The Hebrew noun nebel has two distinct but related meanings: (1) a stringed instrument, typically translated 'harp' or 'lute' — a large, resonant instrument used in temple worship; and (2) a large jar, skin, or flask for wine or water. The shape of the instrument may have resembled the jar.
The nebel as a musical instrument is central to Israel's worship. Psalm 33:2 commands praise with the harp (nebel) and the ten-stringed lyre, and throughout the Psalms it appears as an instrument of joyful, exuberant worship before God. David appointed Levites to play the nebel before the Ark (1 Chronicles 15:16). Music was not peripheral to Israelite worship — it was a commanded vehicle of theological expression.