What does the Bible say about dancing?
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The Bible presents dancing as a fitting bodily expression of joy, celebration, and praise to God, while not treating every instance of it as morally approving. Israel sang and danced after the Lord delivered them at the sea, as Miriam did in Exodus 15:20, and the Psalms call God’s people to praise him with dancing and instruments (Psalms 149:3; 150:1-6). Ecclesiastes 3:4 recognizes a proper time to dance, and Jeremiah 31:13 promises restored joy expressed in dancing. Yet Scripture also records dancing in ordinary festivities and settings marked by excess or sorrow (Luke 15:25; 1 Samuel 30:16). Christian liberty should therefore be governed by holiness, modesty, love, and the glory of God.
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Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible
- Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance! Let them sing praises to him with tambourine and harp!
- Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
- Psalms 30:11
You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
- Exodus 15:20
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.
- Psalms 150:4
Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!
- Jeremiah 31:13
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
- Luke 15:25
"Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
- Judges 11:34
Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
- 1 Samuel 30:16
When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, 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.
- Psalms 150:1-6
[1] Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! [2] Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness! [3] Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre! [4] Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute! [5] Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals! [6] Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!
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