This term denotes a loud command or summons, originally used for military orders, a boatswain's call to rowers, or a charioteer's cry to horses. First Thessalonians 4:16 uses it to describe the commanding shout accompanying Christ's return—alongside the archangel's voice and God's trumpet. The Spanish 'voz de mando' captures the military command sense well. This is not ordinary speech but an authoritative call that demands response.