ψαλλέτω
psállō
let him sing psalms
To pluck or play (specifically the strings of a musical instrument); by extension, to sing or make music, especially as part of religious or communal expression. In classical usage, primarily referred to the physical act of plucking the strings of a harp or lyre; in Hellenistic and later periods, the sense expanded to vocal singing, particularly of odes or psalms, often with instrumental accompaniment. In the context of the Septuagint and New Testament, commonly denotes singing or performing hymns, sometimes without explicit reference to instrumentation.
James 5:13 · Word #8
Lexicon G5567
| Lemma | ψάλλω |
| Transliteration | psállō |
| Strong's | G5567 |
| Definition | To pluck or play (specifically the strings of a musical instrument); by extension, to sing or make music, especially as part of religious or communal expression. In classical usage, primarily referred to the physical act of plucking the strings of a harp or lyre; in Hellenistic and later periods, the sense expanded to vocal singing, particularly of odes or psalms, often with instrumental accompaniment. In the context of the Septuagint and New Testament, commonly denotes singing or performing hymns, sometimes without explicit reference to instrumentation. |
Morphology V PRS ACT IMP 3P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | PRS — Present — Ongoing or repeated action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | IMP — Imperative — A command or request |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | let him sing psalms |
| Literal | let-him-sing-psalms |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ψάλλω |
| Strong's | G5567 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G5567-01
let him make music
| Morphological Notes | Verb; present tense (ongoing/customary), active voice, imperative mood, 3rd person singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The present active imperative, third person singular, calls for an ongoing or customary action: "let him make music." "Make music" preserves the root sense of plucking or playing strings while encompassing the extended meaning of singing in musical praise. |
View full lexicon entry for G5567 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
let him sing psalms
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Changed to 'let him sing psalms' as the more accurate contextual sense of 'ψαλλέτω' in religious community instructions; SILEX supports music making, but the common and most contextually appropriate rendering here is singing psalms, not merely making music. |