Greek (SBLGNT): λαλοῦντες [a]ἑαυτοῖς ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς, ᾄδοντες καὶ [b]ψάλλοντες τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ κυρίῳ,
ἑαυτοῖς is a reflexive pronoun doubling as a reciprocal pronoun, which is not unusual, and it's a dative of advantage (dativus commodi). See Merkle.
ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς-Does the last word here modify just ᾠδαῖς or all three nouns? And in what sense is the music "spiritual"?
ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες-Andrew T. Lincoln offers this explanation (Ephesians in the WBC Series): "The second participial clause builds up the sentence in the writer’s characteristic style by employing the verbal forms of two of the previous nouns— ᾠδή, 'song,' and ψαλμός, 'psalm.' Although its original meaning involved plucking a stringed instrument, ψάλλω here means to make music by singing (cf. also 1 Cor 14:15; Jas 5:13), so that there is no reference in this verse to instrumental accompaniment (cf. the discussion in BAGD 891; pace Barth, 584)."
Arnold concurs with Lincoln that ψάλλοντες is not referring to instrumental accompaniment; Lincoln likewise reckons that Christ Jesus is the referent of the phrase, τῷ κυρίῳ, which is apparently a dative indirect object of ᾄδοντες and ψάλλοντες. Cf. Ephesians 5:17; Revelation 5:9.
τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν-a dative of means and possessive genitive occur here. See William J. Larkin, Ephesians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, page 126.
- ΠΡΟΣ ΕΦΕΣΙΟΥΣ 5:19 ἑαυτοῖς WH Treg RP ] + ἐν NIV
- ΠΡΟΣ ΕΦΕΣΙΟΥΣ 5:19 ψάλλοντες WH NIV ] + ἐν Treg RP
CSB: "speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,"
ESV: "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,"
Syntax: λαλοῦντες is the nominative plural masculine present active participle of λαλέω. Benjamin Merkle thinks it functions adverbially here to communicate result in conjunction with the four participles that follow (Ephesians in the EGGNT Series). Paul is apparently detailing what results when a Christian is filled with the holy spirit (see Ephesians 5:18 and its use of πληροῦσθε).
Clinton Arnold explains that scholars often prefer to construe the grammar of Ephesians 5:19 like Merkle does, but Arnold gives other possibilities: a) the participle has an imperatival sense, b) it is a participle of attendant circumstance, c) the participle expresses means. Arnold chooses to take the participle as expressive of means.
ESV: "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,"
Syntax: λαλοῦντες is the nominative plural masculine present active participle of λαλέω. Benjamin Merkle thinks it functions adverbially here to communicate result in conjunction with the four participles that follow (Ephesians in the EGGNT Series). Paul is apparently detailing what results when a Christian is filled with the holy spirit (see Ephesians 5:18 and its use of πληροῦσθε).
Clinton Arnold explains that scholars often prefer to construe the grammar of Ephesians 5:19 like Merkle does, but Arnold gives other possibilities: a) the participle has an imperatival sense, b) it is a participle of attendant circumstance, c) the participle expresses means. Arnold chooses to take the participle as expressive of means.
ἑαυτοῖς is a reflexive pronoun doubling as a reciprocal pronoun, which is not unusual, and it's a dative of advantage (dativus commodi). See Merkle.
ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς-Does the last word here modify just ᾠδαῖς or all three nouns? And in what sense is the music "spiritual"?
ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες-Andrew T. Lincoln offers this explanation (Ephesians in the WBC Series): "The second participial clause builds up the sentence in the writer’s characteristic style by employing the verbal forms of two of the previous nouns— ᾠδή, 'song,' and ψαλμός, 'psalm.' Although its original meaning involved plucking a stringed instrument, ψάλλω here means to make music by singing (cf. also 1 Cor 14:15; Jas 5:13), so that there is no reference in this verse to instrumental accompaniment (cf. the discussion in BAGD 891; pace Barth, 584)."
Arnold concurs with Lincoln that ψάλλοντες is not referring to instrumental accompaniment; Lincoln likewise reckons that Christ Jesus is the referent of the phrase, τῷ κυρίῳ, which is apparently a dative indirect object of ᾄδοντες and ψάλλοντες. Cf. Ephesians 5:17; Revelation 5:9.
τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν-a dative of means and possessive genitive occur here. See William J. Larkin, Ephesians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, page 126.
7 comments:
Ephesians ch.5:20KJV"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;"
Suggesting that it is the Lord JEHOVAH Whom is the object of the praise at verse 19 although I can see where advocates of the other view are coming from.
2 Samuel 6:14-22
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea%2012&version=NIV
Benjamin Edsall and Jennifer Strawbridge, “The Songs We Used to Sing? Hymn ‘Traditions’ and Reception in Pauline Letters,” JSNT 37/3 (2015), 296, who argue that the term ὕμνος (“hymn,” 5:19) was an element comprising a “poetic meter” in Greek literature.
Servant: some books also lay out the position that it's either the Lord Jesus Christ or the God and Father of Jesus Christ. I agree that it could be either one.
Duncan: those are some interesting points. I believe that view about ὕμνος is possible, but I wonder how likely it is. The article looks worth reading. However, if they are thinking it's a meter within the tradition of Homer, Hesiod or the Greek tragedians and comedians, I have my doubts. It is more likely that the background is the Hebrew Bible setting.
Here's Clinton Arnold's understanding of the word for "hymns," which seems to go along with that article. Sorry if the Greek characters don't come through:
The term “hymn” ( ), on the other hand, was commonly used of poetic
ascriptions of praise to the various gods and goddesses throughout antiquity.25 Some of the best known are the “Homeric Hymns”—an anonymous collection of thirty-four different hymns of praise to various deities composed in the same style that Homer used in writing the Iliad and the Odyssey.26 Numerous other poets wrote hymns of praise to the Greek deities. Many of these were sung in the cultic praise of the gods at their various temples. During the NT era, there were guilds of hymn writers who employed their skills at crafting hymns. In fact, an
inscription discovered at Ephesus refers to a guild of hymn writers (
) who wrote their hymns in honor of “the most holy goddess Artemis.”27 Another Ephesian inscription lists the members of a religious society and refers to one as a “hymn writer” ( ).28 Although the term “hymn” appears occasionally in Jewish texts (including thirteen times in the LXX), it was more common in Greek religious circles.
Duncan, on the other hand, here is what Harold Hoehner writes about NT use of humnos:
The second word ὕμνοις, which is from ὕμνος and from which we derive the
English word “hymn,” has an uncertain origin. It is generally poetic material that is either recited or sung, many times in praise of divinity or in honor of one of the gods.[118] In the LXX it occurs thirty-three times and in the canonical books it appears sixteen times and translates five Hebrew words. Nine times it translates נְגִינָהin psalm titles (Pss 6:title [MT & LXX 6:1]; 55 [MT 55:1; LXX 54:1]; 61:title [MT 61:1; LXX 60:1]; 67:title [MT 67:1; LXX 66:1]; 76:title [MT 76:1; LXX 75:1]), indicating stringed instruments. It also occurs in other Psalms
(65:1 [MT 65:2; LXX 64:2]; 100:4 [LXX 99:4]; 119:171 [LXX 118:171];
148:14), indicating “praise.” Seven times it translates the Piel form of ( ָהלַל2 Chr 7:6) and its cognate ( ּתְ ִהלָּהNeh 12:46; Pss 40:3 [MT 40:4; LXX 39:4]; 65:1 [MT 65:2; LXX 64:2]; 100:4 [LXX 99:4]; 119:171 [LXX 118:171]; 148:14), which also means “praise.”[119] In the NT the verb form (ὑμνέω) occurs four times (Matt 26:30 = Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25; Heb 2:12). In the Gospel accounts it refers to the singing of the hallel psalms at the close of the Passover meal. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas sing hymns of praise in the Philippian prison. In Heb 2:12 the author quotes Ps 22:22 [MT 22:23; LXX 21:23] where the psalmist is praising (Hebrew is the Piel form of ) ָהלַלGod in the midst of the congregation. The noun form occurs only in Eph 5:19 and in the parallel passage, Col 3:16. Nothing from either of these verses would suggest anything different from what
the word historically meant, namely, a song of praise to God.
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