Numbers 10 commentary

NUMBERS 10 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
The Silver Trumpets
1 The Lord said to Moses:
GILL, "And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... When the following directions
concerning the trumpets were given is not certain; it may he at the time when the order
of the camps of Israel was fixed, and is here recorded before the journeying of them,
which was one use they were to be put unto, Num_10:2,
HENRY 1-10, "We have here directions concerning the public notices that were to be
given to the people upon several occasions by sound of trumpet. In a thing of this nature,
one would think, Moses needed not to have been taught of God: his own reason might
teach him the conveniency of trumpets; but the constitution of Israel was to be in every
thing divine, and therefore even in this matter, small as it seems. Moses is here directed,
1. About the making of them. They must be made of silver; not cast but of beaten work
(as some read it), the matter and shape, no doubt, very fit for the purpose. He was now
ordered to make but two, because there were but two priests to use them. But in
Solomon's time we read of 120 priests sounding with trumpets, 2Ch_5:12. The form of
these trumpets is supposed to have been much like ours at this day. 2. Who were to
make use of them; not any inferior person, but the priests themselves, the sons of Aaron,
Num_10:8. As great as they were, they must not think it a disparagement to them to be
trumpeters in the house of God; the meanest office there was honourable. This signified
that the Lord's ministers should lift up their voice like a trumpet, to show people their
sins (Isa_58:1), to call them to Christ, Isa_27:13. 3. Upon what occasions the trumpets
were to be sounded. (1.) For the calling of assemblies, Num_10:2. Thus they are told to
blow the trumpet in Zion for the calling of a solemn assembly together, to sanctify a fast,
Joe_2:15. Public notice ought to be given of the time and place of religious assemblies;
for the invitation to the benefit or ordinances is general: whoever will, let him come.
wisdom cries in the chief places of concourse. But, that the trumpet might not give an
uncertain sound, they are directed, if only the princes and elders were to meet, to blow
but one of the trumpets; less should serve to call them together, who ought to be
examples of forwardness in any thing that is good: but, if the body of the people were to
be called together, both the trumpets must be sounded, that they might be heard at the
greater distance. In allusion to this, they are said to be blessed that hear the joyful sound
(Psa_89:15), that is, that are invited and called upon to wait upon God in public
ordinances, Psa_122:1. And the general assembly at the great day will be summoned by
the sound of the archangel's trumpet, Mat_24:31. (2.) For the journeying of the camps,
to give notice when each squadron must move; for no man's voice could reach to give the
1

word of command: soldiers with us that are well disciplined may be exercised by beat of
drums. When the trumpets were blown for this purpose, they mustsound an alarm
(Num_10:5), a broken, quavering, interrupted sound, which was proper to excite and
encourage the minds of people in their marches against their enemies; whereas a
continued equal sound was more proper for the calling of the assembly together (Num_
10:7): yet when the people were called together to deprecate God's judgments we find an
alarm sounded, Joe_2:1. At the first sounding, Judah's squadron marched, at the second
Reuben's, at the third Ephraim's, at the fourth Dan's, Num_10:5, Num_10:6. And some
think that this was intended to sanctify their marches, for thus were proclaimed by the
priests, who were God's mouth to the people, not only the divine orders given them to
move, but the divine blessing upon them in all their motions. He that hath ears, let him
hear that God is with them of a truth. King Abijah valued himself and his army very
much upon this (2Ch_13:12), God himself is with us for our captain and his priests with
sounding trumpets. (3.) For the animating and encouraging of their armies, when they
went out in battle (Num_10:9): “If you go to war, blow with the trumpets, signifying
thereby your appeal to heaven for the decision of the controversy, and your prayer to
God to give you victory; and God will own this his own institution, and you shall be
remembered before the Lord your God.” God will take notice of this sound of the
trumpet, and be engaged to fight their battles, and let all the people take notice of it, and
be encouraged to fight his, as David, when he heard a sound of a going upon the tops of
the mulberry trees. Not that God needed to be awaked by sound of trumpet any more
than Christ needed to be awaked by his disciples in the storm, Mat_8:25. But where he
intends mercy it is his will that we should solicit it; ministers must stir up the good
soldiers of Jesus Christ to fight manfully against sin, the world, and the devil, by
assuring them that Christ is the captain of their salvation, and will tread Satan under
their feet. (4.) For the solemnizing of their sacred feasts, Mat_8:10. One of their feasts
was called a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, Lev_23:23, etc. And it should seem
they were thus to grace the solemnity of all their feasts (Psa_81:3), and their sacrifices
(2Ch_29:27), to intimate with what joy and delight they performed their duty to God,
and to raise the minds of those that attended the services to a holy triumph in the God
they worshipped. And then their performances were for a memorial before God; for he
takes pleasure in our religious exercises when we take pleasure in them. Holy work
should be done with holy joy.
K&D 1-4 The Silver Signal-Trumpets. - Although God Himself appointed the time for
removal and encampment by the movement of the cloud of His presence, signals were
also requisite for ordering and conducting the march of so numerous a body, by means
of which Moses, as commander-in-chief, might make known his commands to the
different divisions of the camp. To this end God directed him to prepare two silver
trumpets of beaten work (mikshah, see Exo_25:18), which should serve “for the calling of
the assembly, and for the breaking up of the camps,” i.e., which were to be used for this
purpose. The form of these trumpets is not further described. No doubt they were
straight, not curved, as we may infer both from the representation of these trumpets on
the triumphal arch of Titus at Rome, and also from the fact, that none but straight
trumpets occur on the old Egyptian monuments (see my Arch. ii. p. 187). With regard to
the use of them for calling the congregation, the following directions are given in Num_
10:3, Num_10:4 : “When they shall blow with them (i.e., with both), the whole
2

congregation (in all its representatives) shall assemble at the door of the tabernacle; if
they blow with only one, the princes or heads of the families of Israel shall assemble
together.”
COFFMAN, "This chapter reports the conclusion of preparations made for the
departure of Israel from Sinai, the final thing mentioned being that of procuring the
silver trumpets and the explanation of their function (Numbers 10:1-10). The rest of
the chapter recounts the actual departure from Sinai (Numbers 10:11-36). Numbers
10:11, therefore, is the beginning of a second major division of Numbers. Whereas,
all the previous portion of the book has been devoted to "knitting up the loose
ends," as we might say, right here in Numbers 10:11, God gives the command, and
Israel begins her march to the Promised Land. It should have been a rather short
journey, but it was not. The excursion that began somewhat over a year after their
deliverance from Egyptian bondage was to be frustrated by many sad experiences,
but at last, a remnant of them would indeed enter Canaan. That space of time
covered in these middle chapters (Numbers 10:11 to Numbers 20:13) was about
thirty-eight years, counting the year before they started and the year while they
were poised for entry into Canaan. This whole period of forty years is that of "The
Wanderings," typical of the wilderness of the Church's probation in the current
dispensation of the grace of God.
Some have marveled that so little record of those thirty-eight intervening years is
given, but there is actually no mystery about this. In the long bitter years after Israel
rebelled and were condemned to wait upon the arrival of another generation who
would more nearly obey the Lord, what they did during that period of living out of
their sentence had little importance. All of the incidents recorded in Numbers were
not oriented to the project of telling what that generation did, but to the provision of
examples from their sins and mistakes that would have value for Christians in ages
to come, as cited in the N.T.:
Now these things happened unto them by way of example, and they were written for
our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. - 1 Corinthians 10:11.
A realization of this fundamental truth is important in any effort to understand the
Book of Numbers. The whole history of Israel in the wilderness is not given here,
nor are the things mentioned always clear as to times and details of their happening.
The minute identification of the places mentioned is in many cases impossible.
Persons mentioned are not always fully identified, simply because such
identification would have been totally irrelevant to the purpose of God who is the
author of this fourth book of Moses. In this very chapter, such details as the exact
sound of the various alarms and signals of the trumpets is largely conjectural. Just
who was Hobab? Why did the ark go before the people instead of going "in the
midst of the column" as indicated earlier? Etc., etc. Our curiosity might have been
somewhat satisfied if the Lord had gone into more detail, but the whole purpose of
3

these writings was that of using the mistakes of that generation of Israel who failed,
in order that Christians of future ages might avoid their mistakes and avert the
penalties that fell upon them:
"Neither be idolaters, as were some of them ... Neither let us commit fornication,
as some of them committed ... Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of them
made trial, and perished by the serpents ... Neither murmur ye, as some of them
murmured, and perished by the destroyer." - 1 Corinthians 10:7-10.
It is evident that Paul had the Book of Numbers specifically in view when he penned
these lines. Therefore, knowing the purpose of these writings, we shall not vex
ourselves and our readers with the repetition of endless opinions about where this or
that place was actually located, or about exactly how this or that was done. What
good could it possibly do us, even if we certainly knew?
"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of
beaten work shalt thou make them: and thou shalt use them for the calling of the
congregation, and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow them,
all the congregation shall gather themselves unto thee at the door of the tent of
meeting. And if they blow but one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of
Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. And when ye blow an alarm, the camps
that lie on the east side shall take their journey. And when ye blow an alarm the
second time, the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall
blow an alarm for their journeys. But when the assembly is to be gathered together,
ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests,
shall blow the trumpets; and they shall be to you for a statute forever throughout
your generations. And when ye go to war in your land against the adversary that
oppresseth you, then ye shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be
remembered before Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in the beginnings of
your months, ye shall blow the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the
sacrifices of your peace-offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before
your God: I am Jehovah your God."
"Make thee two trumpets ..." (Numbers 10:2). It may not be supposed that God
waited until the day before Israel was to march and then instructed Moses to make
these silver trumpets. "It does not follow necessarily that the command was given at
this time."[1] The trumpets were already procured, but their production, and the
explanation of their use, was explained here.
"Sons of Aaron shall blow ..." (Numbers 10:8). Only the priests were commissioned
to blow these trumpets, a prerogative that was to extend throughout their
generations forever. Such a connection with the priesthood of Israel could not fail to
be used as an excuse to find evidence of a late date. "The word here for trumpet is
distinctly a late term and usually a priestly word."[2] The trumpets may not in any
manner be supposed as a late invention in Israel. "Elegant specimens of this very
4

kind of trumpet were found interred with the body of Tutankhamen, Egyptian
Pharaoh (circa 1350 B.C.)."[3] Josephus says that Moses invented them. He
described them thus:
"Each was a little less than a cubit in length, and was made of silver, and was
composed of a narrow tube somewhat thicker that a flute; it ended in the form of a
bell."[4]
One may also see depictions of these instruments on the Arch of Titus in Rome, as
the silver trumpets were part of the loot carried off by the Romans when Jerusalem
was destroyed in A.D. 70. The priests of our Lord's era still utilized these
instruments in their ceremonies, with some remarkable perversions of God's will, as
was pointed out by Jesus.
"When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory of
men." - Matthew 6:2.
One finds a tremendous amount of writing with regard to the exact types of signals
that meant one thing or another; but, as Gray pointed out: "Whether the verbs
(Numbers 10:6,7) mean to blow a series of short staccato notes, or a single long
blast, there is no evidence to decide."[5] Keil thought the alarm was given by the
short staccato blasts,[6] but Adam Clarke thought that a very long blast was also
associated with the alarm.[7] There has been no new breakthrough with regard to
the verbs (blow, sound). "These are [~teqia`] (traditionally, long blasts), and
[~terua`] (traditionally, short staccato blasts)."[8] Orlinsky says that, "nothing
certain has been achieved in the interpretation of these words."[9]
Of far more importance than the exact nature of the signals is the typical import of
these silver trumpets with regard to the kingdom of God. Those ancient priests
supplied with the silver trumpets and commissioned to warn God's people of their
daily duties and of dangers to be encountered are most certainly types of the
ministers of Jesus Christ in these present times.
What a need exists today for such a priestly ministry to call the Lord's people and
their leaders BACK TO THE BIBLE out of error, priestism, cultism, and apostasy
to apprehend the full and free salvation (through the obedience of faith) in Jesus
Christ our Lord.[10]
These silver trumpets are to be distinguished from the [~showpar], or ram's horn
frequently used in Israel's earlier history. "These were `an entirely new kind of
trumpet'."[11] That God himself was the Author of this new device is inherently
proved by the words of Jesus Christ himself who used this trumpet to typify
something associated with the final Judgment itself:
"Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man
5

coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth
his angels WITH A GREAT SOUND OF A TRUMPET, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." -
Matthew 24:30-31.
In this connection, "The Apostle Paul doubtless had the use of these instruments in
mind when he made metaphorical reference to `the trumpet' in 1 Corinthians 14:8;
15:52."[12] Both from the words of Jesus and from those of Paul, we thus learn that
some tremendous noise of cosmic and universal dimensions will come at the
termination of our age, this fact alone reveals the hand of God Himself in these
instructions to Moses, and eliminates any possibility whatever of these trumpets
having been in any manner of late improvisation of Jewish priesthood. "The
ordinance of the silver trumpets must be perpetuated forever in the preaching of the
gospel."[13]
As for the question of why only two trumpets were commanded, Cook supposed
that, "It was because, at that time, Aaron had only two sons; and when the number
of priest greatly increased at a later date, the number of trumpets was increased;
there were seven in the times of Joshua and 120 in the times of Solomon (2
Chronicles 5:12)."[14]
ELLICOTT, "(2) Of a whole piece.—Better, of beaten (or, turned) work. (See Notes
on Exodus 25:18; Exodus 25:31.) The trumpets here spoken of are supposed to have
been straight, like that on the triumphal arch of Titus at Rome and on the old
Egyptian monuments. In this respect the hazozerah is supposed to have differed
from the cornet or horn, keren or shophar (which is interchanged with keren),
which was crooked. (See Joshua 6:5. compared with 6:4, 6, 8, 13.) We find reference
to the jubilee trumpet in Leviticus 25:9, from which it has been inferred that the
trumpets here mentioned were not first made at this time. It is true, indeed, that the
first verse might be rendered: “Now the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying”; but
the word used in Leviticus 25:9 is shophar, not hazozerah, and the latter word
occurs in this place for the first time.
WHEDON, "THE SILVER SIGNAL TRUMPETS, Numbers 10:1-10.
The necessity of some system of signals is manifest when we consider the vastness of
an assemblage of more than two millions of people. These signals, except the cloudy
pillar, could not be successfully addressed to the eye in consequence of the
unevenness of the ground over which the vast column must travel and on which they
must spread their widely extended camp. Moreover, the pillar, the visible symbol of
Jehovah’s guiding presence, was not designed to convey the minor directions
requisite in the management of so vast a number, but only to indicate the beginning,
course, and halting of the march. Hence a system of signals addressed to the ear is
devised to communicate from the tabernacle to the various divisions of this grand
6

army.
PULPIT, "Numbers 10:1
And the Lord spake. The command to make the silver trumpets is introduced here,
because one principal use of them was connected with the order of march. It does
not necessarily, follow that the command was actually given exactly at this time, or
that all the different directions for use formed part of one communication. They
may have been gathered together for convenience sake. See the Introduction on this
subject. It is, however, a mistake to suppose that this use of trumpets has been
anticipated in Le Numbers 25:9, or elsewhere, for the "trumpets" there mentioned
were altogether different in shape, as in material.
EBC, " THE SILVER TRUMPETS
Numbers 10:1-10
An air of antique simplicity is felt in the legislation regarding the two trumpets of
silver, yet we are not in any way hindered from connecting the statute with the idea
of claiming human art for Divine service. Instrumental music was of course
rudimentary in the wilderness; but, such as it was, Jehovah was to control the use of
it through the priests; and the developed idea is found in the account of the
dedication of the temple of Solomon, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 5:1-14, where we
are told that besides the Levites, who had cymbals, psalteries, and harps, a hundred
and twenty priests sounding with trumpets took part in the music.
There is no need to question the early use of these instruments; nevertheless, the
legislation in our passage assumes the settlement in Canaan, and times when
defensive war became necessary and the observance of the sacred feasts fell into a
fixed order. The statute is instructive as to the meaning of the formula "The Lord
spake unto Moses," and not less as to the gradual accretion of particulars around an
ancient nucleus. We cannot set aside the sincere record, though it may seem to make
Jehovah speak on matters of small importance. But interpretation must spring from
a right understanding of the purpose suggested to the mind of Moses. Uses found for
the trumpets in the course of years are simply extensions of the germinal idea of
reserving for sacred use those instruments and the art they represented. It was well
that whatever fear or exhilaration the sounding of them caused should be controlled
by those who were responsible to God for the moral inspiration of the people.
According to the statute, the two trumpets, which were of very simple make, and
capable of only a few notes, had their use first in calling assemblies. A long peal
blown on one trumpet summoned the princes who were the heads of the thousands
of Israel: a long peal on both trumpets called the whole congregation to the "tent of
meeting." There were occasions when these assemblies were required not for
7

deliberation, but to hear in detail the instructions and orders of the leader. At other
times the convocations were for prayer or thanksgiving; or, again, the people had to
hear solemn reproofs and sentences of punishment. We may imagine that with
varying sound, joyful or mournful, the trumpets were made to convey some
indication of the purpose for which the assembly was called.
A sacred obligation lay on the Israelites to obey the summons, whether for joy or
sorrow. They heard in the trumpet-blast the very voice of God. And upon us, bound
to His service by a more solemn and gracious covenant, rests an obligation even
more commanding. The unity of the tribes of Israel, and their fellowship in the
obedience and worship of Jehovah, could never be of half so much importance as
the unity of Christians in declaring their faith and fulfilling their vocation. To come
together at the call of recurring opportunity, that we may confess Christ and hear
His word anew, is essential to our spiritual life. Those who hear the call should
know its urgency and promptly respond, lest in the midst of the holiest light there
come to be a shadow of deep darkness, the midnight gloom of paganism and death.
Again, in the wilderness, the trumpets gave the signal for striking the camp and
setting out on a new stage of the journey. Blown sharply by way of alarm, the peals
conveyed now to one, now to another part of the host the order to advance. The
movement of the pillar of cloud, we may assume, could not be seen everywhere, and
this was another means of direction, not only of a general kind, but with some detail.
Taking Numbers 10:5-6, along with the passage beginning at Numbers 10:14, we
have an ideal picture of the order of movement. One peal, sharply rung out from the
trumpets, would signify that the eastern camp, embracing the tribes of Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, should advance. Then the tabernacle was to be taken down,
and the Levites of the families of Gershon and Merari were to set forward with the
various parts of the tent and its enclosure. Next two alarms gave the signal to the
southern camp, that of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. The Levites of the family of
Kohath followed, bearing the ark, the altar of incense, the great altar, the table of
shewbread, and other furniture of the sanctuary. The third and fourth camps, of
which Ephraim and Benjamin were the heads, brought up the rear. In these
movements the trumpets would be of much use. But it is quite clear that the real
difficulty was not to set the divisions in motion each at a fit time. The camps were
not composed only of men under military discipline. The women and children, the
old and feeble, had to be cared for. The flocks and herds also had to be kept in
hand. We cannot suppose that there was any orderly procession; rather was each
camp a straggling multitude, with its own delays and interruptions.
And so it is in the case of every social and religious movement. Clear enough may be
the command to advance, the trumpet of Providence, the clarion of the Gospel. But
men and women are undisciplined in obedience and faith. They have many burdens
of a personal kind to bear, many private differences and quarrels. How very seldom
can the great Leader find prompt response to His will, though the terms of it are
distinctly conveyed and the demand is urgent! God makes a plan for us, opens our
8

way, shows us our need, proclaims the fit hours; but our unbelief and fear and
incapacity impede the march. Nevertheless, through the grace of His providence, as
Israel slowly made its way across the desert and reached Canaan at last, the Church
moves, and will continue to move, towards the holy future, the millennial age.
Turning now to the uses of the silver trumpets after the settlement in Canaan, there
is first that connected with war. The people are presumed to be living peaceably in
their country; but some neighbouring power has attacked them. The sounding of the
trumpets then is to be of the nature of a prayer to the Divine Protector of the nation.
The cry of the dependent tribes will be gathered up, as it were, into the shrill blast
which carries the alarm to the throne of the Lord of Hosts. To the army and to the
nation assurance is given that the old promise of Jehovah’s favour remains in force,
and that the promise, claimed by the priests according to the covenant, will be
fulfilled. And this will make the trumpet-blast exhilarating, a presage of victory.
The claim and hope of the nation rise heavenward. The men of war stand together
in faith, and put to flight the armies of the aliens.
For the battles we have to fight, the conflicts of faith with unbelief, and
righteousness with aggressive iniquity, an inspiration is needed like that conveyed to
Israel in the peal of the silver trumpets. Have we any means of assurance resembling
that which was to animate the Hebrews when the enemy came upon them? Even the
need is often unrecognised. Many take for granted that religion is safe, that the
truth requires no valour of theirs in maintaining it, and the Gospel of Christ no
spirited defence. The trumpet is not heard because the duty to which all Christians
are called as helpers of the Gospel is never considered. Messages are accepted as
oracles of God only when they tell the trustful of safety and confirm them in easy
enjoyment of spiritual privilege and hope. One kind of trumpet peal alone is liked-
that which sounds an alarm to the unconverted, and bids them prepare for the
coming of the Judge.
But there are for all Christians frequent calls to a service in which they need the
courage of faith and every hope the covenant can give. At the present time no
greater mistake is possible than to sit in comfort under the shadow of ancient forms
and creeds. We cannot realise the value of the promise given to genuine faith unless
we abandon the crumbling walls and meet our assailants in the open ground, where
we can see them face to face, and know the spirit with which they fight, the ensigns
of their war. There is no brave thinking now in those old shelters, no room to use the
armour of light. Christianity is one of the free forces of human life. Its true
inspiration is found only when those who stand by it are bent on securing and
extending the liberties of men. The trumpets that lift to heaven the prayers of the
faithful and fill the soldiers of the Cross with the hope of victory can never be in the
hands of those who claim exclusive spiritual authority, nor will they ever again
sound the old Hebrew note. They inspire those who are generous, who feel that the
more they give the more they are blessed, who would impart to others their own life
that God’s love to the world may be known. They call us not to defend our own
privileges, but to keep the way of salvation open to all, to prevent the Pharisee and
9

the unbeliever from closing against men the door of heavenly grace.
Once more; in the days of gladness and solemn feasting the trumpets were to be
blown over the burnt offerings and peace offerings. The joy of the Passover, the
hope of the new-moon festival, especially in the beginning of the seventh month,
were to be sent up to heaven with the sound of these instruments, not as if Jehovah
had forgotten His people and His covenant, but for the assurance and comfort of the
worshippers. He was a Friend before whom they could rejoice, a King whose
forgiveness was abundant, who showed mercy unto the thousands who loved Him
and kept His commandments. The music, loud, and clear, and bold, was to carry to
all who heard it the conviction that God had been sought in the way of His holy law,
and would cause blessing to descend upon Israel.
We claim with gentler sounds, those of lowly prayer and pleading, the help of the
Most High. Even in the secret chamber when the door is shut we can address our
Father, knowing that our claim will be answered for the sake of Christ. Yet there
are times when the loud and clear hallelujahs, borne heavenward by human voices
and pealing organ, seem alone to express our exultation. Then the instruments and
methods of modern art may be said to bind the old Hebrew times, the ancient faith
of the wilderness and of Zion, to our own. We carry out ideas that lie at the heart of
the race; we realise that human skill, human discovery, find their highest use and
delight when they make beautiful and inspiring the service of God.
PARKER, " The Trumpets of Providence
Numbers 10:1-10
Moses was commanded to make two trumpets of silver. They were to be used in
calling the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. The trumpets were to be
sounded in different ways. When one trumpet was blown, then the princes were to
gather themselves unto Moses; when an alarm was blown, the camps were to move;
when the congregation was to be gathered together, the trumpets were to be blown,
but so blown as not to sound an alarm. The trumpets were to be blown by the sons
of Aaron, the priests. Whether in war or in festival, the trumpets were to be to Israel
for a memorial before God. Where are those trumpets? The sacred trumpets are
still sounded; they still call men to worship, to festival, to battle. If we have lost the
literal instrument, we are still, if right-minded, within sound of the trumpets of
Providence. We do not now go out at our own bidding; we are, if wise, responding to
a Voice, wherever we may be found. We impoverish ourselves by imagining that
God does not now call the people to worship, the camp to war, the family to festival,
the Church to victory. Look at the men who are pouring forth in all directions every
morning; stand, in imagination, at a point from which you can see all the stations at
which men alight; so present the scene to the fancy that you can see every little
procession hastening to its given point of departure; then bring on all the
processions to the various points of arrival; read the faces of the men; take in the
10

whole scene. What action; what colour; what expression of countenance! And if we
had ears acute enough to hear, what various voices are being sounded by every life;
what tumult; what desire; what intersection of paths; what imminent collisions!—
and yet the whole scene moves on with a kind of rough order all its own. What has
called these men together—and yet not together?—the trumpet! That it was not a
literal trumpet does not destroy the high poetry of the occasion; the trumpet is the
more wonderful that it is not material. These men are not in a trance; they are not
night-walkers; they have not been seduced by some dream to come out all at once,
wandering hither and thither, not knowing destiny, purpose, or intention. This is a
scheme; there is a mind behind all this panorama; it never could settle itself into
such order and effect and issue if it were the mere sport of chance. Watch the scene;
it is full of pathos, it is loaded with manifold sorrow. An awful sight is a crowd of
men; the bustle, the rush, the apparent hilarity cannot hide the tragedy. To what are
these men hastening? Explain the scene. Some have heard the trumpet calling to
controversy. Many of these men carry bloodless swords; they are well equipped with
argument; they are about to state the case, to defend the position, to repel, to assert,
to vindicate righteousness, and to claim compensation for virtue outraged; they are
soldiers; they have mapped out the battlefield in private; all their forces have been
disposed within the sanctuary of the night, and presently the voice of genius and of
eloquence will be heard in high wrangling, in noble contention, that so the wicked
may claim nothing that is not his own, and the righteous have the full reward of his
purity. They are going to the political arena to adjust the competing claims of
nations, or causes; war is in their eyes; should they speak, they would speak
stridently, with clear, cutting tone, with military precision and emphasis; they
would hold no long parley with men, for they mean the issue to end in victory.
Others have heard no such trumpet: they have heard another call—to peaceful
business, to daily routine, to duty, made heavy often by monotony, but duty still,
which must be done according to the paces and beatings of the daily clock. They
cannot resist that voice without resisting themselves. Sometimes they long to be in
more active scenes, to vary the uniformity by some dash or enterprise, to startle the
blood into a quicker gallop by doing something unusual and startling; but they are
not so called by the trumpet; they are moved in that direction by some mean passion
or unholy rivalry. The trumpet has called them to the culture of fields, to the
exchanges and settlements of merchandise, to the business without which the world,
in its broadest civilisation, would stand still; having heard the trumpet, they obey.
And other men, in smaller bands,—more aged men,—men who have seen service in
the market field, in the political field, in the field of literature,—how go they? Away
towards sunny scenes, quiet meadows, lakes of silver, gardens trimmed with the
patience and skill of love. They are men of leisure, men in life"s afternoon. The
sunbeam has been a trumpet to them; hearing it, they said,—Who would remain at
home to-day? All heaven calls us out, the great blue arch invites us to hospitality in
the fields and woods and by the river-side. All men are obeying a trumpet; the call is
addressed from heaven to earth every morning. We may have outlived the little,
straight, silver trumpet, turned up at the ends; but the trumpet invisible, the
trumpet of Providence, the call of Heaven, the awakening strain of the skies,—this
we cannot outlive: for the Lord is a Man of war, and must have the battle
11

continued; the Lord is a Father, and must have the family constituted in order; the
Lord is a Shepherd, and must have the flocks led forth that they may lie down in the
shadow at noonday.
There are other men going forth. Fix yourselves again, in imagination, at a point
from which you can see nations moving on as if to some great conference; they move
from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south;—fair men,
men of darker hue; men speaking our own language, men talking an unknown
tongue; stalwart men, trained, every muscle having been under the touch of culture;
men carrying arms of various names, all meant to be steeped in blood. Have these
men come out in some fit of somnambulism? Are they sleep-walkers? Is all this an
illustration of nightmare? What is it? These men have heard a trumpet. Many
trumpets have been sounded, and yet in the midst of all the blare and stormy blast
there is one clear note. What is the meaning of all this movement of the camps?
Strong nations are called to go out and support weak ones. It is a policy of insanity
which says, Take no heed of other people; let them fight their own battles and settle
their own controversies. That is not the spirit of Christ. Every weak nation belongs
to the strong one; every fatherless child belongs to the man who can keep it, and
teach it, and guide it. Were nations equal and causes equal, then the foolish talk of
leaving men alone might have some point in it. We must not leave the slave and the
slave-holder to settle the controversy; the slave-holder will soon settle it, if it be so
left; it is not an equal fight. Freedom must plant all its soldiers on the field, and
strike for weakness and beat down the oppressor and grind him out of existence.
Who will speak one word in favour of war? No Christian man. War can have no
purely Christian defence as war. It sometimes becomes a dire necessity; it Isaiah , in
very deed, the last appeal. As war, it is not only barbarous and irrational, it is
infernal, altogether and inexpressibly deplorable. Yet we cannot read history or
study events without seeing that the Lord has not scrupled to call himself "a Man of
war," and the sword has had a place in the history of freedom and the development
of progress. What Christian men ought to see Isaiah , that the cause is good; that
war is the only alternative; that having exhausted all the pleas of reason, all the
entreaties of persuasion, all the claims of righteousness, all the appeals of pathos,
nothing is to be done but to fight the tyrant with his own weapons. The Lord go with
the right; the Lord support the weak; the Lord comfort those who are suddenly and
tragically bereaved. But there is a call to difficulty, a call to battle, a call to sorrow.
We must not delude ourselves into the notion that we are only called to Sabbatic
calm, and the security of the sanctuary, and the delights of the mead, and the
summer holiday of the verdant woods filled with sweet music of birds; we are called
to battle, to loss, to die far away from home; and, rightly accepted, obedience to such
a call means heroism upon earth and coronation in heaven.
The trumpets were to be sounded by the priests. The priests are not likely to sound
many trumpets to-day. Ministers have been snubbed and silenced into an awful
acquiescence with the stronger party. The pulpit should be a tower of strength to
every weak cause. Women should hasten to the Church, saying,—Our cause will be
upheld there. Homeless little children should speed to the sanctuary, saying,—We
12

will be welcomed there. Slaves running away should open the church door with
certainty of hospitality, saying,—The man who stands up in that tower will forbid
the tyrant to reclaim me, or the oppressor to smite me with one blow. It was God"s
ordination that the trumpet should be sounded by the priests—interpreting that
name properly, by the teachers of religion, by the man of prayer, by the preachers
of great and solemn doctrines; they are to sound the trumpet, whether it be a call to
festival or to battle. We dare not do so now, because now we have house-rent to pay,
and firing to find, and children to educate, and customs to obey. Were we clothed in
sackcloth, or with camels" hair, and could we find food enough in the wilderness—
were the locusts and the honey sufficient for our natural appetites, we might beard
many a tyrant, and decline many an invitation, and repel many an impertinent
censor; but we must consider our ways, and balance our sentences, and remember
that we are speaking in the ear of various representatives of public opinion and
individual conviction. The pulpit has gone down! It has kept its form and lost its
power; its voice is a mumbling tone, not a great trumpet blast that creates a space
for itself, and is heard above the hurtling storm and the rush of hasteful and selfish
merchandise. Were ministers to become the trumpeters of society again, what an
awakening there would be in the nation! Were every Sabbath day devoted to the
tearing down of some monster evil—were the sanctuary dedicated to the
denunciation, not of the vulgar crimes which everybody condemns, but the subtle
and unnamed crimes which everybody practises, the blast of the trumpet would tear
the temple walls in twain! We live in milder times—we are milder people: we wish
for restfulness. The priests wish to have it so also,—like priest, like people The man
who comes with a trumpet of festival will be welcomed; the man who sounds an
alarm will be run away from by dyspeptic hearers, by bilious supporters, and by
men who wish to be let alone—to creep into heaven, and to be as unnoticed there as
they were unknown here.
There are trumpets which call us in spiritual directions. They are heard by the heart
They are full of the tone of persuasion—that highest of all the commandments. The
heart hears the trumpet on the Sabbath day. The trumpet that could sound an
alarm is softened in its tone into a tender entreaty, or a cheerful persuasion, or a
promise of enlarged liberty. Everything depends upon the tone. The trumpet may be
the same, but the tone is different. We cannot take up the trumpet of the great
player and make it sound as he made it. What is it, then, that plays the trumpet? It
is the soul. If we knew things as we ought to know them, we should know that it is
the soul that plays every instrument, that sings every hymn, that preaches every
discourse that has in it the meaning of God and the behest of Heaven. No man can
deliver your messages; no man can preach your sermon. Never trust any man to
deliver a message for you if you can by any possibility deliver it yourself. The words
may be the very words you used, and yet what from you would have been a
persuasion, from the lips of another may become almost an insult. Who can put the
proper tone into the instrument—make it talk lovingly, soothingly? Who can make
the trumpet pronounce a benediction? Only the skilled player whose lessons have
been begun, continued, and consummated in heaven. We perish for lack of tone. We
have the right doctrine but the wrong expression; the words are the words of God,
13

but the voice is an iron one—a tongue heavy, and without the subtle emphasis which
makes every note a revelation and every tone a welcome. Hear men read what you
have written, if you would really see in it some other meaning than what you
intended to convey. Ask another man to read the writing for you. Whilst you read it,
you read it, with your soul"s sympathy and with a purpose in your heart, and the
words answer something that is within you, and therefore you imagine that the
speech is sphered off into completeness and is resonant with tones of music. Hand it
to your friend; let him stand up and read your sermon back to you, and there is no
humiliation upon earth equal to the agony of that distress,—every word
misunderstood, the emphasis put in the wrong place, words that you shade off to a
vanishing point are brought to the front and made to be principal actors upon the
scene; and you, with a wounded heart, turn away and say that your word has
returned unto you void. But hear some man read who has entered into the very
music of your soul, and he brings back a larger sermon than you gave him; he has
heard every word; all the minor tones, all the shades of thought have impressed
themselves upon his heart, and when he reads you say—"Would God he had first
made the speech! Surely the people would have risen and then bowed down and
said,—The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God." The same trumpet called to
festival and to war; so the Gospel has two tones: it calls lovingly, sweetly, tenderly;
and it sounds an alarm, making the night tremble through all its temple of darkness,
and sending into men"s hearts pangs of apprehension and unutterable fear.
There is another trumpet yet to sound: "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed." The trumpet is not lost, then; it is in heaven, where the
Ark of the Testimony Isaiah , where the Shekinah Isaiah , where the Tabernacle of
God is. The Apocalypse has taken charge of all the things which we thought were
lost. Reading on through the history, we say,—This is evolution: see how we have
dropped off all these elementary, initial, temporary things, and how we have risen
up into spirituality and idealism and the freedom of an air which has no boundary
lines, no foundations, no beginning, no ending. And as we are talking this religious
licentiousness, behold, the Apocalypse comes, and puts before us all the things we
thought we had grown away from. Without the Apocalypse, the New Testament
would have come to a deadlock; with the Apocalypse, the whole Bible is reunited,
consolidated into a massive consummation, and in the Apocalypse we have tribes—
ay, of Judah, and Asher, and Simeon, and Zebulun, of Joseph and Benjamin; we
have censers and altars and significant blood, great lights, mighty voices, marvellous
exhibitions of all kinds of strength. It seems as if all the Levitical ritual had been
transformed and glorified into some sublimer significance. This is the Book of God.
We thought the silver trumpets were lost, and we read,—And at the last, a great
trumpet was sounded in heaven, and announcements were made to earth by the
trumpet sounded by an angel, and the last battle was convoked by the trumpet of a
spiritual trumpeter. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Speak, Lord, for thy
servant heareth!
14

PETT, " Chapter 10 The Silver Trumpets And The Commencement of Their
Journeying.
The problem for any large company on the march in those days was
communication. In the case of Israel this was partly resolved by the use of two silver
trumpets, by the blowing of which quick messages could be rapidly imparted over a
wide area.
Note again the chiastic arrangement.
a The general purposes of the trumpets (Numbers 10:1-2).
b When they were blown the congregation would gather, one blast will call up the
princes (Numbers 10:3-4).
c A blast will cause those on the east to journey (Numbers 10:5).
c A second blast will cause those on the south to journey (Numbers 10:6).
b When the assembly was to gather together they were to be blown - note the
reverse order (Numbers 10:7).
a The general purpose of the trumpets (Numbers 10:8-10)
Numbers 10:1
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,’
As ever this resulted from Yahweh’s words to Moses.
BI 1-10, "Make thee two trumpets of silver.
The law of the silver trumpets
Revelation is to man as a trumpet-call from heaven; hence the prophets are often told to
lift up their voices like a trumpet. The human race is a grand army of immortals. The
journey of life is a series of marches intended by the Captain of our salvation to
terminate in heaven. But whether this journey will be successfully accomplished or not
depends upon our faithfulness to the directions of our Divine Head, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
I. The law of the silver trumpets is the law of the nature, uses, and objects of Divine
revelation, when it is seen and felt as the utterance of divine love, and the authorised
guide and director of our journey to heaven.
1. And here we may remark how appropriate silver is as a correspondence to
spiritual wisdom. It is white, brilliant, and precious. So is the spiritual meaning of
15

the Word. Oh, may its sweet and silvery lessons be to us as dearest treasure! To teach
us, then, that it is the spiritual sense of Divine revelation which is intended to guide
us, guard us, and call us to heaven, the trumpets were made of silver.
2. They were two in number, but formed of one piece. The whole spirit of the Word
is expressive of love to the Lord, and charity to man (Mat_22:37-40). To represent
this twofold character of the spirit of the Word, then, there were two silver trumpets,
not one only. Yet they were both formed out of one piece. For, indeed, the truth that
we should love our neighbour comes out from the grander truth, that we should
supremely love the Lord. The Apostle John states this very clearly (1Jn_4:21; 2Jn_
1:1). Another idea is intimated by this command to make them of one piece; that,
namely, of the entire harmony of the spiritual sense of the Word with itself. It is
bright and coherent everywhere. It is silver, all of one piece.
II. But let us turn now from the composition of the trumpets to their use.
1. They were to be used to call the people to the assemblies (verse 3).
2. They were to excite to, and direct the journey of the people (verses 5, 6).
3. They were to be sounded when an enemy appeared in their land to oppress them
(verse 9).
4. They were to be blown on the days of rejoicing (verse 10). The first use of the
trumpets, then, was to call the assemblies to the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, there to hear the will and decisions of the Most High. In like manner
we are called by the silver trumpets of the Word to assemble together in the name
and in the presence of that glorified Divine Man who said (Joh_10:9). The whole
spirit of the Word calls us to worship Him, and to learn of Him (Rev_19:10). When
we have been to the Lord Jesus Christ in worship, and to learn His will, we shall find
the second use of the silver trumpets will be unfolded to us. We must march on.
Regeneration is a journey in which we advance from state to state, as from stage to
stage in outward travel. We begin in Egypt, we must reach Canaan. The silvery music
will call us forward. The import of its sound is this, Arise, for this is not your rest, for
the whole land is polluted (Isa_60:1). Arise, child of heaven, from the selfishness and
darkness in which thou hast been enshrouded. Arise from the slavery and pollution
of sin to the glorious liberty of the children of light. Move on. Next we are carried
forward to the contemplation of the third use of the trumpets; to sound an alarm
when the enemies within the land seek to oppress. We begin our regeneration by
forsaking the grosser sins to which we have been accustomed, and we think we have
left all that is offensive in the sight of heaven. We think we are wholly given up to
God and goodness, and so we shall continue. Alas! we have in this but little
conception of the wonderful nature with which we are endowed, or of the extent of
the ramifications of evil. Each mind is a world in ruins. The soul is organised more
astonishingly even than the body, and each organ or principle is more or less
perverted. Were we left to ourselves, we might well turn back in despair, and die. But
happily, what is impossible to man is possible with God. He can give us a new
nature: He can give us the victory again and again: He can and will protect us. When,
then, our internal enemies, the plagues of our own hearts, appear to us, and
dispositions which we supposed were for ever done with are met again and again, let
us not quail nor be dispirited. With Divine help we shall overcome them, and
triumph until the last enemy is overthrown. But the Lord saves us by His Word. This
is the lesson intended by the use of the silver trumpets which we are now
16

considering. When, then, selfishness rises up in your lands to oppress you, go to the
Divine Word, and hear its holy sound. Let its voice of love and mercy be heard in
your spirit like the silvery tones of heavenly trumpets, and by its truth and power you
will be saved. The last use of the trumpets was, that they should be blown on the days
of solemn rejoicing. On our days of gladness we should see that all our feelings are
such as are under the influence of the Holy Word. Were it not for sin, all our days,
like those of heaven, would be days of gladness. The purification of our joys, then, is
one of the great works of our regeneration. Let us blow with the silver trumpets on
our days of gladness, and on our solemn days. There are states, which recur from
time to time, of peculiar solemnity, when conscience is more than usually earnest
with us: states of self-examination, states of solemn thought, states of recollection of
mercies and blessings formerly received, states of self-dedication to high and holy
objects; these are our solemn days. The period when we resolved to quit a period of
evil, and entered upon our passover, or feast of unleavened bread; when we
commenced the reception of the bread of heaven, though as yet to us tasteless, like
unleavened bread; then comes the period when faith enables us, under its influence,
to bring forth the first-fruits of a harvest of virtues and graces to be repeated for
ever; and lastly, the feast of spiritual ingathering comes on, that matured state of the
soul when charity rules in the heart, and perfect love casteth out fear. Blow with the
silver trumpets over the solemn days. There are minor solemnities connected with
the varied events of life which induce in thoughtful minds solemn states: the births,
the marriages, and the deaths of those we love, the serious circumstances of our
families and our country, all these make solemn days; let the spirit which rules over
them be the spirit of love to the Lord, and charity to man. Blow the silver trumpets
over the solemn days. There is mention made also of the beginning of the months,
and as there is a perfect correspondence between outward nature and man’s spiritual
and interior existence, there is a correspondence in this respect also. The months are
the times which depend upon the moon; and the moon is the symbol of faith in the
soul. As faith has its variations in the soul, sometimes being bright and luminous, at
others dim and obscure, its changes are represented by those of the moon. The
beginning of a month is therefore the commencement of a new state of faith in the
soul, when, after being in obscurity, we enter into clear and holy light on things
Divine. The tree of life is said to bear twelve manner of fruits—one for every month;
implying that in every state of mind, and in every change of circumstances in our
Christian life, we may receive from the Lord within the power of bringing forth the
appropriate works of piety and justice. At the beginning of our mental changes, in
the attainment of new views on subjects of faith, we should observe that they are in
harmony with the essential principles of the spirit of the Word, of love to the Lord,
and charity to man. Blow the silver trumpets in the beginning of the months. And,
lastly, over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. Our
offerings at this day are all spiritual. Yet are we as truly called upon to make them as
were the Jews. Life consists of fixed duties, and free will efforts. Let both be
performed in the spirit of devoted self-dedication, under the Divine spirit of the Holy
Word. The silver trumpet must sound over our burnt offerings and our sacrifices of
peace offerings, that they may be to us a memorial before the Lord our God. In
conclusion, let us be grateful for the provision by our adorable Lord of the interior
truths of His Word, the silver trumpets of heaven. Let us seek to find them by
reading, by thought and meditation, until we have individually realised the promise
of our heavenly Father and Saviour, “For iron I will bring silver.” When we have
17

acquired the clear perception that all truth hangs upon the two grand laws of love to
God and love to man, then let their silvery voice be heard over all the circumstances
of our lives. Let them be heard calling us from Sabbath to Sabbath to the public
worship of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let them be
heard directing our attention to Him in our morning and evening devotions. When
we have attained light and strength in prayer, they ever call us to march on to
progress. Let us go forward with a glowing, firm, and fervent will, and then
strengthen and confirm our progress by the light of a full and active intellect. (J.
Bayley, Ph. D.)
The trumpets of Providence
The sacred trumpets are still sounded; they still call men to worship, to festival, to battle.
If we have lost the literal instrument, we are still, if right-minded, within sound of the
trumpets of Providence. We do not now go out at our own bidding; we are, if wise,
responding to a Voice, wherever we may be found. Look at the men who are pouring
forth in all directions every morning; stand, in imagination, at a point from which you
can see all the stations at which men alight; so present the scene to the fancy that you
can see every little procession hastening to its given point of departure; then bring on all
the processions to the various points of arrival; read the faces of the men; take in the
whole scene. What action; what colour; what expression of countenance! And if we had
ears acute enough to hear, what various voices are being sounded by every life; what
tumult; what desire; what intersection of paths; what imminent collisions!—and yet the
whole scene moves on with a kind of rough order all its own. What has called these men
together—and yet not together?—the trumpet! Some have heard the trumpet calling to
controversy. Many of these men carry bloodless swords; they are well equipped with
argument; they are about to state the ease, to defend the position, to repel, to assert, to
vindicate righteousness, and to claim compensation for virtue outraged; they are
soldiers; they have mapped out the battlefield in private; all their forces have been
disposed within the sanctuary of the night, and presently the voice of genius and of
eloquence will be heard in high wrangling, in noble contention, that so the wicked may
claim nothing that is not his own, and the righteous have the full reward of his purity.
They are going to the political arena to adjust the competing claims of nations, or causes;
war is in their eyes; should they speak, they would speak stridently, with clear, cutting
tone, with military precision and emphasis; they would hold no long parley with men,
for they mean the issue to end in victory. Others have heard no such trumpet: they have
heard another call—to peaceful business, to daily routine, to duty, made heavy alien by
monotony, but duty still, which must be done according to the paces and beatings of the
daily clock. They cannot resist that voice without resisting themselves. And other men,
in smaller bands—more aged men—men who have seen service in the market field, in
the political field, in the field of literature—how go they? Away towards sunny scenes,
quiet meadows, lakes of silver, gardens trimmed with the patience and skill of love. They
are men of leisure, men in life’s afternoon. The sunbeam has been a trumpet to them;
hearing it, they said, Who would remain at home to-day? All heaven calls us out, the
great blue arch invites us to hospitality in the fields and woods, and by the riverside. All
men are obeying a trumpet; the call is addressed from heaven to earth every morning.
We may have outlived the little, straight, silver trumpet, turned up at the ends; but the
trumpet invisible, the trumpet of Providence, the call of Heaven, the awakening strain of
the skies—this we cannot outlive: for the Lord is a Man of war, and must have the battle
18

continued: the Lord is a Father, and must have the family constituted in order; the Lord
is a Shepherd, and must have the flocks led forth that they may lie down in the shadow
of noonday. The trumpets were to be sounded by the priests. The pulpit should be a
tower of strength to every weak cause. Were every Sabbath day devoted to the tearing
down of some monster evil—were the sanctuary dedicated to the denunciation, not of the
vulgar crimes which everybody condemns, but the subtle and unnamed crimes which
everybody practises, the blast of the trumpet would tear the temple walls in twain! There
are trumpets which call us in spiritual directions. They are heard by the heart. They are
full of the tone of persuasion—that highest of all the commandments. The heart hears
the trumpet on the Sabbath day. The trumpet that could sound an alarm is softened in
its tone into a tender entreaty, or a cheerful persuasion, or a promise of enlarged liberty.
Everything depends upon the tone. The trumpet may be the same, but the tone is
different. We cannot take up the trumpet of the great player and make it sound as he
made it. What is it, then, that plays the trumpet? It is the soul. If we knew things as we
ought to know them, we should know that it is the soul that plays every instrument, that
sings every hymn, that preaches every discourse that has in it the meaning of God and
the behest of Heaven. The same trumpet called to festival and to war; so the gospel has
two tones: it calls lovingly, sweetly, tenderly; and it sounds an alarm, making the night
tremble through all its temple of darkness, and sending into men’s hearts pangs of
apprehension and unutterable fear. There is another trumpet yet to sound (1Co_15:52).
The trumpet is not lost, then; it is in heaven, where the Ark of the Testimony is, where
the Shekinah is, where the Tabernacle of God is. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The institution of the silver trumpets
It sets forth, in the most distinct manner possible, that God’s people are to be absolutely
dependent upon, and wholly subject to, Divine testimony, in all their movements. A
child may read this in the type before us. The congregation in the wilderness dared not
assemble for any festive or religious object until they heard the sound of the trumpet;
nor could the men of war buckle on their armour, till summoned forth by the signal of
alarm to meet the uncircumcised foe. They worshipped and they fought, they journeyed
and they halted, in simple obedience to the trumpet call. It was not, by any means, a
question of their likings or dislikings, their thoughts, their opinions, or their judgment.
It was simply and entirely a question of implicit obedience. Their every movement was
dependent upon the testimony of God, as given by the priests from the sanetuary. The
song of the worshipper and the shout of the warrior were each the simple fruit of the
testimony of God. The silver trumpet settled and ordered every movement for Israel of
old. The testimony of God ought to settle and order everything for the Church now. That
silver trumpet was blown by the priests of old. That testimony of God is known in
priestly communion now. A Christian has no right to move or act apart from Divine
testimony. He must wait upon the word of his Lord. Till he gets that, he must stand still.
When he has gotten it he must go forward, but is not by aught that strikes the senses
that our Father guides us; but by that which acts on the heart, the conscience, and the
understanding. It is not by that which is natural, but by that which is spiritual, that He
communicates His mind. If the ear is circumcised, you will assuredly hear the silver
trumpet. Till that sounds, never stir: when it sounds, never tarry. This will make all so
clear, so simple, so safe, so certain. It is the grand cure for doubt, hesitancy, and
vacillation. It will save us from the necessity of running for advice to this one and that
one, as to how we should act, or where we should go. And, furthermore, it will teach us
19

that it is none of our business to attempt to control the actions or movements of others.
Let each one have his ear’ open, and his heart subject, and then, assuredly, he will
possess all the certainty that God can give him, as to his every act and movement, from
day to day. Our ever gracious God can give clearness and decision as to everything. If He
does not give it, no one can. If He does, no one need. (C. H. Mackintosh.)
The silver trumpets
The silver trumpets sent a piercing note. So should the gospel herald utter aloud the
gospel news. Away with timid whisper, and a stammering tongue. Note, the trumpets
were of one piece. So is the gospel message. It knows no mixture. Christ is all. No diverse
metal soiled these trumpets. No intermingling error should soil pulpits. The type,
moreover, fixes attention on the Christian as a worshipper—a pilgrim—a warrior—a son
of joy. For let the occasions on which these trumpets sounded be now mere closely
marked.
1. They call the people to God’s sanctuary, it is a gospel ordinance that worshippers
should throng the holy courts—that public prayer and praise should reverence the
glorious name.
2. They give command to march. The Bible warns that earth is not our rest. We live a
stranger-life. We occupy a moving tent. We hold a pilgrim-staff.
3. They sound for war. The life of faith is one incessant fight. Beneath the cross a
sword is drawn, of which the scabbard is cast far away. Until the victor’s crown is
won, unflinching combat must go on.
4. In the grand feasts they cheer the worshippers around the bleeding victims. While
the altar streams, and happy crowds look on, the heavens resound with these
exulting clangs. The precept is obeyed (Psa_81:1). Believer, thus, too, the gospel
teaches you to joy—to joy with heart abounding with melodious praise, when you in
faith contemplate, and in worship plead, the meritorious death of Christ. (Dean
Law.)
The silver trumpets, or the relation of the gospel ministry to the seasons
and services of the Christian life
1. The trumpets and their use were commanded by God. He blesses men, saves men
by the use of the means which He has appointed.
2. The trumpets were to be blown by the priests. Every Christian is now a priest, but
the ministers of the gospel are especially the heralds of the Divine messages.
3. The trumpets were to be blown in accordance with clear and well-understood
instructions. When they were to blow one trumpet only, and when they were to blow
both; when the short, sharp, broken notes, and when the long and continuous peal—
these things were clearly explained and enjoined. There was to be no uncertainty as
to the meaning of the signals. The meaning of the sounds of the gospel trumpet
should be equally and unmistakably clear (1Co_14:7-8.)
4. The trumpets were to be blown at different seasons and for different purposes—
20

for conventions, for journeyings, for battles, for festivals, &c. In this we have an
illustration of the relation of the gospel ministry to the seasons and services of the
Christian life.
We proceed to offer some hints on the analogy. The silver trumpets were used
I. For the calling of assemblies. The ministry of the gospel should draw men together,
even as the silver trumpets convened the assemblies of Israel.
II. For summoning the people to advance. The Christian minister is required to summon
the people to arise and “go forward” in their upward pilgrimage. He summons them to
advance—
1. In personal holiness. He exhorts them to “follow on to know the Lord,” to “grow in
grace,” to “forget those things which are behind,” &c. (Php_3:13-14).
2. In personal and collective usefulness. He should incite both individuals and
Churches to more diligent and devoted services in the cause of Christ.
III. For encouraging the people in battle. Like the priests with the silver trumpets the
minister of the gospel should—
1. Encourage Christians to battle against evil.
2. By inciting them to trust in God. He gives the victory.
IV. For suitably observing seasons of special interest.
1. Seasons of joy. “In the days of your gladness ye shall blow with the trumpets,” &c.
The gospel aims at the consecration and promotion of human gladness. “That My joy
might remain in you, and your joy might be full.” “Rejoice in the Lord alway” “The
kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy Ghost.” “Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” The gospel
forbids no pure delight, but hallows and increases it.
2. Seasons of solemnity. “In your solemn days ye shall blow with the trumpets,” &c.
There are many solemn days in life—days of mental conflict, of spiritual darkness, of
social bereavement, &c. In such days the hopeful and helpful sounds of the gospel
trumpet are peculiarly precious.
3. Closing and commencing seasons. “And in the beginnings of your months ye shall
blow,” &c. (W. Jones.)
The silver trumpets
We have here directions concerning the public notices that were to be given to the
people upon several occasions—by sound of trumpet. In a thing of this nature one would
think Moses needed not to have been taught of God, his own reason might teach him the
convenience of trumpets; but their constitution was to be in everything Divine, and
therefore even in this matter, as small as it seems. Moses is here directed—
I. About the making of them They must be made of silver; not cast, but of beaten work
(as some read it); the matter and shape no doubt very fit for the purpose. He was now
ordered to make but two, because there were but two priests to use them; but in
Solomon’s time we read of an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets
21

(2Ch_5:12). The form of these trumpets is supposed to be much like ours of this day.
II. Who were to make use of them. Not any inferior person; but the priests themselves,
the sons of Aaron (Num_10:8). As great as they were, they must not think it a
disparagement to them to be trumpeters in the house of God; the meanest office there
was honourable. This signified that the Lord’s ministers should lift up their voice like a
trumpet, to show people their sins (Isa_58:1), and to call them to Christ (Isa_27:13).
III. Upon what occasions the trumpets were to be sounded.
1. For the calling of assemblies (Num_10:2). Thus they are bid to blow the trumpet
in Zion, for the calling of a solemn assembly together, to sanctify a fast (Joe_2:13).
Public notice ought to be given of the time and place of religious assemblies, for the
invitation to the benefit of ordinances in general. “Whoever will, let him come.”
Wisdom cries in the chief places of concourse. But that the trumpet might not; give
an uncertain sound, they are directed, if only the princes and elders were to meet, to
blow only one of the trumpets; less should serve to call them together who ought to
be examples of forwardness in anything that is good. But if the body of the people
were to be called together, both the trumpets must be sounded, that they might be
the farther heard. In allusion to this, they are said to be blessed that hear the joyful
sound (Psa_89:15), i.e., that are invited and called upon to wait upon God in public
ordinances (Psa_122:1). And the general assembly at the great day will be summoned
by the sound of the archangel’s trumpet (Mat_24:34).
2. For the journeying of the camps; to give notice when each squadron must move,
for no man’s voice could reach to give the word of command. Soldiers with us, that
are well disciplined, may be exercised by beat of drum. When the trumpets were
blown for this purpose they must sound an alarm (Num_10:5), a broken, quavering,
interrupted sound, which was proper to excite and encourage the minds of people in
the marches against their enemies; whereas a continued equal sound was more
proper for the calling of the assembly together (Num_10:7). Yet when the people
were called together to deprecate God’s judgments we find an alarm sounded (Joe_
2:3). At the first sounding, Judah’s squadron marched; at the second, Reuben’s; at
the third, Ephraim’s; at the fourth, Dan’s (Num_10:5-6). And some think this was
intended to sanctify their marches; for this was proclaimed by the priests, who were
God’s mouth to the people, not only the Divine orders given them to move, but the
Divine blessing upon them in all their motions. He that hath ears let him hear that
God is with them of a truth.
3. For the animating and encouraging of their armies when they went out to battle
(Num_10:9). “If ye go to war blow with the trumpets”; signifying thereby your
appeal to Heaven, for the decision of the controversy, and your prayer to God to give
you victory; and God will own this His own institution, and you shall be remembered
before the Lord your God. God will take notice of this sound of the trumpet, and be
engaged to fight their battles; and let all the people take notice of it, and be
encouraged to fight His; as David, when he heard a sound of a going upon the tops of
the mulberry-trees. Not that God needed to be awaked by sound of trumpet, no more
than Christ needed to be awaked by His disciples in the storm (Mat_8:25), but where
He intends mercy it is His will that we should solicit for it. Ministers must stir up the
good soldiers of Jesus Christ to fight manfully against sin, the world, and the devil,
by assuring them that Christ is the Captain of their salvation, and will tread Satan
under their feet.
22

4. For the solemnising of their sacred feasts (Num_10:10). One of their feasts was
called the feast of trumpets (Lev_23:23-24). And it should seem they were thus to
grace the solemnity of all their feasts (Psa_81:3), and their sacrifices (2Ch_29:27), to
intimate with what joy and delight they performed their duty to God, and to raise the
minds of those that attend the services to a holy triumph in the God they
worshipped. And then their performances were for a memorial before God; for then
He takes pleasure in our religious exercises when we take pleasure in them. Holy
work should be done with holy joy. (Matthew Henry, D. D.)
Significance of the silver trumpet
It is the voice of Him who came preaching peace, the proclamation of those of whom the
prophet speaks (Isa_52:7). For just as the two silver trumpets entered into every part of
Israel’s life, and their varied notes were always adapted to Israel’s wants and position, so
it is with the gospel. Its awakening power, its soothing promises, its sanctifying
influence, is meant to consecrate every act of our lives, and move every thought of our
hearts. Did the sound of the silver trumpets call the slothful or backsliding Israel to the
tabernacle of the congregation, either to hear the will of God announced by Moses, or to
worship? So does the voice of Jesus in the gospel invite us into the presence of God. It
says to the slumbering heart, “Awake, thou that sleepest,” &c. It says to the fearful and
desponding, “Come boldly unto the throne of grace,” &c. It says to the backsliding and to
the guilty conscience, “Return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thy
iniquity.” It says, again, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” &c. Did the sound of
the silver trumpets bid Israel arise and follow the pillar of fire and cloud which went
before them? So does the voice of Jesus bid us arise and journey onward. When our
hearts are entangled by the secret influences of the world—when we begin to take up our
rest in the love of the creature—then there is a still small voice full of warning, “Arise ye,
and depart, for this is not your rest; it is polluted.” Whensoever we rest contented with
low attainments, losing sight of Him to whose image we ought to be conformed, the
silver trumpets sound, bidding us press toward the mark for the prize of our high calling
in Christ Jesus. As, too, Israel of old was called to engage in warfare with their enemies
and God’s, and one use of the silver trumpets was to summon them to preparation and
to the field of battle, so has the Israel of God now a great conflict to engage in—a conflict
with enemies seen and unseen, and the unseen more powerful than the seen. Yet, how
seldom do we realise as we ought the greatness of the conflict, and the power of our
spiritual enemies! and, consequently, we are too often off our guard. Hence it is that the
silver trumpets are needed to summon us to the conflict. We require to be summoned to
“endure hardness,” as good soldiers of Christ Jesus (2Ti_2:3), that we may not, like
Israel of old, turn back in the day of battle, but may feel and exclaim with David (Psa_
18:32; Psa_18:34-35). And, once more, were the silver trumpets needed to consecrate all
Israel’s offerings, that they might be a memorial before the Lord? Oh, still more is it the
gospel of Christ that does and can consecrate all acts of life and of worship! It is the
word, too, of the gospel which explains to us the means of approach to God, and, still
more, prepares our hearts for that communion. We should listen to the sound or the
silver trumpet in every act of life, in every prayer, and over every offering. With this
everything will become a memorial before the Lord. (G. Wagner.)
23

The trumpet gospel:
One of the good doctors whom I often heard in my boyhood had a voice like the distant
rolling of thunder. He exchanged pulpits with a neighbour, whose voice was peculiarly
effeminate. It was a little voice, and withal quite musical. The doctor returned to his own
congregation for the evening service. Arising in his place, he commenced with this
preface, “My friends, you have to-day heard the gospel through a silver trumpet; but to-
night you must hear it through a ram’s horn.” Alas! how many are charmed with the
silver trumpet! Sweet morsels, drops of honey-dew, like globules of sugar-coated
opiates, form the only compound suited to their taste. “Peel it, pare it, smooth it, trim
it!” is their cry, “take away from it those distorted and hideous features! Fashion it, form
it, compound with it some thrilling narrative, some pleasant story, and we will receive
it.” In other words, make it anything but the plain simple gospel, and it may become
palatable. We have advanced to a strange pass in our tastes touching the gospel of the
Son of God. (Buffalo Christian Advertiser.)
2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and
use them for calling the community together and
for having the camps set out.
BARNES, "The trumpet was a straight instrument, differing in this respect from the
curved horn or cornet; and is represented, among the other spoils of the temple, on the
Arch of Titus. See Exo_25:23 cut. From Egyptian monuments it appears that the Jewish
trumpet was copied from that used in the armies of the Pharaohs. The cornet was at first
a simple ram’s horn Jos_6:4, and the metal instrument of later times preserved the
original shape.
CLARKE, "Make thee two trumpets of silver - The necessity of such
instruments will at once appear, when the amazing extent of this numerous army is
considered; and how even the sound of two trumpets could reach them all is difficult to
conceive; but we may suppose that, when they were sounded, the motion of those that
were within reach of that sound taught the others in succession what they should do.
As the trumpets were to be blown by the priests only, the sons of Aaron, there were
only two, because there were only two such persons to use them at this time, Eleazar and
Ithamar. In the time of Joshua there were seven trumpets used by the priests, but these
were made, according to our text, of rams’ horns, Jos_6:4. In the time of Solomon, when
the priests had greatly increased, there were 120 priests sounding with trumpets, 2Ch_
24

5:12.
Josephus intimates that one of these trumpets was always used to call the nobles
together, the other to assemble the people; see Num_10:4. It is possible that these
trumpets were made of different lengths and wideness, and consequently they would
emit different tones. Thus the sound itself would at once show which was the summons
for the congregation, and which for the princes only. These trumpets were allowed to be
emblematical of the sound of the Gospel, and in this reference they appear to be
frequently used. Of the fate of the trumpets of the sanctuary, See the note on Exo_25:31.
GILL, "Make thee two trumpets of silver,.... A metal very valuable and precious,
durable, and fit for sound; only two are ordered, Aaron having but two sons, Eleazar and
Ithamar, who were to blow with them, Num_10:8; for though Moses's order is, "make
thee", or for thee, yet not for his own use, but for the priests to use when he should order
them: the Targum of Jonathan adds, of what is thine own, as if they were to be made at
his own expense; but others say, and which is more probable, that they were to be made
at the public expense: Josephus (i) gives a description of them, and says, that they were
little less than a cubit long, the pipe of them narrow, but broader about the mouth to
receive the breath, and ended like a bell; they seem to be much of the shape of our
trumpets: these trumpets were an emblem of the ministry of the Gospel, called the great
trumpet, and in the ministration of which, the preachers of it are to lift up their voice
like a trumpet, to show men their perishing condition through sin, and to encourage
them, as such who are ready to perish, to come to Christ for salvation, Isa_27:13; the
Gospel is comparable to silver, being fetched out of the mines of the sacred Scriptures,
pure and free from the dross of errors and human inventions, will bear to be tried by the
standard of the word, and is lasting and durable, yea, the everlasting Gospel; as well as
valuable and precious, containing the unsearchable riches of Christ, &c. treasures of
divine truths, comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; yea, it is more valuable
and precious than silver, not to be obtained by that, more profitable and useful, more
satisfying and lasting: the number two may be applicable to the two dispensations,
under which the Gospel has been ministered, directing to the same Saviour, and to the
same way of salvation, by his grace, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; and to the
two Testaments, which agree in the same truths respecting his person, offices,
obedience, sufferings, and death; and to the prophets and apostles of both dispensations
and testaments, who have united in laying Christ as the foundation; and also to the two
witnesses that are still to prophecy in sackcloth, that is, preach the Gospel and blow the
trumpet of it: Rev_11:3.
of an whole piece shall thou make them; of one solid mass of silver, beaten with an
hammer, as Jarchi, such a piece as the candlestick was made of in Exo_25:31, where the
same word is used as here, and rendered "beaten work": this may denote the pure and
unmixed Gospel of Christ, having no dross, nor bad nor base metal of human
corruptions in it; no jar, discord, or contradiction in it, but all in perfect harmony and
agreement; and the whole of it, no part of it dropped or concealed; and the ministry of it,
laboured by those employed in it, who study to show themselves workmen that need not
be ashamed:
that thou mayest use them for the calling the assembly; the body of the people
of Israel, either on civil or sacred accounts, see Joe_1:15; the ministry of the Gospel is for
25

the calling and gathering of souls to Christ, and to his churches; even the remnant of
Israel, all that are given to Christ and redeemed by his blood, whether Jews or Gentiles;
these are gathered out of the world, which is an act of distinguishing grace; it is by
means of the Gospel trumpet that they are awakened, and quickened, and directed to
Christ:
and for the journeying of the camps: both of the four camps of the Israelites, and
the camp of the Levites, to direct them when they should set forward on a journey: and
of like use is the ministry of the Gospel; saints are pilgrims and travellers here; they are
passing through a wilderness, their way is attended with many difficulties; Canaan is the
place they are travelling to, and the Gospel is of singular use to them by the way, both to
refresh them with its joyful sound, and to direct them in the path in which they should
go.
JAMISON, "Make thee two trumpets of silver — These trumpets were of a long
form, in opposition to that of the Egyptian trumpets, with which the people were
convened to the worship of Osiris and which were curved like rams’ horns. Those which
Moses made, as described by Josephus and represented on the arch of Titus, were
straight, a cubit or more in length, the tubes of the thickness of a flute. Both extremities
bore a close resemblance to those in use among us. They were of solid silver - so as, from
the purity of the metal, to give a shrill, distinct sound; and there were two of them,
probably because there were only two sons of Aaron; but at a later period the number
was greatly increased (Jos_6:8; 2Ch_5:12). And although the camp comprehended
2,500,000 of people, two trumpets would be quite sufficient, for sound is conveyed
easily through the pure atmosphere and reverberated strongly among the valleys of the
Sinaitic hills.
K&D 1-4, "The Silver Signal-Trumpets. - Although God Himself appointed the time
for removal and encampment by the movement of the cloud of His presence, signals
were also requisite for ordering and conducting the march of so numerous a body, by
means of which Moses, as commander-in-chief, might make known his commands to the
different divisions of the camp. To this end God directed him to prepare two silver
trumpets of beaten work (mikshah, see Exo_25:18), which should serve “for the calling of
the assembly, and for the breaking up of the camps,” i.e., which were to be used for this
purpose. The form of these trumpets is not further described. No doubt they were
straight, not curved, as we may infer both from the representation of these trumpets on
the triumphal arch of Titus at Rome, and also from the fact, that none but straight
trumpets occur on the old Egyptian monuments (see my Arch. ii. p. 187). With regard to
the use of them for calling the congregation, the following directions are given in Num_
10:3, Num_10:4 : “When they shall blow with them (i.e., with both), the whole
congregation (in all its representatives) shall assemble at the door of the tabernacle; if
they blow with only one, the princes or heads of the families of Israel shall assemble
together.”
CALVIN, "2Make thee two trumpets of silver. This passage respecting the silver
26

trumpets, which gave the gathering-signal, so that the people should always be
attentive to the voice and will of God, is properly annexed to the First
Commandment. For God would have the Israelites set in motion by their sound,
whithersoever they were to go, so that they should not dare to commence anything
either in war or in peace, except under His guidance and auspices, as it were. But
their use was threefold, viz., to gather the people or the rulers to public assemblies;
to arm them against their enemies; and, thirdly, to announce the sacrifices and
festivals. It might seem absurd, and somewhat indecorous, to appoint the priests to
be trumpeters, since there was no splendor or dignity in this office; but God would
in this way awaken greater reverence in the minds of the people, that the authority
of the priests should precede all their actions. For this office, to which they were
appointed, was no servile one, as that they should blow the trumpets at the
command of others; but rather did God thus set them over public affairs, that the
people might not tumultuously call their assemblies in the blindness and
precipitation of passion, but rather that modesty, gravity, and moderation should be
observed in them. We know how often in earthly affairs God is not regarded, but
counsels are confidently discussed without reference to His word. He testified,
therefore, by this employment of the priests, that all assemblies, except those in
which He should preside, were accursed. Profane nations also had their ceremonies,
such as auguries, supplications, soothsayings, victims, (75) because natural reason
dictated that nothing could be engaged in successfully without Divine assistance; but
God would have His people bound to Him in another way, so that, when called by
the sound of the sacred trumpets as by a voice from heaven, they should assemble to
holy and pious deliberations. The circumstance of the place also has the same object.
The door of the Tabernacle was to them, as if they placed themselves in the sight; of
God. We will speak of the word ‫מועד‬ , mogned (76) elsewhere. Although it signifies
an appointed time, or place, and also an assembly of the people, I prefer translating
it convention, because God there in a solemn manner, as if before His sacred
tribunal, called the people to witness, or, according to appointment, proceeded to
make a covenant with them.
He was also unwilling that wars should be undertaken precipitately, or with the
desire of vengeance, but that the priests should perform the office of heralds,
(feciales,) in order that he might be the originator of them himself. But it was
honorable for the priests to be the proclaimers of the festivals, and to cite the people
to the sanctuary. Now, since we understand the intention of the Legislator, let us
briefly touch upon the words. We have said that the priests, when they sounded,
were, as it were, the organs or interpreters of God, that the Israelites might depend
upon His voice and commandment. If the princes or heads of thousands only were to
be called, they sounded only once; if it was a convocation of the whole people, they
doubled the sound. A similar distinction was observed in war, that a different signal
should be given, according as the camps of either side were to advance. Some use the
fictitious word taratantara, (77) in place of what I have translated “with jubilation:”
it is probable that it was a louder and more protracted sound, but blown with
intervals. We must, however, observe the promise, which is inserted, that the
Israelites “should be remembered before the Lord,” that He should put their
27

enemies to flight; not as if the safety or deliverance of the people was attached to the
trumpets, but because they did not go to the battle except in reliance on God’s aid.
For the reality itself is conjoined with the external symbol, viz., that they should
fight under God, should follow Him as their Leader, and should account all their
strength to be in His grace. And that all the saints were guided by this rule appears
from Psalms 20:7, —
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the
Lord our God:"
and again, “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host; a mighty man is not
delivered by much strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy.” (Psalms 33:16)
COKE, "Verse 33
"And they set forward from the mount of Jehovah three days' journey; and the ark
of the covenant of Jehovah went before them three days' journey to seek out a
resting place for them. And the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they
set forward from the camp.
And when it came to pass when the ark set forward, that Moses said,
Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; And let them that hate thee
flee before thee. And when it rested, he said,
Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel."
The prayer uttered by Moses in the last two verses became a classic, and "The two
sayings are included in the synagogue's traditional Torah service, at the beginning,
and at the end."[29]
Numbers 10:36, according to Cook, may also be translated: "Restore to the land
which their fathers sojourned in."[30] This inherent meaning of the passage has a
very special reference to that first generation of Israelites who were indeed restored
(in the times of Moses) to the land once inhabited by the Patriarchs and removes all
logic from speculations, such as that of Gray, who said, "Numbers 10:36 seems to
imply an already existing settled life in Canaan."[31]
We appreciate the comment of Smick who spoke of this final prayer thus:
"It eloquently teaches the working relationship between God and the Church
Militant. He goes before her, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. He
abides in her midst and she is strengthened and becomes a great host."[32]
28

The wilderness experience made a profound impression upon the Hebrew nation,
and one of their Psalms (Psalms 68) is closely related to this very chapter.
WHEDON, "2. Trumpets of silver — There is no hint here of their form, but it is
believed that the straight trumpets on the Arch of Titus at Rome are the exact
representation of the priests’ signal trumpets. See Numbers 4:9, wood-cut. None but
straight trumpets are found on the old Egyptian monuments.
Of a whole piece — “Of beaten work.” — Keil and R.V. “Turned, rounded, or
carved work.” — Furst. It is supposed that the number was limited to two because
there were but two sons of Aaron who were to use them.
PETT, "Numbers 10:2
‘Make yourself two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shall you make them, and
you shall use them for the calling of the congregation, and for the journeying of the
camps.’
Two trumpets were to be made of beaten silver. They were to be used for the calling
together of all the men in the camp for worship or consultation, or just for calling
the princes of the tribe, or for giving indications about moving forward. Trumpets
were used in Egypt for similar purposes in 16th-11th century BC. While we do not
know what these were like we do know what they were like centuries later. They
were then straight pipes, about 45 centimetres (18 inches) long, and flared at the
end.
PULPIT, "Make thee two trumpets. Hebrew, khatsotserah. From the testimony of
Josephus, from the representation on the arch of Titus, and from a comparison of
ancient Egyptian trumpets, it is clear that these trumpets were straight, long, and
narrow, with an expanded mouth. The shophar, or trumpet of the Jubilee, on the
other hand, was a buccina or cornet, either made of a ram's horn, or shaped like
one. Of a whole piece. Rather, "of beaten work." Hebrew, mikshah (see on Exodus
25:18). Septuagint, ἐλατὰς ποιήσεις αὐτάς. Probably they were made of a single
plate of silver beaten out into the required shape, which was very simple.
3 When both are sounded, the whole community
is to assemble before you at the entrance to the
29

tent of meeting.
GILL, "And when they shall blow with them,.... With both the trumpets, in an
even and continued sound, that is, the sons of Aaron:
all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation; to hear what was to be said unto them: blowing
both the trumpets together was a token that the whole congregation was called to meet
together at the tabernacle, the door of which was the usual place of assembling,
especially on religious counts, for there also the Lord met them, Exo_29:42.
JAMISON 3-7, "when they shall blow with them — There seem to have been
signals made by a difference in the loudness and variety in the notes, suited for different
occasions, and which the Israelites learned to distinguish. A simple uniform sound by
both trumpets summoned a general assembly of the people; the blast of a single trumpet
convoked the princes to consult on public affairs; notes of some other kind were made to
sound an alarm, whether for journeying or for war. One alarm was the recognized signal
for the eastern division of the camp (the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun) to
march; two alarms gave the signal for the southern to move; and, though it is not in our
present Hebrew text, the Septuagint has, that on three alarms being sounded, those on
the west; while on four blasts, those on the north decamped. Thus the greatest order and
discipline were established in the Israelitish camp - no military march could be better
regulated.
WHEDON, " 3. When they shall blow with them — That is, with both.
All the assembly — They were to send representatives to the door of the tabernacle
who would constitute a larger assembly than that of the princes. The gathering of
more than 600,000, the enrolled army of Israel, at the narrow space in front of the
tabernacle is not demanded by these words. See notes on Numbers 1:18; Numbers
14:2; Numbers 14:7.
pett, "Numbers 10:3
‘And when they shall blow them, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you
at the door of the tent of meeting.’
The normal signal, possibly two or three blasts, would call together the whole
congregation at the door of the Tent of meeting. They would gather around the
Dwellingplace.
30

4 If only one is sounded, the leaders—the heads of
the clans of Israel—are to assemble before you.
GILL, "And if they blow but with one trumpet,.... With only one of them, or but
once, with one sounding, and that an even one as before:
then the princes, which are the heads of the thousands of Israel,
shall gather themselves unto thee: and they only or alone, as Aben Ezra: by this
token, or by this difference of blowing both trumpets, or only one, it was, easily known
when the whole congregation or when the princes only were to meet Moses at the same
place, the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and all are to attend divine service,
and the ministry of the word, even the whole church of God, and all the members of it,
high and low, rich and poor, princes and people.
ELLICOTT, "(4) With one trumpet.—Or, but once (or, at the same time). (Comp.
Job 33:14; Proverbs 28:18; Jeremiah 10:8.) Some suppose that the meaning is that
the trumpets were to be blown at the same time with one even or uniform sound,
and that not a continuous one.
pett, "Numbers 10:4
‘And if they blow but one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel,
shall gather themselves to you.’
One sharp blast would be a signal for the princes, those who were over tribes and
sub tribes, to gather. Each tribe was here seen as ‘an ’eleph’.
5 When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes
camping on the east are to set out.
31

BARNES 5-6, "Blow an alarm - i. e. along continuous peal. Compare Num_10:7, ye
shall blow, but not sound an alarm: i. e. blow in short, sharp notes, not in a continuous
peal. A third and a fourth alarm were probably blown as signals.
CLARKE, "When ye blow an alarm - ‫תרועה‬ teruah, probably meaning short,
broken, sharp tones, terminating with long ones, blown with both the trumpets at once.
From the similarity in the words some suppose that the Hebrew teruah was similar to the
Roman taratantara, or sound of their clarion.
GILL, "When ye blow an alarm,.... Making a broken, uneven, and quavering sound,
which is called a "tara-tan-tara":
then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward; the camps of Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, which lay to the east of the tabernacle, at the front of it; see
Num_1:3; this was to be the token for their march, which was first of all; Num_10:14.
K&D, "To give the signal for breaking up the camp, they were to blow ‫ה‬ָ‫רוּע‬ ְ‫,תּ‬ i.e., a
noise or alarm. At the first blast the tribes on the east, i.e., those who were encamped in
the front of the tabernacle, were to break up; at the second, those who were encamped
on the south; and so on in the order prescribed in ch. 2, though this is not expressly
mentioned here. The alarm was to be blown ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ֵ‫ע‬ ְ‫סּ‬ ַ‫מ‬ ְ‫,ל‬ with regard to their breaking up
or marching.
ELLICOTT, "(5) When ye blow an alarm.—The word teruah, alarm, is supposed to
denote a loud and continuous blast, by which the signal for the moving of the camps
was distinguished from those which were used for the summoning of the
congregation, or of the princes (Numbers 10:7). In the former of these cases some
suppose that both trumpets were blown, and in the latter only one (Numbers 10:4
and Note. Comp. Light-foot’s Temple Service, Numbers 7:5; Numbers 7:2.) The
fuller directions respecting the order in which the camps were to break up are given
in Numbers 2. Here the order of the eastern and southern camps only is prescribed.
In the LXX., however, we read thus: “And ye shall sound a third alarm, and the
camps pitched by the sea (i.e., westward), shall move forward; and ye shall sound a
fourth alarm, and they that encamp toward the north shall move forward; they shall
sound an alarm at their departure.”
WHEDON, "5. An alarm — The same Hebrew word designates the loud clang of
32

Numbers 10 commentary

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Numbers 10 commentary

Similar to Numbers 10 commentary (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Numbers 10 commentary