Numbers 10:5-7

10:5 When you blow an alarm, ¹  then the camps that are located ²  on the east side must begin to travel. ³  10:6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on the south side must begin to travel. ⁴  An alarm must be sounded ⁵  for their journeys. 10:7 But when you assemble the community, ⁶  you must blow, but you must not sound an alarm. ⁷ 

Numbers 10:9

10:9 If you go to war in your land against an adversary who opposes ⁸  you, then you must sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved ⁹  from your enemies.

Ezekiel 33:3

33:3 He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet, ¹⁰  and warns the people, ¹¹ 

Ezekiel 33:6

33:6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, ¹²  but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’ ¹³ 

Amos 3:6

3:6 If an alarm sounds ¹⁴  in a city, do people not fear? ¹⁵ 

If disaster overtakes a ¹⁶  city, is the Lord not responsible? ¹⁷ 

Zephaniah 1:16

1:16 a day of trumpet blasts ¹⁸  and battle cries. ¹⁹ 

Judgment will fall on ²⁰  the fortified cities and the high corner towers.

¹ tn The word for an alarm is תְּרוּעָה (tÿru’ah). The root verb of this word means “to give a blast on the trumpet.” It may also on occasion mean “give a shout” in battle (Josh 6:10). In this passage it must refer to the sound of the trumpet.

² tn Heb “the camps that are camping.”

³ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of the imperfect tense. Here the emphasis is on the start of the journey.

⁴ tc The MT does not mention the departures of the northerly and westerly tribes. The Greek text completes the description by adding them, making a full schedule of the departure of the groups of tribes. The Greek is not likely to be original, however, since it carries all the signs of addition to complete the text, making a smooth, full reading. The MT is to be preferred; it apparently used two of the groups to give the idea.

⁵ tn The Hebrew text has “they shall blow an alarm”; the sentence without a formal subject should be taken as a passive idea.

⁶ tn There is no expressed subject in the initial temporal clause. It simply says, “and in the assembling the assembly.” But since the next verb is the second person of the verb, that may be taken as the intended subject here.

⁷ sn The signal for moving camp was apparently different in tone and may have been sharper notes or a different sequence. It was in some way distinguishable.

⁸ tn Both the “adversary” and “opposes” come from the same root: צָרַר (tsarar), “to hem in, oppress, harass,” or basically, “be an adversary.”

⁹ tn The Niphal perfect in this passage has the passive nuance and not a reflexive idea – the Israelites would be spared because God remembered them.

¹⁰ tn Heb “shofar,” a ram’s horn rather than a brass instrument (so throughout the chapter).

¹¹ tn Sounding the trumpet was a warning of imminent danger (Neh 4:18-20; Jer 4:19; Amos 3:6).

¹² tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 8 and 9; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.

¹³ tn Heb “his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “If the ram’s horn is blown.”

¹⁵ tn Or “tremble” (NASB, NIV, NCV); or “shake.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “is in”; NIV, NCV, NLT “comes to.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “has the Lord not acted?”

¹⁸ tn Heb “a ram’s horn.” By metonymy the Hebrew text mentions the trumpet (“ram’s horn”) in place of the sound it produces (“trumpet blasts”).

¹⁹ sn This description of the day of the Lord consists of an initial reference to anger, followed by four pairs of synonyms. The joining of synonyms in this way emphasizes the degree of the characteristic being described. The first two pairs focus on the distress and ruin that judgment will bring; the second two pairs picture this day of judgment as being very dark (darkness) and exceedingly overcast (gloom). The description concludes with the pairing of two familiar battle sounds, the blast on the ram’s horn (trumpet blasts) and the war cries of the warriors (battle cries).

²⁰ tn Heb “against.” The words “judgment will fall” are supplied in the translation for clarification.