Cymbals

Cymbals were two round, slightly hollowed plates of bronze struck together. The Hebrew names come from a root meaning “to ring” or “to tingle”, and they are always in the dual form — a pair of cymbals, played by one man. Cymbals were known across the ancient world, and small bronze ones have been found by archaeologists at several sites in the land. They first appear in the Bible when the ark was brought to Jerusalem, with harps, tambourines and sistrums, metal rattles with loose rings like those of Egypt (2 Samuel 6:5).

In the temple the cymbals were the only percussion. The leaders of the Levite singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan, sounded the bronze cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:19), probably to give the signal for the singing to begin and to mark the sections of a psalm. When the foundation of the second temple was laid, the sons of Asaph stood ready with cymbals (Ezra 3:10). Psalm 150 names two kinds, “clashing” and “resounding” cymbals, perhaps different in size or metal. Paul’s “clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1) is the Greek kymbalon.