κύμβαλον
a cymbal
Definition
A κύμβαλον (kymbalon) is a musical instrument, specifically a cymbal—a concave metal plate that produces a loud, clanging sound when struck. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically in 1 Corinthians 13:1 to describe speech without love as 'a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.' This highlights the emptiness of impressive spiritual gifts, like speaking in tongues, when devoid of love. The word carries no other distinct biblical senses beyond this literal and metaphorical usage.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 13:1. Paul uses it in a metaphorical comparison within his famous discourse on love (agape). The context is his argument that spiritual gifts, no matter how spectacular, are worthless without the foundational virtue of Christian love. The 'clanging cymbal' represents something that makes a loud, attention-grabbing noise but is ultimately hollow and without meaningful content.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek verb κύμβος (kymbos), meaning 'hollow' or 'cup,' reflecting the instrument's concave shape. It is a native Greek term for a specific percussion instrument. The Latin cognate is 'cymbalum,' from which the English word 'cymbal' is directly derived.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as the centerpiece of a powerful metaphor from Paul on the supremacy of love. It teaches that spiritual expression or giftedness, no matter how impressive or charismatic, is spiritually worthless and even annoying ('clanging') if not motivated and characterized by self-giving, Christ-like love (agape). Understanding this Greek metaphor enriches reading by emphasizing that the test of any ministry or spiritual activity is its root in love, not its volume or spectacle.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, cymbals were commonly used in various religious rituals, ecstatic worship (like that of Cybele or Dionysus), and military contexts. They produced a loud, piercing, and often chaotic sound. Paul's original audience would have immediately associated the 'clanging cymbal' with the overwhelming, sometimes disturbing noise of pagan worship rites, making his metaphor for empty, loveless spirituality particularly vivid and culturally resonant.
No direct synonyms for the instrument itself are used in a comparable metaphorical sense in the New Testament. Paul's pairing with 'χαλκὸς ἠχῶν' (chalkos ēchōn, G5475) — 'resounding/echoing bronze' (gong) in 1 Corinthians 13:1 creates a synonymous pair for 'loud, empty noise.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
Full methodology & sources →