Timbrel

The timbrel (Hebrew toph) was a small hand-drum or tambourine, one of the oldest attested musical instruments in the ancient Near East. It consisted of a circular frame, sometimes with small cymbals or jingles attached, over which a membrane of skin was stretched, played by striking with the hand. Its antiquity is reflected in Laban's complaint that Jacob left without allowing him to send them away "with joy and songs, with tabret and with harp" (Gen. 31:27).

The timbrel appears consistently in contexts of joyful celebration, procession, and communal worship. Miriam led the women of Israel in timbrel-playing and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:20). Jephthah's daughter came out with timbrels and dancing to greet her father's return (Judg. 11:34). The Psalms call for praise with timbrel (Ps. 81:2; 149:3; 150:4), establishing it as a legitimate instrument of temple worship.