shofar

Shoh´fahr

A musical instrument made out of the horn of an animal. The biblical shofar was a ram’s horn (Josh 6:4-13). The shofar is mentioned many times in the Bible, beginning with (Exod 19:16), the revelation at Mt. Sinai, where the loud blast of the horn caused the people to tremble in fear. The Israelites were commanded that when they entered the land God would give them, they were to proclaim the Jubilee Year with a blast of the shofar (Lev 25:9). In the Bible, the shofar most often signifies an important announcement or a call to arms (Judg 3:27) and was the means by which Joshua conquered the city of Jericho (Josh 6:4-5). As an instrument, the shofar was also used as part of a musical ensemble (Ps 98:6). In the Jerusalem Temple, the ram’s horn was an integral part of the rituals.