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[Weird Video]

“The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. “ (Ezekiel 28:13)

I need help answering the question: Is contemporary music the work of Satan?

Please share your opinions, as with discussion, forms conclusions.

[jimwalton]

First of all, the meaning of this Hebrew phrase is uncertain. The NIV translates this as "Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared." In that case, the terms refer to the settings and mountings of the precious stones; it would have nothing to do with music.

Second, the text is about the king of Tyre, not about Satan. The Edenic language is meant to be evocative. John Walton writes that to understand the king of Tyre as Satan is misguided: "As we examine each of these [the reasons to interpret the text as Satan] in light of OT theology, however, the interpretation of this being as Satan becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. There is close parallelism in the text (12b-13 vs. 14-15a), suggesting two parallel metaphors (rather than a single one), and that the metaphors don’t extend to the fall, but only refer to the high station of the individual. The king of Tyre enjoyed a lofty status because of all that was entrusted to him; he was the guardian of extensive natural resources, just as the individuals in the two metaphors were. Unfortunately, he was corrupted by them and was found to be treacherous and irresponsible. The metaphor ends where the parallelism ends, and from vv. 15b-19 the king’s conduct and punishment are addressed (though the end of v. 16 refers back to the metaphor). Thus there is no reason to reach beyond the context and its metaphors for a sensible interpretation of the passage." In that case, it would have nothing to do with music.

Third, Daniel Block writes that the phrase in question is to deprecate the king of Tyre. "Far from being equal to deity (as [the king] claimed in vv. 1-10), the king of Tyre is a product of God’s creative work." In that case, it would have nothing to do with music.

Regardless, you can't get from this verse that contemporary music is the work of Satan, even if the translation is tambourine (tabrets) and pipes. Because one individual may use music "satanically" doesn't lead to the conclusion that all music is satanic or that all music of a particular genre ("contemporary") is satanic.