Psalms 81:1

For the director of music. For "gittith." A psalm of Asaph.

1 Sing joyfully to God! He gives us strength. Give a loud shout to the God of Jacob!

Psalms 81:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 81:1

Sing aloud unto God our strength
The strength of Israel, who, by strength of hand, and a mighty arm, brought Israel out of Egypt, protected and upheld them in the wilderness, and brought them to, and settled and established them in the land of Canaan; and who is the strength of every true Israelite, from whom they have both their natural and spiritual strength; so that they can exercise grace, perform duty, bear afflictions, withstand temptations, fight with and conquer enemies, and hold on and out unto the end; and therefore have reason to sing the praises of God with great fervour, zeal, and affection:

make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob;
or Israel, being the God that had made a covenant with them, had chosen them for his peculiar people, and had redeemed them out of the house of bondage, and bestowed peculiar favours upon them; and therefore were under obligation to show forth his praise vocally and audibly, and with strong expressions of joy; and the spiritual Israel of God much more so, who have an interest in the covenant of grace, and share in electing, redeeming, and calling grace, by all which he appears to be their God and Father, in a special sense.

Psalms 81:1 In-Context

1 Sing joyfully to God! He gives us strength. Give a loud shout to the God of Jacob!
2 Let the music begin. Play the tambourines. Play sweet music on harps and lyres.
3 Blow the ram's horn on the day of the New Moon Feast. Blow it again when the moon is full and the Feast of Booths begins.
4 This is an order given to Israel. It is a law of the God of Jacob.
5 He gave it as a covenant law for the people of Joseph when God went out to punish Egypt. There we heard a language we didn't understand.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.