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Ángel M.
Rodríguez
Adventist Review
May 1997
In
my local church clapping during worship service is very common. Is there
any biblical support for this practice?
Clapping during church services is becoming more and more popular in many
of our churches. So your church is not unique in this
respect. Clapping is mentioned in the Bible as an expression of social
and religious feelings. The ideas associated with this gesture are not
always the ones we associate it with in our culture.
Four Hebrew verbs are used
to express the action of clapping (macha', nakah, saphak,
taqa'), and all of them contain, as would be expected, the idea of
striking something or someone. They are used in conjunction with the noun
"hand" (Heb. kaf) to communicate the action of clapping ("striking
the hands"). The phrase is used in several different ways.
1. It is an expression
of joy at the ascension of the king: This a social function of the
gesture. When Joash was introduced as the legitimate heir to the throne
those who were present clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the
king!" (2 Kgs. 11:2). A religious usage is found in Ps. 47:1 where the
psalmist invites all peoples to clap their hands because the Lord is being
proclaimed as King over the earth. In Ps 98:8 the people are exhorted
to praise the Lord and the hills to clap their hands because the Lord
is coming as King and Judge of the earth. Even nature should rejoice before
the Lord.
2. It is an expression
of joy on account of God's saving actions: The return of the people
of God from their captivity in Babylon is described by Isaiah as an act
of redemption. What the Lord will do for His exiled people is so wonderful
and glorious that even nature will rejoice. In this context the prophet
personifies the trees of the field and describes them as clapping their
hands as a gesture of joy (Isa. 55:12).
3. It is an expression
of disgust and anger: Balak was angry because Balaam blessed the
people of Israel instead of cursing them and he showed this emotion by
clapping his hands (Num. 24:10). Ezekiel clapped his hands in disgust
after seen the evil practiced in Judah (6:11). The Lord clapped his hands
in anger and disgust as a reaction to dishonest gain and to the blood
spilled out by His people in Jerusalem (22:13; 21:14, 17). This is a symbolic
action on God's part that is followed by His judgment against unrepentant
sinners.
4. It is an expression
of malicious glee: This meaning is found exclusively in the context
of defeated enemies. In the prophecy against Nineveh God announces that
all those who will hear about it will clap their hands over the city and
its misfortune (Nah. 3:19). The Ammonites clapped their hands and rejoiced
with malice against Israel when is was being destroyed by the Babylonians
(Ezek. 25:6). It is this same contempt and hostility that those passing
by the ruins of Jerusalem expressed by clapping their hands (Lam. 2:15).
This hand gesture was indeed a sign of hostility and derision.
There is no clear evidence
that this gesture was part of the worship service in the Old and New Testaments.
In fact, I did not find the phrase in the New Testament. Therefore, there
does not seem to be any biblical parallel to what is taking place in our
churches today. You may ask me, Why we do it? I am not sure there is an
answer. I suspect that we incorporated clapping into our services
from our cultural environment. Clapping is usually associated with the
entertainment industry but has become very popular in evangelical televised
religious services. Perhaps we copied it from them.
Leaving aside the issue of
cultural influence, I suppose that what really matters is that each person
be fully aware of the reasons why he or she claps in church. Motivation
becomes extremely important in this context. Is it an expression of joy
in the Lord and His saving power? Is it only a physical expression or
a substitute for what used to be the audible "Amen!"? Or is it a recognition
of the good performance of the singer or the preacher?
This time, as you can see,
I have more questions than answers!
Copyright © Biblical Research Institute General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
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