2 Samuel 6:5
in 2 Samuel 6David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah with all manner of instruments made of fir-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with cymbals.
KJV
And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 6
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Played - i. e. danced to music vocal and instrumental (see Jdg 16:25 note). Cornets - Rather, from the etymology of the Hebrew word (to shake), and their being coupled with the cymbals, and being rendered sistra in the Vulgate, some kind of instrument with bells or rings, which gave a sound by being shaken.
This site's exposition
on all manner of instruments
The procession moves before the Lord on harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets and cymbals, the first of several times this chapter repeats that phrase, before the Lord, across David's dancing, Michal's window and David's own answer to her. The joy of this verse stands over against the fear that will follow at verse 9, a whole nation's instruments bracketing the disaster still to come. Clarke and Wesley both read the range of instruments as evidence of a full national festival rather than a private rite.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Played before the Lord - Public joy should always be as before the Lord, with an eye to him, and terminating in him. Otherwise it is no better than public madness, and the source of all manner of wickedness.
And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord,....
As secret worship is better the more secret it is, so public worship is better the more public it is; and we have reason to rejoice when restraints are taken off, and the ark of God finds welcome in the city of David, and has not only the protection and support, but the countenance and encouragement, of the civil powers; for joy of this they played before the Lord.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
On all manner of instruments made of fir wood - This place should be corrected from the parallel place, 1Ch 13:8: “All Israel played before God, with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries,” etc. Instead of בכל עצי bechol atsey, “with all woods” or “trees;” the parallel place is בכל עז bechol oz. “with all their strength:” this makes a good sense, the first makes none. The Septuagint, in this place, has the verse reading; εν ισχυΐ, with might.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְדָוִ֣ד׀ | vedavid | and David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| מְשַֽׂחֲקִים֙ | mesachakim | [were] playing | H7832 → | 36 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּכֹ֖ל | bekhol | on all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֲצֵ֣י | ʾatzei | wood<s> of | H6086 → | 328 times |
| בְרוֹשִׁ֑ים | veroshim | fir trees | H1265 → | |
| וּבְכִנֹּר֤וֹת | uvekhinorot | and on harps | H3658 → | |
| וּבִנְבָלִים֙ | uvinvalim | and on lyres | H5035 → | |
| וּבְתֻפִּ֔ים | uvetupim | and on tambourines | H8596 → | |
| וּבִמְנַֽעַנְעִ֖ים | uvimnaanim | and on rattles | H4517 → | |
| וּֽבְצֶלְצֶלִֽים׃ | uvetzeltzelim | and on cymbals | H6767 → |
וְדָוִ֣ד׀and David
vedavidH1732 →999 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
מְשַֽׂחֲקִים֙[were] playing
mesachakimH7832 →36 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּכֹ֖לon all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
עֲצֵ֣יwood<s> of
ʾatzeiH6086 →328 times
בְרוֹשִׁ֑יםfir trees
veroshimH1265 →
וּבְכִנֹּר֤וֹתand on harps
uvekhinorotH3658 →
וּבִנְבָלִים֙and on lyres
uvinvalimH5035 →
וּבְתֻפִּ֔יםand on tambourines
uvetupimH8596 →
וּבִמְנַֽעַנְעִ֖יםand on rattles
uvimnaanimH4517 →
וּֽבְצֶלְצֶלִֽים׃and on cymbals
uvetzeltzelimH6767 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 16:16Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 3:15
But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 10:8
How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
- 1 Samuel 16:21–23
When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.
- 2 Kings 3:15
Through
Amos 5:23Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
it leads to
- Amos 6:5
You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.
- Amos 8:10
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of…
- Amos 8:3
“In that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “the songs of the temple will turn to wailing. Many will be the corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!”
- Amos 6:5
Through
1 Samuel 10:5After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:3
Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
- 1 Samuel 19:20
he sent messengers to capture him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.
- 1 Samuel 13:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.