Flute

Flute (Aramaic mashroki, likely a type of pipe or reed instrument) is mentioned in Daniel 3:5, 7, 10, and 15, as one of the instruments in Nebuchadnezzar's royal orchestra commanded to sound the signal for all nations to prostrate themselves before his golden image. The flute here appears alongside the horn, pipe, lyre, harp, bagpipe, and other instruments in what is evidently a catalogue of the instruments available in the Babylonian court.

In the New Testament, auletes (flute player; rendered "minstrel" in the Authorized Version) appears in Matthew 9:23-24, where professional mourners — including flute players — had already gathered at the house of Jairus before Jesus arrived to raise his daughter. The flute's association with mourning (as well as rejoicing, Matthew 11:17) reflects its dual role in ancient life. The piping at weddings and funerals mentioned in Matthew 11:17 ("We piped to you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn") shows the flute's centrality to both celebration and lamentation.