5:29 spiritual songs. The words “psalms” and “hymns” are transliterations from the Greek, and “songs” (Greek ode) is a generic term for songs in general, thus needing modification by “spiritual” in this context.

5:29 hated his own flesh. A modern pseudo-psychological cliche is that the troubles in modern life are due to lack of “self-love” in criminals and anti-social misfits. The Scriptural fact is, however, that no man hates himself—everyone loves himself too much. The first prophesied characteristic of the “perilous” last days is that “men shall be lovers of their own selves” (II Timothy 3:2).