Music, Instrumental

The instrumental music of ancient Israel employed three families of instruments. Stringed instruments included the kinnor (harp or lyre, David's instrument), the nebel (psaltery or harp, a larger stringed instrument), and the sabbeka (a lute or lyre). Wind instruments included the halil (a pipe or flute), the silver hatsotserah (a straight trumpet used for signaling), and the curved ram's-horn shofar, whose blast marked sacred assemblies, battles, and the jubilee year. Percussion instruments included the toph (timbrel or tambourine), metsiltayim (cymbals), and menaanei'm (sistrums). Psalm 150 offers the Bible's fullest catalog of these instruments, commanding praise with every category of sound. David organized the Levitical musicians into hereditary orders using these instruments for the temple service (1 Chr. 15:16–24; 25:1–31). The variety of instruments reflects the full-bodied, joyful character of Hebrew worship.