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New Living Translation

Amos 6:5

You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amusements and Worldly Pleasures;   Confidence;   Conscience;   David;   Feasts;   Gluttony;   Invention;   Music;   Rich, the;   Worldliness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Amusements;   Idle Songs;   Instruments, Chosen;   Music;   Musical Instruments;   Singing;   Songs;   Viols;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amusements and Pleasures, Worldly;   Beds;   Diet of the Jews, the;   Entertainments;   Music;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Feasts;   Viol;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Amos;   Government;   House;   Jeroboam;   Joy;   Music;   Self-discipline;   Singing;   Wealth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Ethics;   Funeral;   Psalms, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Music;   Pipe;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Banquets;   David;   Harp;   Meals;   Music;   Neginah;   Poetry;   Rechab;   Viol;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amos;   Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Remnant;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Day of the Lord;   Music and Musical Instruments;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Day of Judgment;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Inventions;   Psaltery;   Viol;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amos (1);   Bed;   Chant;   Commerce;   David;   Jeroboam;   Psalms, Book of;   Viol;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Banquets;   Ethics;   Harp and Lyre;   Music and Musical Instruments;   Organ;   Viol;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They improvise songs to the sound of the harpand invent their own musical instruments like David.
Hebrew Names Version
Who strum on the strings of a harp; Who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;
King James Version (1611)
That chaunt to the sound of the Uiole, and inuent to themselues instruments of musicke, like Dauid:
King James Version
That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
English Standard Version
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
New American Standard Bible
Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves,
New Century Version
You make up songs on your harps, and, like David, you compose songs on musical instruments.
Amplified Bible
Who improvise to the sound of the harp— Like David they have composed songs for themselves—
Geneva Bible (1587)
They sing to the sounde of the viole: they inuent to themselues instruments of musike like Dauid.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves,
Legacy Standard Bible
Who improvise to the sound of the harp,And like David have composed songs for themselves,
Berean Standard Bible
You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.
Contemporary English Version
You sing foolish songs to the music of harps, and you make up new tunes, just as David used to do.
Complete Jewish Bible
You make up wild songs at your parties, playing the lute and inventing other instruments — [imagining that you're] like David!
Darby Translation
that chant to the sound of the lute, [and] invent them instruments of music, like David;
Easy-to-Read Version
You play your harps, and like David, you practice on your musical instruments.
George Lamsa Translation
Who chant to the sound of the harp, and consider themselves skilled in the musical instruments like David;
Good News Translation
You like to compose songs, as David did, and play them on harps.
Lexham English Bible
Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music.
Literal Translation
those chanting with the mouth of the harp; they invent instruments of song for themselves like David;
American Standard Version
that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;
Bible in Basic English
Making foolish songs to the sound of corded instruments, and designing for themselves instruments of music, like David;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
That thrum on the psaltery, that devise for themselves instruments of music, like David;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They sing to the sounde of the viole, they inuent to them selues instrumentes of musicke, like Dauid.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
who excel in the sound of musical instruments; they have regarded them as abiding, not as fleeting pleasures;
English Revised Version
that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that devise for themselves instruments of music, like David;
World English Bible
Who strum on the strings of a harp; Who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and ye syngen at vois of sautree. As Dauid thei gessiden hem for to haue instrumentis of song, and drynken wyn in viols;
Update Bible Version
that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;
Webster's Bible Translation
That chant to the sound of the viol, [and] invent to themselves instruments of music, like David;
New English Translation
They sing to the tune of stringed instruments; like David they invent musical instruments.
New King James Version
Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David;
New Life Bible
You sing songs to the sound of the harp. Like David you write songs for yourselves.
New Revised Standard
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who are bawling at the bidding of the harp, - like David, have they invented for themselves instruments of song:
Douay-Rheims Bible
You that sing to the sound of the psaltery: they have thought themselves to have instruments of music like David;
Revised Standard Version
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves instruments of music;
Young's Literal Translation
Who are taking part according to the psaltery, Like David they invented for themselves instruments of music;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
ye that synge to the lute, and in playenge off instrumentes compare youre selues vnto Dauid:

Contextual Overview

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help. 2 But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed. 3 You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer. 4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. 5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. 7 Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

chant: or, quaver

to the: Genesis 31:27, Job 21:11, Job 21:12, Ecclesiastes 2:8, Isaiah 5:12, 1 Peter 4:3, Revelation 18:22

like: Amos 5:23, Amos 8:3, 1 Chronicles 23:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:21 - the harp 2 Samuel 6:5 - David 2 Samuel 23:1 - sweet psalmist 1 Chronicles 13:8 - with harps 2 Chronicles 7:6 - which David 2 Chronicles 29:26 - the instruments Nehemiah 12:36 - musical instruments Isaiah 24:9 - General Ezekiel 11:3 - It is not Daniel 3:10 - the cornet 1 Timothy 5:6 - she

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.
Genesis 6:3
Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years."
Genesis 6:4
In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
Genesis 6:9
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
Genesis 6:19
Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.
Genesis 6:20
Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.
Genesis 6:21
And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals."
Genesis 8:21
And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.
Genesis 13:13
But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord .
Deuteronomy 29:19
"Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.' This would lead to utter ruin!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That chant to the sound of the viol,.... Or psaltery; an instrument of twelve cords, and that gave twelve sounds, as Josephus x says, being stricken with the fingers; and to these sounds these men chanted or quivered, made like sounds with their voice, which they raised higher or lower, according to the sound of the instrument: they "particularized", as the word signifies y; or observed the divisions and distinctions of notes and sounds, by the modulation of their voice:

[and] invent to themselves instruments of music, like David: not content with old ones, such as were used in former times, they invented new instruments and new tunes, and new songs to sing to them; as David made songs and invented several instruments of music to sing them upon and to, in religious worship, and for the praise and glory of God; so these men invented new ones to indulge their carnal mirth and jollity, in which they thought themselves to be justified by the example of David.

x Antiqu. l. 7. c. 19. sect. 3. y הפורטים "particularizantes", Montanus; "qui particularia habent cantica", Pagninus; "qui particulatim canunt", Vatablus, Mercerus; "variis modulationibus concinunt", Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That chant to the voice of the lyre - Accompanying “the voice of the lyre” with the human voice; giving vocal expression and utterance to what the instrumental music spoke without words. The word, which Amos alone uses in this one place, describes probably a hurried flow of unmeaning, unconsidered words, in which the rhythm of words and music was everything, the sense, nothing; much like most glees.

The English margin “quaver” has also some foundation in the root, but does not suit the idiom so well, which expresses that the act was something done “to the voice of the lyre,” accompanying the music, not altering the music itself. In fact, they would go together. An artificial, effeminate music which should relax the soul, frittering the melody, and displacing the power and majesty of divine harmony by tricks of art, and giddy, thoughtless, heartless, soulless versifying would be meet company. Debased music is a mark of a nation’s decay, and promotes it. The Hebrew music seems to have been very simple; and singing appears to have been reserved almost exclusively for solemn occasions, the temple-service, or the greeting of victory 1 Samuel 18:7. “Singing men and singing women” were part of the state of David and Solomon 2 Samuel 19:35; Ecclesiastes 2:8. Else the music at the feasts of the rich appears rather to be mentioned with blame Isaiah 5:12; Isaiah 24:9. Songs they had Proverbs 25:20; but the songs, for which the Hebrew exiles were celebrated, and which their Babylonian masters required them to sing, “the songs of Zion” Psalms 137:3-4, were the hymns of the temple, “the Lord’s song.”

And invent to themselves instruments of music - The same pains, which David employed on music to the honor of God, they employed on their light, enervating unmeaningful music, and, if they were in earnest enough, justified their inventions by the example of David. Much as people have justified our degraded, sensualizing, immodest dancing, by the religious dancing of Holy Scripture! The word can mean no other than devised. David then did “devise” and “invent” instruments of music for the service of God. He introduced into the temple-service the use of the stringed instruments, the “kinnor,” (the “lyre”) and the “nebel” (the “harp”) in addition to the cymbals. Whence these, in contrast with the trumpets, are called “the instruments of David” (2 Chronicles 29:26, compare 2 Chronicles 29:25, and 1 Chronicles 15:16, 1 Chronicles 15:19-21, 1 Chronicles 15:24). Probably, in adapting them to the temple-service, he, in some way, improved the existing instrument; having been, in early youth, remarkable for his skill upon the harp 1Sa 16:16, 1 Samuel 16:18, 1 Samuel 16:23. As he elevated the character and powers of the, perhaps rude, instrument which he found, and suited it to the service of God, so these people refined it doubtless, as they thought, and suited it for the service of luxury and sensuality. But what harm, they thought, in amending the music of their day, since so did David?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 6:5. And invent to themselves instruments of music, like David2 Chronicles 23:5; and see especially Clarke's note on "2 Chronicles 29:25". I believe that David was not authorized by the Lord to introduce that multitude of musical instruments into the Divine worship of which we read, and I am satisfied that his conduct in this respect is most solemnly reprehended by this prophet; and I farther believe that the use of such instruments of music, in the Christian Church, is without the sanction and against the will of God; that they are subversive of the spirit of true devotion, and that they are sinful. If there was a wo to them who invented instruments of music, as did David under the law, is there no wo, no curse to them who invent them, and introduce them into the worship of God in the Christian Church? I am an old man, and an old minister; and I here declare that I never knew them productive of any good in the worship of God; and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire: but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music; and here I register my protest against all such corruptions in the worship of the Author of Christianity. The late venerable and most eminent divine, the Rev. John Wesley, who was a lover of music, and an elegant poet, when asked his opinion of instruments of music being introduced into the chapels of the Methodists said, in his terse and powerful manner, "I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither HEARD nor SEEN." I say the same, though I think the expense of purchase had better be spared.

The word הפרטים happoretim, which we render chant, and the margin quaver, signifies to dance, to skip, &c. In the sight of such a text, fiddlers, drummers, waltzers, &c., may well tremble, who perform to excite detestable passions.


 
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