THEOSISTheodoret of Cyrus
What is the interpretation of the phrase, ‘By a sign ... You shall sound the trumpet at your exaltation. And when you have gathered the multitude together, you shall sound the trumpet, not as a sign’ (Num. 10:6-7)? The insightful Paul remarks, ‘But if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?’ (1 Cor. 14:8). This indicates that there exists a distinction in the trumpet's tones, which signified both a pause or a movement forward. A single trumpet's call summoned the leaders, while a duo summoned both the leaders and the people. The responsibility of sounding the trumpet rested with the priests, as it represented God’s invitation.
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Furthermore, Moses stated, ‘But if ye go out to battle in your land against the adversaries that oppose you, and sound the trumpet, and appoint trumpets, ye shall be remembered before the Lord, and shall be delivered from your enemies. And in the days of your mirth, and in your feasts, and in your new months, sound the trumpets for your burnt offerings, and for your burnt sacrifices: and it shall be to you a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God’ (Numbers 10:9-10). God, when He delivered the law at Mount Sinai, captivated their senses with the resonating sound of trumpets; thus, every trumpet blast served as a reminder of that divine manifestation. This is why the revered David declared in his psalm: ‘Sound the trumpet in the new month, on the blessed day of your feast’ (Psalm 80:4). Hence, we learn to summon the assembly with the trumpet, not merely as a signal; as we discuss sacred mysteries in a concealed manner for those uninitiated, teaching them openly only after they have been initiated into the mystery.