Kinnor

The word has subsequently come to mean violin in Modern Hebrew.

• Name — Kinnor • Names — harp of David, from Hebrew kinnor Dávid • Classification — String instrument • Related — * Kithara, Lyre • Nevel, Harp

• Illustration — The most important visual source for the kinnor is a relief from Nineveh, on display at the British Museum: As the Judahite inhabitants of Lakhish are sent into exile in 701 BCE, they are forced to play the kinnor. The kinnor is generally agreed to be a stringed instrument, and thus the stringed instrument most commonly mentioned in the Old Testament. The kinnor is also the first string instrument to be mentioned in the Bible, appearing in Genesis 4:21. It was also used in Egypt when Jacob's family settled there.

• Illustration — Schematic drawing of an ancient kinnor

Josephus describes the kinnor as having 10 strings, made from a sheep's small intestine, and played with a plectrum (pick), though the Book of Samuel notes that David played the kinnor "with his hand". The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia also notes that the early church fathers agreed the kithara (kinnor) had its resonator in the lower parts of its body. Like the nevel, the kinnor likely consisted of a soundboard with two arms extending parallel to the body, with the arms crossed by a yoke from which the strings extend down to the body. One etymology of Kinneret, the Hebrew name of the Sea of Galilee, is that it derives from kinnor, on account of the shape of the lake resembling that of the instrument. If this etymology is correct it may be relevant to the question of the shape of the instrument.

• Illustration — The nebel, a larger ancient harp, depicted in a mosaic, found in a 6th century A.D. synagogue in Gaza. The kinnor is mentioned 42 times in the Old Testament, in relation to "divine worship... prophecy... secular festivals... and prostitution." The kinnor is sometimes mentioned in conjunction with the nevel, which is also presumed to be a lyre but larger and louder than the kinnor. The Mishna states that the minimum number of kinnor to be played in the Temple is nine, with no maximum limit.

The word כינור kinór is used in Modern Hebrew to signify the modern Western violin.