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Bible Dictionaries
Sing
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Verbs.
Rânan (רָנַן, Strong's #7442), “to sing, shout, cry out.” Found in both ancient and modern Hebrew, this word is used in modern Hebrew in the sense of “to chant, sing.” It occurs approximately 50 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, with about half of these uses being in the Book of Psalms, where there is special emphasis on “singing” and “shouting” praises to God. Rânan is found for the first time in Lev. 9:24 at the conclusion of the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. When the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, the people “shouted, and fell on their faces.”
Rânan is often used to express joy, exultation, which seems to demand loud singing, especially when it is praise to God: “Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee” (Isa. 12:6). When Wisdom calls, she cries aloud to all who will hear (Prov. 8:3). To shout for joy (Ps. 32:11) is to let joy ring out!
Shı̂yr (שׁוּר, Strong's #7891), “to sing.” This word appears frequently in ancient and modern Hebrew, as well as in ancient Ugaritic. While it occurs almost 90 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is not used until Exod. 15:1: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord.…” One might wonder if it took the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt to give the Israelites something “to sing” about!
Over one quarter of the instances of shı̂yr are found in the Book of Psalms, often in the imperative form, calling the people to express their praise to God in singing. One such example is found in Ps. 96:1: “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.” Frequently shı̂yr is found in parallelism with zamar, “to sing” (Ps. 68:4, 32).
B. Participle.
Shı̂yr (שׁוּר, Strong's #7891), “singers.” In the Books of Chronicles, shı̂yr is used in the participial form some 33 times to designate the Levitical “singers” (1 Chron. 15:16). “Female singers” are referred to occasionally (2 Sam. 19:35; 2 Chron. 35:25; Eccl. 2:8).
C. Noun.
Shı̂yr (שִׁירָה, Strong's #7892), “song.” This noun is found about 30 times in the titles of various psalms as well as elsewhere in the Old Testament. Shı̂yr is used of a joyous “song” in Gen. 31:27: “… And didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?” In Judg. 5:12 the word refers to a triumphal “song,” and in Neh. 12:46 the word is used of a religious “song” for worship. The book that is commonly designated “The Song of Solomon” actually has the title “The Song of Songs” in Hebrew. While this love “song” continues to create questions in the minds of many regarding its inclusion in the biblical canon, it must have had some special meaning to have earned the title it has. Rather than rationalize its place in the canon by stating that it is an allegory of the love between God and Israel, and then Christ and the church, perhaps one should simply recognize that it is a love “song,” pure and simple, and that love has its rightful place in the divine plan for mature men and women.
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Sing'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/s/sing.html. 1940.
