The Horn

For animals, the horn symbolizes beauty and strength. It is also a weapon for protection and combat. Therefore, the Hebrew people saw the horn as a symbol of power and might, and the Bible uses it to refer to glory and salvation. In prophecies and visions, the horn also symbolizes rulers and dynasties, both righteous and evil, and a horn butting an opponent signifies a determination to conquer them. Furthermore, in ancient Israel, animal horns were used to hold oil, wine, ink, or cosmetics.

In the Old Testament, the word “horn” is translated from the Hebrew words “shofar” and “chatsotsrah.”

Shofar means “horn,” specifically a ram’s horn. It appears 72 times in the Old Testament, translated as “trumpet” 68 times and “cornet” 4 times. Its root meaning includes “joy,” “beauty,” “justice,” “bright,” or “shining,” giving it a penetrating and stirring effect on the spirit and soul, awakening people. Modern shofars are made from a hollowed-out ram’s horn, about 14 inches (36 cm) long, with the bell of the horn bent into an arch and a mouthpiece added to make it easier to play.

Chatsotsrah refers to a trumpet or bugle, and it is translated as “trumpet” 29 times in the Old Testament. A contrasting passage in Numbers 10:2 refers to trumpets made of silver. “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them to summon the community and to have the camps set out” (Numbers 10:2). The sound of a trumpet, especially when all trumpets are played together, conveys a sense of joyous praise or a call to battle.

The Bible records:

[1 Samuel 2:1] My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.

[1 Kings 1:39] Then Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”

[Luke 1:67-69] And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.”