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The Back Page An article titled “Psallo As Used In The Old Testament” can be found on another page of this issue of StraitWay. Some of our readers may wonder: What is psallo? And why do I need to know about it? In the NT, sing (I Cor. 14:15), sing psalms (James 5:13), and making melody (Eph. 5:19) are translated from psallo. These passages teach that in worship to God, we are to sing “...psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs...” (Eph.5:19) to God’s glory and our edification. In discussions about whether or not it is scriptural to use mechanical instruments of music in worship to God, some make an appeal to psallo saying, it includes the mechanical instrument of music. In an effort to prove this claim, reference is made to the use of psallo in the Septuagint (Greek Version of the Old Testament). However, a study of psallo in the OT revealed that a mechanical instrument of music was NOT inherent in psallo.
Psallo is like our word “pick.” People pick beans, cotton, guitars, etc. What is picked must be named or inferred by the context. It is not inherent in the word “pick.” Psallo is the same. Psallo originally meant “...to pluck off, pull out....to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang...to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate...to play on a stringed instrument, to play the harp...Sept. (Greek OT, gm)..to sing to the music of a harp...in the N. T. to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song, Jas. v. 13)....” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, p. 675). It can readily be seen that the meaning of psallo has changed several times. Yet, in the Bible, if psallo is translated “play” or “make melody,” the instrument is ALWAYS named or inferred by the context. In Eph. 5:19, “melody” is made “...in the heart...” just as David played (psallo) on a harp or with his hand (I Sam. 16:16-23).
In the Bible, a mechanical instrument of music is NOT inherent in psallo. If you have not done so, please read the article regarding the use of psallo in the OT. Study Carefully. - Editor
Why Study Psallo?
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