![]() ![]() Merrymaking, weddings, and funerals were not complete without music. Music was an important part of everyday life. After Daniel was shut up in the den of lions, King Darius retired to his room and refused to let the "instruments of music" be brought to him (Dan. The soothing strains of David's lyre refreshed a tormented Saul (I Sam. Of course, there were times when the distractions of music could be helpful. The prophet Amos condemned those "who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp" (Amos 6:5, RSV). For example, priests feared that a happy, melodious flute tune in the temple could distract someone's mind from worship. Even instruments not associated with pagan practices were sometimes restricted. In cultures where fertility rites were common, women singers and musicians incited sexual orgies in honor of their gods. Hebrew leaders who ministered in the temple took great care to avoid using music that was associated with sensuous pagan worship. Merrymaking and frivolity called for the light, happy tones produced by the pipe or flute (Gen. Thus the Hebrews developed the shophar, an instrument like a trumpet with loud, piercing tones (Exod. In times of war, it was often necessary to sound an alarm or send some other kind of urgent signal. ![]() The purpose the music served and the way in which listeners responded to it also influenced the development of Hebrew music. If this is true, no doubt she brought musicians with her to play those instruments in the traditional Egyptian way. According to the collection of post-biblical Jewish writings called the Midrash, King Solomon married an Egyptian woman whose dowry included 1,000 musical instruments. Many men of Israel married foreign wives whose customs gradually crept into Hebrew lifestyle. Israel was at a geographical crossroads and was exposed to ideas and customs from other parts of the world (Gen. Though G OD directed Israel's social and religious development, the nation absorbed ideas from surrounding cultures. David also composed songs, such as his lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan. David called upon a chorus of 4,000 to offer praises to the L ORD "with the instruments which I made to Praise" (I Chron. That first musician heard rhythm as he beat his primitive instruments.įor example, David is credited with inventing a number of instruments, although we do not know precisely what they were (cf. The history of Hebrew music goes back to the first person who beat a stick on a rock, and it extends to the temple orchestra and the "joyous sound" called for in Psalm 150. For this reason, we must combine Bible study with history and archaeology if we wish to learn about the music of Bible times. ![]() The Bible gives very little information about Hebrew musical forms and how they developed. (This article is taken from the "Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible", published by Thomas Nelson Publishing) ![]()
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