---
title: נֵבֶל — harp · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נֵבֶל (lemma:נֵבֶל), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 27 times: harp. BDB 1906: n.m. harp lute, guitar. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נֵבֶל

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«נֵבֶל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **harp** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 27 times · **Key:** lemma:נֵבֶל · **BDB:** נֵ֫בֶל²

### Glosses

lyres (13); lyre (6); a.lyre (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

harp [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/lemma_3a_5e0_5b5_5d1_5b6_5dc/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. harp lute, guitar [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/lemma_3a_5e0_5b5_5d1_5b6_5dc/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. ψ 57:9 a musical instrument, either a portable harp, or a lute, guitar (with bulging resonance-body at lower end); (perhaps = i. נֵבֶל, and then shape seems to favour lute; perhaps independent word, e.g. Egyptian loan-word, cf. nfr, lute, WeHpt 222);—abs. נֵ֫בֶל 1 S 10:5 + 3 times, נֶ֫בֶל ψ 71:22 + 3 times; נָ֑בֶל Am 6:5 + 2 times; pl. נְבָלִים 2 S 6:5 + 4 times; sf. נְבָלֶיךָ Am 5:23 Is 14:11;—harp (or lute), played at feasts and religious ceremonies, probably less simple, cheap and common than כִּנּוֹר (q.v.; often named with נ׳):— as mark of luxury, revelry Am 5:23; 6:5 Is 14:11, so 5:12 (כִּנּוֹר נ׳ תֹּף חָלִיל, also (not in bad sense) 1 K 10:12; played by wandering band of prophets 1 S 10:5 (list as Is 5:12); in worship 2 S 6:5; elsewhere only ψψ Chr. always in worship: ψ 57:9; 81:3; 92:4; 108:3; 150:3; כְּלִי נֶבֶל 71:22; נ׳ עָשׂוֹר a harp with ten strings 33:2; 144:9; 1 Ch 13:8; 15:16, 20, 28; 16:5 (כְּלֵי נְבָלִים), 25:1, 6 2 Ch 5:12; 9:11; 20:28; 29:25 Ne 12:27.—Cf. further BenzArch. 273 ff. NowArch. i. 273 ff. Dr Amos 234 ff. WeHpt 222 ff.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 27 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (6 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נֵבֶל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/lemma_3a_5e0_5b5_5d1_5b6_5dc/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 108:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.108.3/)

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ע֭וּרָֽה הַנֵּ֥בֶל וְכִנּ֗וֹר אָעִ֥ירָה שָּֽׁחַר׃

*Word for word:* awake O lyre and harp I.will.waken \[the\].dawn

*JPS 1917:* Awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn.

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[Psalms 81:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.81.3/)

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שְֽׂאוּ־זִ֭מְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹ֑ף כִּנּ֖וֹר נָעִ֣ים עִם־נָֽבֶל׃

*Word for word:* lift.up music and beat a.tambourine a.harp pleasant with a.lyre

*JPS 1917:* Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery.

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