פְּסַנְטֵרִין
𐤐𐤎𐤍𐤈𐤓𐤉𐤍
pᵉçanṭêrîyn
H6460 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A stringed musical instrument, likely a type of lyre or harp, used in ceremonial or court music in the Neo-Babylonian and Persian periods. The term designates an instrument of Greek or foreign origin brought into the repertoire of musical instruments noted in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible.
Semantic Range
lyre, harp, psaltery, stringed instrument, court music instrument
Root / Etymology
Loanword from Greek ψαλτήριον (psaltērion), referring to a stringed instrument similar to a lyre or harp; not derived from a native Hebrew root. Occurs in the Aramaic section of Daniel. The form reflects adaptation into Aramaic phonology.
Historical & Contextual Notes
פְּסַנְטֵרִין (pᵉsanṭêrîn) appears only in the Aramaic portions of Daniel (Dan 3:5, 7, 10, 15), within the list of court instruments described at the Babylonian royal court. Its appearance reflects the influence of Hellenistic culture and musical terminology in the multilingual, multicultural context of the exilic and post-exilic Near East. The description in Daniel, together with its Greek origin, suggests that the instrument was either the imported Greek instrument or one closely resembling it. The exact identification is debated, but most scholars agree it refers to a plucked stringed instrument (possibly similar to a zither, lyre, or psaltery) used for accompaniment in ritual or court settings. The term does not occur elsewhere in Tanakh, and the English 'psaltery' is a direct borrowing from the Greek and later Latin traditions; this sometimes obscures the likely differences between the biblical instrument and medieval European psalteries. Other Hebrew words for stringed instruments (כִּנּוֹר kinnor, נֶבֶל nevel) refer to native Israelite instruments; פְּסַנְטֵרִין denotes a foreign import both linguistically and musically.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
lemma פִּסַנְטֵרִין first vowel, corrected to פְּסַנְטֵרִין; (Aramaic) or פְּסַנְתֵּרִין; a transliteration of the Greek,; psalterion; a lyre; psaltery.
Bantu Hebrew
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פסנתר (p-s-n-ṭ-r) — stringed instrument (loanword; no native Semitic root)
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6460-02 |
פְּסַנְתֵּרִין֙ | pesaneterin | ANcmsa |
psaltery | lyre | 3 |
H6460-01 |
פְסַנְתֵּרִין֙ | fesaneterin | ANcmsa |
psaltery | stringed lyre | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6460-02 |
Daniel 3:5 | פְּסַנְתֵּרִין֙ | pesaneterin | ANcmsa |
harp | lyre |
H6460-02 |
Daniel 3:7 | פְּסַנְטֵרִ֔ין | pesaneterin | ANcmsa |
psaltery | lyre |
H6460-01 |
Daniel 3:10 | פְסַנְתֵּרִין֙ | fesaneterin | ANcmsa |
psaltery | stringed lyre |
H6460-02 |
Daniel 3:15 | פְּסַנְתֵּרִין֩ | pesaneterin | ANcmsa |
psaltery | lyre |