The topic of whether angels sing is an interesting one that the Bible does shed some light on. While the Bible does not explicitly state that angels sing, there are verses that indicate they do praise God vocally. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this topic.
Descriptions of angelic praise
There are several passages in the Bible that describe angels praising God, often vocally. For example, in Luke 2:13-14 when Jesus was born, the angels appeared to the shepherds saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” This was vocal praise directed towards God.
Revelation 5:11-12 describes the voices of many angels around the throne singing praise: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” The angels are described as having voices and singing praises to God and the Lamb.
In Job 38:7, when God was laying the foundation of the earth, the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings (angels) shouted for joy. This indicates vocal rejoicing and praise from the angels.
Psalm 148:1-2 also calls on the angels to praise God vocally: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!”
Angelic worship in heaven
The Bible describes worship taking place in heaven continually around God’s throne. Since angels reside in heaven and their purpose is to worship God, it makes sense that they would be involved in the praise described.
In Revelation 4:8, four living creatures near the throne never cease saying “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” These creatures could be a special class of angels who vocally praise God.
Revelation 5:9-10 describes the 24 elders and four living creatures singing a new song to the Lamb: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 7:9-12 describes a great multitude from every nation worshiping God and crying out with a loud voice “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” and angels fall down and worship God saying “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
So the angels are portrayed as joining in continuous vocal praises to God in heaven.
Music in heaven
Music and singing seem to be a part of the worship taking place in heaven. Revelation 5:8 mentions that the living creatures and elders have harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Harps imply that music is incorporated into their worship.
Revelation 15:2-3 describes those who had conquered the beast singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb saying “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Psalm 150 urges to “praise God in his sanctuary” and to “praise him with trumpet sound” and “praise him with tambourine and dance” and to “praise him with strings and pipe” and to “praise him with sounding cymbals.” While this is not specifically about angels, it demonstrates the use of music in heavenly praise.
Angelic abilities
Angels were created with abilities to vocally praise God. In Isaiah 6:1-3, Isaiah sees the seraphim (a type of angel) surrounding God’s throne, and they were calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” So these angels had the ability to cry out and speak.
Angels also have the ability to communicate with humans by speaking aloud. For example, Gabriel spoke to Mary, Zechariah, and the shepherds to announce the births of Jesus and John the Baptist (Luke 1-2). Angels spoke to Abraham, Lot, Moses, Gideon, and others throughout the Bible.
Some theologians believe that angels may have the ability to sing in a special way reflecting their holy nature and perfect praise to God. However, the Bible does not explicitly describe the mechanisms or quality of angelic singing voices.
Silence about the melody of praise
While the Bible indicates through various passages that angels praise God vocally and heaven is filled with worship music, the actual melodies sung by angels are not described. There are no lyrics recorded of angelic singing – only descriptions of them praising God’s holiness, worthiness, and deeds.
In 1 Corinthians 13:1, Paul says that even if he could speak with the tongues of men and angels, without love he would just be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. This verse implies angels have distinct languages, but the actual sounds are not clarified.
Some extrabiblical sources like John Milton’s Paradise Lost have attempted to imagine the sound of angelic singing as powerfully moving. But the Bible itself does not tell us the melodies used by angels in praising God.
No fallen angel worship
While God’s faithful angels use their voices to praise Him, the fallen angels or demons do not worship or sing holy music to God. Lucifer led a rebellion of angels against God (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, Revelation 12). These fallen angels oppose God and His purposes.
There are no positive descriptions of vocal praise to God originating from Satan or the other fallen angels. Their speech is more often described as slander, blasphemy, lies, or accusations against humans (Luke 4:33-34, Revelation 12:10).
Angelic praise on special occasions
Angelic praise of God seemed to occur at special moments in Scripture that marked major acts of God or transitions:
- When God laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:7)
- At the birth of Christ (Luke 2:13-14)
- After Christ’s resurrection (Matthew 28:5-6)
- After Christ’s ascension to heaven (Luke 24:4-5)
- At the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
- At the defeat of Satan (Revelation 12:10-12)
These passages reveal key moments in salvation history when God performed mighty acts and the angels responded with vocal praise.
Reasons angels praise God
Why do angels use their voices to praise God? Some reasons expressed in Scripture include:
- God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8)
- Christ’s deeds of redemption (Revelation 5:9)
- God’s acts of justice and salvation (Revelation 11:17, 19:1)
- God’s greatness and omnipotence (Revelation 7:12)
- God’s defeat of Satan (Revelation 12:10-12)
- Christ being worthy of all praise (Revelation 5:11-12)
Their vocal praises seem motivated by great joy and awe at who God is and what He has done.
Implications for believers
Though humans are lower than the angels (Psalm 8:4-5), we are also called to praise God with our voices:
- Psalm 103:1 – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
- Psalm 150 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
- Ephesians 5:19-20 – Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Singing praise to God vocally with joy seems to be an integral part of worship, both in heaven and on earth. As angels use voices and even music to worship God, so should we employ the gifts He has given us to offer praise.
The specific melodies and lyrics used by angels in heaven are not definitively revealed in Scripture. But we do have many Scriptural songs and hymns to guide our own praise. As we worship, we also anticipate the day when we will join with the angels in perfect heavenly praise of God.
