The Shofar — God’s Ancient Trumpet
What is a Shofar?
The shofar (שׁוֹפָר) is an ancient instrument made from a ram’s horn, mentioned over 70 times in the Bible. It was used for religious ceremonies, military signals, and royal announcements — a piercing, unearthly sound meant to awaken the soul and summon God’s people.
The Shofar in Scripture
- Exodus 19:16 — The shofar sounded on Mount Sinai as God gave the Law
- Joshua 6:20 — The walls of Jericho fell when the priests blew their shofars
- Judges 7:19-22 — Gideon’s 300 men blew shofars and routed the Midianite army
- Joel 2:1 — “Blow the shofar in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill!”
- Psalm 81:3 — “Blow the shofar at the new moon”
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 — The last trumpet (shofar) at the resurrection of the dead
The Sounds of the Shofar
- Tekiah — One long, straight blast. A call to attention.
- Shevarim — Three broken notes. A cry of brokenness and repentance.
- Teruah — Short staccato blasts. An alarm to wake up.
- Tekiah Gedolah — The great blast, held as long as possible.
“If the shofar gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” — 1 Corinthians 14:8
Hear the Shofar
Listen to the shofar and learn its four traditional calls.
Key Scriptures
Leviticus 25:9–10
“Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.”
Revelation 1:10
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.”
Revelation 4:1
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”