joyful (voice), singing, triumphing
“Joy” From Concise Bible Dictionary:
Joy, or gladness, is what man craves and is set upon finding; and he does find it when he finds God, and only then. He retains it too in proportion as he grows in the knowledge of God. God is the author of true joy as of every good and perfect gift. Being Himself perfectly good and above all evil, He is even represented as finding His own joy in the repentance of the sinner who returns to seek Him. Sin having come in, and man being thus, alas, alienated from God, his idea of joy is to be as happy as he can make himself without God and away from Him. (See the prodigal in Luke 15) But disappointment and bitterness here and eternal sorrow hereafter alone can result from such a course as that. When however, on the contrary, the light of God’s love, revealed in the gift and the death of His Son, breaks upon the heart, it is filled at once “with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
“The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The fruit too of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, with other beautiful traits, and this is produced in the believer’s heart by the Spirit for God’s glory. The apostle desired for the Romans that the God of hope would fill them with all joy and peace in believing (Rom. 15:1313Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)). The Thessalonians too had received the word in “much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost.” Many more passages might be cited to show how joy is one of the leading characteristics of those who have been brought to know God. The one only Man who never had to be so brought—because His delight was ever in God, as God’s was in Him: He who is called a “man of sorrows”—this perfect and blessed One had His own deep joy in communion with and in dependence upon God; and He desires for His own in the world that this His joy might be theirs.
True joy is unknown in the world in its present state; but there is a day coming when sorrow, suffering, death, and all the gloomy fruits of sin, will be done away, and God Himself will wipe away all tears and fill the universe with joy unclouded and eternal. That day is depicted in Revelation 21.
“Singing” From Concise Bible Dictionary:
In the Old Testament we find there were courses of singers, and there were some who were “taught to sing praise.” Instruments were also appointed for the singers (1 Kings 10:1212And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. (1 Kings 10:12)). In Habakkuk 3:1919The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:19), at the end of the prophet’s poetical “prayer,” it says, “To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” “The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels” (Psa. 68:2525The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. (Psalm 68:25)).
Such organized choirs have no place in the New Testament They that worship God “must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” This also applies to the singing: “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor. 14:1515What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Corinthians 14:15); compare 1 Cor. 14:2626How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (1 Corinthians 14:26)). “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody [or chanting] in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:1919Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (Ephesians 5:19)). “In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:1616Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16)). There will be singing in heaven (Rev. 5:99And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9)). Singing and PRAISE naturally go together. At the institution of the Lord’s supper they “sang a hymn,” margin “psalm,” ὐμνέω (Matt. 26:3030And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:30)). The same word is translated “sang praises” unto God, when Paul and Silas were in prison (Acts 16:2525And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (Acts 16:25)); and the Lord sings praise in the midst of the assembly (Psa. 22:2222I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. (Psalm 22:22); Heb. 2:1212Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12)).
Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:
Meaning:
from 7442; a shout (for joy)
KJV Usage:
joyful (voice), singing, triumphing