Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

LEVITICUS 25:9KJV
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Leviticus 25:9 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 25:9 mean?

Leviticus 25:9 instructs that on the tenth day of the seventh month, which is the Day of Atonement, a trumpet should be sounded throughout the land to announce the start of the Jubilee year. This verse sets the exact time and public signal for beginning a special year of release and restoration in ancient Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses, giving detailed instructions to the Israelites about how and when to proclaim the Jubilee. The Day of Atonement was already a sacred and solemn day, and by linking the Jubilee announcement to it, the verse emphasizes the spiritual importance of the event. The sounding of the trumpet was a public act, meant to reach everyone across the land.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 25:9

  • The word for "trumpet" is שׁוֹפָר (shofar), a ram’s horn used for important religious announcements. Its sound would have been a clear, unmistakable signal to all the people.
  • "Jubile" is יוֹבֵל (yovel), which refers specifically to the Jubilee year, a time of freedom and restoration every fifty years.
  • "Atonement" is כִּפֻּרִים (kippurim), pointing to the Day of Atonement, a day focused on forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Connecting the Jubilee to this day highlights the themes of release and new beginnings.
  • The verb "sound" is עָבַר (avar), which often means to pass through or go over. Here, it carries the sense of the trumpet sound traveling throughout the entire land, ensuring everyone hears the announcement.

Why Leviticus 25:9 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Jubilee year was not just a calendar event but was publicly proclaimed and tied to a major spiritual occasion, the Day of Atonement.
  • It shows the importance of community-wide participation; the command is for the trumpet to sound "throughout all your land," making sure no one is left out.
  • By connecting the Jubilee to the Day of Atonement, the verse links social and economic renewal with spiritual renewal, showing that both were meant to go hand in hand in Israel’s life.

Where else these words appear

“atonement” Hebrew H3725 · used in 8 verses

  • Exodus 29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.
  • Exodus 30:16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
  • Leviticus 23:28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

“tenth” Hebrew H6218 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
  • Joshua 4:19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
  • Jeremiah 52:4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

“jubile” Hebrew H8643 · used in 33 verses

  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • 2 Samuel 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
  • Psalms 33:3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

“trumpet” Hebrew H7782 · used in 63 verses

  • Exodus 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
  • 2 Samuel 2:28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
  • Isaiah 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.