

1. Name:

This Addition has no separate title in any manuscript or version because in the Septuagint, Theod, Syriac and Latin (Old Latin and Vulgate) it follows Daniel 3:23 immediately, forming an integral portion of that chapter, namely, The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:24-90 in the Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) It is the only one of the three Additions which has an organic connection with Daniel; as regards the others see preliminary remarks to BEL AND THE DRAGON. The title in English Versions of the Bible is "The So of the Three Holy Children," a title describing its matter as formerly understood, though a more rigid analysis shows that in the 68 verses so designated, we have really two separate sections. See 3, below.

2. Canonicity:

See introductory remarks to BEL AND THE DRAGON. The order in which the three "Additions to Daniel" are found in the (Separate Protestant) Apocrypha is decided by their sequence in the Vulgate, the So of the Three Children forming part of chapter 3, Susanna of chapter 13, and Bel and the Dragon of chapter 14 of Daniel.

3. Contents:

Though the English and other Protestant versions treat the 68 verses as one piece under the name given above, there are really two quite distinct compositions. These appear separately in the collection of Odes appended to the Psalter in Cod. A under the headings, "The Prayer of Azarias" (Proseuche Azariou, Azariah, Daniel 1:6) and "The Hymn of Our Fathers" (Humnos ton pateron hemon); see Swete, The Old Testament in Greek, 3804;, and Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, 253 f. Luther with his usual independence makes each of these into a separate book under the titles, "The Prayer of Azaria" (Das Gebet Asarjas) and "The So of the Three Men in the Fire" (Der Gesang der drei Manner im Feuerofen).

(1) The Prayer of Azarias (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:1-22) (Daniel 3:24-48).

Azariah is the Hebrew name of Abed-nego (= Abednebo, "servant of Nebo"), the latter being the Babylonian name (see Daniel 1:7; Daniel 2:49, etc.). This prayer joins on to Daniel 3:23, where it is said that "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Azariah) fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace." [?] (the version of Theodotion; see "Text and Versions" below) adds, "And they walked (Syr adds "in their chains") in the midst of the fire, praising God, and blessing the Lord." This addition forms a suitable connecting link, and it has been adopted by the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) and in modern versions which are made from [?] and not from the Septuagint, which last was lost for many centuries (see BEL AND THE DRAGON, III). In the Septuagint the words with which the Prayer was introduced are these: "Thus therefore prayed Hananias, and Azarias and Misael and sang praises (hymns) to the Lord when the king commanded that they should be cast into the furnace." The prayer (offered by Azarias) opens with words of adoration followed by an acknowledgment that the sufferings of the nation in Babylon were wholly deserved, and an earnest entreaty that God would intervene on behalf of His exiled and afflicted people. That this prayer was not composed for the occasion with which it is connected goes without saying. No one in a burning furnace could pray as Azarias does. There are no groans or sighs, nor prayer for help or deliverance of a personal nature. The deliverance sought is national.

(2) The So of the Three Holy Children (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:28-68) (Da 3:51-90).

This is introduced by a brief connecting narrative (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27). The king's servants continued to heat the furnace, but an angel came down and isolated an inner zone of the furnace within which no flames could enter; in this the three found safety. Rothstein (Kautzsch, Die Apok., 175) is inclined to think that this narrative section (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27) stood between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24 in the original Hebrew text. The "Song" is really a psalm, probably a translation of a Hebrew original. It has nothing to do with the incident-the three young men in the furnace-except in The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 (EV) where the three martyrs call upon themselves by name to praise and bless the Lord for delivering them from the midst of the furnace. This verse is an interpolation, for the rest of the So is a long litany recalling Psalm 103 and especially Psalms 136; 148, and Sirach 43. The Song, in fact, has nothing to do with the sufferings of the three young men, but is an ordinary hymn of praise. It is well known from the fact that it forms a part of the Anglican Prayer-book, as it had formed part of many early Christian liturgies.

4. Author and Date:

(1) Author.

We know nothing whatever of the author besides what may be gathered from this Addition. It is quite evident that none of the three Additions belong to the original text of Daniel, and that they were added because they contained legends in keeping with the spirit of that book, and a song in a slight degree (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 English Version of the Bible) adapted to the situation of the three Hebrew youths in the furnace, though itself of an independent liturgical origin.

For a long time the three Additions must have circulated independently. Polychronius says that "The So of the Three Holy Children" was, even in the 5th century A.D., absent from the text of Daniel, both in the Peshitta and in the Septuagint proper. Rothstein (Kautzsch, Die Apok., 176) contends that the Additions formed a part of the Septuagint from the beginning, from which he infers that they were all composed before the Septuagint was made. What was the date of this version of Daniel? Since its use seems implied in 1 Maccabees 1:54 (compare Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11), it would be safe to conclude that it existed about 100 B.C.

(2) Date of the Prayer of Azarias.

In The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:15 (English Versions of the Bible) it is said that at the time the prayer was offered, there was no prince, prophet or leader, nor sacrifice of any kind. This may point to the time between 168 and 165 B.C., when Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) profaned the temple. If written in that interval, it must have been added to Daniel at a much later time. But on more occasions than one, in later times, the temple-services were suspended, as e.g. during the invasion of Jerusalem by the Egyptian king, Ptolemy IV (Philopater).

(3) Date of the Song.

We find references in the So (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:62 English Versions of the Bible) to priests and temple-servants, and in The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:31 to the temple itself, suggesting that when the So was written the temple-services were carried on. This, in itself, would suit a time soon after the purification of the temple, about 164 B.C. But the terms of the So are, except in verse 66 (English Versions of the Bible), so general that it is impossible to fix the date definitely. On the date of the historical connecting narrative (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27) see 3, (2), above.

5. Original Language:

(1) Romanist scholars in general and several Protestants (Eichhorn, Einleit., in das Altes Testament, IV, 24 f; Einleit. in die apok. Schriften, 419; Vatke; Delitzsch, De Habacuci, 50; Zockler, Bissell, Ball, Rothstein, etc.) hold that the original language was Hebrew. The evidence, which is weak, is as follows: (a) The style is Hebraistic throughout (not more so than in writings known to have been composed in Alexandrian Gr; the idiom kataischunesthai + apo = bosh min (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:44 English Versions of the Bible; the Septuagint 1:44), "to be ashamed of," occurs in parts of the Septuagint which are certainly not translations). (b) The three Hebrew martyrs bear Hebrew names (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 English Versions). This only shows that the tale is of Hebrew origin. (2) Most modern non-Romanist scholars hold that the original language of the So (and Prayer) was Greek. So Keil, Fritzsche, De Wette, Schurer, Konig, Cornill, Strack, etc.

Some grounds:

(1) The Hebraisms are comparatively few, and those which do exist can be paralleled in other writings composed in Hellenistic Greek

(2) It can be proved that in Daniel and also in Bel and the Dragon (see Introduction to Bel in the Oxford Apocrypha, edition R.H. Charles), Theodotion corrects the Septuagint from the Hebrew (lost in the case of Bel); but in Three, Theodotion corrects according to Greek idiom or grammar. It must be admitted, however, that the evidence is not very decisive either way.

6. Text and Versions:

As to the text and the various versions of the Song, see what is said in the article BEL AND THE DRAGON. It is important to note that the translations in English Versions of the Bible are made from Theodotion's Greek version, which occurs in ancient versions of the Septuagint (A B V Q dc) instead of the true Septuagint (Cod. 87).

LITERATURE.

See the article BEL AND THE DRAGON; Marshall (Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, IV, 754); W. H. Bennett (Oxford Apocrypha, edition R.H. Charles, 625;).

T. Witton Davies

SOLOMON, SONG OF

See SONG OF SONGS.

THREE CHILDREN, SONG OF THE

See SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN.

Greek

5603. ode -- a song, ode
... a song, ode. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: ode Phonetic Spelling:
(o-day') Short Definition: an ode, song Definition: an ode, song, hymn. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5603.htm - 7k

5215. humnos -- a hymn
... a hymn. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: humnos Phonetic Spelling:
(hoom'-nos) Short Definition: a hymn, sacred song Definition: a hymn, sacred ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5215.htm - 7k

5214. humneo -- to sing to, to laud
... Definition: I sing, sing hymns to, praise. 5214 (from 5215 , "a song or hymn") --
to a hymn. Word Origin from humnos Definition to sing ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5214.htm - 7k

5568. psalmos -- a striking (of musical strings), a psalm
... a psalm. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: psalmos Phonetic Spelling:
(psal-mos') Short Definition: a psalm Definition: a psalm, song of praise ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5568.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

2158. zamir -- song
... 2157, 2158. zamir. 2159 . song. Transliteration: zamir Phonetic Spelling:
(zaw-meer') Short Definition: songs. ... psalmist, singing, song. ...
/hebrew/2158.htm - 6k

7892b. shirah -- song
... song. Transliteration: shirah Short Definition: song. Word Origin from the same
as shir Definition song NASB Word Usage song (1), song (10), songs (1). ...
/hebrew/7892b.htm - 5k

2176. zimrath -- song
... song. Transliteration: zimrath Phonetic Spelling: (zim-rawth') Short Definition:
song. Word Origin the same as zimrah, qv NASB Word Usage song (1). song. ...
/hebrew/2176.htm - 6k

7892a. shir -- song
... 7892, 7892a. shir. 7892b . song. Transliteration: shir Short Definition:
song. Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition song ...
/hebrew/7892a.htm - 5k

2172. zimrah -- melody, song (in praise of Yah)
... 2171, 2172. zimrah. 2173 . melody, song (in praise of Yah). Transliteration:
zimrah Phonetic Spelling: (zim-raw') Short Definition: song. ...
/hebrew/2172.htm - 6k

7892. shiyr -- song
... 7891, 7892. shiyr. 7892a . song. Transliteration: shiyr Phonetic Spelling:
(sheer) Short Definition: musical. musicalick, singer song ...
/hebrew/7892.htm - 5k

4485. manginah -- (mocking, derisive) song
... 4484, 4485. manginah. 4486 . (mocking, derisive) song. Transliteration: manginah
Phonetic Spelling: (man-ghee-naw') Short Definition: song. ...
/hebrew/4485.htm - 6k

8416. tehillah -- praise, song of praise
... 8415, 8416. tehillah. 8417 . praise, song of praise. Transliteration: tehillah
Phonetic Spelling: (teh-hil-law') Short Definition: praise. ...
/hebrew/8416.htm - 6k

4192. Muth -- "to die for the son," probably a song title
... Muth or Muth Labben. 4193 . "to die for the son," probably a song title.
Transliteration: Muth or Muth Labben Phonetic Spelling: (mooth) Short Definition: ...
/hebrew/4192.htm - 6k

5092. nehi -- a wailing, lamentation, mourning song
... 5091, 5092. nehi. 5093 . a wailing, lamentation, mourning song. Transliteration:
nehi Phonetic Spelling: (neh-hee') Short Definition: wailing. ...
/hebrew/5092.htm - 6k

Library

The Treasury of Sacred Song
The Treasury of Sacred Song. <. The Treasury of Sacred Song Francis
Turner Palgrave. Table of Contents. Title Page. EXTREMUM ...
//christianbookshelf.org/palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/

Song of Songs of Solomon
Song of Songs of Solomon. <. Song of Songs of Solomon Madame Guyon. Table
of Contents. Title Page. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. In the Providence of God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/

Song.
... New Year. SONG. ... Our song to Thee ascendeth, Who every day defendeth Us, and whose
arm averteth The pain our hearts that hurteth. O God of mercy! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/song.htm

A Song
... A Song. GPG John 13:1. Jesus, the One unchanging,. ... Slumbers nor sleeps". That filleth
the lonely chambers. With psalm and song,. And along my journey guards me,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/a song.htm

The New Song
... The New Song. Heinrich Suso Job 35:10. ... And now a new song would I sing Thee,. A song
that is wondrous and rare. A song of the heart that is broken,. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/the new song.htm

The Song of Solomon.
... THE SONG OF SOLOMON. An important link in the chain of the Messianic hopes is formed
by the Song of Solomon. It is intimately associated with Psalm 72. ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the song of solomon.htm

Song of Songs
... SONG OF SONGS. The contents of this book justify the description of it
in the title, i.1, as the "loveliest song""for that is the ...
/.../mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/song of songs.htm

A New Song
... HYMNS A NEW SONG. "He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our
God.""Psalm 40:3. R. Rolle, 1349. ... I know not the song of Thy praises,. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen and others second series/a new song.htm

The Glory Song.
... The Glory Song. Rev. i:5-6. ... There will never be a moment in the countless ages
of eternity when this Glory song will be hushed or forgotten. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the lord of glory/the glory song.htm

On the Song of Songs.
... Part I."Exegetical. On the Song of Songs. ... For the only ones extant are Proverbs,
and Wisdom, and Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. What then? ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on the song of songs.htm

Thesaurus

Song (207 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MOSES, SONG OF. ... There seems no reason to doubt
that at least the basis of the song-possibly the whole-is genuinely Mosaic. ...
/s/song.htm - 78k

Dedication-song (1 Occurrence)
Dedication-song. Dedication-offering, Dedication-song. Deducted .
Multi-Version Concordance Dedication-song (1 Occurrence). ...
/d/dedication-song.htm - 6k

Marriage-song (1 Occurrence)
Marriage-song. Marriages, Marriage-song. Married . Multi-Version
Concordance Marriage-song (1 Occurrence). Psalms 78 ...
/m/marriage-song.htm - 6k

Bride-song (1 Occurrence)
Bride-song. Bridesmaids, Bride-song. Bride-tent . Multi-Version
Concordance Bride-song (1 Occurrence). Psalms 78:63 ...
/b/bride-song.htm - 6k

Taunt-song (1 Occurrence)
Taunt-song. Taunts, Taunt-song. Tav . Multi-Version Concordance
Taunt-song (1 Occurrence). Habakkuk 2:6 Shall not all ...
/t/taunt-song.htm - 6k

Ascents (21 Occurrences)
... Ascents (21 Occurrences). Psalms 120:1 A Song of Ascents. In my distress, I cried
to Yahweh. ... (WEB JPS YLT RSV NIV). Psalms 121:1 A Song of Ascents. ...
/a/ascents.htm - 12k

Degrees (18 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Degrees, Song of. Song of steps, a title given
to each of these fifteen psalms, 120-134 inclusive. The ...
/d/degrees.htm - 14k

Breasts (39 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS NIV). Song of Songs 1:13 My beloved is
to me a sachet of myrrh, that lies between my breasts. (WEB ...
/b/breasts.htm - 18k

Darling (13 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV WBS). Song of Songs 1:9 I have made a comparison of you, O my love,
to a horse in Pharaoh's carriages. (See NAS NIV). Song...
/d/darling.htm - 10k

Sang (28 Occurrences)
... Revelation 5:9 They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and
to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood ...
/s/sang.htm - 15k

Bible Concordance

Song (207 Occurrences)

Matthew 26:30 And after a song of praise to God, they went out to the Mountain of Olives.
(BBE)

Mark 14:26 And after a song of praise to God they went out to the Mountain of Olives.
(BBE)

Romans 15:9 And so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercy; as it is said, For this reason I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and I will make a song to your name.
(BBE)

1 Corinthians 14:15 What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind.
(BBE)

1 Corinthians 14:26 What then, brethren? Whenever you assemble, there is not one of you who is not ready either with a song of praise, a sermon, a revelation, a 'tongue,' or an interpretation. Let everything be done with a view to the building up of faith and character.
(WEY BBE)

Hebrews 2:12 Saying, I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers, I will make a song of praise to you before the church.
(BBE)

James 5:13 Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise.
(BBE NIV)

Revelation 5:9 They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 14:3 They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 15:3 They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 18:22 No harp or song, no flute or trumpet, shall ever again be heard in thee; no craftsman of any kind shall ever again be found in thee; nor shall the grinding of the mill ever again be heard in thee.
(WEY)

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 15:2 Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 15:21 And Miriam, answering, said, Make a song to the Lord, for he is lifted up in glory; the horse and the horseman he has sent into the sea.
(BBE)

Numbers 21:17 Then sang Israel this song: "Spring up, well; sing to it:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 31:19 "Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 31:21 It shall happen, when many evils and troubles are come on them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I swore."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 31:22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 31:30 Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:44 Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 5:1 At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:
(BBE NIV)

Judges 5:3 Give attention, O kings; give ear, O rulers; I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
(BBE)

Judges 5:12 'Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.'
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 18:7 And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death his thousands and David his tens of thousands.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 1:17 Then David made this song of grief for Saul and Jonathan, his son:
(BBE)

2 Samuel 1:18 (and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
(WEB ASV DBY NAS)

2 Samuel 3:33 And the king made a song of grief for Abner and said, Was the death of Abner to be like the death of a foolish man?
(BBE)

2 Samuel 19:35 I am now eighty years old: good and bad are the same to me; have meat and drink any taste for me now? am I able to take pleasure in the voices of men or women in song? why then am I to be a trouble to my lord the king?
(BBE YLT)

2 Samuel 22:1 David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 22:50 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
(BBE)

1 Chronicles 6:31 These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Yahweh, after that the ark had rest.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

1 Chronicles 6:32 They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV)

1 Chronicles 13:8 David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, and with harps, and with stringed instruments, and with tambourines, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 15:16 And David saith to the heads of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of song, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, to lift up with the voice for joy.
(YLT NIV)

1 Chronicles 15:21 And Mattithiah and Eliphelehu and Mikneiah and Obed-edom and Jeiel and Azaziah, with corded instruments on the octave, to give the first note of the song.
(BBE)

1 Chronicles 15:22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song: he instructed about the song, because he was skillful.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS)

1 Chronicles 15:27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites who bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: and David had on him an ephod of linen.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS)

1 Chronicles 16:42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 25:6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT)

1 Chronicles 25:7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
(Root in KJV DBY WBS YLT)

2 Chronicles 5:13 And when the players on horns, and those who made melody in song, with one voice were sounding the praise and glory of the Lord; with loud voices and with wind instruments, and brass and corded instruments of music, praising the Lord and saying, He is good; his mercy is unchanging for ever: then the house was full of the cloud of the glory of the Lord,
(BBE YLT RSV)

2 Chronicles 7:6 And the priests were in their places, and the Levites with their instruments of music for the Lord's song, which David the king had made for the praise of the Lord whose mercy is unchanging for ever, when David gave praise by their hand; and the priests were sounding horns before them; and all Israel were on their feet.
(BBE YLT)

2 Chronicles 20:22 And at the first notes of song and praise the Lord sent a surprise attack against the children of Ammon and Moab and the people of Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were overcome.
(BBE DBY)

2 Chronicles 23:18 And Jehoiada put the work and the care of the house of the Lord into the hands of the priests and the Levites, who had been grouped in divisions by David to make burned offerings to the Lord, as it is recorded in the law of Moses, with joy and song as David had said.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 29:27 Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Chronicles 34:12 And the men are working faithfully in the business, and over them are appointed Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathite, to overlook; and of the Levites, every one understanding about instruments of song,
(YLT)

2 Chronicles 35:25 And Jeremiah made a song of grief for Josiah; and to this day Josiah is named by all the makers of melody, men and women, in their songs of grief; they made it a rule in Israel; and the songs are recorded among the songs of grief.
(BBE YLT)

Nehemiah 11:17 And Mattaniah, the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who had to give the first note of the song of praise in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers, and Abda, the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
(BBE)

Nehemiah 11:23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them, and a settled provision for the singers, as every day required.
(See NAS)

Nehemiah 12:36 and his brethren Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe 'is' before them;
(YLT)

Nehemiah 12:46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 29:13 The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart.
(BBE)

Job 30:9 "Now I have become their song. Yes, I am a byword to them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Job 33:27 He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin.
(BBE)

Job 36:24 See that you give praise to his work, about which men make songs.
(Root in BBE NIV)

Psalms 7:1 <Shiggaion of David; a song which he made to the Lord, about the words of Cush the Benjamite.> O Lord my God, I put my faith in you; take me out of the hands of him who is cruel to me, and make me free;
(BBE)

Psalms 7:17 I will give praise to the Lord for his righteousness; I will make a song to the name of the Lord Most High.
(BBE)

Psalms 9:2 I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.
(BBE)

Psalms 13:6 I will make a song to the Lord, because he has given me my reward.
(BBE)

Psalms 17:15 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with 'beholding' thy form. Psalm 18 For the Chief Musician. 'A Psalm' of David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said,
(ASV)

Psalms 18:1 For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 18:49 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
(BBE)

Psalms 26:7 that I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of all your wondrous works.
(See RSV)

Psalms 27:6 And now my head will be lifted up higher than my haters who are round me: because of this I will make offerings of joy in his tent; I will make a song, truly I will make a song of praise to the Lord.
(BBE)

Psalms 28:7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 29:11 Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace. Psalm 30 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. 'A Psalm' of David.
(ASV)

Psalms 30:1 A Psalm. A Song for the Dedication of the Temple. By David. I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 33:3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 42:4 Let my soul be overflowing with grief when these things come back to my mind, how I went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the song of those who were keeping the feast.
(BBE RSV)

Psalms 42:8 Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 44:26 Rise up for our help, And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake. Psalm 45 For the Chief Musician; set to Shoshannim. 'A Psalm' of the sons of Korah. Maschil. A Song of loves.
(ASV)

Psalms 45:1 For the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies." A contemplation by the sons of Korah. A wedding song. My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks for ever and ever. Psalm 46 For the Chief Musician. 'A Psalm' of the sons of Korah; set to Alamoth. A Song.
(ASV)

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
(See JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: Sing ye praises with understanding.
(See JPS BBE)

Psalms 47:9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together 'To be' the people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto God; He is greatly exalted. Psalm 48 A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
(ASV)

Psalms 48:1 A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 59:17 To you, O my strength, will I make my song: because God is my high tower, even the God of my mercy.
(BBE)

Psalms 64:10 The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him; And all the upright in heart shall glory. Psalm 65 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm. A song of David.
(ASV)

Psalms 65:1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 65:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered over with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 66 For the Chief Musician. A song, a Psalm.
(ASV BBE)

Psalms 66:1 For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 66:2 Make a song in honour of his name: give praise and glory to him.
(BBE)

Psalms 66:20 Blessed be God, Who hath not turned away my prayer, Nor his lovingkindness from me. Psalm 67 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm, a song.
(ASV)

Psalms 67:1 For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us. Selah.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 67:4 O let the nations be glad, and make song of joy; for you will be the judge of the peoples in righteousness, guiding the nations of the earth. (Selah.)
(BBE)

Psalms 67:7 God will bless us; And all the ends of the earth shall fear him. Psalm 68 For the Chief Musician; A Psalm of David, a song.
(ASV)

Psalms 68:1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 68:4 Make songs to God, make songs of praise to his name; make a way for him who comes through the waste lands; his name is Jah; be glad before him.
(Root in BBE NAS RSV)

Psalms 69:12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 74:23 Forget not the voice of thine adversaries: The tumult of those that rise up against thee ascendeth continually. Psalm 75 For the Chief Musician; 'set to' Al-tash-heth. A Psalm of Asaph; a song.
(ASV)

Psalms 75:1 For the Chief Musician. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A Psalm by Asaph. A song. We give thanks to you, God. We give thanks, for your Name is near. Men tell about your wondrous works.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 75:10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; But the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. Psalm 76 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a song.
(ASV)

Psalms 76:1 For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm by Asaph. A song. In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.
(WEB JPS BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Psalms 77:6 I remember my song in the night. I consider in my own heart; my spirit diligently inquires:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS NIV)

Psalms 78:63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 81:1 <To the chief music-maker; put to the Gittith. Of Asaph.> Make a song to God our strength: make a glad cry to the God of Jacob.
(BBE)

Psalms 81:2 Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
(WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV)

Subtopics

Select Readings: Song of Moses when Pharaoh and his Army Were Overthrown

Song

Song of Deborah

Song of Moses

Song of Moses and the Lamb

Song of Redemption

Song of Songs