Bible Dictionary
Sackbut
The sackbut of Daniel 3 was a Syrian stringed instrument, probably similar to a harp or sambuca. It was not the modern brass wind instrument called a sackbut.
Definition
The sackbut mentioned in Daniel 3 was a Syrian stringed instrument, probably triangular and resembling a harp or sambuca. It was not the modern brass wind instrument called a sackbut.
Biblical Usage
The instrument was part of the musical ensemble summoned to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image in the plain of Dura.
Historical Background
The name reflects the Chaldean sabkha and Greek sambuke. The sambuca was played with the hand and had strings, whereas the later English sackbut was a wind instrument.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Chald. sabkha; Gr. sambuke), a Syrian stringed instrument resembling a harp (Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15); not the modern sackbut, which is a wind instrument.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(Daniel 3:5,7,10,15) the rendering in the Authorized Version of the Chaldee sacbbeca . If this music instrument be the same as the Greek and Latin sabbeca, the English translation is entirely wrong. The sackbut was a wind instrument [see Music]; the sambuca was a triangular instrument, with strings, and played with the hand.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sak'-but.</p><p>See MUSIC, III, 1, (f).</p>