Hand Clapping in Worship Services

 

Here are some examples from the Old Testament:

Macha (h4222) maw-khaw'; a prim. root; to rub or strike the hands together (in exultation): - clap.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together. Ps.98:8

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Is. 55:12

The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading. Lam 2:14

All who pass your way clap their hands at you; they scoff and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem (Sodom Rev 11:8): "Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?" Lam. 2:15

therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East (see the nature of those who have captured you) as a possession. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk. Ezek 25:4

I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Ezek 25:5

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, Ezek 25:6

Therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Eze. 25:7

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because Moab and Seir said, "Look, the house of Judah has become like all the other nations," Ezekiel 25:8

None of this hand clapping has to do with "worship in praise to God."

Caphaq (h5606) saw-fak'; or saphaq (1 Kings 20:10; Job 27:23; Isa. 2:6), saw-fak'; a prim. root; to clap the hands (in token of compact, derision, grief, indignation or punishment); by impl. of satisfaction, to be enough; by impl. of excess, to vomit: - clap, smite, strike, suffice, wallow

And Balaks anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Nu.24:10

Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place. Jb.27:23

For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God. Jb.34:37

Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. Is.2:6

Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. Je.48:26

All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? Lam.2:15

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Re.11:8

Connected to Rising Up To Play in Musical Idolatry:

And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. Ex.32:6

Cachaq (h6711) tsaw-khak'; a prim. root; to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn); by impl. to sport: - laugh, mock, play, make sport.

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport (h7832) . And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport (h6711) : and they set him between the pillars. Jud.16:25

Sachaq (h7832) saw-khak'; a prim. root; to laugh (in pleasure or detraction); by impl. to play: - deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock (-er), play, rejoice, (laugh to) scorn, be in (make) sport.

And David and all the house of Israel played (h7832) 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. 2S.6:5

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 1 Co.10:7

This is certainly not talking about praise or worship nor in the context of music. You will notice that David stripped off with the following girls and claimed that he was honored in their eyes and he would make himself even more vile. His praise meant to make a fool of oneself.

At Mount Sinai:

> "Not to be overlooked here is the accompaniment of music and dancing which, with the character of the ensuing phenomena, makes the diagnosis (of idolatry) certain." (Schaff-Herzog, Ecstasy, p. 71).

> "The triumphal hymn of Moses had unquestionably a religious character about it; but the employment of music in religious services, though idolatrous, is more distinctly marked in the festivities which attended the erection of the golden calf." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, Music, p. 589).

> "And the people celebrated this feast with burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, with eating and drinking, i.e. with sacrificial meals and sports, or with loud rejoicing, shouting, antiphonal songs, and dances, in the same manner in which the Egyptians celebrated their feast of Apis (Herod. 2, 60, and 3, 27)." (Keil and Delitzsch, Vol. II, p. 222).

> "Let revelry keep away from our rational entertainments, and foolish vigils, too, that revel in intemperance. For revelry is an inebriating pipe, the chain of an amatory bridge, that is, of sorrow. And let love, and intoxication, and senseless passions, be removed from our choir.

Burlesque singing is the boon companion of drunkeness. A night spent over drink invites drunkeness, rouses lust, and is audacious in deeds of shame.

For if people occupy their time with pipes, and psalteries, and choirs, and dances, and Egyptian clapping of hands, and such disorderly frivolities, they become quite immodest and intractable, beat on cymbals, and drums, and make a noise on instruments of delusion." (Clement, Instructor, Eerdmans, p. 248)

The prophets of Baal performed a noisy form of "prophesying" but they could not "bring their gods into their presence." This "prophesying" was not pretty; it involved singing, music, naked dancing and even cutting themselves. The emotional "high" proved that the god was in them.

"All these texts point, explicitly or implicitly, to the fact that the dance had a musical accompaniment. Even though the Bible makes no mention of it we must assume that the movements of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel were made with an accompaniment on certain musical instruments... There is an obvious satirical intent in the biblical story and we could find no better illustration of a similar attitude than a rather curious bas-relief in the Museo delle Terme in Rome which

derides a ceremony of Isis. In front of a row of images of the gods, men and women are dancing with grotesque contortions; their knees are all bent their heads thrown back and their arms upraised; they are holding castanets or the double flute.

An aged choirmaster and a group of spectators mark time by clapping their hands." ( de Vaux, Roland, The Bible and the Ancient Near East, Doubleday, p. 242).

Heredotus II notes that "The following are the proceedings on occasion of the assembly at Bubastis. This also defines the "rising up to play" in the same worship at Mount Sinai. Because this was their "prayer" to worship their old demons, God turned them over to worship the starry host.

Men and women come sailing all together, vast numbers in each boat, many of the women with castanets, which they strike, while some of the men pipe during the whole time of the voyage; the remainder of the voyagers,

male and female, sing the while, and make a clapping with their hands.

When they arrive opposite any of the towns upon the banks of the stream,
they approach the shore, and, while some of the women continue to play and sing,

others call aloud to the females of the place and load them with abuse, while a certain number dance, and some standing up uncover themselves. After proceeding in this way all along the river-course, they reach Bubastis, where they celebrate the feast with abundant sacrifices.

More grape-wine is consumed at this festival than in all the rest of the year besides.

The number of those who attend, counting only the men and women and omitting the children, amounts, according to the native reports, to seven hundred thousand.

Arnobius wrote:

35. But is it only poets whom you have thought proper to allow to invent unseemly tales about the gods,
..........and to turn them shamefully into sport?
..........What do your pantomimists, the actors, that crowd of mimics and adulterers? Do they
....................not abuse your gods to make to themselves gain,
....................and do not the others find enticing pleasures
....................in the wrongs and insults offered to the gods?

At the public games, too, the colleges of all the priests and magistrates take their places, the chief Pontiffs, and the chief priests of the curiae; the Quindecemviri take their places, crowned with wreaths of laurel,
and the flamines diales with their mitres; the augurs take their places,

who disclose the divine mind and will
and the chaste maidens also, who cherish and guard the ever-burning fire;

36. But this crime is not enough: the persons of the most sacred gods are mixed up with farces also, and scurrilous plays.

And that the idle onlookers may be excited to laughter and jollity,
the deities are hit at in jocular quips, the spectators shout and rise up,
the whole pit resounds with the clapping of hands and applause.

Flamen : plural FLAMINES, in ancient Rome, a priest devoted exclusively to the worship of one deity; the name derives from a root meaning "he who burns offerings." Of the 15 flamines, the most important were Dialis, Martialis, and Quirinalis, who served Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus, respectively. Chosen from the patrician class and supervised by the pontifex maximus, or chief priest, the flamines had a distinctive dress, its outstanding feature being the apex, a conical cap. They offered daily sacrifices, and their lives were regulated by strict rules and taboos. The priests' wives, the flaminicae, served as their assistants and were also bound by ritual regulations. In imperial times, flamines Divorum ("priests of the Gods") were instituted for the worship of deified emperors both in Rome and in the empire's outlying provinces, where they often served as important representatives of the central government.

PLEASURING the crowd to INCITE excitement was something Paul said JESUS CHRIST WOULD NOT DO. In Romans chapter 15 Paul prescribed the Synagogue of Christ (Synagogues never had PRAISE SERVICES) to with ONE MOUTH and ONE VOICE glorify God by speaking THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN. Only the Pharisees (preacers), Scribes (sermon writers) and Sectarian Hypocrites would do anything to call attention to themselves. James still says that to SHOW PARTIALITY still brings the whole law down on your head.

Thomas Aquinas: "It seemed to some that this argument about the allurements of music as God"s temporary device to arouse a dull and unresponsive people would apply equally against the continued use of singing in the church. This objection is considered in an anonymous work, of uncertain date,"called "Questions and Answers to the Orthodox": [Note: We believe that this is from Thomas Aquinas on LIPS and SONG. ksl]

"Question: If songs were invented by unbelievers to seduce men, but were allowed to those under the law on account of their childish state, why do those who have received the perfect teaching of grace in their churches still use songs, just like the children under the law?

"Answer: It is not simple singing that belongs to the childish state, but singing with lifeless instruments, with dancing, and with clappers. Hence the use of such instruments and the others that belong to the childish state is excluded from the singing in the churches,

and simple singing is left.

For it awakens the soul to a fervent desire for that which is described in the songs, it quiets the passions that arise from the flesh, it removes the evil thoughts that are implanted in us by invisible foes, it waters the soul to make it fruitful in the good things of God, it makes the soldiers of piety strong to endure hardships, it becomes for the pious a medicine to cure all the pains of life.

Paul calls this "the sword of the spirit," with which he arms the soldiers of piety against their unseen foes. for it is the word of God, and when it is pondered and sung and proclaimed it has the power to drive out demons."

More Word Study: Look in Vain for Hand Clapping in Worship Services

Nakah (ha5221) naw-kaw'; a prim. root; to strike (lightly or severely, lit. or fig.): - beat, cast forth, clap, give [wounds], * go forward, * indeed, kill, make [slaughter], murderer, punish, slaughter, slay (-er, - ing), smite (-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, * surely, wound.

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. 1S.18:6

And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. Eze.33:21

Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. Ezek 33:30

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. Ezek 33: 31

And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. Ezek 33: 32

And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. Ezek 33: 33

Taqa (h8628) taw-kah'; a prim. root; to clatter, i. e. slap (the hands together), clang (an instrument); by anal. to drive (a nail or tent-pin, a dart, etc.); by impl. to become bondsman (by hand-clasping): - blow ([a trumpet]), cast, clap, fasten, pitch [tent], smite, sound, strike, * suretiship, thrust.

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: Jud.3:21

Then Jael Hebers wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.Jud.4:21

And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. Jud.7:20
..........And the three hundred blew the trumpets,
..........and the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host:
..........and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. Jud.7:22

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Am.3:6

Ruwa (h7321) roo-ah'; a prim. root; to mar (espec. by breaking); fig. to split the ears (with sound), i. e. shout (for alarm or joy): - blow an alarm, cry (alarm, aloud, out), destroy, make a joyful noise, smart, shout (for joy), sound an alarm, triumph.

But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. Numbers 10:7

Judas would try to triumph over Jesus. That meant to play the instruments, clap the hands, mock the enemy and "make a joyful noise before the Lord." That was a war chant and not worship.

In the Dead Sea Scrolls translation of Psalm 41 the triumph over would be from the Levitical musicians David as king and the commanders of the army assigned as warrior musicians or agents of panic. However, in victory, Jesus would praise God with the "instruments" of his lips. Click to see and read the ugly of musical triumph over Jesus as the message of clapping of hands.

John Chrysostom and all of the fathers and Classical writers grasped that BODY WORSHIP was something for the homosexuals. It has been noted that for a MALE to sing and play and clap and dance he had to be DRUNK or HOMOSEXUAL.

"I have often seen a man (actor)-- and have been amazed to see, and the amazement has ended in contempt, to think how he is one thing internally, but outwardly counterfeits what he is not--

giving himself excessive airs of daintiness and indulging in all sorts of effeminacy;
somethines darting his eyes about; sometimes throwing his hands hither and thither, 

and raving with his face smeared with mud (sweat, spit and dust); sometimes personating Aphrodite (female), sometimes Apollo (male); a solitary accuser of all the gods, an epitome of superstition, a vituperator of heroic deeds, an actor of murders, a chronicler of adultery, a storehouse of madness, a teacher of cynaedi, an instigator of capital sentences;-- and yet such a man is praised by all. But I have rejected all his falsehoods, his impiety, his practices,--in short, the man althogether.

But you are led captive by such men,
while you revile those who do not take a part in your pursuits.

I have no mind to stand agape at a number of singers, nor do I desire to be affected in sympathy with

a man when he is winking and gesticulating in an unnatural manner."...
"Why should I admire the mythic piper... We leave you to these worthless things;
and do you believe our doctrines, or, like us, give up yours." (Tatian to the Greeks, Ante-Nicene, Vol. II, p. 75).

So again these same persons,
..........if any admirable musician come amongst them,
......... leave all that they had in hand, which often is necessary and pressing business,
..........and mount the steps (in the arena), and sit listening very attentively to the words
..........and the accompaniments, and criticising the agreement of the two.
..........This is what the many do.

"Again; those who are skilled in rhetoric do just the same with respect to the sophists,
for they too have their theaters, and their audience, and clappings of hands, and noise, and closest criticism of what is said.

"And if in the case of rhetoricians, musicians, and athletes, people sit in the one case to look on, in the other to see at once and to listen with such earnest attention;

what zeal, what earnestness ought ye in reason to display, when it is no musician or debater who now comes forward to a trial of skill,

On the other hand, one speaking for Christ is not effeminate:

(2) For the son of thunder, the beloved of Christ, the pillar of the Churches throughout the world, who holds the keys of heaven, who drank the cup of Christ, and was baptized with His baptism, who lay upon his Master's bosom with much confidence,

this man comes forward to us now; not as an actor of a play, not hiding his head with a mask,
(for he hath another sort of words to speak,) nor mounting a platform,
nor striking the stage with his foot, nor dressed out with apparel of gold,
but he enters wearing a robe of inconceivable beauty.

For he will appear before us having "put on Christ" (Rom. xiii. 14; Gal. iii.27)
having his beautiful "feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace" (Eph. vi. 15);
wearing a girdle not about his waist, but about his loins,
not made of scarlet leather nor daubed outside with gold,

but woven and composed of truth itself.

All this leads to the conclusion that there is no use of clapping in worship or praise in the Old Testament. We will see that the same is true of a superstitious or music-induced waving of the hands in the air.

This deliberately denounces God Who seeks worshipers only "in spirit" or in the minds. Jesus eleminated any other PLACE where God meets us. Noisy music and clapping, as the universal meaning of music as worship: "I will show contempt for God to keep Him out of My mind and I will make sure that no one else gets a moment of silence to meet God." Clapping of hands was always a show of contempt for the loser. But, don't count god out just yet.

Kenneth Sublett

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