H3104 H3104
Ram's horn; the jubilee year proclaimed by its blast, marking liberty, land restoration, and debt release every fiftieth year
Derived from the ram's horn blown to announce sacred occasions, this term carries two closely related meanings. In its concrete sense it refers to the curved horn of a ram used as a trumpet -- the instrument sounded at Sinai (Exod 19:13) and carried by priests around Jericho (Josh 6:4-13). From this ritual blast comes its more frequent use as the name for the fiftieth year in Israel's calendar, the Year of Jubilee, when land returned to ancestral owners, debts were cancelled, and slaves were freed (Lev 25:10-13). The multilingual evidence confirms this split: translations render the calendrical sense with loan-words like 'jubileo' (spa), 'jubile' (fra), and 'Jubeljahr' (deu), while the instrumental sense draws on 'carnero/cuerno' (spa) and 'ram's horn' (eng).
Senses
1. jubilee year — The fiftieth year in Israel's sacred calendar, proclaimed by the blast of a ram's horn on the Day of Atonement. During this year, ancestral land reverts to its original clan, debts are released, and Hebrew bondservants go free. Multilingual glosses uniformly employ jubilee loan-words -- 'jubileo' (spa), 'jubile' (fra), 'Jubeljahr' (deu) -- reflecting the term's passage into global vocabulary. Central texts: Lev 25:10-15, Num 36:4. 21×
AR["الْيُوبِيلِ", "فِي-الْيُوبِيلِ", "وَفِي-الْيُوبِيلِ", "يُوبِيلٌ"]·ben["-তে-ইয়োবেলে,", "-তে-ইয়োবেলে;", "-তে-ইয়োবেলে।", "ইয়োবেল", "ইয়োবেলের", "ইয়োবেলের,", "ইয়োবেলের;", "এবং-ইয়োবেলে"]·DE["der-Jubeljahr", "ein-Jubeljahr", "in-der-Jubeljahr", "und-in-der-Jubeljahr"]·EN["a-jubilee", "and-in-the-jubilee", "in-the-jubilee", "the-jubilee"]·FR["dans-le-jubilé", "et-dans-le-jubilé", "le-jubilé", "un-jubilé"]·heb["ב-ה-ביבל", "ה-יבל", "ה-יובל", "ו-ב-ה-וביבל", "יובל"]·HI["और-योबेल-में", "योबेल", "योबेल-के", "योबेल-में"]·ID["Yobel", "dan-akan-dikurangi", "dan-ia-akan-keluar", "dan-ia-akan-kembali", "dan-pada-Yobel", "pada-Yobel", "tahun"]·IT["e-in-il-giubileo", "il-giubileo", "in-il-giubileo", "un-giubileo"]·jav["Yobèl", "ing-yobèl", "ing-yobèl.", "ing-yobèl;", "lan-ing-yobèl", "yobèl", "yobèl;"]·KO["그리고-희년에", "희년에", "희년의", "희년이니"]·PT["Yovel", "e-no-yovel", "no-yovel", "o-yovel", "yovel"]·RU["в-юбилей", "в-юбилейный", "и-в-юбилей", "юбилей", "юбилейного", "юбилейный", "юбилея", "ювилейного", "ювилейный"]·ES["Jubileo", "el-jubileo", "en-el-jubileo", "jubileo", "y-en-el-jubileo"]·SW["Yobeli", "katika-Yobeli", "na-katika-Yobeli"]·TR["-de-yobelde", "ve--de-yobelde", "yobel", "yobelin"]·urd["اور-یوبل-میں", "یوبل", "یوبل-میں", "یوبل-کے"]
2. ram's horn, trumpet — The ram's horn itself as a musical instrument, blown as a signal in ritual and military contexts. At Jericho, priests carried 'shoferot ha-yovelim' (rams' horns) before the ark (Josh 6:4-13); at Sinai, a prolonged blast of the yovel signaled the people's approach (Exod 19:13). Spanish 'cuerno/carnero' and French 'corne' capture the concrete, animal-derived sense distinct from the calendrical meaning. 6×
AR["اليوبيلِ", "الْبُوقِ", "يوبيلٍ"]·ben["মেষের", "মেষের-শৃঙ্গের", "শিঙার"]·DE["der-ram's-Horn", "von-der-Widder", "von-rams'-Hoerner"]·EN["of-rams'-horns", "of-the-ram", "the-ram's-horn"]·FR["de-le-ram", "de-rams'-cornes", "le-ram's-corne"]·heb["ה-יובל", "ה-יובלים", "יובלים"]·HI["नरसिंगा", "मेढ़े-के", "मेढ़े-के-सींग-के"]·ID["domba-jantan", "sangkakala", "tanduk-domba-jantan"]·IT["di-il-ram", "di-rams'-corna", "il-ram's-corno"]·jav["sungu-wedhus", "tanduk"]·KO["그-나팔의", "그-희년의", "희년의"]·PT["a-trombeta", "jubileus", "o-jubileu", "os-jubileus"]·RU["рог", "ювилейным", "ювилейных"]·ES["carneros", "el-carnero", "el-cuerno", "los-carneros"]·SW["kondoo", "pembe-ya-kondoo-dume", "pembe-za-kondoo"]·TR["boynuzun", "yovel'in"]·urd["جوبلی-کے", "نرسنگہ"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)H0352a 1. ram (male sheep) (156×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יוֹבֵל, יֹבֵל n.m. Nu 36:4 ram, ram’s horn, cornet (Ph. יבל ram; cf. Di Lv 25:10 DlPr 124)—abs. יוֹבֵל Jos 6:5 + 7 times; יֹבֵל Ex 19:13 + 13 times; pl. יוֹבְלִים Jos 6:4 + 2 times; יֹבְלִים Jos 6:13;— 1. ram, only in combin.: בִּמְשֹׁךְ בְּקֶרֶן הַיּ׳ Jos 6:5 the ram’s horn, as wind-instrument; so שׁוֹפְרוֹת (ה)י(ו)בלים Jos 6:4, 6, 8, 13 rams’ horns (v. BenzArchäol. 276); יֹבֵל alone,…