Num 10.1-36 tells us about the silver trumpets, called in Hebrew “Tzotzrot.” These trumpets were were straight and there will be several reasons to blow the tzotzrot, and this will allude to Yom Teruah when the Natzal will occur; Israel sets out from Sinai to the land of promise.
v 1…The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying,
v 2…”Make yourself two trumpets (tzotzrot) of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you will use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.
v 3…And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
v 4…Yet if only is blown, then the leaders (nasi)), the heads of the divisions (“alphey” or thousands) of Israel shall assemble before you (Isa 13.2, Num 29.1).
v 5…But when you blow an alarm (a “teruah” or short notes) the camps that are are pitched on the east side (Judah, Issachar, Zebulon) shall set out.
v 6…And when you blow an alarm (a “teruah”) the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side (Gad, Reuben, Simeon) shall set out; an alarm (teruah) is to be blown for them to set out (Josephus says at the third alarm Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin who were camped on the west set out, and at the fourth alarm Dan, Asher and Naphtali on the north set out and were the rear guard).
v 7…When convening the assembly (Kahal), however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm (blow with an even, unbroken sound).
v 8…The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets (tzotzrot), and this shall be for a perpetual statute throughout your generations.
v 9…And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may remembered (for divine aid; the Natzal on Yom Teruah is also called “Yom Zikaron” or the “Day of Remembrance’) before the Lord your God, and be saved by your enemies (Natzal is the Hebrew word for what many call the “rapture” and it means to be delivered).
v 10…Also on the day of your gladness (any public rejoicing or victory in war, etc) and in your appointed feasts (festivals) and the first days of your months (Rosh Chodesh/new moons) you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, and they shall be as a reminder (zikaron) of you before your God. I am the Lord your God”
v 11…Now it came about in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month (ten months, nineteen days after they had arrived at Sinai), that the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony (the holy of holies);
v 12…and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran (Wadi Rum/Kadesh Barnea; before that there were two stops, at Kibroth-ha-ataavah in Num 11.34-35 for a month, and seven days at Hazeroth in Num 1216).
v 13…So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the Lord through Moses.
v 14…And the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, set out first (from the east-v 5; Messiah will come from them), with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army,
v 15…and Nethanel the son of Zuar over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar,
v 16…and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulon.
v 17…Then the tabernacle was taken down and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out.
v 18…Next the standard of the camp of Reuben (from the south), according to their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army,
v 19…and Shelumel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon,
v 20…and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of Gad.
v 21…Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects (like the ark, menorah, altars, etc), and the tabernacle was was set up before their arrival (once properly set up they brought in the objects).
v 22…Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim (from the west), according to their armies, was set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army,
v 23…and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh;
v 24…and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.
v 25…Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan (in the north), according to their armies, the rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army (they collected stragglers, lost articles, the slow to travel; no one or nothing left behind),
v 26…and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher,
v 27…and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of Naphtali.
v 28…This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.
v 29…Then Moses said to Hobab (brother of Zipporah) the son of Reuel (another name for Jethro) the MIdianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord has promised good concerning Israel.”
v 30…But he said to him, “I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives (he did not want to go; he knew he would not have a portion in the land and he wanted to go back for his own reasons).’
v 31…Then he said, “Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you shall be as eyes (not to show the way, the cloud did that, but there for advice on the area and what they could expect like shade, water, terrain, etc) for us.
v 32…So it will be, if you go with us, it will come about that whatever good the Lord does for us, we will do for you (Moses persists and it seems that Hobab went with them, and later Jericho was given to the sons of Jethro, as well as other places-Judges 1.16, 4.11).
v 33…Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days journey with the ark of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days to seek out (pointing out) a resting place for them (it was in the midst of the camp, but like a general is said to “go before” his army without being directly in front of it; the cloud was over the ark and directing where they were to go; this alludes to Yeshua going before us to prepare a place and the three days alludes to his resurrection).
v 34…And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they set out from the camp.
v 35…Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let thine enemies be scattered (they were in enemy territory), and let those who hate thee flee from before thee (in a Torah scroll there is an inverted Hebrew letter “Nun” at the beginning of verse 35, and at the end of verse 36, alluding to continuing activity and the quickening of life from the dead; this verse alludes to the resurrection of Yeshua when he gained victory and his enemies were scattered).”
v 36…And when it came to rest he said, “Return thou, O Lord, to the myriad thousands of Israel (the second inverted nun at the end of the verse, and this speaks of Yeshua’s return and our resurrection; the two “nuns” speak of two great resurrections).”
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