The blowing of the shofar (taqa) is one of the defining sounds of Scripture: announcing the new year (Psalm 81:3), summoning Israel to war or assembly (Numbers 10:2), heralding the presence of God at Sinai (Exodus 19:13), and proclaiming the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:9). In eschatology, the great trumpet blast (taqa) announces the Day of the LORD (Joel 2:1) and, in New Testament fulfillment, the return of Christ (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52).
Taqa means to strike, thrust, or drive — as in driving a tent peg into the ground, or driving a stake into a skull (Judges 4:21). It also means to blow a trumpet or shofar, the sound produced by the thrust of breath. And it means to clap hands or strike a pledge.