Psalms 81:2

Bible in Basic English

Take up the melody, playing on an instrument of music, even on corded instruments.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Lift up a song—play the tambourine,the melodious lyre, and the harp.

Hebrew Names Version
Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, The pleasant lyre with the harp.

King James Version
Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

English Standard Version
Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.

New Century Version
Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play pleasant music on the harps and lyres.

New English Translation
Sing a song and play the tambourine, the pleasant sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument!

Amplified Bible
Raise a song, sound the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

New American Standard Bible
Raise a song, strike the tambourine, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

World English Bible
Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, The pleasant lyre with the harp.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Take the song and bring forth the timbrel, the pleasant harpe with the viole.

Legacy Standard Bible
Lift up a song of praise, strike the tambourine,The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

Berean Standard Bible
Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

Contemporary English Version
Sing as you play tambourines and the lovely sounding stringed instruments.

Complete Jewish Bible
Sing for joy to God our strength! Shout to the God of Ya‘akov!

Darby Translation
Raise a song, and sound the tambour, the pleasant harp with the lute.

Easy-to-Read Version
Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play the pleasant harps and lyres.

George Lamsa Translation
Take a psalm and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

Good News Translation
Start the music and beat the tambourines; play pleasant music on the harps and the lyres.

Lexham English Bible
Lift up a song and strike the tambourine, the pleasant lyre, together with the harp.

Literal Translation
Lift up a song, and the timbrel, the pleasing lyre with the harp.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take ye psalme, brynge hither the tabret, the mery harpe & lute.

American Standard Version
Raise a song, and bring hither the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the psaltery.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Sing aloud unto God our strength; shout unto the God of Jacob.

King James Version (1611)
Take a Psalme, and bring hither the timbrell: the pleasant harpe with the psalterie.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take the psalterie: bryng hyther the tabret, the merie harpe, with the lute.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Take a psalm, and produce the timbrel, the pleasant psaltery with the harp.

English Revised Version
Take up the psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Take ye a salm, and yyue ye a tympan; a myrie sautere with an harpe.

Update Bible Version
Raise a song, and bring here the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the psaltery.

Webster's Bible Translation
Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

New King James Version
Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute.

New Living Translation
Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp.

New Life Bible
Sing a song, beat the timbrel. Play the sweet-sounding harps.

New Revised Standard
Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Raise a melody, and strike the timbrel, The lyre so sweet, with the harp:

Douay-Rheims Bible
(80-3) Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp.

Revised Standard Version
Raise a song, sound the timbrel, the sweet lyre with the harp.

Young's Literal Translation
Lift up a song, and give out a timbrel, A pleasant harp with psaltery.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

Contextual Overview

¹ Make a song to God our strength: make a glad cry to the God of Jacob. ² Take up the melody, playing on an instrument of music, even on corded instruments. ³ Let the horn be sounded in the time of the new moon, at the full moon, on our holy feast-day: ⁴ For this is a rule for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. ⁵ He gave it to Joseph as a witness, when he went out over the land of Egypt; then the words of a strange tongue were sounding in my ears. ⁶ I took the weight from his back; his hands were made free from the baskets. ⁷ You gave a cry in your trouble, and I made you free; I gave you an answer in the secret place of the thunder; I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah. (Selah.)

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 92:3, Psalms 95:1, Psalms 95:2, Psalms 149:1-3, Mark 14:26, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, James 5:13

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:20 - all the 1 Chronicles 15:21 - harps 1 Chronicles 25:1 - harps Psalms 33:2 - Praise Psalms 43:4 - upon Psalms 98:6 - trumpets Psalms 108:2 - Awake Psalms 137:2 - we hanged Psalms 149:3 - with the timbrel Psalms 150:3 - with the sound Isaiah 30:32 - every place Revelation 5:8 - having

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take a psalm,.... Or "lift one up" y; hold up the book, and read and sing it; or rather, lift up the voice in singing a psalm:

and bring hither the timbrel; or "give one" z, put the hand to one:

the pleasant harp with the psaltery; make use of all these musical instruments in singing, and so make an agreeable melody: these were used in the times of the Old Testament, and were typical of the spiritual joy and melody in the heart, expressed by vocal singing, under the New Testament; see Revelation 5:8.

y שאן "attollite", Piscator; "tollite", Cocceius, Amama, Gejerus. z תנו "date", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Take a psalm - literally, “Lift up a psalm; perhaps, as we should say, “Raise the tune.” Or, it may mean, Take an ode, a hymn, a psalm, composed for the occasion, and accompany it with the instruments of music which are specified.

And bring hither the timbrel - For the purpose of praise. On the meaning of this word rendered “timbrel” - תף tôph - see the notes at Isaiah 5:12.

The pleasant harp - On the word here rendered “harp” - כנור kinnôr - see also the notes at Isaiah 5:12. The word translated “pleasant” - נעים nâ‛ı̂ym - means properly pleasant, agreeable, sweet, Psalms 133:1; Psalms 147:1. It is connected here with the word harp, as meaning that that instrument was distinguished particularly for a sweet or pleasant sound.

With the psaltery - On the meaning of the word used here - נבל nebel - see the notes at Isaiah 5:12. These were the common instruments of music among the Hebrews. They were employed alike on sacred occasions, and in scenes of revelry. See Isaiah 5:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 81:2. Take a psalm — זמרה zimrah. I rather think that this was the name of a musical instrument.

Bring hither the timbrel — תף toph; some kind of drum or tom tom.

The pleasant harp — כנור kinnor. Probably a sistrum, or something like it. A STRINGED instrument.

With the psaltery. — נבל nebel, the nabla. The cithara, Septuagint.