Psalms 150:4
Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
Open Psalms 150:4 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Laudate eum in tympano et choro ; laudate eum in chordis et organo.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τυμπάνῳ καὶ χορῷ, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν χορδαῖς καὶ ὀργάνῳ·
- Hebrew (WLC)
- הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ בְתֹ֣ף וּמָח֑וֹל הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בְּמִנִּ֥ים וְעוּגָֽב
Haydock's commentary
Choir....Strings. Unity and mortification are requisite to make our praises acceptable, as strings are made of the bowels of beasts. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CL
5. “Praise Him in the sound of the trumpet” ( ver. 3 ): on account of the surpassing clearness of note of their praise. “Praise Him in the psaltery and harp.” The psaltery praiseth God from things above, the harp praiseth God from things below; I mean, from things in heaven, and things in earth, as He who made heaven and earth. We have already in another Psalm, explained that the psaltery hath that board, whereon the series of strings rests that it may give a better sound, above, whereas the harp has it below. “Praise Him in the timbrel and choir” ( ver. 4 ). The “timbrel” praiseth God when the flesh is now changed, so that there is in it no weakness of earthly corruption. For the timbrel is made of leather dried and strengthened. The “choir” praiseth God when society made peaceful praiseth Him. …
St Gregory the Great The Book of Pastoral Rule, How those that are at variance and those that are at peace are to be admonished
( Admonition 23.) Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace ( Gal. v. 22 ). He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Hence Paul says, Whereas there is among you envying and strife, are ye not carnal ( 1 Cor. iii. 3 )? Hence again he says also, Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord ( Heb. xii. 14 ). …
St Gregory the Great Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great, To Anastasius, Presbyter
But, since there have been wont to be quarrels between the father of this same monastery and the pastor of the Church of Jerusalem, I believe that Almighty God has willed that thy Love and my most holy brother and fellow-priest Amos should be at the same time at Jerusalem for this end, that the quarrels which I have spoken of should be put an end to. Shew, then, now how much you loved before. For I know that both of you are abstinent, both learned, both humble; whence the glory of our Saviour must needs be praised, according to the language of the Psalm, in timbrel and chorus ( Ps. cl. 4 ). For in a timbrel the sound from the skin is dry, but in a chorus there is a concord of voices. What therefore is denoted by a timbrel but abstinence, and what by a chorus but unanimity? Since then by abstinence ye praise the Lord in timbrel, I beg that by unanimity ye praise Him in chorus. …