Psalms 81:1

For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph.

1 [a][b]Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

Psalms 81:1 in Other Translations

KJV
1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
ESV
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
NLT
1 Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob.
MSG
1 A song to our strong God! a shout to the God of Jacob!
CSB
1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout in triumph 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 for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2 Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.
3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4 this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say:

Cross References 1

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. In Hebrew texts 81:1-16 is numbered 81:2-17.
  • [b]. Title: Probably a musical term
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