a Bible wording question

Question

I use a bilingual Bible to learn more religious language as well as vocabulary and verb tenses.

This phrase confuses me: al son del...

Psalms 92:2-3 ...proclamar tu gran amor por la mañana, y tu fidelidad por la noche, al son del decacordio y de la lira; al son del arpa y del salterio!

Can anyone explain why 'al son de' is used there?

Answer 1

Son is not a verb here. It's a noun!

http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/son

Thanks Goyo. Is this one of those nouns that is used often or is it only for poetic language? - katydew, Jan 1, 2012

Answer 2

...with music from, or to music from said instruments.

So :

to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.

Thanks Gekko, I understand the translation of it, but I've never seen the 'son' like that. I think I could only see it as a verb not a noun. - katydew, Jan 1, 2012

Oh. Well yeah. Music. :) - Gekkosan, Jan 1, 2012

Thanks. :o) - katydew, Jan 1, 2012

Answer 3

No. "al son de" is a common expression. Al son de los tambores. Al son de las maracas. Al son de la orquesta. It just means that something gets done to the sound or tune of certain music. -

Well I've only heard it about 5 times in my life as a shortened version of "sonido" or to mean sound, and I've heard "en son de paz" a handful of times too, but certainly not often given how much Spanish I listen to everyday (at least a few hours a day every day).

But then I don't read the bible much, or hang around Spanish musicians. - jeezzle, Jan 1, 2012

But thanks for answering anyway. Your link was helpful. Appreciate it. - katydew, Jan 2, 2012

Answer 4

Gekko or Goyo, can I add to this by asking you if "al son de" is only used with instruments or can it also be human voices, other noises...?

At the risk of answering out of turn......

al son de appears 24 times in the NVI bible, and all 24 times it refers to the sound of an instrument.

al son de appears 5 times in the Reina Valera 1960 bible, and each time it refers to an instrument.

at the sound of appears 5 times in the King James bible.

It is more commonly used in the modern language of the NVI than in the RV.

JSYK

Thanks. Very interesting. - katydew, Jan 2, 2012

Answer 5

Son means sound - eg Al son del violín. To the sound (strain) of the violin.

Here's RAE's listing:

son. (Del lat. sonus). 1. m. Sonido que afecta agradablemente al oído, con especialidad el que se hace con arte. 2. m. Noticia, fama, divulgación de algo. 3. m. pretexto. 4. m. Tenor, modo o manera. A este son. Por este son. 5. m. Cuba. Música popular bailable.

Thanks Kiwi. - katydew, Jan 1, 2012

Answer 6

Thanks Goyo. Is this one of those nouns that is used often or is it only for poetic language?

I don't really know, I never saw it before today and it threw me too.

I notice you are reading the "Nueva Versión Internacional". One would think they would use easy, basic Spanish all the time in what is the Spanish version of the "New International Version". So from that I would assume it is fairly common?

But the funny thing is, the Reina Valera 1960 (which is the most commonly accepted Protestant translation by far over all the others.... it seems easier to me here:

2 Anunciar por la mañana tu misericordia, Y tu fidelidad cada noche,

3 En el decacordio y en el salterio, En tono suave con el arpa.

So...I don't really know!

No. "al son de" is a common expression. Al son de los tambores. Al son de las maracas. Al son de la orquesta. It just means that something gets done to the sound or tune of certain music. - Gekkosan, Jan 1, 2012

Thank you both, very helpful. - katydew, Jan 1, 2012

Answer 7

Can I add to this by asking you if "al son de" is only used with instruments or can it also be human voices, other noises...?

In that case I won't answer. - jeezzle, Jan 1, 2012

but check here: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="son vs sonido"&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1802648&ei=8wwBT7S6MMLn0QHbvI2ICg&usg=AFQjCNHlh2f0wekmk3F_ziSwPCSTWczZAw&cad=rja - jeezzle, Jan 1, 2012

It is as that thread posted by Jeezle indicates. It is not restricted to sound. - Gekkosan, Jan 1, 2012

Sorry, Jeezle, at that point they were the only ones dialoguing... Let me edit my Q to make it more inviting.. ha - katydew, Jan 2, 2012

Helpful link Jeezle. Tks. - katydew, Jan 2, 2012