H2167 H2167
sing praises, make music — to celebrate God with song and instrumental melody (Piel of zamar)
Zamar in the Piel stem is the quintessential Hebrew verb of musical worship, appearing 45 times exclusively in poetic contexts — the Psalms, Judges 5, and 2 Samuel 22. Its semantic range embraces both vocal singing and instrumental playing, as confirmed by the related noun mizmor ('psalm, melody'). The psalmist's repeated imperatives — zamru ('sing praises!') — often specify the instrument: 'Sing praises with the lyre' (Ps 33:2; 98:5; 147:7). The first-person declarations 'I will sing praises to your name' (Ps 18:49; 57:9; 108:3) bind the worshiper personally to the act. Deborah's ancient war hymn marks the earliest attestation: 'I will sing to the LORD, I will make music (azammer) to the LORD, the God of Israel' (Judg 5:3). The translations faithfully render the musical-worship sense: Spanish 'cantad alabanzas,' French 'chanter,' German 'lobsingen.'
Senses
1. sing praises, make music — To make music or sing praises in worship of God, encompassing vocal melody and instrumental accompaniment. Used exclusively in poetry, concentrated in the Psalms (over 40 of 45 occurrences), with the earliest instance in Deborah's victory song (Judg 5:3) and a parallel in David's thanksgiving (2 Sam 22:50). Governs both imperative calls to communal worship ('sing praises to the LORD,' Ps 9:11; 30:4; 47:6-7) and personal vows of praise ('I will sing praises to your name,' Ps 18:49; 61:8; 104:33). The cognate noun mizmor confirms the musical dimension. All 45 occurrences share this unified worship-music sense. 45×
AR["أُرَنِّمُ", "اعْزِفُوا", "رَنِّموا", "رَنِّمُوا"]·ben["আমি-গান-করব", "আমি-গান-গাইব", "আমি-গীত-গাইব", "আমি-স্তুতি-করব", "গাও", "গান-করব", "গান-করো", "গান-গাও"]·DE["sang"]·EN["I-will-make-music", "I-will-sing-praise", "I-will-sing-praises", "I-will-sing-praises-to", "make-music-to", "sing-praises", "sing-praises-to"]·FR["chanter", "je-chanterai"]·heb["אזמרה", "זמרו"]·HI["अज़म्मेराह", "गाऊँगा", "गाऊंगा", "गाओ", "गाओ-स्तुति", "भजन-गाओ", "मैं-गाऊँगा", "मैं-गाऊंगा", "मैं-गाऊंगा-स्तुति", "स्तुति-गाओ"]·ID["Bermazmurlah", "aku-akan-bermazmur", "aku-akan-menyanyikan-pujian", "aku-memuji-dengan-musik", "bermazmurlah"]·IT["cantate-lodi", "canto'-lodi"]·jav["Gusti Allah", "Kidungna", "Nembangna", "Ngidungna", "Sami-ngidungaken-pepujian", "Yéhuwah", "badhé-ngidung", "kanthi-surak", "kawula-badhe-kidung", "kawula-badhé-ngidung", "kawula-badhé-ngidungaken", "kula-nembangaken", "kula-sedaya", "mugi-kidung", "ngidungna", "sangkakala"]·KO["내가-찬송하리이다", "찬송하라", "찬양하라", "찬양하리로다", "찬양하리이다", "찬양하소서"]·PT["Cantai", "Cantai-louvores", "cantai", "cantarei", "cantarei-louvores", "entoai-louvores", "salmodiai"]·RU["Пойте", "буду-воспевать", "буду-петь", "воспевайте", "пойте"]·ES["Cantad", "cantad", "cantad-alabanzas", "cantad-salmos", "cantaré", "cantaré-alabanzas", "cantaré-salmos", "canten-alabanzas", "salmodiad", "salmodiaré"]·SW["Imbieni", "Mwimbieni", "Mwimbieni-sifa", "Mwimbieni-zaburi", "imbeni-sifa", "imbieni-simu", "impigieni-simu", "mwimbieni-zaburi", "nitaimba", "nitaimba-sifa", "nitakuimbia", "nitamwimbia-sifa"]·TR["ezgi-söyleyin", "ilahi-söyleyeceğim", "ilahi-söyleyin", "İlahi-söyleyin"]·urd["بجاؤ", "حمد-کرو", "زبور-گاؤ", "میں-گاؤں-گا", "گاؤ", "گاؤں", "گاؤں-گا"]
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
† I. [זמר] vb. only Pi. make music in praise of God (י׳), only poet. (Arabic زَمَرَ pipe, play on a reed; Aramaic ܙܡܰܪ, זַמֵּר and deriv.; Ethiopic ዘመረ in der. conjj.; on an orig. meaning hum, murmur, cf. HupZKM iii, (1840) 394 ff. iv, 139 ff. IdPsalm. Einl. § 7, 2 De4 on ψ 3)— Pi. Impf. 3 ms. sf. יְזַמֶּרְךָ ψ 30:13; 1 s. אֲזַמֵּר Ju 5:3 2 S 22:50; (וַ)אֲזַמְּרָה ψ 7:18 + 7 times;, אֲזַמֵּ֑רָה ψ…