Trumpet: At the Foundation of the Second Temple
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The trumpet holds significant ceremonial and symbolic importance in the biblical narrative, particularly during the pivotal moment of laying the foundation of the Second Temple. This event is recorded in the Book of Ezra, which details the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon and the subsequent rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Biblical Context

The use of trumpets in Israelite worship and ceremony is well-documented throughout the Old Testament. Trumpets were used to call assemblies, announce festivals, and signal important events (Numbers 10:1-10). In the context of the Second Temple, the trumpet's sound marked a moment of profound religious and communal significance.

The Laying of the Foundation

Ezra 3:10-11 describes the scene: "When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: 'For He is good, for His loving devotion to Israel endures forever.' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid."

Here, the trumpet is not merely a musical instrument but a tool of divine worship and proclamation. The priests, dressed in their sacred garments, used trumpets to lead the people in worship, signifying the restoration of proper worship practices and the reestablishment of the covenant community in their ancestral land.

Symbolism and Significance

The trumpet's sound at the foundation of the Second Temple symbolizes several key themes in the biblical narrative:

1. Restoration and Renewal: The trumpet heralds the renewal of the covenant relationship between God and His people. After years of exile and desolation, the sound of the trumpet marks a new beginning and the hope of restored worship.

2. Divine Presence and Approval: The use of trumpets, as prescribed by King David, underscores the continuity of worship practices and the divine approval of the Temple's reconstruction. It signifies God's presence among His people and His faithfulness to His promises.

3. Communal Unity and Joy: The collective response of the people, as they shout and praise the LORD, reflects the unity and joy of the community. The trumpet serves as a rallying point, drawing the people together in a shared expression of faith and gratitude.

Historical and Theological Implications

The laying of the Second Temple's foundation, accompanied by the sound of trumpets, is a moment of profound historical and theological importance. It marks the fulfillment of prophetic promises and the resilience of the Jewish faith. The event is a testament to God's enduring covenant with Israel and His commitment to His people despite their past unfaithfulness.

In the broader biblical narrative, the trumpet continues to serve as a symbol of divine intervention and eschatological hope, echoing through the pages of Scripture as a call to worship, repentance, and anticipation of God's ultimate redemption.
Nave's Topical Index
Ezra 3:10,11
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Temple Cleansed Again
... of thieves." His voice sounded like a trumpet through the ... safety depends upon our
building upon the sure foundation. ... power." Rom.1:4. At His second coming He ...
/.../white/the desire of ages/chapter 65 the temple cleansed.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem.
... of Solomon's temple, and who wept at the foundation of the ... has declared that He will
come the second time, to ... angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they ...
/.../1 the destruction of jerusalem.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem
... of Solomon's temple, and who wept at the foundation of the ... has declared that He will
come the second time to ... angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 1 the destruction of.htm

The Kingdom Given to the Saints at the Resurrection of the Just.
... the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the ... eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound ... to have lived just after the second temple was built ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the kingdom given to the.htm

The Third vision "In Heaven"
... Here will be the fulfilment of the second Psalm and many ... The seventh Trumpet includes
as its last object: ... fulfilled, we are taken back to the foundation of the ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the third vision in heaven.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... first and third figures are Medes, the second and fourth ... to the fate of Isaiah took
its foundation in this ... and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Bunsen's Biblical Researches.
... the notion of moral choice and the foundation of ethics. ... But the second volume of
Gott in der Geschichte seems to ... Bunsen, with voice, like sound of trumpet born ...
/.../essays and reviews the education of the world/bunsens biblical researches.htm

Sources and Literature of the Apostolic Age.
... of his name in laying the foundation of the ... Paul was the chief actor in the second
stage of ... were republished, explained, and applied with trumpet tongues by ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 20 sources and literature.htm

Christ Glorified as the Builder of his Church
... have an interesting subject in the second part of ... had his mountain ready and the
foundation builded, the ... the judgment; now that the trumpet sounds exceedingly ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/christ glorified as the builder.htm

The Ship on Fire --A Voice of Warning
... I hear since, from the friends of the second mate, that ... slight mercy to be able to
hear the trumpet of warning ... It is a foundation mercy, but it is not the least ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/the ship on firea voice.htm

Resources
Is the last trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4 the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

What are the seven trumpets of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the midtribulational view of the rapture (midtribulationism)? | GotQuestions.org

Trumpet: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Trumpet

Trumpet by Gideon's Soldiers

Trumpet in the Siege of Jericho

Trumpet in War, of Abijah

Trumpet in Worship

Trumpet used at Mount Sinai

Trumpet used for Assembling the People to War

Trumpet used for Blowing at all Religious Processions and Ceremonies

Trumpet used for Blowing Over the Sacrifices on the Feast Day

Trumpet used for Calling Assemblies

Trumpet used for Giving Alarm in Cases of Danger

Trumpet used for Proclaiming Kings

Trumpet used for Regulating the Journeys of the Children of Israel

Trumpet used for Sounding for a Memorial when the People Went Into Battle

Trumpet used in War

Trumpet: An Instrument of Music

Trumpet: At Jehoshaphat's Triumph

Trumpet: At the Anointing of Kings

Trumpet: At the Bringing up of the Ark of the Covenant from the Household of Obed-Edom

Trumpet: At the Dedication of Solomon's Temple

Trumpet: At the Dedication of the Wall

Trumpet: At the Foundation of the Second Temple

Trumpet: At the Jubilee

Trumpet: Called the Trump

Trumpet: Figurative

Trumpet: Made of Ram's Horn

Trumpet: Made of Rams' Horns

Trumpet: Made of Silver

Trumpet: Miracles Connected With: Confusion Produced in the Camp of the Midianites by Sound

Trumpet: Miracles Connected With: Falling of the Walls of Jericho

Trumpet: Miracles Connected With: Heard at Mount Sinai at Giving of the Law

Trumpet: Moses Commanded to Make Two, for the Tabernacle

Trumpet: On the Great Day of Atonement

Trumpet: Required to Give an Intelligible and Understood Sound

Trumpet: Solomon Made a Great Many, for the Service of the Temple

Trumpet: Sounded in Time of Danger

Trumpet: Sounding of, Illustrative of God's Power to Raise the Dead

Trumpet: Sounding of, Illustrative of The Bold and Faithful Preaching of Ministers

Trumpet: Sounding of, Illustrative of The Latter Day Judgments

Trumpet: Sounding of, Illustrative of The Proclamation of the Gospel

Trumpet: Symbolical

Trumpet: The Feast of Trumpets Celebrated by Blowing of

Trumpet: The Jubilee Introduced by Blowing of

Trumpet: The Priests to Blow the Sacred

Trumpet: The War-Horse Acquainted With the Sound of

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Absalom

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Ehud

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Gideon

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Joab

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Nehemiah

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Phinehas

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Saul

Trumpet: To Summon Soldiers by Sheba

Trumpet: Uses of, Prescribed by Moses

Related Terms

Trumpet (74 Occurrences)

Trumpet-blast (2 Occurrences)

Trumpet's (1 Occurrence)

Trump (2 Occurrences)

Blew (37 Occurrences)

Blown (30 Occurrences)

Bloweth (10 Occurrences)

Ram's (7 Occurrences)

Blast (28 Occurrences)

Almsgiving (3 Occurrences)

Cornet (8 Occurrences)

Alms (13 Occurrences)

Alarm (26 Occurrences)

Year (4027 Occurrences)

Trumpeter (1 Occurrence)

Sounds (64 Occurrences)

Ensign (21 Occurrences)

Blowing (31 Occurrences)

Trumpets (52 Occurrences)

Thunder (48 Occurrences)

Sounded (66 Occurrences)

Shouting (83 Occurrences)

Loud (222 Occurrences)

Shouted (65 Occurrences)

Shout (114 Occurrences)

Jubilee (25 Occurrences)

Blow (124 Occurrences)

Nethaneel (14 Occurrences)

Lightnings (17 Occurrences)

Imperishable (11 Occurrences)

Incapable (5 Occurrences)

Instant (19 Occurrences)

Incorruptible (8 Occurrences)

Trembled (43 Occurrences)

Twinkling (1 Occurrence)

Resembled (18 Occurrences)

Decay (18 Occurrences)

Proclamation (31 Occurrences)

Beth-haccerem (2 Occurrences)

Bichri (8 Occurrences)

Bethhaccerem (2 Occurrences)

Amos (12 Occurrences)

Ablaze (19 Occurrences)

Atonements (6 Occurrences)

Soundeth (6 Occurrences)

Signal (18 Occurrences)

Dispersed (28 Occurrences)

Warfare (18 Occurrences)

Changed (177 Occurrences)

Warning (30 Occurrences)

Lightning (49 Occurrences)

Sounding (99 Occurrences)

Moment (71 Occurrences)

Uproar (33 Occurrences)

Assemble (77 Occurrences)

Messengers (182 Occurrences)

Tekoa (12 Occurrences)

Warn (35 Occurrences)

Flat (33 Occurrences)

Banner (20 Occurrences)

Winds (35 Occurrences)

Feast (209 Occurrences)

Trunk (3 Occurrences)

Noise (126 Occurrences)

Tenth (89 Occurrences)

Over-against (156 Occurrences)

Jo'ab (120 Occurrences)

Month (197 Occurrences)

Further (121 Occurrences)

Tremble (92 Occurrences)

Standard (42 Occurrences)

Gideon (45 Occurrences)

Horn (108 Occurrences)

Afar (98 Occurrences)

War (529 Occurrences)

Ahead (98 Occurrences)

Warned (63 Occurrences)

Seventh (123 Occurrences)

Abroad (120 Occurrences)

Trumpet: At the Dedication of the Wall
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