Numbers 10 9

Numbers 10:9 kjv

And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

Numbers 10:9 nkjv

"When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.

Numbers 10:9 niv

When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.

Numbers 10:9 esv

And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.

Numbers 10:9 nlt

"When you arrive in your own land and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with the trumpets. Then the LORD your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies.

Numbers 10 verses

Numbers 10 9 Meaning

Numbers 10:9 instructs Israel that when they face war within their land against an oppressive enemy, they are to sound a specific alarm blast with the divinely appointed silver trumpets. This act serves as a call for God's remembrance of His covenant people and His intervention. The verse promises that as a direct result of this obedience and reliance on God, they will be supernaturally delivered and saved from their adversaries, emphasizing that victory in battle ultimately belongs to the Lord their God.

Numbers 10 9 Context

Numbers 10:9 is situated immediately following the divine instructions regarding the making and use of the two silver trumpets for assembling the congregation and signaling tribal movements in the wilderness (Num 10:1-8). This verse introduces a crucial third use for these instruments: warfare. It appears just before the momentous departure of Israel from Mount Sinai (Num 10:11ff), where they had been encamped for nearly a year receiving God's laws and covenant instructions. Historically, this period marked Israel's transition from receiving law to beginning their journey towards the Promised Land, a journey that would inevitably involve conflict with existing inhabitants. The verse thus sets a principle for their future military engagements, tying them directly to divine sanction and intervention, underscoring that their success in conquering and possessing the land would not be through their own might but through God's active presence and power. In a broader sense, this also serves as a polemic against pagan beliefs where success in war was attributed to the strength of human armies or the favor of local deities. Here, victory is explicitly tied to YHWH's remembrance and His unique covenant relationship with Israel.

Numbers 10 9 Word analysis

• And if you go to war (וְכִי תָבֹאוּ מִלְחָמָה - vechi tavó'u milḥāmāh): The phrase signifies active engagement in combat. Milḥāmāh (מִלְחָמָה) means "war" or "battle," indicating a concrete physical conflict.
• in your land (בְאַרְצְכֶם - be'artṣekem): This phrase restricts the scope. ’ereṣ (אֶרֶץ) denotes "land" or "territory." This is not a general permission for expansionist wars, but specifically pertains to the defense or reclamation of their divinely promised inheritance. It implies a just cause within the covenant framework.
• against the adversary who oppresses you (עַל־הַצַּר הַצֹּרֵר אֶתְכֶם - ‘al-haṣṣar haṣṣōrēr etkem): This identifies the legitimate enemy. Ṣar (צַר) means "adversary" or "foe," often one who causes distress. Ṣōrēr (צֹרֵר), from the root ṣārar, means "one who binds," "presses," or "persecutes." The repetition of the root emphasizes a persistent, hostile, and oppressive enemy, specifying the moral justification for the conflict.
• then you shall sound an alarm (וְהֲרֵעֹתֶם - veharē‘ōtem): This is a crucial command. Harē‘ōtem comes from the verb rûa‘ (רוּעַ), meaning "to shout" or "to blow a trumpet," specifically an urgent, piercing "alarm" or "battle cry" (teruah). This is distinct from a mere signaling blast; it is a desperate, expectant call to God, appealing for divine intervention in the face of existential threat.
• with the trumpets (בַּחֲצֹצְרֹת - baḥaṣōṣrōt): Refers to the ḥaṣōṣrāh (חֲצֹצְרָה), the silver trumpets meticulously detailed earlier in the chapter (Num 10:2). These are cultic instruments, associated with the tabernacle and priesthood, emphasizing that their use in battle integrates military action with worship and dependence on God's holy presence.
• and you will be remembered (וְנִזְכַּרְתֶּם - venizkartaem): This is the core spiritual outcome. Nizkartaem (Niphal passive of zākar, "to remember") means "you will be caused to be remembered" or "you will be kept in remembrance." God's "remembrance" in biblical theology is not merely recollection but active, intentional engagement on behalf of His covenant people, often involving intervention and deliverance. It indicates divine initiative based on Israel's faithful action.
• before the LORD your God (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - lifnē Adonai Eloheikem): Emphasizes that the "alarm" is directed specifically to the covenant God of Israel. Yahweh Eloheikem (יהוה אלהיכם) highlights His personal, covenantal relationship with them. It means the trumpets' sound directly reaches His presence, affirming the spiritual dimension of the act.
• and you will be saved from your enemies (וְנוֹשַׁעְתֶּם מֵאֹיְבֵיכֶם - venôsha'tem mē'oyevêkem): This states the promised divine consequence. Nôsha'tem (Niphal passive of yāsha‘, "to save") means "you will be delivered" or "you will experience salvation." It explicitly links God's remembrance to tangible, protective deliverance from physical adversaries (‘ōyēv, אוֹיֵב, a general term for foe). It reaffirms that the victory comes from God alone.

• "And if you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you": This phrase establishes the legitimate parameters for holy war: it is defensive or restorative within their divinely appointed territory, not an act of aggressive conquest, and it is against an identifiable, oppressive foe, ensuring divine sanction.
• "then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God": This highlights the theological core: obedience to a specific ritual (sounding the alarm) is the human action, but God's divine "remembrance" and subsequent action are entirely God's prerogative. It's a demonstration of faith that activates God's covenant faithfulness, not a manipulation of God.
• "and you will be saved from your enemies": This provides the assured outcome. It explicitly states that deliverance is a direct consequence of God's intervention triggered by the proper act of faithful appeal. Victory is divine salvation, not human military prowess.

Numbers 10 9 Bonus section

The silver trumpets (ḥaṣōṣrāh) specified in this verse are distinct from the ram's horn (shofar). The ḥaṣōṣrāh was a priestly instrument, thin and straight, exclusively blown by the sons of Aaron for cultic and congregational purposes. Its use in warfare, as described here, thus elevates military conflict to a holy endeavor, deeply integrated with the spiritual leadership and presence of God. The specific "alarm" or teruah blast from these trumpets was a loud, sharp sound, associated not only with battle cries but also with divine warning, the celebration of New Moons, and eventually the festival of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), signaling solemn divine activity and calling for repentance or rejoicing. This underscores the multifunctionality of the trumpets as central instruments in Israel's theocratic life, reminding them that all aspects of their national existence, including war, were under the direct guidance and power of Yahweh.

Numbers 10 9 Commentary

Numbers 10:9 unveils a foundational principle of Israelite warfare: success is not contingent on military might or strategic genius alone, but on divine intervention mediated through covenant obedience and faith. The sounding of the trumpet's "alarm" (teruah) during wartime transcends a mere military signal; it is a sacred invocation, a piercing cry of reliance on the Lord their God. This act expresses Israel's helplessness and absolute dependence on God, who is "remembered" through this obedient plea. God's "remembrance" in Scripture is never passive recollection; it always denotes His active engagement and faithful intervention on behalf of His covenant people, leading to concrete salvation. Thus, the verse assures Israel that their physical deliverance from their adversaries in their land is a direct consequence of God's active presence and power, invoked through a prescribed ritual of faith. This theological emphasis distinguished Israel from surrounding nations who relied on their own strength or pagan gods, highlighting that for Israel, every battle was ultimately the Lord's. This principle later finds echoes in the New Testament concept of spiritual warfare, where believers fight not with fleshly weapons but through spiritual means, trusting in Christ's victory for their deliverance from spiritual foes.