In Scripture, musical instruments serve a purpose within and for the life of the covenant community; their function was not a matter of individual self-expression, as is often the case today.
Musical instruments in general are designated by the term kelim (instruments for singing, Amos 6:5; 1 Chron. 16:42; the instruments of David, 2 Chron. 29:26; Neh. 12:36). The fact that this Hebrew term also denotes utensils and implements of various types, such as kitchenware, weapons, and “things” generally, including the “baggage” by which Saul was hiding when Samuel came to anoint him (1 Sam. 10:22), underscores the utilitarian nature of musical instruments in the biblical perspective. Music, along with all the worship arts, was not a means of individual self-expression but an activity that performed a specific function within the life of the covenant people.
Several passages in Scripture provide brief lists of instruments used in the worship of the Lord (1 Sam. 10:5; 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chron. 13:8; 15:16, 28; Pss. 81:2–3; 92:3; 150:3–5). In addition, lists of instruments occur in connection with banquets (Isa. 5:12), the wicked person’s celebration of prosperity (Job 21:12), the foreign worship of images (Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15), and the destruction of the unfaithful city that had persecuted the saints (Rev. 18:22). The apostle Paul lists several instruments metaphorically in his discussion of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:7–8).
Because ancient instruments differed from those in common use in Western culture, a correct understanding of the types of instruments signified by the various biblical terms is a task for musicological research. An important tool in this research is archaeological evidence, in the form of actual instruments preserved in tombs or reproductions of them in coins, monuments, seals, manuscripts, and the like. The instruments used in biblical times fall into the same general classes with which we are familiar: percussion, wind, and stringed instruments. Instruments of all three classes were used in the praise of the Lord. Many of these instruments were also used for other purposes, such as warfare, family celebrations, and mourning. Some instruments had erotic associations or connections with fertility cults, and their use in the worship of the sanctuary was avoided.