Dancing

Dancing appears in praise of God, in celebrations of victory and joy, and in idolatry and revelry. This page lists verses on dancing in praise, David dancing before the ark, dancing in celebration, mourning and dancing, and dancing in idolatry and revelry.

Dancing in praise to God

• Psalm 149:3
  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.Let them praise His name with dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
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• Psalm 150:4
  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
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• Exodus 15:20-21
  ²⁰And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. ²¹And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
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David dances before the ark

• 2 Samuel 6:14-15
  ¹⁴And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.
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• 2 Samuel 6:16
  And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
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• 2 Samuel 6:20-22
  ²⁰Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!As soon as David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.” ²¹And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, ²²And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”
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Dancing in celebration

• Judges 11:34
  And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
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• 1 Samuel 18:6-7
  ⁶And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments. ⁷And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
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• Judges 21:21
  And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
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• Jeremiah 31:4
  Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out in joyful dancing.
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• Luke 15:25
  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
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Mourning and dancing

• Ecclesiastes 3:4
  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
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• Psalm 30:11
  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
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• Jeremiah 31:13
  Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.Then the maidens will rejoice with dancing, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow.
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• Lamentations 5:15
  The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.
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• Matthew 11:16-17
  ¹⁶But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ¹⁷And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
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Dancing in idolatry and revelry

• Exodus 32:19
  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.
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• 1 Samuel 30:16
  And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, 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.So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
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• Matthew 14:6-8
  ⁶But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod ⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. ⁸And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
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• Job 21:11-12
  ¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.They send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about, ¹²They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute.
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See also

• Worship
• Music
• Praise
• Joy

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.