Recently, I had a most interesting conversation with a few fellow brethren of mine at the end of our Small Group Bible Study one evening regarding angels and music. One of the individuals I was conversing with mentioned the fact that nowhere in the Bible are there any references to angels singing. Interesting observation indeed. I, in turn however, mentioned the fact that Lucifer was the angel of music. They had never heard of such a claim and were quite surprised and asked for a scriptural reference. At that time, I could not recall but only remembered it was somewhere to be found in the book of Isaiah or Ezekiel. Upon leaving their home and making my way back to mine I was searching the innermost recesses of my mind trying desperately to extract the Biblical passages that I once remembered supporting my reference to Lucifer and his connection with music. I knew I had heard the references many times, but, couldn’t quite remember as I often do when asked for a specific verse. Upon arriving home, I instantly sat down at my desk and began searching my Bible for any supportive scriptural passages, only to no avail.
I conducted a generalized search on the internet and not surprisingly found a few Biblical references citing the verse reference numbers only and not the verses themselves. However, I became even more perplexed when I went to their respective passages in my own Bible and could not find anything even remotely resembling music and it’s connection to Lucifer. “Was I wrongly interpreting what I was reading?” I asked myself.
Then the thought crossed my mind that perhaps it can be found in other Bible versions. I naturally assumed it was in my NIV Bible but instead pulled out and dusted off my old King James Version Bible and presto, found the verses I was looking for! Actually, I just looked it up on one of the numerous online Bibles that can be found over the internet. Now, with that said, allow me to continue.
The primary supportive passage that can be found in the Bible with an allusion and reference to Lucifer, before his fall, as being the angel of music and/or containing instruments of music and sound within him is Ezekiel 28:11-19 (KJV).
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
This passage raises an important issue among many, particularly if whether or not this passage is referring to the King of Tyre or allegorically referring to Lucifer. Several years ago, when I took my hermeneutics course at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX, my professor, Dr. Mal Couch, taught us a central and important rule of thumb while interpreting scripture. To interpret all scripture literally unless it is absolutely absurd for it be literal, then it becomes figurative or symbolic. Such as the case regarding the aforementioned passage. I, as do many Bible scholars, believe it to be an allegorical representation of Lucifer.
Just what is allegory? In his book entitled, Basic Bible Interpretation, which was required college course reading, Dr. Roy B. Zuck, summarizes allegory as, "a narrative or word picture which may or may not be true-to-life, with many parts pointing symbolically to spiritual realities." In other words, it is a symbolic representation of a spiritual truth. There is a correct place for allegory to be interpreted in the Bible just as there is not. For example, some Christians have suggested that the nation of Israel or the Ark of Noah of the Old Testament is symbolically representative of the Church of the New Testament. Or, the inner chamber of the Jewish Temple is symbolic of the inner recesses of man's mind and heart. An early church father, Origen, erroneously taught, Rebekah's drawing water at the well for Abraham's servant meant we must daily read the Scriptures to meet Christ. And In Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the donkey represents the Old Testament and the newly acquired colt represents the New Testament. These are all obviously a gross distortion of the true literal meaning of Scripture and have been mistakenly interpreted as an allegory. A correct example of an allegory can be found in Psalm 80:8-11 (NIV):
"You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. It sent out its boughs to the Sea (probably the Mediterranean), its shoots as far as the River (Euphrates or Jordan)."
The "vine" in verse 8 is undoubtedly an allegorical reference to the nation of Israel and refers to its exodus led by Moses in 1446 B.C. "You drove out the nations and planted it." This is referring to Israel's many victorious battles against the people who inhabited the land of Canaan, and their geographical establishment as a nation. Verses 9-10 describe Israel's expansion throughout the newly conquered land. In verse 11, it says, "It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River." This is referring to the nation of Israel's outermost reaches and boundaries. These are just a few examples of both correct and incorrect allegorical interpretations.
Returning to the passage in question. Is this a passage received by Ezekiel describing the King of Tyre or is it instead an allegorical representation of Lucifer? I believe it is the latter. Some of the phrases in this passage describing the king of Tyre may in fact be describing Satan. Great care must be taken to interpret these verses with discernment. It is clear that Ezekiel describes this king in terms that could not apply to a mere man. Four primary descriptions stand out in this passage that no person can lay claim to.
1. It is impossible for the King of Tyre to have been at the Garden of Eden as mentioned in verse 13:
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;
2. He most certainly couldn't have been a cherub (an angel) as mentioned in verse 14:
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so:
3. Additionally, this individual had access to the holy mountain of God as mentioned in verse 14:
thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
4. He also was driven and cast out from the holy mountain of God as mentioned in verses 16-17:
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
These I believe are obvious references and allusions to the rise and fall of Lucifer whose name was changed to Satan once he was cast down from heaven. There is an interesting parallel in name changes that occur at the point of conversion prevalently found throughout the Bible. For example, when Saul was converted his name became Paul. When Simon found Jesus and was called to become a disciple, his name changed to Peter. Likewise, when Lucifer fell and converted to evil, he was named Satan (Hebrew: satan) simply meaning “adversary”.
Returning to the central issue and theme of this article concerning Lucifer and music. If in fact the above referenced verse is a description and reference to Lucifer, we can then conclude he did contain instruments of music and sound for which I’m sure it's original and sole purpose was used to glorify God throughout the heavenlies. Referring to verse 13, it states:
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
The key words here are, “tabret” and “pipes”. The word "tabret" or “timbrel”, Old English “tabor” was used for any drum. Tabouret and tabourine are diminutives of tabor, and denote the instrument now commonly known as the tambourine. Tabret is a contraction of tabouret. The Hebrew, “toph” is described as a “hoop (sometimes with pieces of brass fixed in it to make a jingling) over which a piece of parchment is stretched. It is beaten with the fingers, and is the true typanum of the ancients.” The tabret is also mentioned many more times in the Bible, it can be found in, Genesis 31:27; I Samuel 10:5; Job 17:6; Isaiah 5:12, 24:8, 30:32; and Jeremiah 31:4. A percussion instrument, the tabret was used in the time of Moses to accompany the song and sacred dance of Miriam and her attendant women. By 2900 BC, as we learn from a cylindrical seal of Queen Shub-ad (possibly Sheba), eastern neighbors of the Hebrews were accompanying their psalms and enlivening their royal banquets with timbrels or tambourines. Some of these had single heads and were rectangular; others were round, like the large timbrel carried by a woman carved in stone at Nippur about 2000 BC, now shown at the University Museum in Philadelphia.
The word, "pipes" mentioned in this passage is as Matthew Henry's commentary states, a reference to "wind-instruments". Pipes (Hebrew: chalil) is derived from a root signifying “to bore, perforate,” and is represented with sufficient correctness by the English “pipe” or “flute”, as in the margin of I Kings 1:40. The pipe was often made of reed, bronze or copper. It is one of the simplest, and therefore probably one of the oldest of musical instruments. It is associated with the tabret as an instrument of a peaceful and social character. The pipe and tabret were used at the banquets of the Hebrews, Isaiah 5:12, and accompanied the simpler religious services when the young prophets, returning from the high place, caught their inspiration from the harmony, I Samuel 10:5; or the pilgrims, on their way to the great festivals of their ritual, beguiled the weariness of the march with psalms sung to the simple music of the pipe, Isaiah 30:29. The sound of the pipe was apparently a soft wailing note, which made it appropriate to be used in mourning and at funerals, Matthew 9:23, and in the lament of the prophet over the destruction of Moab, Jeremiah 48:36. In the social and festive life of the Egyptians the pipe played as prominent a part as among the Hebrews.
These two instruments are the two instruments that the Bible says in referring to Lucifer, was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Prepared in thee can thus be translated as “created within you”. In other words, it is possible to assume that both the tabret, or tambourine, and the pipes, or flutes, were actually created within the literal body of Lucifer at the time in which he was created, his body encompassed actual musical-like instruments of sound. Interestingly, the NASB version of the Bible refers to these bodily instruments as “settings and sockets, was in you”, once again implying that they were actually a part of and included within the body of Lucifer. It is ironic that when these two particular instruments are used together, they emit a peaceful and eloquent sound. Just imagine the heavenly music that reverbrated throughout the great heavenly kingdom.
Another commonly used supportive passage of Lucifer and his involvement and connection with music can be found in Isaiah 14:9-14 (KJV) which states:
Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Although this is a passage directed to the King of Babylon, I personally believe this makes more of a direct allegorical reference to Lucifer as opposed to the other more obscure supportive passage found in Ezekiel. There is a direct mention here of the actual name of Lucifer and his nickname, “son of the morning”, or “morning star” as described in the NIV of the Bible (v. 12). This passage vividly describes Lucifer’s evil intention to elevate himself above God and clearly visualizes for us his unsuccessful attempt to usurp the throne from God.
In yet another interesting observation we can glean from this passage supporting the theory of this being an actual description of Lucifer, is it’s direct reference to his inner thoughts of wanting to be like God. Verse 14 describes him as saying, “I will be like the most High.” The NIV renders the saying as, “I will make myself like the Most High." Does this sound all too familiar? It should, for he nearly said the exact same thing while in the garden of Eden some 2,000 years earlier disguised as the evil serpent who successfully tempted Eve into eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He enticed her with the following words:
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5 NIV).
Sounds like Satan to me. As we take a closer look at this passage, particularly in verse 11 we read the following:
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
The NIV version of this same exact verse reads:
All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.
As mentioned in both the Smith's Bible Dictionary and Harper's Bible Dictionary, the "viol" is in the same class as the lyre, lute, and harp with only slight differences, mainly the number of strings. The ancient viol was a six-stringed guitar involving the use of a plectrum or a quill instead one’s own fingers. Likewise, the harp had as many as ten-strings and involved the use of a bow, sometimes it was smaller and had only eight strings and was usually played with the fingers. The harp was the national instrument of the Hebrews, and was well known throughout Asia. Moses assigns its invention to Jubal during the antediluvian period. This instrument is very similar to the one in which David mastered and made music to the Lord with as described throughout the many Psalms which were predominantly played to music, particularly the lyre.
So it is obvious from the evidence of these two most descriptive passages that Lucifer, at the very least, contained something akin to musical instruments - the tambourine, the flute, and the harp all within the confines of his own body. Since Lucifer is a created being, he was originally created with instruments to provide beautiful music for none other than the glorification of God. Lucifer, being the most authoritative and superior angel that he was, at best, was also probably the angel of music. The point of this study is to see, purely from a theological view, if in fact Satan has a connection with and a direct influence on music, which has become undoubtedly clear that he does. We must remember that some, not all music can come from evil sources no matter how lovely, beautiful or pleasing it may sound to the ears. For we know that the devil can masquerade as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14). Music, I believe, has a twofold purpose. To glorify God or not, it’s as simple as that. As we have seen, music was initially created for that purpose up until Satan’s rebellion. What he has done with music from that point on becomes a whole other issue.
What originally aroused my interest on this issue was the fact that I myself was heavily involved in music. And it wasn’t for the glory of God either. I had myself quite an impressive CD collection of music ranging from punk rock to disco, alternative music to mainstream pop, new wave to industrial techno music. Often times, I provided my music to local nightclubs and often DJ’d at parties and get-togethers. This was music that I believe was heavily influenced by Satan. The lyrics to most of these songs are not worth repeating. Some of which spoke of and glorified violence, sex, drunkenness, drugs, etc. Shortly after becoming a born again Christian I had watched an intriguing Christian video speaking out about the Satanic influences of music in our pop-culture today. The video spoke about how today’s ungodly music, worms it’s way into our homes, our cars, and ultimately influencing our hearts and minds. There have even been scientific studies proving the fact that music severely influences our psyche and the outcome of our behavior is contingent upon the type of music we choose to listen to. It was shortly after this discovery that I was led to rid myself of this music that I had in my posession. Imagine burning over 200 CD's. Better yet, imagine the faces of those that were told of this.
On the other side of this issue, I wish to clarify that there is plenty of godly and praiseworthy music worth mentioning that exists within our society, music from artists whose sole purpose is to honor and glorify God with talent that the Lord has endowed them with. Not all music, secular or not, is inherently evil. Just as Satan has an influence on music, so God has His influence on music as well, and even more so. It has been a historically proven fact that Christ has been the subject of more songs, music, stories, poetry, prose, screenplays, literature, art, etc. than any other subject in the history of mankind. Christ has been the influencing source behind such famous and talented musical artists as: Handel, Bach, Pachelbel, John and Charles Wesley, Michael W. Smith, Rich Mullins, and many others, not to mention the many talented worship teams that exist within the Body of Christ. As with anything in life, it is up to our own discretion and spiritual discernment to decide what is and is not appropriate for our listening pleasure. It is also up to us as parents to set standards and to monitor what our kids are listening to. What goes in the body is what comes out through the way in which we live our lives.
He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery. (Mark 7:20-21)
So ask yourself, “Do I know what kind of music I’m listening to?” Better yet, “Do I know what kind of music my kids are listening to?”
Books that were utilized in this research study were:
The Bible (NIV, KJV, and NASB)
Smith’s Bible Dictionary, by William Smith, L.L.D., 1986
Harper’s Bible Dictionary, by Madeleine S. Miller and L. Jane Miller, 1958
