DANCING. Several Heb. words describe the joyous, rhythmic movements of the dance, which evidently played a significant part in Israelite life and religion. רָקַד, H8376, to skip about, means to dance, leap in the Piel. It is used of children’s merriment (Job 21:11) and is the opposite of mourning (Eccl 3:4). Ugaritic mrqdm are dancers, appearing with drums, cymbals and lyre. חוּל֒, H2565, (חִיל), basically means to whirl, dance, writhe. Cf. Akkad. hâlu, to tremble, writhe. Dancing described by חוּל֒, H2565, and its cognates can be performed in praise of Yahweh (Ps 149:3; 150:4) or in idol worship. When David and Saul returned victoriously from battle with the Philistines, women joyously met them dancing to the accompaniment of singing and musical instruments (1 Sam 18:6).
The root כָּרַר, H4159, denotes a whirling type of dance. (Cf. Aram. karkara “to turn,” and Ugar. krkr “to twist, twiddle fingers.”) This word describes David’s lengthy dance before the Ark (2 Sam 6:14, 16). Verse 16 also includes the Piel of פָּזַז֮, H7060, “to show agility, leap (in dancing).” The dancing of the whirling dervishes of Islam seems to afford some parallel to this type. Another word, שָׂחַק, H8471, basically “to laugh, play,” can describe singing and dancing (1 Sam 18:7; 2 Sam 6:5, 21).
The religious involvements of dancing are clear from several passages already cited. Added to these could be the dance led by Miriam’s timbrel playing celebrating Israel’s preservation at the Sea of Reeds (Exod 15:20). Judges 21:16-24 records the dancing of girls connected with the annual feast at Shiloh. There is likewise evidence based on post-OT practice that dancing may have taken place during other religious celebrations, such as the Feast of Tabernacles.
Some feel that the root of the basic word for festival or pilgrim feast, חַג, H2504, may be related to dancing. David surprised the Amalekites as they were eating, drinking, and חֹ֣גְגִ֔ים, “reeling, dancing” (1 Sam 30:16). Cf. Psalm 107:27 where “reeling” on the sea as drunkards is the meaning for חָגַג, H2510. “Circling in the sacred dance” has been suggested as the meaning of חָגַג, H2510, (BDB p. 290), but this is doubtful based on its usage.
The Psalms scarcely mention dancing, but do frequently describe religious processions. It is possible that dancing was included on these occasions, inasmuch as singers and instrumentalists are mentioned (Ps. 68:25). If Psalm 132 commemorates 2 Samuel 6, the procession in vv. 8 to 10 could include a repetition of the dance of David in 2 Samuel 6:14-16.
Pagan societies utilized the dance for various purposes, including religious ritual. The prophets of Baal employed a kind of limping dance while imploring their god on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:26). In Babylon, dancing was so closely tied to the religious cult that it could not be properly called an independent activity. Egyptian paintings and reliefs portray the dancing of girls to the beating of drums and other instruments.
Gordon has related the dancing of David (2 Sam 6:16) to the war dances used by the Spartans of Tyrtaeus. These dances were performed in time to the elegiac poems composed by the Spartan leader. Just as David used poetry to inspire and teach his troops (1:18ff.), so he may have utilized the dance. He could have learned this technique from his tenure among the Philistines, whose Aegean connections are well-known.
In the NT ̓ορχέομαι can be used of the playful dancing of children (Luke 7:32) or of the performance of the daughter of Herodias (Matt 14:6; Mark 6:22). The latter dance was undoubtedly a sensuous display before the immoral king. Luke 15:25 refers to the joyous dancing celebrating the return of the prodigal son.
While the mode of dancing is not known in detail, it is clear that men and women did not generally dance together, and there is no real evidence that they ever did. Social amusement was hardly a major purpose of dancing, and the modern method of dancing by couples is unknown. See Feasts.
Bibliography W. O. E. Oesterley, The Sacred Dance (1923); J. Pedersen, Israel III-IV (1940), 759; W. Sorell, “Israel and the Dance”; D. D. Runes, ed., The Hebrew Impact on Western Civilization (1951), 505-511; C. Gordon, “David the Dancer,” M. Haran, ed., Yehezkel Kaufmann Jubilee (1960), 46-49; H. W. F. Saggs, The Greatness That Was Babylon (1962), 190.