שֹׁפָר, H7782
Shofar; a ram's horn trumpet used for warfare, assembly, worship, and theophany; occasionally the horn itself as object.
The shofar is arguably the most iconic sound in the Hebrew Bible — the piercing blast that toppled Jericho's walls (Josh 6:5), heralded God's descent on Sinai (Exod 19:16), and will one day announce the great ingathering (Isa 27:13). Used overwhelmingly as a signaling instrument in military, liturgical, and prophetic contexts, the shofar is a curved ram's horn whose sound carries both martial urgency and sacred awe. A small cluster of passages foregrounds the physical horn object itself, particularly in Chronicles and Psalms, where it appears paired with other instruments.
Senses
1. ram's horn trumpet — The ram's horn as a signal instrument, covering warfare (Judg 7:8, 16), theophany (Exod 19:16; 20:18), religious assembly (Lev 25:9; Joel 2:1), and prophetic announcement (Isa 27:13; 58:1). This is the dominant sense across 69 of 72 occurrences. Translations vary revealingly: German 'Posaune' (trombone/trumpet) emphasizes the sound, Spanish 'cuerno' the material, while French 'trompette' and many languages simply transliterate 'shofar,' reflecting its unique cultural status. 69×
AR["البوقَ", "البوقُ", "البوقِ", "البُوقِ", "الشَّوْفَارِ", "بوقٌ", "بوقٍ", "بُوقًا", "بُوقٍ", "بِالبُوقِ"]·ben["শিঙা", "শিঙার"]·DE["Posaune", "Schofar", "der-Schofar", "ein-Posaune", "ein-shofar", "shofar"]·EN["a-shofar", "a-trumpet", "horn", "shofar", "the-shofar", "trumpet"]·FR["trompette", "un-shofar"]·heb["שׁוֹפָר", "שופר"]·HI["तुरही", "तुरही-का", "नरसिंगा", "नरसिंगा-की", "नरसिंगा-के", "नरसिंगे", "नरसिंगे-का", "नरसिंगे-की", "नरसिंगे-की।"]·ID["sangkakala"]·IT["shofar", "tromba", "un-shofar"]·jav["Yakub", "ing-kutha", "kalasangka", "salompret", "sangkakala", "slomprèt", "suling", "suling-tanduk"]·KO["나팔-을", "나팔-의", "나팔을", "나팔의", "나팔이"]·PT["a-trombeta", "de-trombeta", "shofar", "trombeta"]·RU["в-шофар", "рога", "труба", "трубы", "шофар", "шофара"]·ES["cuerno", "shofar", "shofar?", "trompeta"]·SW["tarumbeta", "ya-tarumbeta"]·TR["borazanın", "boru", "borunun", "borusu", "boruzanın"]·urd["نرسنگا", "نرسنگا-کی", "نرسنگہ", "نرسنگہ-سے", "نرسنگہ-کا", "نرسنگے-کی", "نرسنگے-کے۔"]
2. horn (animal horn) — The physical animal horn as a material object, foregrounding its nature as a horn rather than its signaling function. Attested in 1 Chr 15:28, 2 Chr 15:14, and Ps 98:6, where the shofar appears alongside trumpets and cymbals in orchestral listings. Several African and Asian translations use generic 'horn' words (Swahili 'pembe,' Arabic 'qurun') rather than instrument-specific terms, confirming the emphasis on the object's material identity rather than its acoustic purpose. 3×
AR["الشَّوْفَارِ", "بُوقٍ", "وَبِ-قُرُونٍ"]·ben["আর-শিঙাগুলোতে", "ও-সাথে", "শিঙার"]·DE["[ובשופרות]", "[שופר]", "der-Schofar"]·EN["and-with-horns", "shofar", "the-shofar"]·FR["[ובשופרות]", "[שופר]", "trompette"]·heb["ו-ב-שופרות", "שופר"]·HI["और-ब-नरसिंगों", "नरसिंगा", "शोफर-की"]·ID["dan-dengan-sangkakala", "sangkakala"]·IT["[ובשופרות]", "[שופר]", "tromba"]·jav["lan-kaliyan-sungu", "sangkakala", "sungu"]·KO["그리고-각-들-로", "나팔", "백-의"]·PT["buzina", "e-com-chifres", "shofar"]·RU["и-с-рогами", "шофара"]·ES["cuerno", "y-con-shofarot"]·SW["na-kwa-pembe", "pembe"]·TR["boru", "ve-şofarlarla", "şofar"]·urd["اور-نرسنگوں-سے", "بگل-کی", "نرسنگے-کی"]
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H4196 1. altar (place of sacrifice) (403×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H4043 1. shield, defensive weapon (60×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)H7626 2. rod, staff, stick (33×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שֹׁפָר, שׁוֹפָר n.m. Is 27:13 horn, for blowing (Aramaic שׁיפורא √ dub.; CAdlerPAOS 1889, clxxi ff. cp. Assyrian š/sappar(u) a species of wild goat; in any case the שׁ׳ is a curved horn, as of cow or ram, cf. Dr Am 2:2 (with illustr.));—abs. שׁוֹ׳ 2 S 6:15 +, שׁ׳ Ex 19:16 +; cstr. שׁוֹפַר Lv 25:9; pl. שׁוֹפָרוֹת Ju 7:22 +, cstr. שׁוֹפְרוֹת Jos 6:4 +; sf. שׁוֹפְרֹתֵיהֶם Ju 7:8;—horn, mostly as…