which all versions agree in rendering " bells," or "little bells." These bells were attached to the hem of the garment, and were separated from each other by golden knobs, shaped like pomegranates. They obviously pro- duced their tinkling sound by striking against the gold- en knobs which were appended near them. There is no trace of bells among the ancient Egyptians or in classical antiquity, and we call these such for want of a better term to describe sonorous pieces of metal used in this manner. See Bell.
3. The D'^b::!?^, tseltselim, or ni^Sp, metsilloth, or DinV:J"3, metsilidyim. In Zech. xiv, 20 only is this term rendered "ZteWs"— the "bells of the horses." If the words, however, denote cymbals in other places, they cannot well denote a different thing here. It is true that camels, and sometimes horses, wear bells in the East at present; and it is probable that the He- brews had something similar, in the shape of small cymbal-shaped pieces of metal, suspended under the necks of the animals, and which struck against each other with the motions of the animal. The Romans attached metallic pendants of this kind, c&We.^ phulai-ea, to their war-horses, in order to produce a terrific effect when shaken by the rapid motions of the animals. These were certainly not bells, but might without any violent impropriety be called cymbals, from the manner in which they struck against each other. This name, being found only in the plural or dual forms, implies an instrument consisting of more parts than one and of not more than two. It is accordingly interpreted by the Sept. to mean KvufiaXa, or cymbals, and this is no doubt correct, Josephus describes the two parts of the instrument as TrXarsa Kal fiiydXa x«'^*-"f« {Ant. vii, 12, 3), which were held in either hand and dashed sharply together, yielding a powerful and penetrating metallic sound. They are first mentioned in 2 Sam. vi, 5, as used by direction of David in the bringing up of the ark ; and in 1 Chron. xvi, 5 the remarkable fact is recorded that when David organized the musical service which was to be carried on before the ark when brought up to ]\Iount Zion, and " appointed certain of the Levites to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel," while the rest performed their office "with psalteries and with harps," Asaph, the chief musician, or con- ductor of the choir, •' made a sound with cj'mbals." It thus appears that this was the instrument by which the conductor beat time to the whole Levitical choir. It further appears, from Psa. cl, 5, " Praise him upon the loud cymbal, praise him upon the high-sounding cym- bals," that these cymbals, as used in the service of praise, were of two kinds, although the difference be- tween them is very imperfectly indicated in our version of the passage. The rendering, " Praise him with the clear cymbals, praise him with the resounding cymbals," would be a ver\- fair equivalent for the Hebrew Tl'O^ and n"!l~ri ; and the first cymbals alluded to were prob- ably finger cymbals, or castanets, which were small round plates of metal fastened upon the thumb and middle finger, and struck against each other by a motion of the hand, j-ielding a clear and sharp, though not a loud sound ; while the resounding cymbals were a much larger and more powerful sort, plaj'ed with both hands; and this view is all the more likely to be correct as cymbals ]. Ancient Egypt. Cym- of both kinds were in use among l);il?. (Brit. Museum.) the Egyptians. It is worth no- ^^S.^TlS" """"' ticing that the epithet applied
by Paul to the cymbal in 1 Cor. xiii, 1 is a.\a\aZ,ov ('"' without speech"), which is very happily selected, in- asmuch as the music of such an instrument was neces- sarily more noisy than expressive or articulate. But our version, " tinkling," is a very poor equivalent for the
o€,Q»
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 112 MUSICAL INSTRL'lHENTS
apostle's word. It suggests the sound of a small bell rather than the clanging resonance of the cymbals. It should have been rendered clanrfing or clashing. The sound of these instruments is verj- sharp and piercing, but it • does not belong to fine, speaking, expressive music. The Hebrew instruments were probably sim- ilar to those of the Egyptians. These were of mixed metal, apparently bronze, or a compound of copper and silver, and uf a form exactly resembling those of mod- ern times, though smaller, being only seven inches or live inches and a half in diameter. The same kind of instrument is still used by the modern inhabitants of
Instrumeuts of Percussion.
Fip. 1. MftUet used in striking suspeuded bonrds. 2. Cnstanets. 3. Tabret-
Egypt, and from them, says Wilkinson, " have been borrowed the very small cymbals, jilayed with the finger and thumb, which supply the place of castanets in the almeh dance" (^Ancient Egyptians, iii, 255). The modern castanet, introduced into Spain by the Moors, is to be referred to the same source. See Cymbal.
4. D''"3S353, menaanim. This instrument is only once mentioned in Scripture (2 Sam. vi, 5), where it stands next before cymbals in an enumeration of several in- struments, and is strangely translated cornets m our version. It is singular that the example of the Vulg., which renders by tlie Latin sistra, was not followed by our translators in this instance, especially as the ety- mology of the name (rad. "^IJ, to shake) suggests that it was an iiuti-uimnt of agitation which was denoted, the Greek anarpa having an analogous derivation from (Tiiw. It was generally from eight to sixteen or eighteen inches long, and entirely of bronze or copper; movable rings and bars of the same metal being inserted in the frame, by the sharp impact of which upon the frame, when shaken in the hand, a piercing metallic sound was pro(hiced. It was sometimes inlaid with silver, gilt, or otherwise ornamented, and the rings were frequently made to imitate snakes, or simply bent at each end to