וּבְיוֹם֙ הָקִ֣ים אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן כִּסָּ֤ה הֶֽעָנָן֙ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן לְאֹ֖הֶל הָעֵדֻ֑ת וּבָעֶ֜רֶב יִהְיֶ֧ה עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ עַד־בֹּֽקֶר׃

On the day that the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, to the Tent of the Testimony; the cloud covered only the tent itself, which housed the Tablets of the Testimony, but did not cover the courtyard. And in the evening there would be upon the Tabernacle as the appearance of fire, until morning.

כֵּ֚ן יִהְיֶ֣ה תָמִ֔יד הֶעָנָ֖ן יְכַסֶּ֑נּוּ וּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ לָֽיְלָה׃

So it would be always: The cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire at night.

וּלְפִ֞י הֵעָלֹ֤ת הֶֽעָנָן֙ מֵעַ֣ל הָאֹ֔הֶל וְאַ֣חֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן יִסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּבִמְק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁכָּן־שָׁם֙ הֶֽעָנָ֔ן שָׁ֥ם יַחֲנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

In accordance with the timing and direction of the ascent of the cloud from upon the Tent , thereafter the children of Israel would travel, and in the place where the cloud would stop, there the children of Israel would encamp.

עַל־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֗ה יִסְעוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יַחֲנ֑וּ כָּל־יְמֵ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁכֹּ֧ן הֶעָנָ֛ן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן יַחֲנֽוּ׃

According to the directive of the Lord the children of Israel would travel, and according to the directive of the Lord they encamped: As all the days that the cloud would rest upon the Tabernacle they would encamp.

וּבְהַאֲרִ֧יךְ הֶֽעָנָ֛ן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים וְשָׁמְר֧וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִסָּֽעוּ׃

When the cloud lingered upon the Tabernacle many days, the children of Israel kept the commission of the Lord, and did not travel.

וְיֵ֞שׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֧ה הֶֽעָנָ֛ן יָמִ֥ים מִסְפָּ֖ר עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן עַל־פִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ יַחֲנ֔וּ וְעַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יִסָּֽעוּ׃

At times, the cloud would be several days upon the

וְיֵ֞שׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֤ה הֶֽעָנָן֙ מֵעֶ֣רֶב עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר וְנַעֲלָ֧ה הֶֽעָנָ֛ן בַּבֹּ֖קֶר וְנָסָ֑עוּ א֚וֹ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה וְנַעֲלָ֥ה הֶעָנָ֖ן וְנָסָֽעוּ׃

At times the cloud would be in place only from evening until morning; the cloud would ascend in the morning, and they would travel; or the cloud would remain in place for a day and a night, and the cloud would ascend and they would travel. It is possible that at times the Israelites traveled at night.

אֽוֹ־יֹמַ֜יִם אוֹ־חֹ֣דֶשׁ אוֹ־יָמִ֗ים בְּהַאֲרִ֨יךְ הֶעָנָ֤ן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ לִשְׁכֹּ֣ן עָלָ֔יו יַחֲנ֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְלֹ֣א יִסָּ֑עוּ וּבְהֵעָלֹת֖וֹ יִסָּֽעוּ׃

Or two days, or one month, or one year, when the cloud lingered upon the Tabernacle, to rest upon it, the children of Israel would encamp, and would not travel; with its ascent, they would travel.

עַל־פִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ יַחֲנ֔וּ וְעַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יִסָּ֑עוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת יְהוָה֙ שָׁמָ֔רוּ עַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (פ)

At the directive of the Lord they would camp, and at the directive of the Lord they would travel; the commission of the Lord they kept, according to the directive of the Lord as expressed through the movements of the cloud, at the hand of Moses, who explained to them the significance of the cloud’s movements and resting.

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

עֲשֵׂ֣ה לְךָ֗ שְׁתֵּי֙ חֲצֽוֹצְרֹ֣ת כֶּ֔סֶף מִקְשָׁ֖ה תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֑ם וְהָי֤וּ לְךָ֙ לְמִקְרָ֣א הָֽעֵדָ֔ה וּלְמַסַּ֖ע אֶת־הַֽמַּחֲנֽוֹת׃

Craft for you two silver trumpets; hammered from one piece of silver, you shall craft them, rather than attaching together separate pieces of silver; they shall be for you for summoning the congregation, and for causing the camps to travel by notifying them that it is time to begin traveling.

וְתָקְע֖וּ בָּהֵ֑ן וְנֽוֹעֲד֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

They shall sound them, and the entire congregation shall assemble to you at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

וְאִם־בְּאַחַ֖ת יִתְקָ֑עוּ וְנוֹעֲד֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ הַנְּשִׂיאִ֔ים רָאשֵׁ֖י אַלְפֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

If they shall sound one trumpet, the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall assemble to you.

וּתְקַעְתֶּ֖ם תְּרוּעָ֑ה וְנָֽסְעוּ֙ הַֽמַּחֲנ֔וֹת הַחֹנִ֖ים קֵֽדְמָה׃

You shall sound an alarm, and this sound indicates that the camps that encamp to the east, the banner of the camp of Judah, shall travel.

וּתְקַעְתֶּ֤ם תְּרוּעָה֙ שֵׁנִ֔ית וְנָֽסְעוּ֙ הַֽמַּחֲנ֔וֹת הַחֹנִ֖ים תֵּימָ֑נָה תְּרוּעָ֥ה יִתְקְע֖וּ לְמַסְעֵיהֶֽם׃

You shall sound an alarm again, and the camps that encamp to the south shall travel; following that, the camps that encamp to the west shall travel; and finally, the camps that encamp to the north, which are the tribes of the banner of Dan, shall travel. They shall sound an alarm for their travels, with each series of blasts signaling to one of the sets of camps that it is time to travel. However, according to the Ibn Ezra only the two alarms mentioned explicitly in the verses were blown. These were sounded for the tribes encamped to the east and to the south because the Tabernacle and its vessels traveled with those tribes.

וּבְהַקְהִ֖יל אֶת־הַקָּהָ֑ל תִּתְקְע֖וּ וְלֹ֥א תָרִֽיעוּ׃

When assembling the assembly, you shall sound a blast, but you shall not sound an alarm.

וּבְנֵ֤י אַהֲרֹן֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים יִתְקְע֖וּ בַּֽחֲצֹצְר֑וֹת וְהָי֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם לְחֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sound the trumpets; they shall be for you as an eternal statute for your generations. The trumpets referred to in verse 2 above were to be used exclusively by Moses and his generation, based on the repetitive use of the expression “for you” there. In contrast, the trumpets referred to here were to be used by the priests in future generations as well. Clearly, these trumpets were not meant to signal that the camp was to start traveling, rather they served other functions, as described below.

וְכִֽי־תָבֹ֨אוּ מִלְחָמָ֜ה בְּאַרְצְכֶ֗ם עַל־הַצַּר֙ הַצֹּרֵ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֔ם וַהֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם בַּחֲצֹצְר֑וֹת וֲנִזְכַּרְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְנוֹשַׁעְתֶּ֖ם מֵאֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃

When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets; and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be delivered from your enemies. These trumpets were not military trumpets, but the trumpets used in the Temple. Consequently, the blasts are not part of a military procedure, but rather serve as a call to spiritual awakening, similar to a prayer to God.

וּבְי֨וֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶ֥ם וּֽבְמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם֮ וּבְרָאשֵׁ֣י חָדְשֵׁיכֶם֒ וּתְקַעְתֶּ֣ם בַּחֲצֹֽצְרֹ֗ת עַ֚ל עֹלֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעַ֖ל זִבְחֵ֣י שַׁלְמֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֤ם לְזִכָּרוֹן֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (פ)

The role of the trumpets in the Tabernacle and Temple is not limited to sounding an alarm in case of emergency. On the day of your rejoicing, at your appointed times, and on your New Moons, you shall sound the trumpets over your communal burnt offerings, and over your communal peace offerings; they shall be a remembrance for you before your God, I am the Lord your God.