Dancing in the Bible is depicted in various contexts, ranging from expressions of joy and worship to instances of idolatry and moral caution. The act of dancing is often associated with celebration and religious ceremonies, reflecting the cultural practices of the ancient Near East.

Expressions of Joy and Worship

1. Celebration of Victory and Deliverance: Dancing is frequently mentioned in the context of celebrating military victories or divine deliverance. In Exodus 15:20-21, after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, "Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.'"

2. Religious Festivals and Worship: Dancing was part of religious festivities and worship in ancient Israel. In 2 Samuel 6:14-16, King David is described as dancing before the LORD with all his might as the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem: "Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets."

3. Expressions of Joy: In Psalm 30:11, the psalmist speaks of God turning mourning into dancing: "You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."

Cautionary Instances

1. Idolatry and Immorality: Dancing is also depicted in contexts that caution against idolatry and immorality. In Exodus 32:19, when Moses descended from Mount Sinai and saw the Israelites dancing around the golden calf, he reacted with anger: "As soon as Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger, threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain."

2. Herod's Banquet: In the New Testament, the dance of Herodias's daughter at Herod's banquet led to the beheading of John the Baptist. Mark 6:22-25 recounts, "When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. 'Ask me for anything you want,' he said to the girl, 'and I will give it to you.' And she went out and said to her mother, 'What should I ask for?' 'The head of John the Baptist,' she answered."

Cultural and Social Context

Dancing in biblical times was a communal activity, often involving both men and women, and was an integral part of social and religious life. It was a means of expressing communal joy, gratitude, and reverence towards God. However, the Bible also provides cautionary tales where dancing is associated with negative outcomes, serving as a reminder of the potential for misuse in contexts of idolatry and moral compromise.

In summary, dancing in the Bible is multifaceted, serving as both a form of worship and celebration, as well as a potential pitfall when associated with idolatry and immorality. The scriptures provide a balanced view, acknowledging the cultural significance of dance while also warning against its misuse.Exodus 15:20
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances.
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Exodus 32:19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came near to the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.
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Judges 11:34
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
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Judges 21:19-21
Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
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1 Samuel 18:6
And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.
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1 Samuel 21:11
And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
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1 Samuel 30:16
And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
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2 Samuel 6:14-16
And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
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Job 21:11
They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.
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Psalm 30:11
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing: you have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
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Psalm 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises to him with the tambourine and harp.
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Psalm 150:4
Praise him with the tambourine and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
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Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
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Jeremiah 31:4,13
Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: you shall again be adorned with your tabrets, and shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
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Lamentations 5:15
The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
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Matthew 11:17
And saying, We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you have not lamented.
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Luke 15:23-25
And bring here the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
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Whether the Third Precept of the Decalogue, Concerning the ...
... to God: and just as the Divine scriptures teach the ... that it should be placed among
the general precepts of ... linen on the Sabbath than to be dancing lewdly all ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the third precept of.htm

Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &C.
... again, That these games, sports, plays, dancing, comedies, &c ... all one, make void
this general prohibition of ... oath to interpret the holy scriptures according to ...
/.../proposition xv concerning salutations and.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1816 to the ...
... best answer the character of a general itinerating superintendency ... his parents to
read the Holy Scriptures, the necessity ... "Among these was a dancing-master, who ...
/.../chapter 4 from the close.htm

Shakers, or the United Society of Believers.
... into the knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, and practically ... of its members, in the
general practice of ... which is performed by singing, dancing, and clapping ...
/.../hayward/the book of religions/shakers or the united society.htm

A Warning Rejected.
... ungodly in parties of pleasure, in dancing, in festivities ... We have never witnessed
such a general declension of ... and this motto, 'Search the Scriptures,' on her ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /21 a warning rejected.htm

A Warning Rejected
... ungodly in parties of pleasure, in dancing, in festivities ... We have never witnessed
such a general declension of ... and this motto, Search the Scriptures,' on her ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 21 a warning rejected.htm

Introduction. Chapter i. --Life of S. Cyril.
... the theatre, who had put it on, and while dancing had fallen ... Do we produce other
Scriptures? ... the half-century which had elapsed since the first General Council. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction chapter i life of s.htm

The Bible and the French Revolution.
... she was generally recognized as a dancing girl of ... extermination." And to add to the
general misery, the ... thus granting toleration to the Scriptures, was adopted ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /15 the bible and the.htm

The Bible and the French Revolution
... she was generally recognized as a dancing girl of ... extermination." And to add to the
general misery, the ... thus granting toleration to the Scriptures, was adopted ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 15 the bible and.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... the whole form of his life, and the general tenor of ... his hand, when he saw the people
dancing round the ... to God, partly in searching the Scriptures, in reading ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 25 upon our lords.htm

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