Genesis 4:21

4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute.

Genesis 31:27

31:27 Why did you run away secretly ¹  and deceive me? ²  Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? ³ 

Isaiah 5:12

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ⁴  tambourines, flutes,

and wine at their parties.

So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,

they do not perceive what he is bringing about. ⁵ 

Isaiah 22:13

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁶ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁷ 

Amos 6:4-6

6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, ⁸ 

and sprawl out on their couches.

They eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the middle of the pen.

6:5 They sing ⁹  to the tune of ¹⁰  stringed instruments; ¹¹ 

like David they invent ¹²  musical instruments.

6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, ¹³ 

and pour the very best oils on themselves. ¹⁴ 

Yet they are not concerned over ¹⁵  the ruin ¹⁶  of Joseph.

[31:27]  ¹ tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”

[31:27]  ² tn Heb “and steal me.”

[31:27]  ³ tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”

[5:12]  ⁴ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[5:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).

[22:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁷ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[6:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “beds of ivory.”

[6:5]  ⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

[6:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

[6:5]  ¹¹ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

[6:5]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).

[6:6]  ¹³ sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).

[6:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”

[6:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “not sickened by.”

[6:6]  ¹⁶ sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.