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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT ESA WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Eph 5 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32 V33
OET (OET-LV) speaking to_themselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and singing_praises in_the heart of_you_all to_the master,
In chapter 5, Paul continued with the subject of Christian behavior, which he had begun in the last section of chapter 4. So it is not necessary to start a new section here. One reason to start a new section here is to help the reader, as the previous section is already long. Some English versions begin a new section at 5:1 (BSB, GNT, NLT, NET, GW, NCV, ESV, NASB, NKJV), and some do not (NIV, RSV, NRSV, NJB, CEV, REB, KJV). You may want to consult your national translation and follow their example.
In this section, Paul exhorted the Christians to imitate God and avoid the sins of the pagan people surrounding them.
Here are some other examples for a heading for this section:
Living in the light (GNT, NLT, NCV)
Imitate God (GW)
In 5:18 Paul gave the command “be filled with the Spirit.” In the Greek text, this sentence does not end at 5:18, but continues until 5:21. The BSB and some other versions begin a new sentence here. You must decide whether it is more natural in your language to begin a new sentence here or to translate 5:19a as a continuation of 5:18c. For example:
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts (NLT)
In 5:19–21, Paul lists four kinds of good behavior that we should do when we are “filled” (controlled) by the Holy Spirit. We should:
encourage one another with songs,
sing to praise the Lord,
give thanks and
submit to one another.
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
Sing(plur) psalms, hymns and other spiritual songs to one another.
Sing(plur) to one another songs that David wrote and other songs of praise.
Speak to one another: People normally “sing” psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. They generally do not Speak them. So when Paul said Speak to one another, he could have meant:
sing songs to one another. For example:
as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves (NRSV, NLT, CEV, NJB, JBP)
speak or recite the words of these songs to one another. For example:
by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good (BSB, NIV, GNT, NET, NASB, REB, KJV, NCV, GW)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as this seems to fit the context better and has more commentary support. See also Colossians 3:16 where Paul used the verb “sing” in a similar context.
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs: Paul here mentioned three types of songs. (Compare this phrase with Colossians 3:16.)
psalms: The word psalms refers to the psalms in the Old Testament. King David wrote most of these songs.
hymns: These hymns were in honor of God and Jesus. The early Christians wrote these songs.
spiritual songs: Scholars are not certain of the meaning of spiritual songs. These songs may have been spontaneous singing inspired by the Holy Spirit.
If you do not have three different terms, use short, descriptive phrases to translate these terms. You could combine two of the terms. For example:
songs of David and other songs praising God
Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,
Sing songs and make other music to the Lord with all your(plur) heart.
Praise the Lord by singing and making music heartily/enthusiastically.
Sing and make music: The verb Sing obviously means with the voice. So the clause make music may indicate other types of music, for example, playing instruments. However, this clause should remain generic in the translation.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Sing songs and make other music
Singing and making melody (RSV)
in your hearts: There are at least two ways to understand the phrase in your hearts:
It means sing with all your hearts, in other words, sing with enthusiasm. For example:
…as you praise the Lord with all your heart. (RSV, NASB, ESV, GW, REB, CEV)
It means literally sing in your heart. This would mean singing privately in your own heart without making any sound. For example:
…making music in your hearts for the ears of the Lord! (BSB, NIV, GNT, NRSV, NET, NLT, JBP, NJB, KJV, NCV)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This fits the prior clause well, since Paul was writing about public singing.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / merism
ψαλμοῖς, καὶ ὕμνοις, καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς
psalms (Some words not found in SR-GNT: λαλοῦντες ἑαυτοῖς ἐν ψαλμοῖς καί ὕμνοις καί ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς ᾄδοντες καί ψάλλοντες τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ)
This could mean: (1) Paul is using these words as a merism for “all sorts of songs to praise God” (2) Paul is listing specific forms of music.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ψαλμοῖς
psalms
Paul assumes that his readers will understand that these psalms are probably songs from the Old Testament book of Psalms that believers sang in worship. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: the lyrical poems of David and others
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὕμνοις
hymns
These hymns are songs of praise and worship that may have been written specifically for Christians to sing.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς
songs spiritual
This could mean: (1) these are songs that the Holy Spirit inspires a person to sing right at that moment (2) spiritual songs and “hymns” form a doublet. They mean basically the same thing, and you could use one word for these instead of two.
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν
˱in˲_the heart ˱of˲_you_all
Here, heart is a metonym for a person’s thoughts or inner being. This could mean: (1) they should do this with true motives and sincerity. Alternate translation: [from deep within your being] or [sincerely] (2) they should do this with enthusiasm: Alternate translation: [with all of your being] or [enthusiastically]
OET (OET-LV) speaking to_themselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and singing_praises in_the heart of_you_all to_the master,
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.