Musical
Sound Communicates Meaning Part 6
Ephesians
5:19 makes this statement, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Note that the words spiritual songs are used
in this example of Bible principles of musicing unto God. The Greek words pneumatikos (4152) and oide (5603)
mean spiritual i.e. non-carnal songs.
Notice that the author of the letter to the Ephesians was very careful
not to use the Greek word oide by itself.
If he had that would have admitted all melodies, sounds and songs. We know further that St, Paul who was a
linguist, was referring to the formal properties of the music because he
follows the words psalmos (5568), humnos (5215), pneumatikos oide, and ado (103)
with the words making melody (psallo
5567). The word psallo means to touch
the parts of a stringed instrument i.e. to play a melody on a stringed
instrument.
Note
that the word ado is a direct reference to singing but the Greek word psallo
does not refer to singing directly but rather to accompanying singing (ado).When Paul used the word psallo he
was without doubt referring to the sounds produced from the formal properties
of the music when it was produced on a musical instrument. St. Paul used the word pneumatikos to signify
that it was necessary to use non-carnal sounds when musicing unto the
Lord. So, conversely there are sounds
which may be produced from the formal properties of carnal music that do not
please God. This scripture is a Bible
proof that musical sounds do communicate meaning. If musical sounds were (and therefore are)
incapable of communicating meaning, St. Paul would not have clearly stipulated
the use of pneumatikos oide i.e. spiritual or non-carnal songs produced by
touching the parts of a stringed instrument.
Thought
for the Day
The musical discourse in Ephesians 5
not only connotes that dinging has meaning but also that instrumental music has meaning.
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