ψάλλω

ψάλλω — psállō

ψάλλω; future ψαλῶ; (from ψάω, to rub, wipe; to handle, touch (but cf. Curtius, p. 730));

a. to pluck off, pull out: ἐθειραν, the hair, Aeschylus Pers. 1062.

b. to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang: τόξων νευράς χειρί, Euripides, Bacch. 784; specifically, χορδήν, to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate (Aristotle, probl. 19, 23 (p. 919b, 2)); and absolutely, to play on a stringed instrument, to play the harp, etc.: Aristotle, Plutarch, Aratus (in Plato, Lysias, p. 209 b. with καί κρούειν τῷ πλήκτρω added (but not as explanatory of it; the Schol. at the passage says ψῆλαι, τό ἄνευ πληκτρου τῷ δακτύλῳ τάς χορδας ἐπάφασθαι); it is distinguished from κιθαρίζειν in Herodotus 1, 155); the Sept. for נִנֵן and much more often for זִמֵּר; to sing to the music of the harp; in the N. T. to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song, Jas 5:13 (R. V. sing praise); τῷ κυρίῳ, τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ (often so in the Sept.), in honor of God, Eph 5:19 (here A. V. making melody); Rom 15:9; ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ δέ καί τῷ νοι<, 'I will sing God's praises indeed with my whole soul stirred and borne away by the Holy Spirit, but I will also follow reason as my guide, so that what I sing may be understood alike by myself and by the listeners', 1Co 14:15.