The Meaning of 2 Samuel 6:5 Explained

2 Samuel 6:5

KJV: And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

YLT: and David and all the house of Israel are playing before Jehovah, with all kinds of instruments of fir-wood, even with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cornets, and with cymbals.

Darby: And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah on all manner of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, and with lutes, and with tambours, and with sistra, and with cymbals.

ASV: And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah with all manner of instruments made of fir-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with cymbals.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  and all the house  of Israel  played  before  the LORD  on all manner of [instruments made of] fir  wood,  even on harps,  and on psalteries,  and on timbrels,  and on cornets,  and on cymbals. 

What does 2 Samuel 6:5 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 6:1-11 - The Return Of The Ark Interrupted
We have heard nothing of the Ark since it left the land of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 7:1-2. The spiritual life of the nation was low, else this holy symbol of God's presence would not have been thus neglected. David wished to make the new capital the religious as well as the political center of his kingdom. It was necessary, therefore, that the Ark be removed thither.
The sacredness of the Ark lay in its association with Jehovah Sabaoth, "the Lord of Hosts." It was His seat or throne. "He dwelled between the cherubim." The clear order was that it should be borne on the shoulders of the Levites, and David had no right to substitute a new cart, after the manner of the Philistines, Numbers 7:9; 1 Chronicles 15:12-16. The death of Uzzah and the blessing on the house of Obed-edom illustrate the severity and the goodness of God. Not one jot or tittle of the law can fail; therefore the least violation must bring suffering on the part of those who offend; while reverence, obedience and faith secure an immediate response of the divine favor and love. God can and will take care of His own. We need not fear for the safety of His Church. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 6

1  David fetches the ark from Kirjath Jearim on a new cart,
6  Uzzah is smitten at Perez Uzzah
9  God blesses Obed-Edom for the ark
12  David brings the ark into Zion with sacrifices, and dances before it;
16  for which Michal despises him
17  He places it in a tabernacle with great joy and feasting
20  Michal, reproving David for his joy, is childless to her death

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 6:5 mean?

And David and all the house of Israel played [music] before Yahweh on all kinds of [instruments of] wood fir and on harps and on stringed instruments and on tambourines and on sistrums and on cymbals
וְדָוִ֣ד ׀ וְכָל־ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מְשַֽׂחֲקִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל עֲצֵ֣י בְרוֹשִׁ֑ים וּבְכִנֹּר֤וֹת וּבִנְבָלִים֙ וּבְתֻפִּ֔ים וּבִמְנַֽעַנְעִ֖ים וּֽבְצֶלְצֶלִֽים

וְדָוִ֣ד ׀  And  David 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מְשַֽׂחֲקִים֙  played  [music] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׂחַק  
Sense: to laugh, play, mock.
לִפְנֵ֣י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּכֹ֖ל  on  all  kinds 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֲצֵ֣י  of  [instruments  of]  wood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
בְרוֹשִׁ֑ים  fir 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בְּרֹושׁ  
Sense: cypress, fir, juniper, pine.
וּבְכִנֹּר֤וֹת  and  on  harps 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כִּנּׄור  
Sense: lyre, harp.
וּבִנְבָלִים֙  and  on  stringed  instruments 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root:  
Sense: a skin-bag, jar, pitcher.
וּבְתֻפִּ֔ים  and  on  tambourines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּתֹף 
Sense: timbrel, tambourine.
וּבִמְנַֽעַנְעִ֖ים  and  on  sistrums 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מְנַעַנְעִים  
Sense: a kind of rattle.
וּֽבְצֶלְצֶלִֽים  and  on  cymbals 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: צְלָצַל 
Sense: whirring, buzzing.