What Does the Bible Say About Music In Worship?

Psalm 95:1 ESV / 52 helpful votes

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

Colossians 3:16 ESV / 34 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.

Psalm 150:1-6 ESV / 26 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! ...

Ephesians 5:19 ESV / 23 helpful votes

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

Acts 16:25 ESV / 19 helpful votes

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

Psalm 100:1-2 ESV / 15 helpful votes

A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

James 5:13 ESV / 13 helpful votes

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

Romans 15:9 ESV / 12 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.”

Hebrews 2:12 ESV / 11 helpful votes

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

Psalm 71:23 ESV / 11 helpful votes

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

Matthew 26:30 ESV / 9 helpful votes

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

John 4:24 ESV / 8 helpful votes

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

Psalm 33:3 ESV / 7 helpful votes

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

Psalm 149:3 ESV / 6 helpful votes

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

Psalm 9:2 ESV / 6 helpful votes

I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Philippians 4:8 ESV / 5 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.

Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV / 5 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,

1 Corinthians 14:15 ESV / 5 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.

Psalm 150:4 ESV / 5 helpful votes

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

2 Samuel 6:5 ESV / 5 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.

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.

2 Corinthians 9:12 ESV / 4 helpful votes

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV / 4 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.

Romans 10:17 ESV / 4 helpful votes

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

Amos 6:5 ESV / 4 helpful votes

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

Psalm 5:1 ESV / 4 helpful votes

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

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.

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.

2 Chronicles 20:20 ESV / 3 helpful votes

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

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,

1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV / 2 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.

Luke 15:25 ESV / 2 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.

Matthew 11:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

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

Psalm 65:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

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

2 Chronicles 29:25 ESV / 2 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.

1 Corinthians 14:19 ESV / 1 helpful vote

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

Romans 8:4-8 ESV / 1 helpful vote

In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

John 14:15 ESV / 1 helpful vote

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

2 Samuel 19:35 ESV / 1 helpful vote

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?

Exodus 15:21 ESV / 1 helpful vote

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.”

40 Bible Verses about Music In Worship