The Blowing of the Trumpet

The Blowing of the Trumpet

Jeremiah 33:3 and Isaiah 59:1

The sound of the SHOFAR carries a message: GOD hears the cry of his people and keeps his promises.

The ancient Jews made a trumpet from a hollowed-out ram’s horn, called a SHOFAR in Hebrew. Blown in a long, loud, steady blast, it produced a horn-like sound.

Sounding the SHOFAR held deep significance for the Israelites, who blew it in battle, at celebrations, and on HOLY DAYS.

The SHOFAR’s sound (the blowing of the trumpet) was unusual: a dull, flat tone in a minor key rather than a bright one. It mimicked people crying out or calling for help, much like the sound an animal makes when hurt or in trouble.

When Moses went to Mt. Sinai, GOD’s voice sounded like a SHOFAR, like the voices of people crying. Moses had no SHOFAR with him; the sound came from the voice of GOD. Through it, GOD reproduced the cry of the people of Israel in bondage and under tyranny, as if to tell Moses and the Israelites: "I have heard your cry. I am with you. I have not abandoned you, and I will not forsake you."

The blowing of the trumpet acknowledged that GOD heard the people’s cries and kept his promises. GOD promised two things: "I will deliver you from bondage, and I will bring you to the promised land." The trumpet was first blown at the two places where those promises were kept: Mt. Sinai and Jericho.

Mt. Sinai (deliverance from bondage)

Jericho (entry into the promised land)