Reference: Psaltery
American
See HARP, and MUSIC.
Easton
a musical instrument, supposed to have been a kind of lyre, or a harp with twelve strings. The Hebrew word nebhel, so rendered, is translated "viol" in Isa 5:12 (R.V., "lute"); Isa 14:11. In Da 3:5,7,10,15, the word thus rendered is Chaldaic, pesanterin, which is supposed to be a word of Greek origin denoting an instrument of the harp kind.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And it cometh to pass - that lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine are in their banquets, - But, the doing of Yahweh, they do not discern, And the work of his hands, have they not seen.
Brought down to Hades, thy pride. The hum of thy harps, Beneath thee, is spread out corruption, And, thy coverlet - worms!
At what time ye shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;
Wherefore, at the same time - when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, and all kinds of instruments of music, they were falling down - even all the peoples, the races, and the tongues, - adoring the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up.
Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold;
Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, - and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Fausets
A stringed instrument played by the hand to accompany the voice, Hebrew nebel. In Ps 33:2 omit "and," translated "sing with the psaltery an instrument of ten strings." Josephus (Ant. 7:12, sec. 3) mentions that ordinarily it had 12 strings; nebel means literally, a leather bottle, the psaltery was named so from its shape (Ps 92:3; 144:9). The king, or, "lyre," had ten strings, but was played with a quill, not with the hand.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Give ye thanks unto Yahweh with the lyre, With a harp of ten strings, make ye music unto him.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon a harp, With resounding music on the lyre.
O God! a new song, will I sing unto thee, - On a harp of ten strings, will I make music to thee:
Hastings
Morish
The principal word used is nebel, and it is supposed to refer to some unknown form of stringed instrument used to accompany the voice. It is at times mentioned along with the harp. 1Sa 10:5; Ps 33:2; 144:9; 150:3; etc. The same word is also translated VIOL in Isa 5:12; 14:11; Am 5:23; 6:5. In Da 3:5-15 the word is pesanterin.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
After that, shalt thou come unto the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines, - and it shall be, as thou comest in thither into the city, thou shalt light upon a band of prophets, coming down from the high place, and, before them, a harp, and a timbrel, and a flute, and a lyre, they having been moved to prophesy.
Give ye thanks unto Yahweh with the lyre, With a harp of ten strings, make ye music unto him.
O God! a new song, will I sing unto thee, - On a harp of ten strings, will I make music to thee:
Praise him, with the blast of a horn, Praise him, with the harp and lyre:
And it cometh to pass - that lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine are in their banquets, - But, the doing of Yahweh, they do not discern, And the work of his hands, have they not seen.
Brought down to Hades, thy pride. The hum of thy harps, Beneath thee, is spread out corruption, And, thy coverlet - worms!
At what time ye shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall, instantly, be cast into the burning furnace of fire. read more. Wherefore, at the same time - when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery, and all kinds of instruments of music, they were falling down - even all the peoples, the races, and the tongues, - adoring the image of gold, which Nebuchadnezzar the king, had set up. Wherefore, at the same time, drew near certain Chaldeans, - and accused the Jews: they spake, and said, to Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king! for ages, live! Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold; and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall be cast into the burning furnace of fire. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the business of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, - these men, have made thee, O king, of no account, thy god, they serve not, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, do they not adore. Then, Nebuchadnezzar - with anger and wrath, gave word to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, then, these men, brought they before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it, with design, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, - that, my god, ye are not serving, and, the image which I have set up, are not adoring? Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, - and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Take thou away from me, the noise of thy songs, - Even the melody of thy harps, will I not hear.
Who are bawling at the bidding of the harp, - like David, have they invented for themselves instruments of song:
Smith
Psaltery.
This was a stringed instrument of music to accompany the voice. The Hebrew nabel or nebel is so rendered in the Authorized Version in all passages where if occurs, except in
, marg.;
where it is translated viol. The ancient viol was a six-stringed guitar. In the Prayer Book version of the Psalms the Hebrew word is rendered "lute." This instrument resembled the guitar, but was superior in tone, being larger, and having a convex back, somewhat like the vertical section of a gourd, or more nearly resembling that of a pear. These three instruments, the psaltery or sautry, the viol and lute, are frequently associated in the old English poets and were clearly instruments resembling each other though still different. The Greek psalterium (psalterion), from which our word is derived, denotes an instrument played with the fingers instead of a plectrum or quill, the verb being used of twanging the bow-string. It is impossible to say positively with what instrument the nebel of the Hebrew exactly corresponded, From the fact that nebel in Hebrew also signifies a wine-bottle or skin it has been conjectured that the term when applied to a musical instrument denotes a kind of bagpipe. The psalteries of David were made of cypress,
those of Solomon of algum Or almug trees.
Among the instruments of the band which played before Nebuchadnezzar's golden image on the plains of Dura, we again meet with the psaltery.
pesanterin.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And, David and all the house of Israel, were dancing for joy before Yahweh, with all boldness and with songs, - and with lyres, and with harps, and with timbrels, and with sistrums, and with cymbals.
And the king made of the sandal-wood, stairs unto the house of Yahweh, and unto the house of the king, also lyres and harps, for the singers, - and there were none seen like them before, in the land of Judah.
And it cometh to pass - that lyre and harp, timbrel and flute and wine are in their banquets, - But, the doing of Yahweh, they do not discern, And the work of his hands, have they not seen.
Brought down to Hades, thy pride. The hum of thy harps, Beneath thee, is spread out corruption, And, thy coverlet - worms!
And they shall hang upon him all the weight of his fathers house - The offshoots and the side-twigs - All the small vessels, Both the cups and all the jugs
and, whosoever shall not fall down and adore, shall, instantly, be cast into the burning furnace of fire.
Thou thyself, O king, hast made a decree, that, any man who shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of instruments of music, shall fall down and adore the image of gold;
Now, if ye be ready, at what time ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and adore the image which I have made, but, if ye shall not adore, instantly, shall ye be cast into the midst of the burning furnace of fire, - and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Take thou away from me, the noise of thy songs, - Even the melody of thy harps, will I not hear.
Who are quaffing bowls of wine, and, with the best of oils, anointing themselves, - and are not afflicted for the injury of Joseph: -
Watsons
PSALTERY. See MUSIC.