Defining “PSALMS, HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS”

When the apostle Paul was under house imprisonment in Rome, he mentioned “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” in two separate passages that he wrote between the years 60-62 A.D.

Here’s the passage from Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus:

17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:17-20

Observe how singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is linked to being filled with the spirit and thus being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and the benefits thereof (Galatians 5:16-23). The New Testament describes this in different ways. When believers are spirit-controlled:

We “walk by the spirit” (Galatians 5:16),
We “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14),
We “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4),
We “put on the new self” (Colossians 3:10).

(For details on walking in the spirit go here).

How does singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs apply to being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled? Simple: Praise is celebration and includes thanksgiving, raving and boasting; whereas worship is adoration. Praise naturally attracts God’s presence and is in accordance with the law of respect: What you respect moves toward you while what you don’t respect moves away from you. Worship, on the other hand, is adoration or awe, and is the response to being in God’s presence. See Psalm 95:1-7 and Psalm 100 for verification.

(For more insights on praise & worship go here).

The passage from Ephesians somewhat parallels Paul’s instructions to the believers in Colossae:

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.

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

Observe how this verse reveals two essentials for when believers meet together:

Sharing/teaching the Word of God.
Participating in Scripture-based praise & worship.

While psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are arguably interchangeable, what did Paul mean by each term in this particular context?

‘Psalms’ in both of these passages is psalmos in the Greek, which refers to the psalms contained in the book of Psalms, many of which involve praise & worship;
‘Hymns’ is humnos in the Greek and refers to established “sacred songs or songs of praise to God” in one’s culture;
‘Spiritual songs’ or ‘songs from the Spirit’ is pneumatikos ódé in the Greek, referring to songs given to believers present by the Spirit, whether at the time of the assembly or prior.

In one fellowship I was involved in for a decade the bulk of the songs we sang were written by the praise & worship leader. These would be spiritual songs, which would likely become hymns over time.

Support for PRAISE & WORSHIP in the Bible

Can Christians Listen to Music other than Praise & Worship?

Prayer—Communing with God

Godliness and Religion—What’s the Difference?

Altars & Altar Calls and how they’re Relevant

Is Christianity a “Relationship with God”?