nagan · play strings

What it means

nagan (נָגַן) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “play strings”.

Play a stringed instrument, plucking the strings with the fingers, as on a lyre; also make music in general.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To pluck the strings of an instrument with the hand to draw music.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• play ×7
• musician ×2
• was playing ×2
• who plays well ×2
• played ×1
• players of strings ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• 1 Samuel×7
• 2 Kings×3
• Psalms×2
• Isaiah×2
• Ezekiel×1

• 1 Samuel 16:16

  Please let our lord speak: your servants are before you; they will seek a man who knows how to play the lyre; and it will be, when the evil spirit of Elohim is upon you, that he will play with his hand, and it will be well with you.”

• 1 Samuel 16:17

  Saul said to his servants, “Look out for me, please, for a man who plays well, and bring him to me.”

• 1 Samuel 16:18

  One of the young men answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who knows how to play, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and discerning in speech, and a man of fine figure; and YHWH is with him.”

• 1 Samuel 16:23

  And it would happen, whenever the spirit of Elohim was upon Saul, that David would take the lyre and play with his hand; and there would be relief for Saul and it would be well with him, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

• 1 Samuel 18:10

  And it came about on the next day that an evil spirit of Elohim came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, while David was playing with his hand, as day by day; and the spear was in the hand of Saul.

• 1 Samuel 19:9

  An evil spirit of YHWH was upon Saul, as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

• 2 Kings 3:15

  But now bring me a musician.” And it happened, as the musician played, that the hand of YHWH came on him.

• Psalms 33:3

  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully with acclamation.

• Psalms 68:25

  The singers went in front, the players of strings behind, in the midst of young women playing tambourines.

• Isaiah 23:16

  “Take a lyre, go around the city, forgotten prostitute; play well, sing many songs, so that you may be remembered.”

• Isaiah 38:20

  YHWH is there to save me; and my stringed instruments we will play all the days of our life at the house of YHWH.”

• Ezekiel 33:32

  And look, you are to them like a song of love, beautiful of voice and one who plays well; and they hear your words, but they do not do them.

And 3 more times.