How Some Translations Add The Word "Music"

I wrote here about the connotations (to our modern ears) of the phrase "musical instruments" in the Bible, and how knowing more about that phrase can help the reader understand better what was going on in Levitical worship with its use of trumpets, cymbals, and lyres.

I have also noticed that in places in some more modern translations—I've seen it in the ESV and it may happen in other translations too— the word "music" is used in some Old Testament texts when not at all called for. Several times the  ESV uses "music" to translate Hebrew words that mean something different.

While it may not seem like a big deal (musical instruments do, after all, make music), in these places where that happens it's not an accurate translation, and that's never desirable. I think the use of the word in these places masks what's really the emphasis in the passage, for one thing. It can also nudge the modern reader to feel a false familiarity with the purpose and place of the Old Testament musical instruments.

Following are several places where I've seen "music" used this way in the ESV. I've included the actual Hebrew word after each instance, along with the Strong's Exhaustive Dictionary definition of the word. I included the KJV text to illustrate how translators from an earlier era translated the word.


1 Chronicles 15:22

ESV: "...Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music (massa': burden, song, prophecy) should direct the music (massa') for he understood it."

KJV: "And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song (massa'): he instructed about the song (massa'), because he was skilful."

Masa' seems to have to do with song and prophecy, though some commentators think Chenaniah's assignment and skill was in bearing the ark. But the idea of this text being about music (as we think of it) is definitely not in view.


1 Chronicles 15:27, 28

ESV: "David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music (massa', see above) of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music (shama: to hear, hearken, sound aloud, publish, declare) on harps and lyres."

KJV: "And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song (massa')) with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen. Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise (shama) with psalteries and harps."

We already looked at masa'; and now here is a new Hebrew word, shama, which the ESV translates "music." The phrase in verse 28, "all Israel... made loud music," is misleading! The idea of shama is a loud sound that is itself the message, the publication and declaration of something (the praise of God) that was to be heard, hearkened to, and obeyed. The horns, trumpets and cymbals were actually themselves part of the prophetic ministry of the Levites; only they played upon the musical instruments; their loud sound was a prescribed element and a means in the worship and praise of God.

1 Chronicles 25:6

ESV: "They were all under the direction of their father in the music (shiyr: song, to sing, a singer) in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king."

KJV: "All these were under the hands of their father for song (shiyr) in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.

Song, not mere instrumental music, is the goal of the Levites in their service of the house of God. Notice here, incidentally, how the KJV clarifies that all was done "according to" the king's order to (the prophets) Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. No aspect of the service of the house was left to any human devising.


Psalm 49:4

ESV: "I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre (kinnowr: lyre, harp)."

KJV: "I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp (kinnowr)."

Again, the word "music" is not in the original Hebrew text. Removing it and seeing what is in the text makes it easier to see that the harp itself is a keliy, a tool; and in this case, a prophetic tool for the Old Testament psalmists/prophets (in this case, for the sons of Korah).


Psalm 92:1-3

ESV: "It is good to give thanks to the Lord,to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music (higgayown, meaning "meditation, solemn sound") of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre."

KJV: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound (higgayown)..."

This is another instance where the use of the word "music," which again is not in the original Hebrew text, potentially leads away from the emphasis of the text. In addition, the ESV inserts the word "melody" in verse 3; no corresponding word is in the Hebrew text.


Psalm 101:1

ESV:  "I will sing (shiyr, to sing) of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music (zamar)."

KJV: "I will sing (shiyr) of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing (zamar)."

 Zamar is a Hebrew word that conveys the sense of striking or plucking an instrument with the fingers. Its Greek equivalent, psallos, is used in Ephesians 5:19 to mean a metaphorical plucking of the strings of the heart ("making melody to the Lord with your heart"). Here in Psalm 101:1, Hebrew parallelism requires that the second half of the verse be a restating of the first half; therefore the KJV translates zamar as "sing," while the ESV again chooses the phrase, "make music."


These are a few of the places where the ESV (and again, not to pick on the ESV; other translations have also done so) has chosen translations and even inserted words into the text that have helped muddy the doctrinal waters (at least it did for me, for years). It's hard to shake off our modern notions of the place musical instruments have in the worship of God, but it's worth thinking deeply about. This is a helpful quote:

...in Old Testament worship "the noise was the worship: an audio-symbolic evocation of the majesty and glory of God … which passed away with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, when worship 'in Jerusalem' passed over into worship 'in spirit and truth.' "