This section deals with references to music found in the Bible, which has been archeologically and historically proven as an accurate document reflecting the history of the Hebrews and other nations in the Old Testament and the concealed roots of Christianity as revealed in the New Testament.

From the Old Testament of the Bible, many of the Psalms are attributed to David, son of Jesse, King of Israel, through the inspiration of God. Others were written by Moshe, Asaf, Etan the Ezrachite or the sons of Korach. The Psalms were sung to melodic patterns mentioned along with the Psalms. These were familiar tunes to the playours and the Temple worship music was sung and played to melodies and tuning patterns, given by God, such as Alemoth and the Shemenith. There have been some recent discoveries in Israel concerning the exact melodic patterns that were sung and played.

The Psalms often mention accompanying the songs with the harp, the ten-stringed harp and the lyre. The key instruments that supported and added to the human voice in worship and praise are listed in the following verse. Psalm 150:1 Praise you Yahweh. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the shofar: Praise him with psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe. 5 Praise him with loud cymbals: Praise him with high sounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD God. Praise the LORD God.

The shophar (shofar) or ram's horn makes a brass-like sound similar to a trombone, french horn, a fluegelhorn or even a trumpet - depending on its size. (For additional information, click here.
The psaltery is a zither or a small harp. The psaltery of 10 strings refered to in Psalm 33 was mentioned in a letter attributed to St. Jerome (c. 330-420 A.D.) as a psalterium decacordum. At that time, the ten strings were symbolic of the Ten Commandments and the four-sided rectangular frame represented the four Gospels. The timbrel was the early name for the tambourine, the stringed instruments (in addition to the harp) included the predecessor to the violin and viola. Refered to in scripture as the viol, it was a more delicate and soft in tone than the modern instruments. The pipe was akin to a recorder, in the form of a simple tube-shaped instrument with or without holes. The sound was more that of the recorder rather than the reedy pipes used in pagan and secular songs and dances.

Among the most widely known references, is the shofar or shofar blasts that prceeded the fall of the wall of Jericho.

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted, and the priests blew the shofars and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The following are topics concerning music in the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, from various versions (mainly KJV and HNV or WEB) and simplified into modern English. Included is enough of the scripture to give the context.

Genesis 4:21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.

Gen 31:27 To where did you flee secretly, and steal away from me, and did not tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tabret and with harp;

Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them, Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously; The horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea.

Exod 19:13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the ram's horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exod 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mount, and the voice of a shofar exceedingly loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.

Exod 19:19 And when the voice of the shofar waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exod 20:18 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the shofar, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off.

Leviticus 25:9 Then shall you send abroad the loud shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall you send abroad the shofar throughout all your land.

Joshua 6:5 And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted, and [the priests] blew the shofars; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Judges 3:27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a shofar in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.

Judg 6:34 But the Spirit of Yahweh came on Gideon; and he blew a shofar; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.

Judg 7:18 When I blow the shofar, I and all that are with me, then blow you the shofars also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Yahweh and for Gideon.

1 Samuel 10:5 After that you shall come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when you are come to the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: 6 and the Spirit of Yahweh will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto you, that you do as the occasion shall serve you; for God is with you.

1 Samuel 13:3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command your servants, that are before you, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well.

1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was on Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music.

2 Samuel 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all manner of [instruments made of] fir-wood, and with harps, psalteries, timbrels, castanets and cymbals

2 Samuel 2:28 So Joab blew the shofar; and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

2 Samuel 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouting, and with the sound of the shofar.

2 Samuel 15:10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the shofar, then you shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron.

2 Samuel 18:16 And Joab blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people.

2 Samuel 20:1 And there happened to be there an ungodly man whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the shofar, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

2 Samuel 20:22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the shofar, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

1 Kings 1:34 and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow you the shofar, and say, [Long] live king Solomon.

1 Kings 1:39 And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the shofar; and all the people said, [Long] live king Solomon.

1 Kings 1:41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the shofar, he said, What is the cause of this noise of the city being in an uproar?

2 Kings 9:13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the shofar, saying, Jehu is king.

1 Chronicles 15:16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries, harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and joyfully lifting up the voice. 19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, [were appointed] with cymbals of brass to sound aloud; 20 and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Alamoth; [strings tuned to this melody] 21 and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps set to the Sheminith, to lead. 22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. 24 And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow the shofars before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

1 Chronicles 16:42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun [with] shofars and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and [with] instruments for the songs of God;

1 Chronicles 23:3 And the Levites were numbered from thirty youars old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand. 4 Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Yahweh; and six thousand were officers and judges; 5 and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made, [said David], to praise therewith

1 Chronicles 25:3 Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Yahweh.

2 Chr 5:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, (for all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves, and did not keep their division; 12 also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with shofars;) 13 it came to pass, when the shofarers and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Yahweh; and when they lifted up their voice with the shofars and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised Yahweh, [saying], For he is good; for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Yahweh, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

2 Chr 7:6 And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh, which David the king had made to give thanks unto Yahweh, (for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever,) when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded shofars before them; and all Israel stood.

2 Chr 23:12 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of Yahweh: 13 and she looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the shofars by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew shofars; the singers also [played] on instruments of music, and led the singing of praise.

2 Chr 29:25 And he set the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Yahweh by his prophets. 26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the shofars. 27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering on the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, and the shofars, together with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the shofarers sounded; all this [continued] until the burnt-offering was finished.

2 Chr 34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahas and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohasites, to set it forward; and [others of] the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music.

Nehemiah 4:18 and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the shofar was by me.

Neh 4:20 in what place soever you hear the sound of the shofar, resort you unto us; our God will fight for us.

Neh 2:36 and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God;

Job 21:12 They sing to the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. 13 They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol. 14 And they say unto God, Depart from us; For we desire not the knowledge of your ways.

Job 30:31 Therefore is my harp [turned] to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

Job 39:24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the shofar.

25 As oft as the shofar [soundeth] he saith, Aha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Psa 33:2 Give thanks unto Yahweh with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.

Psa 43:4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, Unto God my exceedingly joy; And on the harp will I praise you, O God, my God.

Psa 45:7 you hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness:Therefore God, your God, has anointed you With the oil of gladness above your fellows. 8 All your garments [smell of] myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.

Psa 47:5 5 God is gone up with a shout, Yahweh with the sound of a shofar. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praises: Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Psa 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying on the harp.

Psa 57:8 Awake up, my glory; Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early.

Psa 71:22 I will also praise you with the psaltery, [Even] your truth, O my God: Unto you will I sing praises with the harp, O you Holy One of Israel.

Psa 81:1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Raise a song, and bring hither the timbrel , The pleasant harp with the psaltery. 3 Blow the shofar at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast-day. 4 For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob..

Psa 92:3 With an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery; With a solemn sound on the harp.

Psa 98:5 Sing praises unto Yahweh with the harp; With the harp and the voice of melody.

Psa 108:2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early.

Psa 144:9 I will sing a new song unto you, O God: on a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto you.

Psa 147:7 Sing unto Yahweh with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp unto our God,

Psa 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.

Psalm 150:1 Praise you Yahweh. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with shofar sound: Praise him with psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe. 5 Praise him with loud cymbals: Praise him with high sounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise Yahweh. Praise you Yahweh.

Ecclesiastes 2:8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments , and that of all sorts. 9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyous desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecc 12:4 when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

Isaiah 5:12 And the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are [in] their feasts; but they regard not the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.

Isa 16:11 Wherefore my heart soundeth like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-heres.

Isai 18:3 All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see you; and when the shofar is blown, hear you.

Isa 23:16 Take a harp, go about the city, you harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you mayoust be remembered.

Isa 24:8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

Isai 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great shofar shall be blown; and they shall come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Isa 38:20 Yahweh is [ready] to save me: Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life in the house of Yahweh.

Isai 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a shofar, and declare unto my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

Jeremiah 4:5 Declare you in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow you the shofar in the land: cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.

Jere 4:19 My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I cannot hold my peace; because you hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the shofar, the alarm of war.

Jere 4:21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the shofar?

Jere 6:1 Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the shofar in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.

Jere 6:17 And I set watchmen over you, [saying], Hearken to the sound of the shofar; but they said, We will not hearken.

Jere 42:14 saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the shofar, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

Jere 51:27 Set you up a standard in the land, blow the shofar among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz: appoint a marshal against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough canker-worm.

Lamentations 5:14 The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music . 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned.

Ezek 7:14 They have blown the shofar, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle; for my wrath is on all the multitude thereof.

Ezekial 33:1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blow the shofar, and warn the people; then whoever hears the sound of the shofar, and doesn't take warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the shofar, and didnt take warning; his blood shall be on him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul. But if the watchman sees the sword come, and doesn't blow the shofar, and the people aren't warned, and the sword comes, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Daniel 3:8 - Therefore at that time certain Kasdim came near, and brought accusation against the Jews. They answered Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever. You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; and whoever doesn't fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not respected you. They don't serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.

Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him.

Hosea 5:8 'Blow the cornet in Gibeah, and the shofar in Ramah! Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!

Hosea 8:1 'Put the shofar to your lips! Something like an eagle is over the LORD's house, because they have broken my covenant, and rebelled against my law.

Joel 2:1 Blow the shofar in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD comes, for it is close at hand:

Joel 2:15 Blow the shofar in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly.

Amos 2:2 but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the shofar;

Amos 3:6 Does the shofar[1] alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and the LORD hasn't done it?

Amos 6:1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! Go to Calneh, and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border? Those who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; Who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; who strum on the strings of a harp; who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David; who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore they will now go captive with the first who go captive; and the feasting and lounging will end.

Zeph 1:16 a day of the shofar and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.

Zech 9:14 And Yahweh shall be seen over them; and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the shofar, and will go with whirlwinds of the south.



New Testament

Matthew 6:2 When therefore you doest alms, sound not a shofar before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.

Matt 24:31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a shofar, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Luke 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. 27 And he said unto him, your brother is come; and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.

1Corinthians 14:7 Even things without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they give not a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 8 For if the shofar give an uncertain voice, who shall prepare himself for war?

1Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eyou, at the last trump: for the shofar shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Hebrews 12:19 and the sound of a shofar, and the voice of words; which [voice] they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them;

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a shofar

Rev 4:1 After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, [a voice] as of a shofar speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show you the things which must come to pass hereafter.

Reve 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayours of the saints.

Rev 8:13 And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the shofar of the three angels, who are yout to sound.

Rev 9:14 one saying to the sixth angel that had one shofar, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates.


Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
(C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988
Used by permission.

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