ἀείδω G0103
To sing, especially hymns or spiritual songs in worship; vocal praise directed to God.
The standard Greek verb for singing, used in the New Testament exclusively for worship contexts — singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Paul instructs believers to sing and make melody in their hearts to the Lord (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), while Revelation's visions feature heavenly beings singing a 'new song' before the Lamb (Rev 5:9; 14:3; 15:3). The cross-lingual glosses are remarkably consistent: Spanish 'cantan/cantando,' French and German both use 'singen,' all pointing to the straightforward act of vocal musical praise.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To sing, particularly in the context of worship and spiritual praise. Every NT occurrence involves singing directed toward God or the Lamb. Paul pairs it with psalming and making melody (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), while in Revelation the heavenly hosts sing the 'new song' and the 'song of Moses and the Lamb' (Rev 5:9; 15:3). The classical Greek form ᾄδω (contracted from ἀείδω) carried broader poetic associations, but NT usage narrows it to liturgical and doxological singing. Spanish 'cantar,' French and German 'singen' all reflect this core meaning of vocal musical expression. 5×
AR["مُرَنِّمينَ", "يُرَنِّمونَ"]·ben["গান-করে", "তারা-গান-করে"]·DE["singen"]·EN["singing", "they-sing"]·FR["singen"]·heb["שָׁרִים"]·HI["गअते-हुए", "वे-गाते-हैं"]·ID["bernyanyi", "menyanyi", "mereka-menyanyikan"]·IT["cantare"]·jav["nembang", "piyambakipun-ngidung", "piyambakipun-sedaya-nyanyi", "sami-ngidungaken"]·KO["노래하며", "노래하면서", "부르니", "부른다"]·PT["cantam", "cantando"]·RU["поют", "поющие", "поя"]·ES["cantan", "cantando"]·SW["mkiimba", "wakaimba", "wanaimba"]·TR["soyleyerek", "söylüyorlar", "ve-"]·urd["گاتے-ہوئے", "گاتے-ہیں"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀείδω, Ionic dialect and poetry form used by Refs 8th c.BC+, and sometimes in Trag. and Comedy texts (even in trimeter, Refs 5th c.BC+, also in Ionic dialect Prose; contraction ᾄδω (also Refs 6th c.BC+: imperfect ἤειδονRefs 8th c.BC+, Epic dialect ἄειδονRefs 8th c.BC+; Trag. and Attic dialect ᾖδονRefs 5th c.BC+: future ἀείσομαιRefs 8th c.BC+; rarely in active form ἀείσω, Refs 7th c.BC+, and late…