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.
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۔"]
Lev 25:9, Josh 6:4, Josh 6:5, Josh 6:8, Josh 6:9, Josh 6:9, Josh 6:13, Josh 6:13, Josh 6:16, Josh 6:20, Josh 6:20, Judg 3:27 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
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×)G4143 1. boat, small fishing vessel (45×)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×)
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…