Music, Instrumental: Among instruments of music used by the Hebrews a principal place is
given to stringed instruments. These were,1. The kinnor, the "harp."
2. The nebel, "a skin bottle," rendered "psaltery."
3. The sabbeka, or "sackbut," a lute or lyre.
4. The gittith, occurring in the title of (
(Psalms 8:1; 84:1))
5. Minnim
(Psalms 150:4) rendered "stringed instruments;" in
(Psalms 45:8) in the form minni, probably the apocopated (i.e.,
shortened) plural, rendered, Authorized Version, "whereby," and
in the Revised Version "stringed instruments."
6. Machalath, in the titles of
(Psalms 53:1; 88:1) supposed to be a
kind of lute or guitar.
Of wind instruments mention is made of,
1. The 'ugab
(Genesis 4:21; Job 21:12; 30:31) probably the so-called Pan's
pipes or syrinx.
2. The qeren or "horn"
(Joshua 6:5; 1 Chronicles 25:5)
3. The shophar, rendered "trumpet"
(Joshua 6:4,6,8) The word means
"bright," and may have been so called from the clear, shrill
sound it emitted. It was often used
(Exodus 19:13; Numbers 10:10)
(Judges 7:16,18; 1 Samuel 13:3)
4. The hatsotserah, or straight trumpet
(Psalms 98:6; Numbers 10:1-10) This
name is supposed by some to be an onomatopoetic word, intended
to imitate the pulse-like sound of the trumpet, like the Latin
taratantara. Some have identified it with the modern trombone.
5. The halil, i.e, "bored through," a flute or pipe
(1 Samuel 10:5)
(1 Kings 1:40; Isaiah 5:12; Jeremiah 48:36) which is still used in Palestine.
6. The sumponyah, rendered "dulcimer"
(Daniel 3:5) probably a sort of
bagpipe.
7. The maskrokith'a
(Daniel 3:5) rendered "flute," but its precise
nature is unknown.
Of instruments of percussion mention is made of,
1. The toph, an instrument of the drum kind, rendered "timbrel"
(Exodus 15:20; Job 21:12; Psalms 68:25) also "tabret"
(Genesis 31:27; Isaiah 24:8; 1 Samuel 10:5)
2. The paamon, the "bells" on the robe of the high priest
(Exodus 28:33; 39:25)
3. The tseltselim, "cymbals"
(2 Samuel 6:5; Psalms 150:5) which are struck
together and produce a loud, clanging sound. Metsilloth, "bells"
on horses and camels for ornament, and metsiltayim, "cymbals"
(1 Chronicles 13:8; Ezra 3:10) etc. These words are all derived from the
same root, tsalal, meaning "to tinkle."
4. The menaan'im, used only in
(2 Samuel 6:5) rendered "cornets" (R.V.,
"castanets"); in the Vulgate, "sistra," an instrument of
agitation.
5. The shalishim, mentioned only in
(1 Samuel 18:6) rendered "instruments
of music" (marg. of R.V., "triangles or three-stringed
instruments"). The words in
(Ecclesiastes 2:8) "musical instruments, and
that of all sorts," Authorized Version, are in the Revised
Version "concubines very many."