Although we have an idea of what tambourines looked like, what were sistrums? They were evidently musical rattles that had a small oval metal frame with a handle. Shaking one would produce sharp, ringing sounds. The Bible mentions sistrums only once. That was on the occasion when the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem. Jewish tradition, however, holds that the sistrum was also played during sad events.

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A sistrum was shaken like a rattle