כִּנּוֹר
𐤊𐤍𐤅𐤓
kinnôwr
H3658 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A stringed musical instrument, typically translated as 'lyre' or 'harp,' played by plucking or strumming. In the biblical context, the kinnôr was commonly used in both secular and cultic music, including royal courts, worship, and celebration. Its form and size are uncertain, but ancient depictions suggest a portable, wooden frame instrument with multiple strings.
Semantic Range
lyre, harp (as a general stringed instrument), musical instrument, accompaniment to song or worship
Root / Etymology
Hebrew root כנר (k-n-r) is proposed to be related to playing or twanging a stringed instrument, though no direct verbal root occurs in biblical Hebrew; etymology uncertain. The noun kinnôr refers specifically to a stringed instrument.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The kinnôr appears as the principal stringed instrument in the Hebrew Bible, mentioned in narratives involving music, worship, and celebration, such as those describing David's musical skill. In Israelite society, it was associated with both sacred and secular contexts, used to accompany singing, rejoice at feasts, or calm royal figures. While older English translations render kinnôr as 'harp,' archaeological evidence from the ancient Near East and iconographic studies suggest it more closely resembles what modern classification calls a 'lyre'—a small, hand-held instrument with a box or soundboard and arms supporting a crossbar for several strings. Differentiation from the 'nevel' (H5035), which was likely a different type of stringed instrument (often thought a frame or box lyre, or even a harp in a technical sense), is important, as both occur together in musical texts. The term continued into post-biblical Hebrew, but by the Greco-Roman period, musical terminology and instrument forms had shifted substantially. Later English use of 'harp' for kinnôr is anachronistic with respect to ancient instrument families.
Translation Consistency
Most common and specific rendering in the P2 data (21/42), and accurately names the typical ancient stringed instrument used in Israelite cultic and secular contexts. 'Lyre' is natural, easily pluralized to 'lyres,' and preserves the musical/ritual connotations distinct from the broader term 'harp.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a unused root meaning to twang; a harp; harp.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
כּ־נ־ר (kinnôwr) — to twang, to strum (proposed; root meaning uncertain)
Word Forms
14 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3658-13 |
וְ/כִנּ֔וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and harp | lyre | and lyre | 9 |
H3658-12 |
וּ/בְ/כִנֹּרוֹת֙ | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with harps | and with lyres | and with lyres | 7 |
H3658-14 |
וְ/כִנֹּר֖וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and lyres | and lyres | 6 |
H3658-02 |
בְּ/כִנּ֑וֹר | bekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the harp | with a lyre | with a lyre | 5 |
H3658-07 |
כִּנּ֖וֹר | kinor | HNcmsa |
of the harp | lyre | lyre | 3 |
H3658-01 |
בַּ/כִּנּ֔וֹר | bakinor | HRd/Ncmsa |
on the harp | with the lyre | with the lyre | 2 |
H3658-03 |
בְּ/כִנֹּר֥וֹת | bekhinorot | HR/Ncmpa |
with harps | with lyres | with lyres | 2 |
H3658-06 |
כִנּ֜וֹר | khinor | HNcmsa |
a harp | lyre | lyre | 2 |
H3658-04 |
הַ/כִּנּ֖וֹר | hakinor | HTd/Ncmsa |
harp | the lyre | the lyre | 1 |
H3658-05 |
כַּ/כִּנּ֖וֹר | kakinor | HRd/Ncmsa |
like a harp | like a lyre | like a lyre | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
42 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3658-07 |
Genesis 4:21 | כִּנּ֖וֹר | kinor | HNcmsa |
the harp | lyre | lyre |
H3658-11 |
Genesis 31:27 | וּ/בְ/כִנּֽוֹר | uvekhinor | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and with harp | and with a lyre | and with a lyre |
H3658-13 |
1 Samuel 10:5 | וְ/כִנּ֔וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and lyre | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-01 |
1 Samuel 16:16 | בַּ/כִּנּ֑וֹר | bakinor | HRd/Ncmsa |
on the harp | with the lyre | with the lyre |
H3658-04 |
1 Samuel 16:23 | הַ/כִּנּ֖וֹר | hakinor | HTd/Ncmsa |
harp | the lyre | the lyre |
H3658-12 |
2 Samuel 6:5 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּר֤וֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-14 |
1 Kings 10:12 | וְ/כִנֹּר֥וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and harps | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-06 |
Isaiah 5:12 | כִנּ֜וֹר | khinor | HNcmsa |
harp | lyre | lyre |
H3658-05 |
Isaiah 16:11 | כַּ/כִּנּ֖וֹר | kakinor | HRd/Ncmsa |
like a harp | like a lyre | like a lyre |
H3658-06 |
Isaiah 23:16 | כִנּ֛וֹר | khinor | HNcmsa |
a harp | lyre | lyre |
H3658-07 |
Isaiah 24:8 | כִּנּֽוֹר | kinor | HNcmsa |
of the harp | lyre | lyre |
H3658-12 |
Isaiah 30:32 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּר֑וֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with harps | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-08 |
Ezekiel 26:13 | כִּנּוֹרַ֔יִ/ךְ | kinorayikhe | HNcmpc/Sp2fs |
of your harps | your lyres | your lyres |
H3658-02 |
Psalms 33:2 | בְּ/כִנּ֑וֹר | bekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the lyre | with a lyre | with a lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 43:4 | בְ/כִנּ֗וֹר | vekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the lyre | lyre | with lyre |
H3658-02 |
Psalms 49:5 | בְּ֝/כִנּ֗וֹר | bekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the harp | with a lyre | with a lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 57:9 | וְ/כִנּ֗וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and harp | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 71:22 | בְ/כִנּ֑וֹר | vekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the harp | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-07 |
Psalms 81:3 | כִּנּ֖וֹר | kinor | HNcmsa |
the lyre | lyre | lyre |
H3658-02 |
Psalms 92:4 | בְּ/כִנּֽוֹר | bekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with-harp | with a lyre | with a lyre |
H3658-02 |
Psalms 98:5 | בְּ/כִנּ֑וֹר | bekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
with the harp | with a lyre | with a lyre |
H3658-02 |
Psalms 98:5 | בְּ֝/כִנּ֗וֹר | bekhinor-2 | HR/Ncmsa |
with the harp | with a lyre | with a lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 108:3 | וְ/כִנּ֗וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and harp | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-10 |
Psalms 137:2 | כִּנֹּרוֹתֵֽי/נוּ | kinoroteynu | HNcmpc/Sp1cp |
our harps | our lyres | our lyres |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 147:7 | בְ/כִנּֽוֹר | vekhinor | HR/Ncmsa |
on-the-harp | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 149:3 | וְ֝/כִנּ֗וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and harp | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-13 |
Psalms 150:3 | וְ/כִנּֽוֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and lyre | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-13 |
Job 21:12 | וְ/כִנּ֑וֹר | vekhinor | HC/Ncmsa |
and to the lyre | lyre | and lyre |
H3658-09 |
Job 30:31 | כִּנֹּרִ֑/י | kinori | HNcmsc/Sp1cs |
my harp | my lyre | my lyre |
H3658-12 |
Nehemiah 12:27 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּרֽוֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with harps | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-12 |
1 Chronicles 13:8 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּרוֹת֙ | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with lyres | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-14 |
1 Chronicles 15:16 | וְ/כִנֹּר֖וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-03 |
1 Chronicles 15:21 | בְּ/כִנֹּר֥וֹת | bekhinorot | HR/Ncmpa |
with lyres | with lyres | with lyres |
H3658-14 |
1 Chronicles 15:28 | וְ/כִנֹּרֽוֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-12 |
1 Chronicles 16:5 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּר֔וֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with harps | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-03 |
1 Chronicles 25:1 | בְּ/כִנֹּר֥וֹת | bekhinorot | HR/Ncmpa |
with harps | with lyres | with lyres |
H3658-01 |
1 Chronicles 25:3 | בַּ/כִּנּ֔וֹר | bakinor | HRd/Ncmsa |
with the harp | with the lyre | with the lyre |
H3658-14 |
1 Chronicles 25:6 | וְ/כִנֹּר֔וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-14 |
2 Chronicles 5:12 | וְ/כִנֹּר֔וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and with lyres | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-14 |
2 Chronicles 9:11 | וְ/כִנֹּר֥וֹת | vekhinorot | HC/Ncmpa |
and lyres | and lyres | and lyres |
H3658-12 |
2 Chronicles 20:28 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּר֖וֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with lyres | and with lyres | and with lyres |
H3658-12 |
2 Chronicles 29:25 | וּ/בְ/כִנֹּר֔וֹת | uvekhinorot | HC/R/Ncmpa |
and with lyres | and with lyres | and with lyres |