A thorough examination of all the information that Scripture reveals about music teaches us at least four lessons about the music of Babylon.
More Explicit Information about the Music of Babylon Than of Any Other Enemies of God
Scripture reveals to us more about the music of Babylon than that of any of the other enemies of God and His people. There are at least six explicit references to the music of Babylon in three books of the Bible:
Isaiah 14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Daniel 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
Daniel 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Daniel 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Daniel 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
By striking contrast, the Spirit does not reveal anywhere near as much explicit information about the music of any other enemies of God.
A Striking Explicit Emphasis on the Instrumental Music of the Babylonians
All the passages about the music of Babylon in Scripture speak of musical instruments, but none of them mention singing explicitly, which seemingly points to a striking emphasis that God has placed on our knowing information about the instrumental music of the Babylonians.1
Furthermore, we notice that the biblical revelation about the music of Babylon speaks of at least nine different musical instruments, seven explicitly (viols, cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer) and two implicitly (pipes and trumpets) by speaking of those who play the instruments:
Isaiah 14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Daniel 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Interestingly, however, there are no explicit mentions of any percussion instruments or percussionists of Babylon. Some believe that the phrase “all kinds of musick” that is repeated four times in Daniel 3 signifies the use of additional instruments, perhaps including percussion instruments, but the passage itself does not say so.
Explicitly Connected to Two Key Demonic Practices
In two passages, the Spirit explicitly instructs us about instrumental music of Babylon connected with at least one of two key demonic practices—idolatry (Dan. 3) or the occult (Rev. 18).
Daniel 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
Daniel 3:7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Daniel 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Daniel 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Explicit Divine Judgment of Babylon’s Music
Two passages speak explicitly of divine judgment of Babylon’s music.
Isaiah 14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
Revelation 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, God has intentionally provided us with more explicit information about the music of Babylon than that of any other evil people in the history of the world. Such an explicit emphasis surely is intended to instruct us profoundly about sound doctrine concerning music, particularly instrumental music.
What all does God, then, want us to learn from all that He has revealed about the music of Babylon?
- It is possible that “all kinds of music” in Daniel 3 and “musicians” in Revelation 18 refer in some manner to singing and singers respectively, but I do not know of any way for us to know for sure if they do so or how they do so. ↩︎
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