The Hebrew literally refers to temple singers, the singers of the royal court (see 2 Samuel 19:35; 2 Chronicles 35:25; Ecclesiastes 2:8). These singers were meant to entertain the king and his officials, but now they will no longer do so. Now they will be official mourners, not singing songs of joy but songs of wailing, a theme that has also been mentioned elsewhere in Amos (see Amos 5:16–17; Amos 8:8, Amos 8:10).1
3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,”declares the Lord GOD. “So many dead bodies!” “They are thrown everywhere!” “Silence!”