Instrumenty muzyczne w Księdze Amosa

Abstract

References to music are common elements of prophetic literature, especially in the Books of the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel), indirectly indicating writers’ interests in that form of art. There are five musical terms mentioned in the Book of Amos: šôpār - horn (Am 2,2; 3,6), qînāh - lamentation, dirge (Am 5,1; 8,10), nēḇel - probably lyre (Am 5,23; 6,5), šîr - song (Am 5,23; 6,5; 8,3.10) and kǝlê-šîr - instruments of song, string instruments (Am 6,5). The purpose of the article is to interpret the musical motifs excluding two related to singing in the biblical and archeomusicological contexts. Am 5,23 and 6,5 can be linked with real musical performance practices in sacred and secular environments in ancient Israel/Palestine. Am 2,2 confirms how important part in the Near East played signal aerophones, whereas Am 3,6 reflects characteristic aspects of Amos’s vocational narrative. The figure of Kind David in Am 6,5 is analyzed in the context of the origin of musical instruments. The comparative materials for Am 2,2; 3,6; 5,23 and 6,5 are mainly the prophetic Books.