תֹּף
toph
tambourine
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "תֹּף" (toph) has a specific meaning and usage in the Bible. It is defined as a "tambourine," a musical instrument. This word appears 17 times in the biblical text, indicating its significance in ancient Hebrew culture. The use of "תֹּפ" is often associated with joyful and celebratory occasions, such as worship, festivals, and dancing. Its presence in the text suggests that music played a vital role in expressing emotions and connecting with the divine. The instrument's sound was likely percussive and rhythmic, adding to the festive atmosphere. The frequency of "תֹּפ" in the Bible highlights its importance in ancient Hebrew culture, particularly in the context of worship and celebration. Its association with joy and dancing underscores the significance of music in expressing emotions and connecting with the divine.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
17 total occurrences across the text
They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
Psalms 81:2Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
Psalms 149:3Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!
Psalms 150:4Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!
Isaiah 5:12The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.
Isaiah 24:8The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.
Isaiah 30:32Every stroke of the rod of punishment, which Yahweh will lay on him, will be with the sound of tambourines and harps. He will fight with them in battles, brandishing weapons.
Jeremiah 31:4I will build you again, and you will be built, O virgin of Israel. You will again be adorned with your tambourines, and will go out in the dances of those who make merry.
Ezekiel 28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. They were prepared in the day that you were created.
Genesis 31:27Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn’t tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
Exodus 15:20Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
Exodus 15:20Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
Judges 11:34Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
1 Samuel 10:5“After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.
1 Samuel 18:6As they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music.
2 Samuel 6:5David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with castanets, and with cymbals.
1 Chronicles 13:8David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with cymbals, and with trumpets.