Women at Work in the Deuteronomistic History - International Voices ...

HIDE AND SEEK: MISCELLANEOUS WOMEN | 199
• תורשׁו םירשׁ,
“male and female singers,” 2 Sam 19:36, Qoh 2:8 113
• תוררשׁמו םיררשׁמ,
“male and female singers,” Ezra 2:65 // Neh 7:67
• םינגנ, “players of stringed instruments (lyres),” Isa 23:16; Ps 68:26
• תופפות, “drum players,” Ps 68:26, (Exod 15:20)
• תוללחמה, very young women dancing in the vineyards, Judg 21:21–23
• תולחמ, “dancers,” 1 Sam 18:6
• תוקחשׂמ, “performers,” 1 Sam 18:6–7; 2 Sam 6:5, 20–23, 1 Chr 15:29
• דקר, “to leap,” 1 Chr 15:29 (2 Sam 6:20–23)
A quick perusal shows already that DtrH did not find many occasions to
mention musicians, especially women. Many other terms or texts will be of little
use and thus, will not be taken up. For instance, if one takes translations of Judg
11:40, one finds nubile women celebrating a yearly remembrance of Jephthah’s
unnamed daughter. The verb, a pi`el infinitive construct from הנת II, is usually
translated “to mourn.” Its meaning seems to be “to recount” rather than sing or
dance (it could involve repetition by singing or by processional dancing, but
technically it would not belong to this semantic field); furthermore, it involves
“all the women” and not necessarily professionals and thus it is excluded from
the list. Likewise, "shouting [העורת] is part of a larger musical expression that
includes various musical instruments and singing.” 114 It sounds funny that there
would be professional shouters (see “the people” in Ezra 3:11). The idea would
be to add volume and contrast to the melodic instruments, both with trumpets,
horns, and voices. 115 At any rate, it would be a choir or group, not individuals.
Wright makes a very interesting point in that one of the functions of such a
shouting was to call the Deity’s attention and engage him/her in the ceremony
taking place; a function, he claims, similar to that of the sistrum players in
Egypt. 116 If this was a priestly (Levitic?) function, then perhaps it was also part
of the duties of the ףסא ינב םיררשׁמ the singers from the sons of Asaph in
Ezra 2:41. Alternatively, if we want to “downgrade” them, there are the
תוררשׁמו םיררשׁמ mentioned in Ezra 2:65 and Neh 7:67, who are of very low
rank (discussed in this same sub-section).
113 Hebrew 2 Sam 19:33–37 = Eng 19:32–36.
114 Wright, “Music,” 213.
115 Wright, “Music,” 203–9; Mitchell, “Music,” 130 affirms that the silver trumpets were played by
the priests (this is confirmed by 2 Chr 13:14); therefore, the term םירצצחמ (Qere םירצחמ), hip`il
from denom. רצח IV, “play the trumpet,” would be exclusively masculine.
116 Wright, “Music,” 215, n. 33.