296 THE SIIOFAR ADLER. 



ground, and keepeth not quiet wlii'ii tlu' sliofai's voice (is lieard)." 

 (Job, XXXIX, 24.) 



OTHEK VfiT.B. 



From the Talmud we leaiii that tlie use of tlie sliofar as a note of 

 alarm of war was transferred to other seasons of dani;er and distress. 

 Famine, plague of locusts, and drought (Mislma 'I'aanith, i, fi) occasioned 

 the Idowing- of the sliofar. 



The shofar was employed at the public ceremony of excommunica- 

 tion.* (AVetzstein, p. G7.) 



A very curious use of the shofar in later times Avas in funeral cere- 

 monies (Wet/stein, j). (17). T agree with Wetzstcin tluit tiiis use of 

 the instrument is quite apart from the usual Semitic custom and was 

 probably borrowed. 



As a signal instiument of war it had various uses, ]>ossibly accord- 

 ing to the note that was blown. It was tlie signal for going out to 

 battle, for the announcement of a victory, and for a recall of the troops. 



It was with the shofar that Ehud assembled the ])eople. "And it 

 came to pass, when he was come, that he blew the shofar on the moun- 

 tain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from 

 the mountain and he before them." (Judges, in, 27.) 



"And again there lia])i>ened to be a worthless man, whose name was 

 Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, and he blew the shofar and 

 said, 'We have no j)artin David, nor have we any inheritance in the 

 son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel.'" (II Samuel, xx, l.'i 



Isaiah refers to this use (xviii, 3) :t "All ye inhabitants of the world, 

 and dwellers on the earth, w hen the ensign is lifted upon the moun- 

 tains, see ye; and when the shoiar is blown, hear ye." 



When Jonathan had defeated the IMiilistines in Geba, " Saul blew 

 the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear," 

 (1 Samuel xiir, 3,), and thus become arqnaintfMl with the victory. 



It announced the end of the struggle ]»etween Aluierand floabwliich 

 succeeded the death of Saul. (II Samuel, ii, 2S.) 



After the death of Absalom, which really ended the revolt against 

 David, .loab blew the shofar and the ])eople returned from pursuing 

 after Israel. (II Samuel, xviit, Ki, cf. also II Samuel, xx, 22.) 



The shofar was employed to announce the coronation of a king. 

 This may be considered but a feature of its use for military jiuiposes, 

 since, as some of the i)assages about to be quoted show, tlie coronation 



In 5rtH/i('drin, 7 b., we reatl: ''R:ili II una \\ Inn altoiii to hold court was accnstomed 

 to ask for the iuii)l('iiicnts ofliis trade : a rod. a strap, a sliot'ar. and a sandal." The 

 shofar, remarks llashi, was lor use at an exconiniuiiication. 



INakiireli Khaiieh, a roik near r.aiidainir, in IVrsia, is so callod (aei-ordiiiij: to tra- 

 dition) iK'canse at the sound of drums and triimi»et8 the Avorkmoii en_u;a_i;ed on the 

 ■walls and dikes in the neii^hhorhooil assemlded there to receive their wages and 

 provision. (Ousoly, ii, 18G.) 



