To convene the assembly, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones.
Parallel translations
- WEB But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm.
- KJV But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
- NKJV And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance.
- NASB When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow the trumpets without sounding an alarm.
- NLT But when you call the people to an assembly, blow the trumpets with a different signal.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
To gather the assembly, a steady blast was used, not the alarm. Different sounds carried different meanings.
Overview
God distinguished the calming summons to assemble from the urgent alarm to march. This careful differentiation prevented confusion, ensuring the people responded rightly, a reminder that God communicates clearly so His people may obey without uncertainty.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Joel 2:1Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near—
- Num 10:3–4When both are sounded, the whole congregation is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In the wilderness Christ is the water from the rock, the bronze serpent lifted up that the dying might look and live (John 3:14), and the star and scepter that Balaam saw rising out of Jacob.
How Numbers 10:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.