53+ Bible Verses About Music and For Musicians

Music is a divine gift that resonates with the human soul, echoing the melodies of heaven. Throughout history, it has been a medium of worship, celebration, and reflection. The Bible, being the word of God, is not silent about the significance and role of music in our lives. It offers guidance, inspiration, and solace to musicians and music lovers alike.

For those seeking to understand the biblical perspective on music, this article presents 56 Bible verses and 7 Christian quotes that shed light on its importance. From verses that highlight the joy of singing praises to those that emphasize the spiritual depth of musical instruments, there's a wealth of knowledge waiting to be uncovered. So, let's embark on this melodious journey and delve deep into the scriptures for a comprehensive understanding.

The Joy of Singing Praises

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands."

- Psalms 100:1

"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms."

- James 5:13

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations."

- Psalms 89:1

"And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."

- Psalms 40:3

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"

- Ephesians 5:19

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

- Colossians 3:16

"I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."

- Psalms 104:33

Music as Worship

"Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp."

- Psalms 150:3

"Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs."

- Psalms 150:4

"And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals."

- 2 Samuel 6:5

"And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished."

- 2 Chronicles 29:28

"Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise."

- Psalms 33:3

"Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery."

- Psalms 81:2

"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps."

- Revelation 14:2

Music for Reflection and Solace

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."

- Psalms 57:7

"But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble."

- Psalms 59:16

"I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy."

- Psalms 132:16

"Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

- Psalms 141:2

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore."

- Psalms 86:12

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."

- Isaiah 49:13

"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."

- Psalms 32:7

Music as a Gift from God

"And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ."

- Genesis 4:21

"And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

- 1 Samuel 16:23

"Give thanks unto the LORD with the lyre, sing praises unto Him with the harp of ten strings."

- Psalms 33:2

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."

- Psalms 28:7

"And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel."

- 2 Chronicles 29:27

"Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals."

- 1 Chronicles 25:1

"Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp."

- Psalms 149:3

Music in Celebration

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances."

- Exodus 15:20

"And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod."

- 2 Samuel 6:14

"Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals."

- Psalms 150:5

"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God."

- Psalms 43:4

"And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them."

- 2 Chronicles 35:15

"And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days."

- 2 Chronicles 35:17

"And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets."

- 2 Chronicles 29:26

Music in Times of Mourning

"But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands."

- Jonah 3:8

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion."

- Psalms 137:1

"I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls."

- Lamentations 1:19

"Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people."

- Lamentations 3:48

"The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning."

- Lamentations 5:15

"And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day."

- Amos 8:10

"Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor."

- Hosea 9:1

Music and the Prophetic

"And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him."

- 2 Kings 3:15

"And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied."

- 1 Samuel 19:20

"And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee."

- 2 Kings 3:14

"And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man."

- 1 Samuel 10:6

"After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy."

- 1 Samuel 10:5

"And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy."

- 1 Chronicles 15:16

"And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

- 2 Kings 2:3

Music in the New Testament

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

- Acts 16:25

"Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

- Hebrews 2:12

"And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

- Matthew 26:30

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;"

- Revelation 5:9

"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."

- Revelation 14:3

"And the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps."

- Revelation 14:2

"And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."

- Romans 15:9

Christian Quotes

"Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God."

- Martin Luther

"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable."

- Leonard Bernstein

"Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world."

- Martin Luther

"Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite."

- Thomas Carlyle

"Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul."

- Johann Sebastian Bach

"Music was the one thing I could control. It was the one world that offered me freedom. When I played music, my nightmares ended. My family problems disappeared. I didn't have to search for answers. The answers lay no further than the bell of my trumpet and my scrawled, pencilled scores. Music made me full, strong, popular, self-reliant and cool."

- Quincy Jones

"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart."

- Pablo Casals

Conclusion

Music is a powerful medium that transcends boundaries, speaking directly to the soul. It has been an integral part of worship, celebration, reflection, and even mourning throughout biblical times. The scriptures are replete with verses that highlight the significance of music, guiding and inspiring believers across generations. As we immerse ourselves in these verses and the wisdom of Christian thinkers, we are reminded of the divine nature of music and its ability to connect us with the Almighty.

"Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof."

- Isaiah 42:10

"O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth."

- Psalms 96:1

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

- Revelation 4:11