Music/Musical Instruments

Music was very important in Bible times. Music was used to call people to worship, to battle, or to sound a victory after a battle. Choirs with men and women were an important part of temple worship. The musicians played their part as well. Here are some of the most common instruments musicians played:

Harp and Lyre. A harp was made of wood and had twelve strings. The harp was one of the most important instruments in the temple orchestra. A lyre was a square or triangle-shaped instrument. Like the harp, it was made of wood, but it usually had ten strings instead of twelve and was plucked with a small pick instead of the fingers. The lyre was smaller in size and higher in pitch than the harp. It made a sweet, soft sound. It was one of the temple orchestra instruments. David, a skilled musician, played a lyre to soothe Saul.

Trumpet. A trumpet was a straight tube about eighteen inches long ending in a bell shape, made from either copper or silver. There were always at least two trumpets played at each temple service—and sometimes as many as 120. A trumpet will be blown when Jesus returns to earth from heaven and believers are resurrected.

Shofar. A shofar, a curved ram’s horn, is still used in Jewish worship today. Shofars were part of the temple orchestra. A shofar was blown by the priests as a signal in worship ceremonies. It is still used to announce events such as the Jewish New Year and the beginning of each Sabbath. The Israelites blew shofar horns as the walls of Jericho fell down.