Sackbut

The sackbut of the Authorized Version (Aramaic sabkha; Greek sambuke) was one of the instruments in the Babylonian royal orchestra that played at the command to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15). Despite the name, it has no connection with the Renaissance sackbut, which was a slide trombone — a wind instrument. The Aramaic sabkha was a stringed instrument similar to a triangular harp or lyre, with strings of different lengths producing a range of pitches. The Greek sambuke was a small four-stringed instrument with a high, shrill tone. Modern translations often render the word as "trigon" (a triangular lyre) or "harp." The instrument's appearance in the Babylonian orchestra of Daniel 3 reflects the musical culture of the ancient Near East, where royal ceremonies routinely included ensembles of stringed, wind, and percussion instruments to accompany imperial religious rites.