Numbers 10:7

Num 10:7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.

Ver. 7. But when the congregation.] Cenalis, bishop of Avranche, {a} was hard driven, when to prove the Church of Rome a true church, he makes no mention at all of ministers, or ordinances, but allegeth that the Catholics had bells to assemble them together, whereas the Lutherans met by the clap of harquebuses {b} and pistols. And so he goes on to triumph in a long antithesis. The bells, saith he, do sound, the harquebuses crack. The bells give a sweet and melodious tune, but the harquebuses a foul and terrible noise. Bells open heaven; the other hell. Bells chase away clouds and thunder; the other, gender clouds and counterfeit thunder, &c. Oh, the profound arguments of these doting doctors!

But you shall not sound an alarm.] Or, A broken sound; but a continued equal sound, as fittest for their quiet assembling, to the service of God, and hearing of the law. The sound of God’s word must not be broken or quavering - pompalis, Tertullian calleth it - but downright and simple. Non oratorum filii sumus, sed piscatorum: nec verborum υπεροχη, sed Spiritus επιδειξει, {c} &c. {1Co 2:1; 1Co 2:4}

{a} Act. and Mon., fol. 838.

{b} The early type of portable gun, varying in size from a small cannon to a musket, which on account of its weight was, when used in the field, supported upon a tripod, trestle, or other ‘carriage’, and afterwards upon a forked ‘rest’.

{c} Nazianz., ad Libanium.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(7) But ye shall not sound an alarm.—A clear and intelligible distinction was to be made between the summons to the princes, or to the congregation, to assemble at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and the signal for the moving of the camps. So the gospel trumpet must at no time give an uncertain sound (1Co_14:8), but must be used faithfully and diligently by the spiritual watchmen, whether it be to warn the ungodly, to arouse the careless, or to speak to the hearts of God’s people.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But when the congregation is to be gathered together,.... At the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and not to move in separate camps or bodies one after another:

you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm; blow with an even and uninterrupted sound, and not with a broken and quavering one; by which the congregation and camps were distinguished from one another, the same certain sound being given to each constantly, whereby they knew which were called to motion: see Co1 14:8; according to Ben Gersom blowing was a voice drawn out, and joined or continued; an alarm, a voice not joined, but broken.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sound. High mysteries must be reserved for the more learned. (Theodoret, q. 15.) (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

7. Ye shall blow — By this is meant that the stream of sound should be articulated, or broken into sharp, short tones, instead of the long and equable blast which Dr. A. Clarke identifies with the Roman taratantara, or clarion sound. Possibly Paul may allude to this distinction in 1Co_14:8.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But to call the congregation together they were to blow, not to sound an alarm. תּקע signifies blowing in short, sharp tones. הריע = תּרוּעה תּקע, blowing in a continued peal.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

ובהקהיל את הקהל וגו׳ AND WHEN THE CONGREGATION IS TO BE GATHERED TOGETHER etc. — Because it is stated, (v. 2) “and they shall be unto thee for calling together the assembly and for the journeying of the camps”, you must reason as follows: How is it in the case of “the calling of the assembly”? A Tekiah was made by two priests and on both of them (on two trumpets), since it states, (v. 3) “when they blow with them (cf. Rashi on that verse). So, too, is the setting out of the camps to be by means of both trumpets. One might, however, also reason as follows: How is it in the case of the “journeyings of the camps”? The priest sounds a Tekiah, a Teruah, and another Tekiah (cf. Rashi on v. 5)! So, too, in the case of “calling the assembly together”, he blows a Tekiah, a Teruah and a Tekiah, so that it follows that there is no difference between the signal for “calling the assembly” and that for the “journeyings of the camps”. Scripture, however, states here: “And when the congregation is to be gathered together, etc.” to intimate that no Teruah is sounded at the calling of the assembly (ולא תריעו), and the same rule applies to calling the princes. — Thus we have a different signal for the three occasions: “the calling of the assembly” is done by both trumpets, and that of the princes by one — but neither in this nor that signal is there a Teruah, whilst “the journeying of the camps” is done by both trumpets with a Teruah, a Tekiah preceding and following it (Sifrei Bamidbar 74).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.