Dance In the Old Testament

Dance is a regular feature of Israel's festive worship and is viewed as an act of obedience to the Lord, for his praise and glory. References to dancing abound in the Old Testament. Actual accounts of dancing reflect thoughtful, deliberate acts of offering praise to God. Several obvious references to dancing occur in the English versions of the Bible. Psalm 150:4 commands us to praise God in dance (Hebrew maol). In this same verse we find justification for using organs and stringed instruments. The word ugav, translated "organ" (kjv) or "pipe" (nasb), is used only four times in the Bible, whereas there are many references to dance. If one cannot use Psalm 150 to advocate deliberately dancing before God, perhaps the church should also remove organs and other musical instruments from its corporate worship. The fact is that the musical instruments listed in Psalm 150, including organs or pipes, are not mentioned at all in the New Testament. Thus, if dance is forbidden because it is an O…