Gong

The gong was a concave, platelike piece of metal that reverberated loudly when struck.

In a number of languages the equivalent of “gong” is “noisy metal,” “reverberating metal,” or “echoing metal,” but frequently translators have simply used an expression meaning “loud bell.”

The Greek word chalkos can refer to a metal such as copper or bronze, something made out of metal such as coins (see Money, coins), or armor. The mention of a “cymbal” immediately after this word in 1CO 13:1 suggests that a musical instrument such as a gong is intended here. As noted in Cymbals, the cymbal in ancient times was a metal basin used like modern cymbals, in pairs, to produce a musical sound. Other translators will have to decide what musical instruments in their cultures carry the same meaning if there are no gongs or cymbals. Gongs and cymbals were sometimes part of pagan ritual in the time of the New Testament, and it is possible that Paul has this in mind in this verse. Recent scholarship has determined that the Greek phrase chalkos ēchōn (literally “booming brass”) in this verse may refer to a practice known from Greek amphitheaters. A type of resonating brass vase was placed at several locations at the back of the amphitheater to amplify the voices of the singers or actors on the stage. It served as a kind of amplification (Braun, page 44).