Bible Dictionary
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
“Musical instruments” is an uncertain translation of the rare phrase in Ecclesiastes 2:8. The source notes that the expression may instead refer to numerous concubines, so the meaning cannot be established confidently.
Definition
“Musical instruments” is an uncertain translation of the rare expression in Ecclesiastes 2:8. The same expression has also been understood to mean “very many concubines,” and the supplied material states that its meaning is not certain.
Biblical Usage
The phrase occurs only in Ecclesiastes 2:8. The English Revised Version and a marginal rendering give the alternative interpretation concerning numerous concubines.
Historical Background
The supplied discussion specifically says that the word has nothing to do with music, despite the traditional translation “musical instruments.”
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>mu'-zi-kal in'-stroo-ments (shiddah we-shiddoth): "I gat me .... musical instruments, and that of all sorts" (Ec 2:8). Thus the King James Version and the American Standard Revised Version; the English Revised Version and the American Revised Version margin "concubines very many." The word occurs only here; the meaning is not certain, but it has nothing to do with music.</p>