Dance

Dancing is an art form through which a person gives external expression to feelings by using rhythmic movement. Whether choreographed or spontaneous, the descriptions and illustrations from the ancient Near East illustrate that dance was an important component of ancient culture. The Bible also reflects this importance, employing more than fourteen different words to present the idea of dancing to its readers. When we assemble the artistic images and descriptions of dancing that come to us from the ancient Near East, we get the following picture: Both men and women of every social station danced individually and in groups. There is no evidence, however, that men and women ever danced together either in Egypt or in Mesopotamia.[55] Within these cultures, people danced in connection with worship, marriage rites, and funeral rites. They danced vigorously to celebrate a military victory and spontaneously to express deep feelings of joy.[56]

The dancers we meet in the Bible are almost always women, sometimes dancing individually and at other times in groups.[57] The one glaring exception is King David, who appears “leaping and dancing before the LORD” as the ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:16). David’s exuberant, spontaneous dancing thoroughly embarrassed his wife (2 Sam. 6:20). Apparently this sort of thing was not done, for among all the ancient Near Eastern evidence we have for dancing, this is the only mention of a king engaged in this form of artistic expression.[58]

The Bible does not include a formal description of dancing, but the verbs used in connection with dancing give us an idea of how it may have looked. Some of those verbs are associated with the movement of animals and suggest skipping or leaping (Ps. 29:6; Isa. 13:21; 35:6). In other cases, the idea of rotation or turning is present (Exod. 15:20; Judg. 11:34). In summary, dance consisted of rhythmic movements that included circles, hopping, skipping, leaping, whirling, and bending.[59]

This artistic representation of dance indicates that the art form was an important part of ancient culture.

In the Bible we find people dancing for many different reasons. Women danced in celebration of a military victory. For example, Miriam led the Israelite women in celebrative dance after the Lord’s victory over the Egyptians (Exod. 15:19–20). In the same fashion, the Israelite women celebrated David’s victory over the Philistines by dancing and singing as he returned home (1 Sam. 18:6–7; see also Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 21:11; 29:5; 30:16; NIV “reveling”). Dance also accompanied religious celebrations whether pagan or orthodox. The people danced before the molten calf at the time of Moses (Exod. 32:19), and the prophets of Baal attempted to manipulate Baal through their ritualized dance steps (1 Kings 18:26).

On the other hand, dance was also part of orthodox worship of the Lord, used in connection with giving thanks for the harvest (Judg. 21:21), moving the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:16), and worshiping in the temple: “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp” (Ps. 149:3; see also 150:4). And lest we think that dancing was reserved for adults, we have examples that children danced as well (Job 21:11; see also Matt. 11:16–17). In all these examples of dancing, the connotation of joyful celebration is always in view. This stands in contrast to the Egyptian practice that favored dancing in connection with their funeral rites.[60]

We also have one example of dance assuming a more nefarious role in a Bible story. Herodias, the wife of Herod Antipas, did not like the criticism that John the Baptist had been directing at their family (Matt. 14:3–5). On Herod’s birthday, Herodias apparently directed her daughter to dance for him in a highly sexual fashion. Herodias used this dance to leverage Herod’s libido and his gratitude, setting the stage for the girl’s request to have her mother’s nemesis, John the Baptist, executed (Matt. 14:6–11).

Verbs used to describe dance movements were often associated with the movement of animals, such as the leaping of an ibex.

The biblical authors also mention dance that does not necessarily include physical dancing. In these cases the word dance is used as a symbol for happiness. In the list that describes the opposing experiences of life, Ecclesiastes notes that there is “a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:4), using dance as a symbol for joy. David was celebrating that season of life when he sang, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Ps. 30:11). Jeremiah lamented the destruction of Jerusalem by calling it a time when “joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning” (Lam. 5:15). But this same prophet lifted the hope of his readers with news of better times to come: “Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful” (Jer. 31:4; see also 31:13).

Dance as a symbol of joy was also employed by Jesus as he criticized the people of his day who did not seem to know what they wanted. They perceived John the Baptist and his followers to be pursuing a more somber way of life while Jesus appeared to them as the purveyor of unbridled joy. Because they found neither appealing, Jesus said they were like children playing games and calling to each other: “We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn” (Matt. 11:17).