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H7782 · Hebrew · Old Testament
שׁוֹפָר
shophar
Noun, masculine
ram's horn, trumpet

Definition

The curved horn of a ram, used as a musical instrument for signaling. Blown at the giving of the Law, the Jubilee, the new year, battle, and in worship. The shophar announced divine events.

Usage & Theological Significance

The Shofar connects human time with divine action. Its blast at Sinai terrified Israel (Exod 19:16); in Joshua 6 it brought down Jericho's walls; at Rosh Hashanah it calls Israel to repentance.

Key Bible Verses

Exodus 19:16 There were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet [shophar] blast.
Joshua 6:5 When they make a long blast with the ram's horn [shophar], all the people shall shout.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

Word Study

Paul's 'last trumpet' (1 Cor 15:52) and the trumpets of Revelation stand in the shophar tradition — cosmic, divine announcements that reorganize reality. The Jubilee shophar (Lev 25) proclaimed liberty, which Jesus claimed to fulfill (Luke 4:18).

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External Resources

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