What Were They Playing? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jubal

In other translations, Jubal's instruments are called 'stringed instruments and pipes'(NIV) or 'harp and flute'(Good News). There seems a consensus that both stringed instruments and some arrangement of pipes were used in music-making from an early stage.
Jubal's half-brother Tubalcain, the "instructer of every artificer in brass and iron",(quoting from Gen 4:22, King James Version), perhaps had a bit more work to do before trumpets came on the scene.


Question submitted by mfc.

Answer: harp

When David was an unknown shepherd boy -- before he slayed Goliath -- he would play the harp for Saul to refresh his spirit.

1 Samuel 16:23, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him."

Saul's appreciation of David would be short lived, however.

Later Saul would plot to kill David simply because he was deeply jealous of the young shepherd boy who kept making a name for himself.

In addition to being "a mighty man of valor", David is described as a "skillful musician" in 1 Samuel 16:18.

Question submitted by cowrofl.

Answer: timbrel

Miriam played a timbrel, also known as a tambourine, in modern vernacular.
In Exodus 15:20 the Bible speaks of her being a prophetess, and further states that she "took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." (King James Version)

Question submitted by logcrawler.

Answer: Strings

Wind instruments would of course not be practical if people were to join in the singing at the same time as playing, but usually the psalms suggest a range of instruments. Here the two or three instruments (depending on which translation is used) are all varieties of stringed instrument.

Question submitted by mfc.

Answer: False

While it is noted that they sang a hymn, no musical instruments were mentioned as being played by anyone.

The scripture as found in Matthew 26:26-30 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible merely states,
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."

Question submitted by logcrawler.

Answer: Asaph

Asaph was the chief musician, appointed by King David to lead the singers. He also was a cymbal player. Asaph wrote a number of the Psalms as well. Moses wrote the 90th Psalm, with several other people writing some of the rest. David wrote many of them himself, but Asaph was quite prolific in both words and music scores also.

Question submitted by logcrawler.

Answer: Recorder

The Greek word "aulos" is often mistranslated as "flute", but pictures on Greek vases make it clear that this was not a flute which is played by blowing over the hole, but a double-recorder which the player blew into. It was the standard Greek instrument for social gatherings, parades, and public performances of dance, song, and drama.

Question submitted by ampelos.

Answer: trumpet

The trumpet was the instrument mentioned in Leviticus 25 in the King James Version.

"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land."

Interestingly, the trumpet was made of a ram's horn, and the Hebrew word "jubilee" meant "ram's horn."

The Day of Atonement was the day of the year that the High Priest offered atonement for his own sins as well as the sins of the people, from year to year.

On the 50th year, a very festive occasion occurred because individuals who had sold themselves as slaves or indentured servants were set free; families were able to reclaim their land if they had lost it due to indebtedness, and everyone got a new opportunity to "start over" with a clean slate.

Question submitted by logcrawler

Answer: 1 Corinthians

The verse is from 1 Corinthians 13:1, known as the Love Chapter. (Rather than using the word 'love', the KJV uses 'charity'.)

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Paul likely made mention of sounding brass and a clanging cymbal as many of the Corinthians would have easily understood the point he was making because they had used "brass instruments and cymbals as standard elements of pagan worship in their lives before Christ."

In the chapter, Paul cites examples of four gifts (tongues, prophecy, faith and giving) and states that even "their most spectacular manifestations" are basically useless unless the believer is motivated by love, according to notes in the NIV Study Bible. Paul's standards are so high it's apparent no one is capable of achieving his goal. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to try. It's an 'impossible goal' for mere mortals to be Christlike, but that's what Scripture states believers are to aspire to become.

Because it is such exquisite writing, I present the Love Chapter in its entirety as it appears in he NKJV:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Question submitted by cowrofl.

Answer: Harp

The Greek word "kithara" is usually translated as harp, but lyre would be a better rendition since we know from vase-paintings that the "kithara" was a small hand-held instrument and not the large concert device that we associate with the word harp.

Question submitted by ampelos.