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Original artwork by Jim Sutton for GospelGifs: a stringed
instrument or acoustical guitar.
The Bible has much to say about worship, music, singing and
praising God with various musical instruments. Certainly,
Christians have the right to follow their personal and corporate
convictions regarding how, when and where musical instruments
might be used in worship, if at all.
I have included a brief and partial list of Bible passages below
(all in the New King James Version) that specifically mention
the use of stringed instruments. Please note that not
every mention here is a positive one, because we serve a God who
hates hypocrisy, empty noise and religious tradition for its own
sake. May our songs be real and our music filled with
meaning and truth.
1Sa 10:5 "After that you shall come to the hill of God where the
Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come
there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming
down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a
tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be
prophesying.
2Sa 6:5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music
before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on
harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and
on cymbals.
1Ki 10:12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the
house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and
stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such
almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
1Ch 13:8 Then David and all Israel played music before God with
all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed
instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.
1Ch 15:16 Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to
appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by
instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals,
by raising the voice with resounding joy.
1Ch 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of
the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with
trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed
instruments and harps.
1Ch 16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom:
Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music
with cymbals;
1Ch 25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the army separated
for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of
Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments,
and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their
service was...
1Ch 25:6 All these were under the direction of their father for
the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, stringed
instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king.
2Ch 5:12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of
Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their
brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white
linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with
them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets...
2Ch 9:11 And the king made walkways of the algum wood for the
house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and
stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as
these seen before in the land of Judah.
2Ch 20:28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments
and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
2Ch 29:25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD
with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps,
according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer,
and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the
LORD by His prophets.
Ne 12:27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they
sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to
Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with
thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments
and harps.
Ps 4:1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm
of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You
have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my
prayer.
Ps 6:1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an
eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me
in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Ps 12:1 To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A
Psalm of David. Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the
faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
Ps 54:1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A
Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul,
"Is David not hiding with us?" Save me, O God, by Your name, And
vindicate me by Your strength.
Ps 55:1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A
Contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not
hide Yourself from my supplication.
Ps 61:1 To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument. A Psalm
of David. Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
Ps 67:1 To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm.
A Song. God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face
to shine upon us. Selah
Ps 76:1 To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm
of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known; His name is great in
Israel.
Ps 150:4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with
stringed instruments and flutes!
Isa 14:11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of
your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And
worms cover you.’
Isa 38:20 "The LORD was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing
my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in
the house of the LORD."
Am 5:23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will
not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
Am 6:5 Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And
invent for yourselves musical instruments like David;
Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like
deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the
Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
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