BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KNOW THE SOUNDING! – At the Foot of the Covenant Ministries

An in-depth look at the word ‘Teru‘ah’

25^th of the 6^th month 2016/2017

Shalom all,

With the 7^th months Feasts of יהוה almost upon us we certainly continue to look forward, with great anticipation, excitement and joy, for the soon return of our Master and Elohim, who is coming for His ready Bride.

In light of us being near the end of the 6^th month of the year and about to celebrate Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets) I would simply like to highlight the significance of this Feast and the readiness with which we ought be to prepared as a true remnant Bride that is making Herself ready.

Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are the people who know the sounding! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.”

This verse is such a powerful declaration of how blessed the people are who know the sounding! The sounding of what, you may ask? Well, the Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘the sounding’ is the noun תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 which means, ‘a shout or blast of war, alarm or joy’, which comes from the root verb רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321 meaning, ‘to raise a shout, give a blast, sound the alarm, shout for joy’, and it is on the 1^st day of the 7^th month day that we certainly raise a shout and blow the shofar/trumpets as we have a remembrance of Teruah!

In a message called ‘BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KNOW THE SOUNDING!’ I would like to take you through the relevant Scriptures where we see the use of this Hebrew word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643.

The first time we see this word being used in Scripture is in the command that we are clearly given, in:

Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:23-25 “And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a rest, a remembrance of Teru‘ah, a set-apart gathering. 25 ‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’ ”

Before going further, I just want to highlight that this is one of the Feasts of יהוה that is clearly commanded for us to keep; and on this day we do no ‘servile’ work (i.e. no normal work as this is a Sabbath-like day). The word used for ‘rest’ is the Hebrew the term שַׁבָּתוֹן ‘shabbathon’ – Strong’s H7677 meaning a ‘Sabbath-like’ rest or Sabbath observance’. This year (2016) we expect, based on the sighting of the moon, that Yom Teruah will actually fall on the weekly Sabbath!

The word for ‘set-apart’ in Hebrew is: קֹדֶש– qoḏesh – Strong’s H6944 – and it means ‘apartness/ consecrated/ dedicated/ that which is dedicated and separated unto יהוה’. The word is really self-explanatory and carries with it great weight in its identification of truly setting something or someone apart from another with a clear distinction of being marked as separate and apart from the rest.

The word used for ‘gathering’ is : מִקְרָא – ‘miqra’ – Strong’s H4744, meaning: assembly/ group/ convocation/ a collective of people gathered for a purpose/a calling together, which comes from the root word קָרָא qara – Strong’s H7121 meaning, ‘proclaim, call, read, summons, invite, to be called out’.

This day of Yom Teruah is a day where we have a qoḏesh miqra (set-apart gathering) – and on this day we are to have a ‘remembrance of Teru‘ah’. The word for ‘remembrance’ in Hebrew is זִכָּרוֹן ‘zikkaron’ – Strong’s H2146 meaning ‘memorial, commemoration or remembrance’ and comes from the root word זָכַר ‘zaḵar’ – Strong’s H2142 which means ‘to remember, or be mindful, or bring to remembrance’. It is therefore a day for to remember Teru‘ah.

As we consider the command to have a ‘remembrance of Teruah’ we also must take note that this is a command to be mindful of and therefore we can see how true blessed are those who ‘know the Teruah’!

What are we to know and what are we to remember? The Teruah!!!

The first thing that we are to most certainly remember is what took place at Mount Sinai when Yisra’ĕl ‘heard the sounding of the Yoḇel and the voice of the shofar’ on the third day. They were given two days to get ready and on the third day יהוה came down and spoke the 10 Words of the Marriage Covenant. The Bride was given ‘two days’ to get ready and on the third day they were to ‘meet’ with יהוה! This is a clear prophetic shadow picture of when He is coming down to be with us, His Bride. Therefore on Yom Teru‘ah/Feast of Trumpets we remember that we are betrothed and recognise our need to be a ready and spotless Bride.

We can also go back and be reminded about what took place in Yerushalayim in Ma’asei/Acts 2 on the Feast of Shaḇu’ot/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, when the 120 believers who were gathered for this Feast were filled with the Set-Apart Spirit and the Torah was written upon their hearts, as the Marriage Covenant that was given at Mount Sinai, was now renewed in the Blood of Messiah and written on the hearts of the obedient believers!

On this day there was the sound of fire that was similar to what was ‘heard’ at Mount Sinai, and so we therefore remember how the Marriage Covenant has been renewed/repaired/restored in the Blood of Messiah; which we who were once far off from are now able to be grafted back in to. In understanding that we are to remember that we are ‘betrothed’ to יהושע we must recognise the need to keep our garments of righteousness clean as we wait for our soon coming Bridegroom.

To put it plainly, it is a day that we are to guard in remembering that we are betrothed to our soon coming Master, Elohim and King! This day is also typically referred to by many as ‘The Day of the awakening blast’, and for good reason I might add, especially as we consider the clear use of this word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643.

The word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah is used to signify an alarming sound that signals a distinctive sound that must be heard and properly responded to! The Hebrew word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 is used 36 times in 33 verses, and in order for us to get a better understanding of the call for us to remember the Teruah and how those who know the Teruah are blessed, I thought it best to take a look at each of the verses where this word is used and recognise how important it is for us to recognise the blessing of remembering the sounding!

I have already quoted 2 of the 33 verses that contain the Hebrew word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 (Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 & Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:24). Let us now take a look at the rest before coming back to Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 where we will be able to recognise and understand the blessing of knowing the sounding (Teruah) and the resulting action that comes to those who are blessed!

I will simply be going through Scripture in the order in which we find this word, based on the order of the books as found in the ISR Scriptures 2009 edition, which has followed the Hebraic order of the TaNaK (Torah (law/instructions), Neḇi’im (prophets), Kethuḇim (writings)), numbering the headings in the order in which they are found:

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – (2):

Wayyiqra/Leviticus 25:9 “You shall then sound a shofar-sound on the tenth day of the seventh new moon, on Yom haKippurim cause a shofar to sound through all your land.”

Here we are given the clear instruction regarding the shofar sound that is to be sounded on Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement). It is used to signal the distinctive sound of the shofar on the day of Yom Kippur that would fall in the 49^th year, in order to announce that the following year would be the Yoḇel (that is ‘the Jubilee’ – ‘the year of release’) and therefore proclaim the release with the Teruah sound of the shofar, giving people enough time to prepare for the release.

Please take note that the year of release does not start on the day of Yom Kippur in the 49^thyear, as it is only proclaimed on this day, as there would still be another 5 months before the beginning of the Yoḇel (year of Jubilee)!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(3&4):

Bemiḏbar/Numbers 10:5-7 “And when you blow a shout, the camps that lie on the east side shall depart. 6 “And when you blow a shout the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall depart – they blow a shout for them to depart. 7 “And when the assembly is to be assembled, you blow, but do not shout.”

Here in this passage we take note that the Hebrew word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 is used 3 times (once in verse 5 and twice in verse 6) and is translated as ‘shout’. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘shout’ in verse 7 is the verb רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321, from which the noun תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 is derived.

The Hebrew root word that is translated as ‘blow’ is תָּקַע taqa – Strong’s H8628 that means, ‘to thrust, strike or clap hands, blow, give a blast, trumpeter, pledge oneself’. This word is often used in describing the ‘blast’ or ‘blow’ of the trumpet call, and in terms of praise we are able to see how we are to blow the shofar in praise!

Tehillah/Psalm 81:3 “Blow the ram’s horn at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our festival day.”

Bemiḏbar/Numbers 10:10 “And in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed times, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your peace offerings. And they shall be a remembrance for you before your Elohim. I am יהוה your Elohim.”

What we can learn from the instructions given to blow a Teruah in Bemiḏbar/Numbers 10:5-6 regarding the proper order of departures is that this distinct sound had to be known by all, so that no camp would be left behind or out of order in any way and highlights for us the blessing of knowing the distinct sound that calls for the camps to move as commanded. This sound was blown from the two silver trumpets that was to be made for the calling the congregation and for breaking camp.

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(5):

Bemiḏbar/Numbers 23:21 “He has not looked upon wickedness in Yaʽaqoḇ, nor has He seen trouble in Yisra’ĕl. יהוה his Elohim is with him, and the shout of a Sovereign is in him.”

The Hebrew word וּתְרוּעַת – uteruath is translated as ‘and the shout’ and here it is used in the construct state with ‘Sovereign’, signifying that it is ‘the Sovereign’s shout’. When a feminine noun ending with the letter ה (hey), such as Teruah (תְּרוּעָה), is used in the construct state, the ה is converted to a ת (taw), in this case it becomes ‘torat’ (תְרוּעַת).

These were the words that Bilʽam spoke as part of him blessing Yisra’ĕl when Balaq had hired him to curse Yisra’ĕl, and no matter how much Balaq, the wicked king of Mo’aḇ, wanted to curse Yisra’ĕl by hiring Bilʽam, the false prophet, Bilʽam could not curse but could only speak that which he was given to speak by יהוה. In this blessing of Yisra’ĕl he declared that the ‘shout’ of a Sovereign is in Yisra’ĕl; and so we see a clear prophetic pointing to Yom Teruah, when the Trumpets will sound and the wrath of Elohim will begin to be poured out; and this will certainly be the time when the most intense efforts of the enemy to curse Ya’aqoḇ will be exercised.

Those who know the sounding have the assurance of being under the shelter of the Most High! For though Yisra’ĕl was, in a manner of speaking, in the ‘valley of death’ they did not need to fear the evil cursing of the enemy for the shout of יהוה is in Yisra’ĕl!!!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(6):

Bemiḏbar/Numbers 29:1 “And in the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work, it is Yom Teru’ah for you.”

This verse is another clear command regarding the feasts that are to be kept as this chapter 29 of Bemiḏbar/Numbers deals primarily with the instructions regarding the Feasts of the 7^th month.

This verse gives us the same clear instruction regarding the set-apart gathering we are to have on Yom Teruah as already discussed with the verse from Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:24!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(7):

Bemiḏbar/Numbers 31:6 “And Mosheh sent them on the campaign, one thousand from each tribe, them and Pineḥas son of El‛azar the priest on the campaign, with the set-apart utensils and the trumpets for sounding in his hand.”

Here the word הַתְּרוּעָה – hateruah is translated as ‘for sounding’.

Mosheh sent 12 000 armed ones (1 000 from each tribe) to go and take vengeance on the Miḏyanites, along with Pineḥas who went with the set-apart utensils and the trumpets for sounding.

This was a sure way to make sure all the surrounding nations would see the power of יהוה whose vengeance it is to put to death and keep alive! So 12 000 armed men against 5 kings and their armies would be a very powerful display of the mighty and power of יהוה. Each tribe had a 1 000, showing that each tribe is equally responsible in their role of guarding safety in the body and refuting all forms of strife, no matter how big or small you are!

Pineḥas was sent with the 12 000 and this is a powerful picture of Messiah who is our Captain and Chief Priest who leads us and fights for us and Pineḥas is certainly a picture of being an agent of salvation as it was through his boldness of standing up and putting to death the whoring in the camp that the plague of death had stopped, therefore representing for us the need for us to always be armed for battle with Messiah as our head. To try to fight any battles without our Master and Elohim leading us by the sound of His voice would be to do so in vain – but with Him we need not fear the size or strength of the enemy! Pineḥas had the trumpets for sounding in his hand and this too is a picture of Messiah, who calls us to battle:

Qorintiyim Aleph/1 Corinthians 14:8 “For indeed, if the trumpet makes an indistinct sound, who shall prepare himself for battle?”

We are told in:

Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 20:4 “for יהוה your Elohim is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

Neḥemyah/Nehemiah 4:20 “In whatever place you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, join us there. Our Elohim fights for us.”

Pineḥas represents for us a physical and visible sign of the presence of יהוה who leads us and fights for us!

What we must also take very clear not of here is that not one of the 12 000 armed men were injured!!!

Blessed are those who know the sounding – that is the distinctive Teruah vice of Elohim, who calls us to stand and be armed in His Truth and not be found without oil when He comes!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(8&9):

Yehoshua/Joshua 6:5 “And it shall be, when they make a long blast with the horn of a yoḇel, and when you hear the voice of the shofar, that all the people shout with a great sound. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

Shout with a great sound! The word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah is also used to signal the shout of a great sound that would cause the enemies walls to come down and the Hebrew root word translated as ‘shout’ is רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321; and the Hebrew word translated as ‘great’ is גָּדוֹל gaḏol – Strong’s H1419 and means, ‘great, highest, mighty, marvellous’; and the Hebrew word translated as ‘sound’ is תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643. This was the great sound of victory that was shouted by all the people at the sound of the shofar, as the walls of Yeriḥo came crashing down!

This was the instruction that was given and in verse 20 we see that it was carried out:

Yehoshua/Joshua 6:20 “And the people shouted when the priests blew the shopharot. And it came to be when the people heard the voice of the shofar, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. And the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.”

What we can learn from this is that when we remember what happened at Yeriḥo we can be reminded to remember that we are to be strong and courageous and be a praising people as we shout a shout of victory, for then the ‘walls’ that we may be facing will come crashing down!

Walls do not just fall down by themselves, however when we are obedient to the Instructions/Torah of Elohim, remembering daily to hear, guard and do His commands and keep His Appointed Times, then we will see how He fights for us and will cause the strongest walls that lie ahead of us to fall!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(10&11&12&31):

Shemu’ĕl Aleph/1 Samuel 4:5-7 “And when the ark of the covenant of יהוה came into the camp, all Yisra’ĕl shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What is the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they knew that the ark of יהוה had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “Elohim has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For it has never been like this before.”

Here in this passage we see word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah being used 3 times. This event has both a positive and negative lesson for us. Yisra’ĕl had gone out to battle against the Philistines and were struck heavily as they lost about four thousand men, and when they camp into the camp the elders called for the Ark of The Covenant of יהוה from Shiloh; and when the ark entered the camp all Yisra’ĕl lifted their voices and shouted so loudly that the Philistines feared at the sound of Teru‘ah!!! While we can certainly learn that the enemy will tremble at the sound of our ‘shouting’ of praise, we can see that from the events that followed that Yisra’ĕl were struck down and thirty thousand foot soldiers were killed and the ark of Elohim was captured, and the two sons of Ěli, Ḥophni and Pineḥas also died!

That same day Ěli, the high priest died at the news of the capture of the ark of Elohim; and his daughter in law, the wife of Pineḥas, who was pregnant died upon giving birth after hearing the news that her husband and her father-in-law had died and that the ark had been captured! Before she died she named the child she bore Iḵaḇoḏ – אִי־כָבוֹד – Strong’s H350 which means, ‘no esteem’ as the esteem of יהוה had departed from Yisra’ĕl!!!

The great lesson we can learn and remember is that we cannot ‘manufacture’ the presence of יהוה in order to get our way! The sons of Ěli were wicked priests and therefore did not bear the Ark of Elohim or serve Him in the correct manner, and this cost the nation greatly! We must remember that while the enemy will most certainly tremble at the sound of our praise and rejoicing of Elohim, the enemy will still come at us and attack; and if we have not been serving in faithful obedience to His commands then the enemy will strike us down. This is a picture of the many who claim, with their lips, praise unto Elohim, yet their hearts are far from Him as they disregard the Torah and the remembrance of keeping His Sabbaths and Feasts and as a result will face a great destruction and be caught speechless due to their lawlessness that wrongfully assumed a rightful standing, based on an empty confession of a dead faith!

We can learn from this that while there may be a sound of truth, if the Truth is not in the heart and has no love expressed through obedience then that sound simply becomes a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal!!!

Therefore as we ‘remember Teru‘ah’ we must ask ourselves if there is a true ‘sound of obedience’ being expressed in our lives, where our mouths and hearts match up, reflecting that the Torah is in our hearts and mouths to do it, or has the sound of our faith just become a big noise that does not adhere to the score sheet of the music of the Torah of Elohim that we are to be ‘playing’ to???

In the next use of the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 we are able to see contrasting events where the true sound of victory is hear at the return of the Ark of Elohim

In Shemuʼěl Bět we read of the account of the return of the ark of Elohim and learn great lessons in the correct manner of carrying His presence and serving Him with every step!

Shemuʼěl Bět/2 Samuel 6:15 “Thus Dawiḏ and all the house of Yisra’ĕl brought up the ark of יהוה with shouting and with a voice of a shofar.”

In the above verse we see that Yisra’ĕl brought up the ark of יהוה with ‘shouting’, which is translated from the Hebrew word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643; and we also take note that it was ‘with the voice of a shofar’.

This account is also recorded in:

Diḇre haYamim/1 Chronicles 15:28 “So all Yisra’ĕl brought up the ark of the covenant of יהוה with shouting and with a voice of a shophar, with trumpets and with cymbals, sounding with harps and lyres.”

The ark of Elohim was returned to Yisra’ĕl after it had been with the Philistines for 7 months, as they had been struck with deadly tumors and destruction from יהוה. The ark of יהוה was sent to Bĕyth Shemesh and was then sent to Qiryath Yeʽarim and remained there for twenty years in the house of Aḇinaḏaḇ.

Dawiḏ then went and brought the Ark of Elohim from the house of Aḇinaḏaḇ and they set it on a new wagon! As they were dancing along the way the oxen stumbled and Uzzah took hold of the ark of Elohim and was struck dead. The ark then remained in the house of Oḇĕḏ–Eḏom and remained there for 3 months and his entire household was blessed! Dawiḏ then came to fetch the Ark of Elohim; only this time they carried it correctly!!!

They went six steps and stopped and slaughtered bulls and sheep – and this is a picture of us carrying the presence of יהוה with joy each and every day, working and walking in accordance to His Torah each and every day and then coming to Shabbat on the 7^th day and offering up a set-apart gathering of praise!

What we are able to remember and learn, from these accounts, is that we are to carry the presence of יהוה correctly and not in any corrupted man-made formula!

He has given us His clear instructions/Torah on how we are to walk in Him and when we walk in the straight path of His Torah, we can do so with great joy and raise a true shout or תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah.

What is also worth taking note of here in this account given to us in Shemuʼěl Bět/2 Samuel 6:15 is that we see connection between ‘shouting’, which is תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah, being done alongside the ‘voice of a shofar’. In the previous example in Shemu’ĕl Aleph/1 Samuel 4:5-7 you will notice that there is no ‘voice of a shofar’! The voice of a shofar points us back to Mount Sinai and the giving of the commands:

Shemoth/Exodus 19:16 “And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And a voice of a shofar was very strong, and all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

The link is very clear – True shouting of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah is in regards to being lined up with, and in obedience to, the Torah of Elohim. The way we ‘carry’ His presence and are able to ‘shout’ is by guarding to do all His commands and remembering to keep His Sabbath and His feasts, for without this remembrance to obey the shouting is incomplete!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(13):

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 4:19 “O my inward parts, my inward parts! I am in pain! O the walls of my heart! My heart pounds in me, I am not silent. For you have heard, O my being, a voice of a shophar, a shout of battle!”

Here we are able to take note that תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 also speaks of the alarming sound of the judgement that is coming upon the disobedient. The Hebrew word translated as ‘shout’ is תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643!

Despite the urgent call given to a backsliding Yisra’ĕl to return to יהוה and wash their hearts from all defilement, we see that even though a voice of judgement and trouble that was coming had been made very clear, they refused to listen and here Yirmeyahu cries out in anguish that the voice of a shofar and the shout of battle has been heard! Yisra’ĕl were not listening to the ‘shout’ of battle and were not taking heed of the awakening blast of battle that was coming upon them as the wrath of Elohim was about to be unleashed! יהוה then says that His people are foolish and do not know Him:

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

This is a very sobering reality of what we see happening today! Many people are not hearing this sound of the shout of war and due to a lack of knowledge they shall die! The day of the wrath of יהוה is coming and those who have ears and are not hearing are going to be in severe trouble! Blessed are those who know the sounding!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(14):

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 20:16-17 “And let that man be like the cities which יהוה overthrew, and repented not. Let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon, 17 because I was not slain from the womb, so that my mother should have been my burial-site and her womb forever great.”

Here in this verse Yirmeyahu is using the picture of being like the cities that did not repent and were overthrown, giving us a possible reminder of Seḏom and Amorah that was overthrown for its wickedness and depravity and refused to hear any call to repentance. Yirmeyahu is expressing deep emotions due to the intensity of the situation and not just of his own, but of the whole world as the ramifications of what was about to happen to Yerushalayim was extremely crippling for all. Yirmeyahu was gripped by the fact that many refused to hear the shouting of destruction that was coming and sadly we see the same thing today as many refuse to repent from their crookedness and sin and are not taking heed of the warning cry of the Day of the wrath of יהוה that is coming. Despite feeling helpless and alone amongst a wicked generation Yirmeyahu knew that while everyone had betrayed him, יהוה had not! In remembering the Teruah and knowing the sounding we can take comfort in eth refuge we have in our Master and therefore must do our utmost in guarding ourselves against the influences of corruption and sin.

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(15):

Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 49:2 “Therefore see, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall sound a battle cry in Rabbah of the Ammonites. And it shall be a heap, a wasteland, and her villages shall be burned with fire. Then Yisra’ĕl shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,” declares יהוה .”

These were words that Yirmeyahu was given concerning the Ammonites who had distressed Yisra’ĕl and that their day of destructions was coming from יהוה. The remembrance of this תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 musty encourage us to know that our Master and Elohim is coming to destroy our enemies and all those who have oppressed the Bride of Elohim.

The Hebrew word רַבָּה Rabbah – Strong’s H7328 was the name of the capital of the Ammonites and means, ‘great’, and what we can learn from this is that sure truth of how יהוה is coming to bring low the great and lofty ones as He is coming to destroy the proud and therefore we need not fear those in the world who are seemingly ‘great’ in worldly stature, for their days are numbered!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(16):

Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 21:22 “In his right hand shall be the divination for Yerushalayim: to set up battering rams, to call for murder, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, to build a wall.”

In this Chapter 21 we take note of the very stern words of warning that the prophet Yeḥezqěl was to speak and prophesy against Yerushalayim and the land of Yisra’ĕl and how יהוה was going to use the sovereign of Babel to bring destruction upon Yerushalayim and while using divination the sovereign of babel would come up against Yerushalayim and lift up a voice with shouting! This shouting is the voice of destruction that was coming because of disobedience!

This sounding was not a good and pleasant sounding as it was the sounding of war and destruction that was coming, bringing the crookedness of Yehuḏah to remembrance, so that they would be taken into captivity.

As we remember this תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 we must be on guard against any form of crookedness that hinders our called for set-apartness and recognise the dangers that crookedness and sin can bring when the תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 sound is not remembered!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(17):

Amos 1:14 “So I shall kindle a fire upon the wall of Rabbah, and it shall consume its palaces, with a shout in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind.”

As in the words of יהוה that we see in Yirmeyahu we are also able to see יהוה’s word of destruction against the Ammonites and their capital Rabbah as they will be consumed with a shot in the day of the battle of יהוה.

The destruction of the ‘great’ is made very clear as we also take note of the words we see in:

Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 25:2-7 “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. 3 “And you shall say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Master יהוה! Thus said the Master יהוה, “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My set-apart place when it was profaned, and against the land of Yisra’ĕl when it was ruined, and against the house of Yehuḏah when they went into exile, 4 therefore, see, I am giving you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you – they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 “And I shall make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. And you shall know that I am יהוה.” 6 ‘For this is what the Master יהוה said, “Because you clapped your hands, and you stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the scorn of your being against the land of Yisra’ĕl, 7 therefore see, I Myself shall stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. And I shall cut you off from the peoples, and make you perish from the lands. I shall destroy you, and you shall know that I am יהוה.”

As we remember this תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 (shout) in Amos 1:14 we can be greatly encouraged in knowing that יהוה is coming to bring swift destruction upon those who have scorned at His land and His people, and that which was once cities of the great men of the world will become pastures for camels and resting places for flocks, signifying the peace that our Master and Elohim is bringing for His people!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(18):

Amos 2:2 “But I shall send fire upon Mo’aḇ, and it shall consume the palaces of Qeriyoth. And Mo’aḇ shall die amid uproar, with a cry and with a voice of a shophar.”

The word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 is also used to sound the destruction that is coming on the enemies of Elohim!

The word translated as ‘cry’ is תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643, and the Hebrew word translated as ‘uproar’ is שָׁאוֹן sha’on – Strong’s H7588 which means, ‘a roar (of waters), an uproar, tumult, crash, big noise, clamour, destruction’, and comes from the root verb שָׁאָה sha’ah – Strong’s H7582 which means, ‘crash into ruins, devastate, lay waste, cause to be desolated’. This root verb is translated as ‘laid waste’ in:

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 6:11 “Then I said, “יהוה, until when?” And He answered, “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, and the houses are without a man, and the land is laid waste, a ruin”

You will recall that this was the answer יהוה gave to Yeshayahu when he asked יהוה how long he was to speak to a people who would not listen!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(19):

Tsephanyah/Zephaniah 1:14-16 “Near is the great day of יהוה, near and hurrying greatly, the noise of the day of יהוה. Let the mighty man then bitterly cry out! 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of distress and trouble, a day of waste and ruin, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of a shofar and sounding – against the walled cities and against the corner towers.”

It is a day of a shofar and תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah!!! This is the sound of warnings that we see being given in the prophets and the question we must always be asking ourselves is, “Am I listening?”

Qorintiyim Aleph/1 Corinthians 10:11-12 “And all these came upon them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come, 12 so that he who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall.”

We need to ‘take heed’ and be sober and watchful as we make ourselves ready for our coming King!

As we consider the call to take heed, lest we fall, we must realise the real dangers that we face each and every day!

We must take heed against false teachers and those who mix their teachings with false traditions, teaching as teachings the commands of men while forsaking the Torah of Elohim! Messiah warns us in Mattithyahu/Matthew 24:4 that we must take heed that no one leads us astray and in Marqos/Mark 8:15 He tells us to beware against the leaven of the Pharisees and in Marqos/Mark 12:38 He tells us to beware of false scribes who love to be seen and make a show and be popular with the people! Sha’ul warns us in Pilipiyim/Philippians 3 to watch out for those who are falsely teaching others to get physically circumcised and calls them ‘evil workers’! He also warns us in Qolasim/Colossians 3:8 to not let anyone make a prey of us through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men and elementary matters of the word that are not of Messiah!

As we take heed and remember the shouting, and remember how we are all unique parts of the body of Messiah, we must not find ourselves neglecting our required set-apartness and responsibility to the body, and not be found hiding the talents He has given but make sure that we are building each other up in the Most Set-Apart faith and make sure that we do not stop running as we fix our eyes on our Master and Elohim!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(20):

Tehillah/Psalm 27:6 “And now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me; and I slaughter in His Tent with slaughters of sounding; I sing, yes, I sing praises to יהוה.”

From the image of the psalmist saying that he slaughters in His tent with slaughters of sounding, we are able to grasp and understanding the picture of true obedience and worship as understood by the design of the Tabernacle, which we learn a great deal from in how we are to draw near to Elohim. This ‘sounding’, therefore, can help us to remember His Feasts and recognise what a joy it is to draw near to Elohim on His Appointed Times!!!

While we are certainly called to be a daily living sacrifice and offer up daily a slaughter offering of praise, we also recognise that we are to do this collectively as a body on His Sabbaths and His Feasts!

It is יהוה who fights for us and delivers us from our enemies all around and we are to walk in the victorious procession in Messiah as we praise and declare His praises and raise a shout to our King!

Here in this Tehillah/Psalm 27 the verb translated as ‘slaughter’ is the word זָבַח zaḇaḥ – Strong’s H2076 which means, ‘to offer a sacrifice, sacrificed’, from which we get the noun that is translated as ‘slaughters’, which is זֶבַח zeḇaḥ – Strong’s H2077 and both of these are also used in:

Tehillah/Psalm 4:5 “Offer slaughterings of righteousness, and trust in יהוה.”

We ‘offer’ up our lives as a living ‘sacrifice’ with joy and thanksgiving, and we take note that with the זֶבַח zeḇaḥ offering, there is to be a pure expression of appreciation:

Tehillah/Psalm 107:22 “And let them bring slaughterings of thanksgiving, and relate His works with rejoicing.”

Tehillah/Psalm 116:17 “I bring You a slaughtering of thanksgiving, and call upon the Name of יהוה.”

In these two verses we see again the two root words being used, and so we can begin to understand the following text:

Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 13:15 “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a slaughter offering of praise to Elohim, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.”

Kěpha Aleph/ 1Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”

Our ability to slaughter a slaughtering of sounding must never be hindered and as we consider the blessing of knowing the sounding and remembering the sounding is that we must continually offer up a slaughter offering of praise to Elohim!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(21):

Tehillah/Psalm 33:3 “Sing to Him a new song; play sweetly with a shout of joy.”

Here the word בִּתְרוּעָה – biteruah is translated as ‘with a shout of joy’.

This verse is pretty much self-explanatory as we recognise that singing to our Master carries the distinct sound of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah and the joyous remembrance of what He has done for us!

The Hebrew word used here in this psalm for ‘sweetly’ is יָטַב yataḇ – Strong’s H3190 which means, ‘to be good, well, glad or pleasing’ and can carry the understanding of what it means to be in a state of having proper characteristics or performing an expected function. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘play’ is נָגַן nagan – Strong’s H5059 which is used 15 times in Scripture and has the meaning, ‘to touch or play a stringed instrument, minstrel, pluck the strings’:

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 38:20 “יהוה, come to save me! And let us sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the House of יהוה.”

Making songs and singing songs to stringed instruments is a great expression of praise boastfully praising in יהוה, which we are blessed to enjoy here at ATFOTC, together!

What we can see here in terms of knowing the sounding and remembering the Teruah is that we are to make our boast in Elohim with good and pleasing praise done with instruments and voice, carrying the clear disctinct sound of true praise and worship for our Mighty Elohim!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(22):

Tehillah/Psalm 47:5 “Elohim shall go up with a shout, יהוה with a voice of a shophar.”

Here the word בִּתְרוּעָה – biteruah is translated as ‘with a shout’.

Our Master and Elohim is to be held in awe and is to be greatly feared because He is the Most High! The Hebrew word for ‘Most High’ is עֶלְיוֹן elyon – Strong’s H5945 which means, ‘high, exalted’, and is used a title for יהוה, and comes from the root word עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927 which carries the meaning of, ‘to go up, ascend, climb, offer, exalted’!

This root verb עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927 is used in verse 5 (verse 6 in Hebrew text) in telling us that Elohim ‘shall go up’ (עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927) with a shout.

Then we are told that it is יהוה with the sound of a shofar. This is clear covenant language as we are reminded again of the voice of a shofar that we have spoken of and recognise that it sounded very loud and the people trembled in:

Shemoth/Exodus 19:16 “And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And a voice of a shofar was very loud, and all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

Shemoth/Exodus 19:19 “And when a voice of the shofar sounded long and became very strong, Mosheh spoke, and Elohim answered him by voice.”

The ‘Last trumpet’ will be blown on Yom Kippur when our Master and Elohim shall come out of the Most Set-Apart Place, take off His High Priestly garments and put on His Kingly Robe and come and trample the winepress in His wrath and then fetch His Bride. The ‘first’ of the last 7 trumpets will sound on Yom Teruah with the 7^th trumpet being sounded on Yom Kippur.

The root verb עָלָה alah – Strong’s H5927 is also used in a clear riddle that is found in:

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 30:4 “Who has gone up to the heavens and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is His Name, and what is His Son’s Name, if you know it?”

The answer is clear as we take note in verse 9 that the writer of this proverb recognised the danger of seizing the Name of Elohim by saying ‘who is יהוה’, and therefore answers this powerful riddle that many refuse to understand, by stating that the one who has gone up and come down is יהוה! Sha’ul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians:

Eph’siyim/Ephesians 4:8-10 “That is why it says, “When He went up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” 9 But what does “He went up” mean, except that He also first went down into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who went down is also the One who went up far above all the heavens, to fill all.”

Recognising that יהושע Messiah is the One who went up on High, after He first went down, we recognise that He is the Most High – He is עֶלְיוֹן elyon – Strong’s H5945!

In Tehillah/Psalm 47 we are told why יהוה Most High is awesome! It is because he has subdued all peoples and nations under us and has chosen our inheritance. Do you see what this means?

Our Mighty Saviour and King has destroyed the power of the enemy and secured for us our inheritance, for the meek shall inherit the earth, as the righteous shall be left in it while the wicked shall be plucked out! יהוה is to be worshipped because He is fearful –which describes His awe and majesty that inspires a proper praise! In a song of Asaph we see the clear declaration that יהוה is Most High over all the earth:

Tehillah/Psalm 83:18 “And let them know that You, whose Name is יהוה, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.”

He is has gone up with a shout and with the voice of a shofar sits on High and is the One unto whom all praise is due and as we remember the sounding we are reminded to continually praise the Most High Elohim, who is our Saviour and King!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(23):

Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are the people who know the sounding! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.”

We will look at this verse after the others!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(24):

Tehillah/Psalm 150:5 “Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals!”

This second last verse in the Psalms reminds us of the resounding praise we are to be giving to our Master and here it emphasises the distinct sound of cymbals or percussion instruments, which are instruments that are sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping in a skillful manner.

The picture we get here is one of a unified orchestral sound where all the instruments blend to make a powerful praise unto our King and while this has a literal call to play instruments awe also recognise how awesome the sound of true united praise is before our Master when done with both instruments and voices that are in unity!

What this verse reminds us of in terms of making a resounding sound of praise with cymbals is that we are to be bold in our praise and not be held back or intimidated in any way, as we make a confident boast in our Elohim and Saviour!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(25):

Iyoḇ/Job 8:21 “While He fills your mouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoicing”

The word translated as ‘rejoicing’ is תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah and we are reminded that it is יהוה who fills us and it is He who fills our mouth with laughter and our lips with the true ability to praise, through His life-giving Word that is our daily and lawful bread!

What we are to remember in terms of this is that we are to be a people who ‘rejoice always’, and so at the ‘remembrance of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah’ we find that it is a good time to reflect on our attitudes! Are we truly rejoicing always and do we rejoice when we face all kinds of trials, or do we find ourselves moaning and groaning at some of the pressures and hardships we face along the way??? Let us be reminded to be a rejoicing people – for we have truly nothing to moan about as we walk in Messiah who gives us abundant life!

Those who know the sound remember to rejoice, no matter the circumstances!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(26):

Iyoḇ/Job 33:26 “He prays to Eloah, and He accepts him. And he sees His face with joy, and He restores to man his righteousness.”

Here the word בִּתְרוּעָה – biteruah is translated as ‘with joy’.

In these words of Elihu to Iyoḇ he spoke much about the relationship between man and Elohim and here he makes it clear that the one who prays to Eloah and is accepted by Him shall see His face with ‘joy’ as He restores man to righteousness!

The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘accepts’ comes from the root word רָצָה ratsah – Strong’s H7521 which means, ‘to be pleased with, accept favourably, delight, take pleasure in’, which we see being used in:

Tehillah/Psalm 147:11 “יהוה takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who wait for His loving-commitment.”

He clearly ‘accepts favourably’ those who ‘fear’ Him, and the Hebrew root word here for ‘fear’ is יָרֵא yare – Strong’s H3373 meaning, ‘to fear, be afraid, reverence, respect’, and also is used as an adjective to describe one who is wise, and therefore giving us the better meaning of, ‘to stand in awe of, be awed, to reverence, honour, and respect’.

The use of the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah here in Iyoḇ/Job 33:26 can cause us to be reminded of the fact that one day we shall see our Master and Elohim face to face!

Qorintiyim Aleph/1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known.”

What a joyous day this will be!!! Having said that we take note of the joy that we are to walk in now, as we look intently in to the mirror of the Word and do not forget what we look like, as we put on the full armour of Elohim and are dressed in the righteousness that He has restored unto us through the Blood of Messiah!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(27):

Iyoḇ/Job 39:25 “At the blast of the shophar he says, ‘Aha!’ And from afar he smells the battle, the thunder of commanders and shouting.”

The Hebrew word וּתְרוּעָה – uteruah is translated as ‘and shouting’. From the beginning of Chapter 38 we see יהוה speaking directly to Iyoḇ by asking him a series of 50 questions from Chapter 38:1-40:1, after which Iyoḇ answered by saying that he was insignificant and there was nothing that he could do but put his hand over his mouth.

This verse is speaking about the splendour of a horse that is described from verse 19-25, and is one of the animals that יהוה asks Iyoḇ if he had given the horse its strength or covered its neck with a mane or if he was able to make it leap like a locust.

When one takes an in-depth look at the closing chapters of Iyoḇ and the series of questions that יהוה asks and leaves Iyoḇ speechless we take note that we too must never presume to know how יהוה has made everything the way it is, for His ways are higher than ours and in terms of the description of the fearlessness of a horse and how it smells the battle from afar and can hear the sounding, we take note that we too are to know the sounding, which can only do when we are walking according to the functional design of our Creator and guarding to do what He commands us to do from His Word!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(28&29&30):

Ezra 3:11-13 “And they responded by praising and giving thanks to יהוה, “For He is good, for His loving-commitment towards Yisra’ĕl is forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised יהוה, because the foundation of the House of יהוה was laid. 12 And many of the priests and Lěwites and heads of the fathers’ houses, the old men who had seen the first House, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this House was laid before their eyes, and many shouted aloud for joy, 13 and the people could not distinguish the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.”

Here again we see the use of the words גָּדוֹל gadol, רוּעַ rua, and of course – תְּרוּעָה –‘Teru‘ah’!!!

This chapter begins with telling us that in the 7^th new moon they kept Sukkot and from the first day of the 7^th new moon they began to offer up ascending offerings, while the foundation of the Hěḵal had not yet been laid, so money and provision was given to the builders and they had completed laying the foundation in the second new moon of the following year and at the completion of the foundation of the House they all raised a shout and praised Elohim!

We are reminded that יהושע is the Chief Cornerstone and the foundation has been laid for the House of Elohim and we are the living stones that are being built up together in Him; and as we remember this we too can have a remembrance of shouting as we praise our King and shout a great shout! The shout here was heard far away!!! We are not to be silent in our walk of faith but must proclaim with a loud voice and so the remembrance of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah can also cause us to realise that we are not to hide our light but rather shine it through faithful obedience and tell others of His great Besorah (Good News)!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(31):

Discussed above along with (10&11&12)

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(32):

Diḇre haYamim Bět/2 Chronicles 13:12 “And see, with us as Head is Elohim Himself, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Yisra’ĕl, do not fight against יהוה Elohim of your fathers, for you are not going to prosper!””

Here the word בִּתְרוּעָה – biteruah is translated as ‘with sounding’.

These were some of the words that were spoken against Yaroḇ’am who was the first king of the House of Yisra’ĕl and has rejected the Lěwites from being priests and had appointed his own priesthood. In this chapter we see Aḇiyah who was the son of Reḥaḇ’am and the second king of the House of Yehuḏah, speaking out against Yaroḇ’am and in this speech he made it clear that the true priests of Elohim have the sounding trumpets with which to sound the alarm against Yaroḇ’am and made it clear that for them to fight against יהוה would not be a prosperous move for them, for they did not have יהוה as Head and certainly did not have יהוה’s appointed priesthood!

From this we can learn a great deal about listening to those who our Master and Elohim has appointed to equip His body to maturity, for the true appointed priesthood has the sounding trumpets with which to sound the alarm against those who go astray! In a time where we see so many who are doing whatever is right in their own eyes we recognise that many would do well to remember the sounding alarm against walking contrary to sound teaching by being led astray by false ear tickling messages that do not line up with the plumb line of the Word and certainly carry a different sound that is Not the awakening תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah sound of Truth!

Yaroḇ’am did not listen to the warning and set an ambush against Yehuḏah and when the men of Yehuḏah cried out to יהוה and the priests shouted with the trumpets, יהוה smote Yaroḇ’am and all Yisra’ĕl before Aḇiyah and Yehuḏah and 500 000 men of Yisra’ĕl were killed!

This is a clear lesson on knowing the sounding, which Yaroḇ’am did not as he did not take heed of the clear warning and so too do we recognise how those who do not know the sounding shall be smitten in the Day of יהוה!

תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah –(33):

Diḇre haYamim Bět/2 Chronicles 15:14 “And they swore to יהוה with a loud voice, with shouting and with trumpets and with rams’ horns.”

Here Yisra’ĕl was gathered in the third new moon!!! What happens in the third new moon? SHAḆU’OT – FEAST OF WEEKS – PENTECOST!!! This is the Feast where the renewed Marriage Covenant with Yisra’ĕl was written on hearts of believers and what is for us a great shadow picture of this event is what we are given by the accounts we see being spoken of here in Diḇre haYamim Bět/2 Chronicles 15 where it was in the 15^th year of the reign of Asa that they entered into a covenant to ‘seek’ יהוה Elohim of their fathers (Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, Ya’aqoḇ) with all their heart and with all their being!

In verse 13 it says that whoever would not seek יהוה would be put to death, no matter your status in society – big or small if you did not seek יהוה you died!!! And as we can see from verse 14, they swore an oath with a loud voice, with shouting – that is – with תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah, with trumpets and with the shofar!!! Verse 15 goes on to say that they rejoiced concerning the oath that they had sworn with all their heart and being and that יהוה gave them rest all around!!!

This is a very powerful illustration that helps us remember what יהושע has given us access back into, by His Blood – the Covenants of Promise which we were once far off from and strangers to! We too, as a restored Bride, must shout and rejoice with all our hearts as we swear an oath to walk faithfully in Him and to guard to do His commands, for it is a joy for us to do and should cause us to rejoice – it is not hard or impossible as many false doctrines teach!

Remembering the sounding is to remember the joy of guarding the Marriage Covenant we have been grafted in to by walking in obedience to the Torah of our Husband and King.

Well there you have it – all 33 verses that contain the 36 times we see the root word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643 being used and when we consider the command to have a Zikkaron Teru’ah – a remembrance of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah we are certainly able to have a lot to remember and brig to remembrance as we consider each of these passages that contain the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah. For those who do not know the sounding (תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah – Strong’s H8643) there is not much hope whereas there is a sure blessing for those who know the sounding! Let us therefore take a deeper look into the verse that I started with – number 23 in the listed occurrences of the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KNOW THE SOUNDING!

Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are the people who know the sounding! They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.”

What a powerful verse this is!!! Blessed are those who know the festal trumpet call is how this could also be translated as we certainly recognise that the Appointed Times of Elohim are critical to our understanding of Scripture and the ability to know and walk in His commands as we follow His cycles and seasons gives us the blessing of walking in His light!

The Hebrew root word used here for ‘know’ is יָדַע yaḏa – Strong’s H3045 and means ‘to acknowledge, clearly understand, to perceive, distinguish and discern’ and implies the ability to respond to and recognise the Master’s voice and this verb can also render the ability to know by experience.

Those who know the sounding clearly know יהוה and are known by יהוה, for He knows those who take refuge in Him!

Naḥum/Nahum 1:7 “יהוה is good, as a stronghold in the day of distress. And He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

יהוה chose Yisra’ĕl to be a people for Himself, not because they were more numerous that other peoples, but because of His loving-commitment to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq and Ya’aqoḇ with whom He established the sure Covenants of Promise! Despite this clear choosing, Yisra’ĕl continually rejected the need to walk in set-apartness, and chose to follow after the ways of the world. The nation that was chosen to be a light to the nations did not shine the light of the Truth and as a result were unable to clearly make known to the nations who יהוה is.

Despite Yisra’ĕl’s claim to ‘know’ יהוה, while they were clearly walking in rebellion to His commands, יהוה made it clear that despite their lip service, their actions proved that they did not ‘know’ Him!

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 1:3-4 “An ox knows its owner and a donkey its master’s crib – Yisra’ĕl does not know, My people have not understood.” 4 Alas, sinning nation, a people loaded with crookedness, a seed of evil-doers, sons acting corruptly! They have forsaken יהוה, they have provoked the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, they went backward.”

In this rebuke given to a rebellious and apostate people, it is made clear that even an ox ‘knows’ its owner and a donkey knows its master’s crib, yet Yisra’ĕl do not know יהוה. Here this word ‘know’ is also the Hebrew word יָדַע yaḏa – Strong’s H3045 and implies the ability to respond to and recognise the Master’s voice.

Yoḥanan/John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

To ‘know’ יהוה implies the clear ability to ‘hear’ His voice and guard to do what He commands, for then He shall know His own!!! To know His voice implies that one is able to know the sounding and take heed of what is coming, making sure that they hear His voice and follow Him!

Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 2:3-5 “And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands. 4 The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

Qorintiyim Aleph/1 Corinthians 8:3 “But if anyone loves Elohim, this one is known by Him.”

To love Elohim, gives us the sure promise that we are known by Him! Sadly many do not ‘know’ what love for Elohim is:

Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 5:3 “For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy”

Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 4:8 “The one who does not love does not know Elohim, for Elohim is love.”

The Greek word used for ‘know’ in Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John is γινώσκω ginōskō – Strong’s G1097 which means, ‘to perceive, to learn, to come to know, comprehend, understand, recognise, learn to know, get a knowledge of’. As we sit under the instructions of our Creator and Redeemer, we learn to know Him and get a knowledge of who He is and come to know how we are to live in obedience to His clear Torah. There are so many liars out there today who claim to know Elohim, yet they have no knowledge of His Torah at all, as they refuse to sit and learn His Word – how can they know Him!!! It is one thing to claim that you know Him, yet whether we know Him or not is seen in the fruit of our obedience to His commands, and all will be clearly revealed when He returns – as many will come running claiming they know Him, yet will be rejected!

Those that know the Elohim and know the sounding are blessed!

The Hebrew word that is used here in Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 for ‘blessed’ is אַשְׁרֵי – asherey which comes from the root word אֶשֶׁר esher – Strong’s H835 which means, ‘happiness, blessedness, bliss’, and comes from the root verb אָשַׁר ashar – Strong’s H833 which means, ‘blessed, lead, guide, to go straight, make progress to be advanced, to be led forth’.

אֶשֶׁר esher – Strong’s H835 is used in:

Tehillah/Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that יהוה is good; blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him!”

A ‘blessed’ – אֶשֶׁר esher – Strong’s H835 – man is one who fears יהוה, takes refuge in יהוה and who trusts in יהוה completely, submitting completely under the authority of His Torah:

Mishlĕ/Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people are let loose, but blessed is he who guards the Torah.”

It is also a blessing for man to not follow wrong advice:

Tehillah/Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who shall not walk in the counsel of the wrong, and shall not stand in the path of sinners, and shall not sit in the seat of scoffers, 2 but his delight is in the Torah of יהוה, and he meditates in His Torah day and night.”

The blessing of knowing the sounding is a clear picture of one who guards, meditates and walks in the Torah of Elohim, and that is why the second part of Tehillah/Psalm 89:15 tells us what the blessed people who know the sounding do:

They walk, O יהוה, in the light of Your face.

The Hebrew word that is used here for ‘walk’ is הָלַךְ halaḵ – Strong’s H1980 which carries the meaning, ‘to walk, to live, manner of life, cause to live’, and literally speaks of how one lives. It is used as a verb indicating that it is an active expression of one’s life and also carries the meaning, ‘to go, to walk, come, proceed, depart, move, go away, to die, live, manner of life (figuratively)’.

The root word for walk – הָלַךְ halaḵ – Strong’s H1980 in the ancient pictographic script looks like this:

Hey – הָ:

The ancient script has this letter pictured as , which is ‘a man standing with his arms raised out’. The meaning of the letter is “behold, look, breath, sigh and reveal or revelation”, from the idea of revealing a great sight by pointing it out. It also carries for us the meaning of surrender, as we lift up our hands and submit to יהוה as we lift our hands in praise, declaring His authority under which we humbly submit!

Lamed – לַ:

The ancient script has this letter as , and is pictured as a ‘shepherd’s staff’, can give the meaning of ‘to or toward’ and can represent that which pushes or pulls a flock in a direction, and can speak of authority or a yoke that is used to lead and guide, as well as the ability to bring back by Authority.

Kaph – ךְ:

The ancient form of this letter is – meaning ‘the open palm of a hand’. The meaning behind this letter is ‘to bend and curve’ from the shape of a palm as well as ‘to tame or subdue’ as one has been bent to another’s will (under their hand), as an open hand symbolises submission. This also can picture for us a palm or palm branch from the curved palm shape. The hand also speaks of one’s work, or under whose hand you submit and obey!

When we look at the letters that spell out the root word that for ‘walk’ we are able to see a great declaration:

Behold the staff in the palm!

With the picture of the shepherds staff and the open palm of the hand we are able to see the concept of ‘staff in the palm’ and we take note that a nomad that travelled on foot would have a staff in his hand in order to provide proper support in walking, as well as having a weapon in his hand to defend against predators and thieves!

When we walk as we should we submit under the proper authority of our Good Shepherd and guard to do all he has commanded us to as we give Him the proper praise in all we do, being armed in His Truth that gives us boldness to walk upright amidst a crooked world, for we are able to know the sounding of our Good Shepherd as we know His voice!

The word used for ‘light’ here in Tehillim/Psalm 89:15 is אוֹר ‘oor’ – Strong’s H216 which we know in Scripture, in being the opposite to darkness, carries with it the clear significance it has for us in speaking of knowledge and insight and understanding as opposed to ignorance and confusion.

Walking in the light of His face is a clear reference to obedience as we also take note of Dawiḏ’s appeal to יהוה to not turn His face away in displeasure:

Tehillah/Psalm 27:9 “Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in displeasure; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O Elohim of my deliverance.”

In Yeshayahu we see the clear call to walk in the light of יהוה:

Yeshayahu/Isaiah 2:5 “O house of Yaʽaqoḇ, come and let us walk in the light of יהוה.”

When Yeshayahu was describing the coming reign of our King, he urged all to be urgent in their walking in the Truth and Light of the Torah of יהוה. The urgency of this command is clear in saying ‘come and let us walk’ and we see the repetition of the root word to walk in the intensive form literally commanding the following, ‘walk, let us walk!’

This call identifies that there is no time to be sitting still and waiting for The Day to come – we are to be about walking in Him right now! This urgency in commanding and calling for an active walk was due to the current circumstances that had plagued Yehuḏah. Yehuḏah had grown comfortable in their circumstances and as a result were being filled with all the wrong stuff! Yeshayahu was calling the people to walk in the light and as he looked around he saw what could be described as ‘dark living’ by a people who claimed to follow יהוה!

As we consider the blessing of knowing the sounding – that is ‘knowing תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah’ we recognise that the blessing is not just simply a knowledge alone but is an active application of obedience to the knowledge of Elohim as seen in ones ability to walk in the light of His face.

Remembering תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah and knowing תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah is a blessing when one is actually taking heed to the voice of Elohim and following His Word and learning from the remembrance of all the תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah that we have looked at, teachings us the blessing of knowing and the curse of not knowing; and above all the need to remember that we are a betrothed Bride that must be ready for our Husband and King’s imminent return!

In closing I would like to show you the Hebrew word for Teruah as it is written in the ancient pictographic script.

As already mentioned, the Hebrew ‘Teru‘ah’ תְּרוּעָה – Strong’s H8643 – means ‘a shout or blast of war, alarm or joy’ which comes from the primitive root word רוּעַ rua – Strong’s H7321 meaning, ‘to raise a shout, give a blast, sound the alarm, shout for joy’, and it is on the day of Yom Teruah that we certainly are called to raise a shout and blow the shofar/trumpets. This is how the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah looks in the ancient pictographic script:

Taw – תְּ:

The ancient script has this letter as which is pictured as two crossed sticks, and can represent for us ‘seal, covenant, mark or sign’; as this once again points to the complete work of Messiah in the renewal of the Covenant in His Blood that brings the two Houses of Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah together in Him, as One, for He is not only the ‘aleph’, but is also the ‘taw’ – the beginning and the end of all creation!

Resh – ר:

The ancient script has this letter ‘resh’ as – – and is pictured as ‘the head of a man’ and has the meaning of the head of a man as well as chief, top, begging or first. This letter can mean ‘top’ – as in the top or head of a body; and ‘chief’ – as in head of a tribe or people, as well as the one who rules the people.

Waw/Vav – וּ:

The ancient script has this letter pictured as , which is a ‘peg’ or ‘tent peg’, which was used for securing or tying the tent or other items. The possibility of it having a Y-shape is to show that it prevents the rope from slipping off. The root meaning of this letter is ‘to add, secure or hook’. It is by the work of Messiah, in His own Blood, which has secured for us His Covenants of promise, to which we are added to; and His righteousness stands forever secured in Him!

Ayin – עָ:

The original pictograph for this letter is and represents the idea of ‘seeing and watching’, as well as ‘knowledge’, as the eye is the ‘window of knowledge’.

Hey – ה:

The ancient script has this letter as and is pictured as a man standing with his arms raised up and out as if pointing to something, and in essence carries the meaning of ‘behold’ as in when looking at something very great. It can also have the meaning to ‘breath’ or ‘sigh’ as when looking at a great sight and having your breath taken away so to speak! It also has the meaning of revelation or to reveal something by pointing it out, as well as ‘praise’ through the lifting up of our hands in complete awe and surrender.

BEHOLD THE SEAL OF THE COVENANT WITH OUR HEAD IS SECURED IN THOSE WHO KNOW HIM AND WHO FIX THEIR EYES UPON THE ONE TO BE PRAISED!

As you consider the תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah and its significant sounding let me ask you: DO YOU KNOW THE SOUNDING?

Can your answer be seen in your proper response of an obedient life that runs in the way of His commands and pursues set-apartness or have you found at times that your ear has been turned away from hearing the Truth as compromise has drowned out the true sound of the Good Shepherd?

As you prepare for the Feast of Yom Teruah may you remember the sounding and be filled with overflowing joy that is always ready to exult and praise the Name of our Master and Elohim, יהוה of Hosts!

As you consider the ‘remembrance of Teru‘ah’ and the blessing of those who ‘know the sounding’, may you recognise and remember that you are His betrothed Bride who must ready Herself for His soon return, being properly dressed in the righteousness of His Torah that He has given to us and has written upon our hearts and minds.

May you also remember what great works He has done in your life as you remember the passages that we have looked at in terms of תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah and let them be a mirror that can cause you to bring about a remembrance in our own walk of how He has delivered you, forgiven you and called you out of darkness!

Yom Teru‘ah ushers in the awakening call to remember who we are, who we serve and where our hope lies and who it is that is coming for us, giving us therefore the confident ability to stand firm, being greatly strengthened for what lies ahead by remembering what has gone before.

I do hope that this in-depth look at the word תְּרוּעָה Teru‘ah that we see being used throughout Scripture will stir you to be one who knows the sounding and therefore be found to be one who has their lamps filled with oil and is dressed in proper garments of righteousness, as the call to come has already gone out – have you heard!

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO KNOW THE SOUNDING!

יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show you favour; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom!