Sackbut
/SAK-but/
Summary
An ancient stringed musical instrument mentioned in Daniel, despite the English name referring to a wind instrument.
☩Translation and Identity
The English word 'sackbut' in the King James Version renders the Chaldee sabbeka, but this translation is misleading. The English sackbut was actually a bass trumpet with a slide, similar to a modern trombone. However, the biblical sabbeka was a stringed instrument, the same as the Greek and Roman sambuca.
Key verses:Daniel 3:5Daniel 3:7Daniel 3:10Daniel 3:15
☩Description of the Instrument
The sambuca was a triangular harp with four or more strings, played with the fingers. It produced a shrill, high-pitched sound and was of foreign origin to the Hebrews. The term may derive from a root meaning 'to weave,' referring to the entwined strings of the instrument.
Key verses:Daniel 3:5
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Sackbut," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Sackbut," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Sackbut," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).