Colossians 3:16 — Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

16 Let the word of Christ be making its home in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing yourselves; in psalms, in hymns, in spiritual songs, singing, with grace in your hearts to God.

When we hear “psalms,” we naturally think of the 150 Psalms of the Hebrew Bible. That is entirely possible, but it is not necessarily what Paul means. The Greek word psalmos is related to psallō, which originally referred to plucking strings. From there, it developed the meaning of making music and singing. A psalmos, therefore, does not necessarily refer specifically to the five books within the Psalms. The word can also more broadly denote a song, traditionally associated with playing on stringed instruments.

The three designations cannot be sharply distinguished from one another; rather, they overlap. After all, a psalm can also be a hymn, and a hymn is naturally also a spiritual song. Paul is not dividing song into three neatly separated categories here, but naming its variety.

The musical genre is therefore not decisive. The governing principle of the passage is: “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you.” The singing springs from that and is meant to carry it. Spiritual songs give voice to the truths Paul made known. The music is not central, but the word sounding through it.

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