Blow the New Moon Shofar – Psalms 81:3
Blow with the New Moon Shofar
Psalms 81:3 Full Article/Study in PDF
Uniquely, One of a Kind
The Road Less Traveled
The objective in this article is to restore life and vitality to this essential verse by removing the cords and shackles that have bound it up in knots all these years by the traditional Jews and their followers, that it may stand up and declare its true meaning.
- The first step is to place the entire verse in the original Hebrew interlinear order.
- Utilize all the prefixes and suffixes provided in the original Hebrew.
- Stand back and let it speak for itself.
Be sure to open the Word Study by clicking on the Scriptural image above. Here you can become familiar with the table format to decipher the truth of this verse. First, notice that the two blue columns illustrate Strong’s Hebrew Definitions and Brown-Driver-Brigg’s Hebrew Lexicon. And additionally, within this second column are many references to T.W.O.T. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) as it is utilized when there is a need for additional support. From these three primary sources along with the original Hebrew text, we have acquired what we believe to be the original meaning of this verse, or very close. The new restored text has been placed in the far right column for easy visibility.
Six Hebrew Words
Below are the simple six Hebrew word building blocks that carry foundational significance. They have been color-coded for ease in differentiation. Although the English text below is from left to right, each Hebrew word is read from right to left within its specific color.
You shall blow (תקע ו ) – with the New Moon ( ב חדשׁ ) – shofar (שׁופר ) – in the FULL MOON ( ב כסה) – for the day ( ל יום) – of our festival sacrifice ( חג נו ). Psalms 81:3
- You shall blow (תקע ו ) “You shall blow” could equally be translated as “You shall sound the blast.” The Hebrew letter on the left side of the word that I have separated from the main word “takah” is the suffix “vav.” There are several meanings of this suffix, which are dependent upon their usage in the sentence. Some of the options are his; they did; they will do; you will do; you shall do. So by definition, we have the start of the sentence as, “You shall blow . . .”
- with the New Moon ( ב חדשׁ ) Here “Chodesh” (meaning New Moon) is preceded by the prefix “bet,” which is a preposition. The word options for this preposition are: in; with; by. We have chosen to use “with” because the word that follows it is “shofar.” This sentence would not make sense if it said, “You shall blow in the New Moon shofar . . .” or if it said, “You shall blow by the New Moon shofar . . .” But rather, this verse actuates a new thought that the shofar itself is called “the New Moon shofar.” Thus it is that when blowing, “You shall blow with the New Moon shofar . . .”
- shofar (שׁופר ) This word “shofar” is very straightforward. It means a curved horn or ram’s horn. This word contains no prefix or suffix. Thus far, we have, “You shall blow with the New Moon shofar . . .”
- in the FULL MOON ( ב כסה) There are several modern translations including the King James version that have opted to translate this Hebrew word “keseh” as “time appointed.” However, “keseh” in every Hebrew dictionary and lexicon unapologetically is defined as “FULL MOON,” which is identifying a specific lunar phase. While the full moon is an appointed time, all appointed times are not full moons. Next, the prefix for this word is “bet.” Here again, the options for this preposition are: in; with; or by. The word “in” appears to be the best choice as this sentence unfolds and tells us what it has been trying to say all along. “You shall blow with the New Moon shofar in the full moon . . .”
- for the day ( ל יום) Here is the Hebrew word “yom” meaning day; time; day as opposed to night; warm hours from sunrise to sunset. The prefix is the “lamed,” which means: to; or for. So we have to this point: “You shall blow with the New Moon shofar in the full moon, for the day . . .”
- of our festival sacrifice ( חג נו ) This last word of the six comes from the term “chag,” which means: feast; victim; festival; sacrifice; festival assembly. While its meaning can include the term “solemn,” it does not appear to be the primary meaning. With all its uses, the principal meaning is “festival sacrifice” for the purpose of differentiating from the daily sacrifices. Then when this term (#2282 chag – festival sacrifice) is used in conjunction with (#2320 mo’edim – lunar appointed time of assembly) as in Ezekiel 46:11, the former identifies the “event” while the latter identifies the “time.” While “time and event” are often used in combination, they are NOT overlapping terms. Meaning they do not mean the same thing or even a portion of the same thing.
The suffix is a combination of the letter “nun” and “vav.” Separately they can mean one thing, but together they mean: our; or we did. Therefore, the final outcome of these six words with all their prefixes and suffixes intact is: “You shall blow with the New Moon shofar in the FULL MOON, for the day of our festival sacrifice.”
But Isn’t the Shofar to be Blown Twice?
There are some who teach that the shofar is to be blown twice, once on the New Moon day and once on the full moon day, causing it to appear that there are two separate events. These use a translation that says, “Blow up the shofar in the New Moon, and in the full moon, for the day of our feast.” Yet, there are some problems with this according to the actual Hebrew text illustrated above. This view implies that there is an “and“ between the New Moon “and” the full moon, yet is not present. But there is a second witness. If this verse was meant to list two separate times for blowing the shofar, the word “day” would of necessity need to be plural as well as the word “feast.” Yet, the suffix “yim” that defines any Hebrew word as plural, is stunningly absent.
Summary
From this verse alone it appears that the words “blow the New Moon Shofar” are identifying that the full moon is the real New Moon. Further, this blowing begins the start of every year, every lunar month, the count to Sabbaths, and the count of lunar civil calendar dates upon which all Kadosh Feast Days are numbered.
We must all continue to study to get as close to the truth as possible and not simply study to support our views and the traditions of men. The glaring “elephant in the room,” is that the modern Jews bear no resemblance to the original Biblical truths. Yet, it is our desire to find truth whether it’s popular or not because the truth is what sets us free from the stranglehold of this earth that is in rebellion to the Eternal Yahuah and His son Yahusha. We don’t for a minute believe that this is the last and final word on this subject but will continue to seek continued light along Yahuah’s road less traveled.