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Leviticus 23:23-25
To adherents of Judaism, the Feast of Trumpets is essentially a mystery. They can see that the first day of the seventh month is a holy day, and a noisy one at that. The Jews have their traditions, but they have little idea what to make of this annual holy day. Their confusion is both ironic and telling because God has made the clues readily available. However, putting the pieces together would require accepting something they are not ready to accept, at least not yet. In Hebrew, the Feast of Trumpets is called Yom Teruah, based on the sparse instructions in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6. Yom (Strong's #3117) is the Hebrew word for “day,” while translators commonly render teruah (Strong's #8643) in those places as “a trumpet blast,” “a blowing of trumpets,” or even “loud blasts on the ram's horn.” But in the instructions, God does not specify why. He only indicates that it is to be a day of great noise, a day of alarm, joy, rejoicing, and shouting, which is what teruah literally means. The root of teruah is ruwa (Strong's #7321), and its figurative meaning is “to split the ears (with sound).” The sound can signify alarm or rejoicing. It can be destructive or joyful. Regardless of the occasion, ruwa is piercing, thunderous, or otherwise deafening. The emphasis in teruah lies in earsplitting noise rather than its source. It does not directly mean “trumpets,” “ram's horn,” or “shofar,” but instead points to an arresting noise like the sound those instruments make. But it also describes the sound a throng of people makes when shouting with a full-throated roar, and particularly in shouting to God (Psalm 47:1; 66:1; 81:2; 100:1). In God's church, our observance tends to be subdued compared to how Scripture uses teruah and its root, but we at least have a song service during which we can lift our voices—“make a joyful noise”—as commanded.
David C. Grabbe
The Shout of a King
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