Exodus 15:20 - On the “hand-drum” and women

(The above rendering and its footnote come from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation.)

The Heb. noun תֹּף has traditionally been rendered into English as “timbrel.” Yet “timbrel” is unclear because it has two meanings: frame drum, and tambourine. Unfortunately, English readers often construe this ancient Israelite instrument in the wrong sense, as a tambourine.

Such an image is unfortunate in two ways. Not only is it an anachronism, in that tambourines—that is, frames with metal jingles—did not exist until the Roman era (Carol Meyers, pers. comm., 10/14/03), but also it minimizes the social role of Israelite women. The frame-drums that they actually played are primary percussion instruments, whereas tambourines are auxiliary in function. Hence women are the ones who established the tempo at public celebrations.

See further Carol Meyers, “Of Drums and Damsels: Women’s Performance in Ancient Israel” (1991); Sarit Paz, Drums, Women, and Goddesses: Drumming and Gender

in Iron Age II Israel (2007).

To avoid perpetuating the misconstrual of תֹּף as a tambourine, RJPS renders it as “hand-drum” instead of the ambiguous NJPS “timbrel.”