H7782 — שׁוֹפָר (shôwphâr)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H7782
Original: שׁוֹפָר
Transliteration: shôwphâr
Pronunciation: sho-far'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: from an unused root in the original sense of incising (cutting/hollowing)
Occurrences: 63 unique verses (73 tokens) across 21 books
First Occurrence: Exo 19:16 — "there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From an unused root in the original sense of incising; a cornet (as giving a clear sound) or curved horn — cornet, trumpet.

The shôwphâr is the ram's horn instrument, a natural hollow horn used as a signal device. Distinct from the priestly silver trumpet (H2689 חֲצֹצְרָה).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
of the trumpet	19	30%
the trumpet	15	24%
a trumpet	8	13%
with the trumpets	6	10%
the trumpets	5	8%
trumpets	4	6%
cornet / cornets	3	5%
Other	3	5%

KJV renders shôwphâr almost exclusively as "trumpet" (95%) with occasional "cornet."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Joel	2	2.7
Zephaniah	1	1.9
Amos	2	1.4
Judges	8	1.3
Joshua	8	1.2
Hosea	2	1.0
2 Samuel	6	0.9
Nehemiah	2	0.5
Jeremiah	7	0.5
Zechariah	1	0.5
1 Kings	3	0.4
Ezekiel	4	0.3
Exodus	3	0.2
Job	2	0.2
Psalms	4	0.2
Isaiah	3	0.2
Leviticus	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
2 Kings	1	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
2 Chronicles	1	0.1

Concentration is highest in the prophets (Joel, Zephaniah, Hosea, Amos) and narrative books with military/royal contexts (Judges, Joshua, Samuel). The Psalms use it liturgically despite low density.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Theophany — God's Descent at Sinai¶

The shofar signals God's terrifying presence; its sound frames the giving of the Law. - Exo 19:16 — "there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled" - Exo 19:19 — "when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice" - Exo 20:18 — "all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking"

2. Military Signal — Gathering or Dismissing Troops¶

Commanders blow the shofar to summon warriors or signal a halt; the people respond immediately. - Jdg 3:27 — "he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount" - Jdg 7:18 — "When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp" - 2 Sam 2:28 — "So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more" - 2 Sam 18:16 — "Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel"

3. Royal Coronation / Political Proclamation¶

Blowing the shofar announces and acclaims a new king. - 1 Kgs 1:34 — "blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon" - 1 Kgs 1:39 — "they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon" - 2 Kgs 9:13 — "they… blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king"

4. Liturgical / Festival Use¶

The shofar marks sacred occasions: the Jubilee, procession of the ark, and worship. - Lev 25:9 — "thou shalt cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month… throughout all your land" - Psa 81:3 — "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day" - Psa 150:3 — "Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp" - 1 Chr 15:28 — "all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet"

5. Prophetic Warning / Watchman's Alarm¶

Prophets deploy the shofar as a call to attention — to repentance or as alarm before judgment. - Ezek 33:3 — "If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people" - Joel 2:1 — "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble" - Jer 6:17 — "I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken" - Amos 3:6 — "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?"

6. Eschatological Gathering¶

The shofar marks the end-time ingathering of Israel by God. - Isa 27:13 — "the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria" - Zech 9:14 — "the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south" - Psa 47:5 — "God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
תָּקַע (tâqaʻ)	H8628	34x	"blow the trumpet" — the standard verb of sounding
קוֹל (qôwl)	H6963	22x	"sound/voice of the trumpet" — heard from a distance
שָׁמַע (shâmaʻ)	H8085	15x	"hear the sound of the trumpet" — response expected
עַם (ʻam)	H5971	15x	"the people" who hear and respond to the blast
תְּרוּעָה (tᵉrûwʻâh)	H8643	11x	paired war-cry/alarm — shofar blast + shouting together
אָרוֹן (ʼârôwn)	H727	7x	ark of the covenant — liturgical procession context

Word Family / Cognates¶

No established cognate verb in biblical Hebrew; lexicon traces to an unused root meaning "to incise" (cutting the horn into shape). The word group is primarily lexical, not morphological.

Synonyms¶

No synonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for H7782.

Antonyms¶

No antonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for H7782.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
חֲצֹצְרָה (chătsôtsᵉrâh)	H2689	"trumpet/trumpets"	Priestly silver trumpet, made by hammering metal; played exclusively by priests (Num 10:1-10). Shôwphâr is a ram's horn — natural, portable, used by leaders and watchmen.
יוֹבֵל (yôwbêl)	H3104	"trumpet" (jubilee context)	Specifically the jubilee-year blast; the word names both the blast and the year. Occurs in Lev 25 where it overlaps with shôwphâr (v.9 uses both).
תָּקוֹעַ (tâqôwaʻ)	H8619	"trumpet"	Rare (1x); a trumpet in the musical sense, from the root "to drive in / thrust" — probably a horn with a mouthpiece insert.

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[001002008001013] Musical Instruments — search_relationships.py places shôwphâr in the instrument field alongside H2689 חֲצֹצְרָה, H3104 יוֹבֵל, H2485 חָלִיל, and H3658 כִּנּוֹר.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
σάλπιγξ (sálpinx)	G4536	40x	28.47	Primary — the NT trumpet word
σαλπίζω (salpízō)	G4537	28x	26.37	Verbal form — "to sound a trumpet"
φωνή (phōnḗ)	G5456	22x	4.19	"voice/sound of the trumpet" phrases
σημαίνω (sēmaínō)	G4591	7x	7.32	"to signal" — emphasizes communicative function

The primary Greek bridge is σάλπιγξ/σαλπίζω — forming the word family that carries shôwphâr into the NT.