We are told that every reformation of religion brought with it a reconstruction of the temple chorus and orchestra, and a resumption of their duties. Thus when Hezekiah purged the state and church of the heathenism patronized by Ahaz, "he set the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps" (2Ch 29:25). The same thing took place under Josiah (2Ch 34:1-36:5). After the restoration--at the dedication of the Temple (Ezr 3:10) and of the walls of Jerusalem (Ne 12:17)--music played a great part. In Nehemiah's time the descendants of the ancient choral guilds drew together, and their maintenance was secured to them out of the public funds in return for their services.
The musical instruments employed by the Hebrews included representatives of the three groups: string, wind, and percussion. The strings comprised the kinnor, or nebhel or nebhel; the winds: the shophar, or qeren, chatsotserah, chalil, and `ughabh; percussion: toph, metsiltayim, tsltselim, mena`an`im, shalishim. Besides these, we have in Daniel: mashroqitha', cabbekha', pecanterin, cumponyah. Further, there are Chaldean forms of qeren and kithara.
The chief of these instruments were the kinnor and nebhel (the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "the harp" and "the psaltery" or "viol"). They were used to accompany vocal music. In Ps 5:10, Saul meets a band of prophets singing inspired strains to the music of the nebhel, "drum," "flute," and kinnor. In the description of the removal of the ark, we are told that songs were sung with kinnoroth, nebhalim, etc. (Ps 53:3). Again, in various passages (1Ch 15:16; 2Ch 7:6, etc.) we meet with the expression keleshir, i.e. instruments of, or suitable for accompanying, song. It is evident that only the flute and strings could render melodies. The music performed on these instruments seems to have been mainly of a joyful nature. It entered into all public and domestic festivities. In Ps 81:2, the kinnor is called "pleasant," and Isa 24:8 speaks of the "joy" of the kinnor.
Very striking is the invocation Ps 108:2: the poet in a moment of exhilarations calls upon the two kele shir to echo and share his enthusiasm for Yahweh. Only once (Isa 16:11) is the kinnor associated with mourning, and Cheyne infers from this passage "the kinnor was used at mourning ceremonies." But the inference is doubtful; the prophet is merely drawing a comparison between the trembling of the strings of the lyre and the agitation in his own bosom. Again, the Babylonian captives hang their kinnoroth on the willows in their dejection (Ps 139:17), and the prophets (Isa 24:8; Eze 26:13) threaten that as a punishment for sin the sound of the kinnor will cease.
