What Does the Bible Say About Dancing?
Here are 17 Bible verses about dancing, ordered by how relevant readers found them, with the King James Version and the modern Berean Standard Bible side by side.
- #1Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
BSBLet them praise His name with dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
- #2Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
BSBa time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
- #3Psalms 30:11
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
BSBYou turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
- #4Exodus 15:20
And 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.
BSBThen Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
- #5Psalms 150:4
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
BSBPraise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
- #6Jeremiah 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.
BSBThen 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.
- #7Luke 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.
BSBMeanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
- #8Judges 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.
BSBAnd 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.
- #91 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.
BSBSo 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.
- #10Psalms 150:1-6
Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
BSBHallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute. Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
- #11Job 21:11
They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.
BSBThey send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about,
- #12Psalms 68:25
The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
BSBThe singers lead the way, the musicians follow after, among the maidens playing tambourines.
- #131 Samuel 21:11
And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
BSBBut the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
- #14Lamentations 5:15
The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
BSBJoy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.
- #15Exodus 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.
BSBAs 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.
- #16Exodus 32:6
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
BSBSo the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.
- #17Exodus 15:20-21
And 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. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
BSBThen Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. 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.”
Verse rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY). Scripture: KJV & BSB (public domain).