Is Tambourine Dancing Biblical?

A lot of people have asked me why do we have tambourine dance in the church. Why do we need to include tambourine dancing in our worship.

Is tambourine dance biblical? or is it just a mere presentation to make the worship seems lively?

Let me share to you some verses from the bible about tambourine dance.

• Exodus 15:20- Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.
 

• Judges 11:34- When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.

• 1 Samuel 10:5- After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.

 • 1Samuel 18:6 - When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.
 

 • 2Samuel 6:5- David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

  • 1 Chronicles 13:8- David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.

• Job 21:12 -They sing to the music of tambourine and harp; they make merry to the sound of the flute.

• Psalm 68:25- In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.

• Psalm 81:2-Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.

• Psalms149:3-Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

 • Psalm 150:4- praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute

• (Isaiah 30:32)- Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.

• Jeremiah 31:4- I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.


Even if others won't agree with me about tambourine dancing, I'm not  bothered about it cause I know and I believe that this sort of musical instrument has been used even before to express joy, triumph, gratefulness and even used for celebrations or festivities.

We use Tambourine Dance in our worship because we want to honor and glorify His name JESUS-to Him who is worthy of our praises and thanksgiving!