What Does the Bible Say About Music In Worship?

Colossians 3:16 ESV / 12 helpful votes

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

James 5:13 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Psalm 95:1 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Ephesians 5:19 ESV / 8 helpful votes

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Psalm 150:1-6 ESV / 7 helpful votes

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 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! ...

Romans 15:9 ESV / 6 helpful votes

And in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

John 4:24 ESV / 6 helpful votes

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Psalm 71:23 ESV / 6 helpful votes

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

Acts 16:25 ESV / 5 helpful votes

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

Matthew 26:30 ESV / 5 helpful votes

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Psalm 150:4 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!

Psalm 149:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

Psalm 5:1 ESV / 5 helpful votes

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.

Hebrews 13:15 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 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,

Romans 10:17 ESV / 4 helpful votes

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Psalm 33:3 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

2 Chronicles 29:25 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets.

2 Samuel 6:14 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.

2 Samuel 6:5 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

Exodus 15:21 ESV / 4 helpful votes

And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Revelation 5:9 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Hebrews 2:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

Philippians 4:8 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV / 3 helpful votes

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV / 3 helpful votes

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

1 Corinthians 14:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

Romans 15:4 ESV / 3 helpful votes

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 14:23 ESV / 3 helpful votes

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Acts 17:11 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Acts 17:2 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

John 14:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Luke 16:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Luke 15:25 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Mark 16:16 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew 28:19-20 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 11:17 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Amos 6:5 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,

Psalm 65:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes

The meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Psalm 4:1 ESV / 3 helpful votes

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2 Samuel 19:35 ESV / 3 helpful votes

I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?

Leviticus 16:12-13 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 2 helpful votes

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ...

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Amos 5:22 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.

Psalm 119:1-176 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! ...

Revelation 22:18 ESV / 1 helpful vote

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,

Bible Verses about Music In Worship