John Gill Commentary Psalms 33:2

"Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings." — Psalms 33:2 (ASV)

Praise the Lord with harp. An instrument David was well skilled in the use of, the inventor of which was Jubal (Genesis 4:21).

sing unto him with the psaltery. Josephus^F23 gives the following account of this and the former instrument: "the harp is extended with ten strings, and is plucked with a quill; the 'nabla', or psaltery, has twelve sounds, and is played upon with the fingers." Some make this and the next to be the same:

[and] an instrument of ten strings. They read them together thus, "with the psaltery of ten strings," and so the Targum, Septuagint, and other versions^F24. But it seems from Josephus that it was not a stringed instrument, but had twelve holes; besides, it is distinguished from the instrument of ten strings (Psalms 92:3). It was in the form of a bottle, from where it had its name.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. s. 3.
• F24: Vid. Jarchium in loc. & R. Mosem in Aben Ezra in loc.