New Song
  • Chrism
    Posts: 876
    Can anyone give a good exegesis? I count 11 references to "new song" in the Bible.

    Judith 16:1 - Raise to him a new psalm
    Judith 16:13 - I will sing to my God a new song
    Psalm 33:3 - Sing to him a new song; play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
    Psalm 40:3 - He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
    Psalm 96:1 - O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
    Psalm 98:1 - O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things.
    Psalm 144:9 - I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
    Psalm 149:1 - Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
    Isaiah 42:10 - Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth!
    Revelation 5:9 - They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals...
    Revelation 14:3 - and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.


    Is the Holy Spirit speaking of the song that is evoked spontaneously, i.e. from a lover to his beloved? Or is this something else?
  • MHIMHI
    Posts: 324
    .
    Thanked by 1Chrism
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I'm sorry- what's your question?

    Newness and renewal is a theme throughout salvation history- God sends out his Holy Spirit and "renews the face of the earth," saying "behold, I make all things new."

    Why would not a new song accompany the new creation, the new heart of flesh given to us, the new heaven and new earth, the new commandment, the new covenant, the new wine (which must not be put into old wineskins), the new Jerusalem, the newness of life, the new name by which we are called, the new spirit put into us, the new teaching (with authority!), the new birth....?

    That's a whole lot of good "new"s.
  • Chrism
    Posts: 876
    So Adam, you take the phrase literally?
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    As literally as anything else in the Bible.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I read an interesting interpretation of that in a book about the Church Fathers.

    The basic argument of the author was that "new song" doesn't mean an actual song recently composed. But rather, the "new song" that we sing to the Lord is our lives well-lived (sort of a "musica humana") in a different manner after conversion to Christ.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Anyone else find it amusing that "Sing a New Song Unto the Lord" is now a very tired, dated, and boring ditty?

    Maybe we should sing a new song, because that one is pretty OLD.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I'm not sure what the question is, or the context...

    Are you having an argument with somebody who thinks that because the Bible says "New Song" we shouldn't sing all these old boring Gregorian Chants?
  • francis
    Posts: 10,882
    Here is a perspective:

    Is not the coming Messiah prophetically alluded to as the "Servant of the Song" in Isaiah? Could not Jesus and the establishment of His Church be THE new song? I tend to agree more with Gavin's take that it is metaphorical, although I also (especially as a composer of sacred music [song]) believe God wants a continual flow of new music to flower forth as a result of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

    However it is also important to remember the theme of continuity B16 brought to the fore. God never says 'Do not sing the old songs unto the Lord'. That is because our tradition is firmly founded, treasured, respected and echoed from age to age and rightly so.

    Ditties like the Quinlan song don't dig deep into the tradition and foundation of excellent sacred music. We all sang it as it had meaning, even if only for a very short time. But the New Song is spelled with a capital NS which raises its meaning and essence to a Christological degree. Some music touches high to that demand, some does not. Time weeds it all out and the New Song is one that never grows old but will be lauded from generation to generation.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I also like Francis's perspective. The psalms are all about Christ.
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    I also like Francis's perspective. The psalms are all about Christ.


    Psh. The entire Old Testament is about Christ. But yeah, the psalms are easier to interpret through the anagogical lens.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    "This isn't going to be about Jesus, is it?"

    "Everything is about Jesus, Homer. Except this."
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,213
    Anyone else find it amusing that "Sing a New Song Unto the Lord" is now a very tired, dated, and boring ditty?

    Maybe we should sing a new song, because that one is pretty OLD.

    We could sing this new song, which is, in fact, very old:

    1 cantate Domino canticum novum cantate Domino omnis terra
    2 cantate Domino benedicite nomini eius adnuntiate diem de die salutare eius
    3 adnuntiate inter gentes gloriam eius in omnibus populis mirabilia eius
    4 quoniam magnus Dominus et laudabilis valde terribilis est super omnes deos
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Imagine the trouble of "novo cedat ritui" -- and the Apostolic Nuncio to Tehran!

  • Bobby Bolin
    Posts: 423
    Funny, none of those mention "sing a new church"...
    Thanked by 1Ben
  • francis
    Posts: 10,882
    Ahhh! Now, singing a nu church... That's an entirely different matter!
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Again, to paraphrase and emulate the late Johnny Hart (BC/Wizard of Id):
    "Clams got lips!"
    "Gnu's got churches?"
  • Chrism
    Posts: 876
    I was thinking it could be taken to mean something like "sing each Psalm as if it were a new song". I dunno. Seems important though.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Sounds like a good motto to me, Chrism. Put a copyright symbol on it quick!
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