Wind instruments are of three general classes: those that use lip vibrations in creating the sound (trumpets and horns); those that use a vibrating reed or reeds (the clarinet and oboe); and those in which the vibrations are created by wind directed across the opening of an air column (flutes, whistles, and pipe organs). The latter two kinds may be classified together as “pipes.” Scripture mentions several varieties of wind instruments.
Horns
The biblical horn is literally a horn (qeren, 1 Chron. 25:5), usually a hollowed ram’s horn with a mouth hole, although horns of certain wild animals were sometimes used. Many English translations create confusion by calling them “trumpets.” The ram’s horn is usually called the shofar (Exod. 19:16; Josh. 6:4, 9, 13; 1 Chron. 15:28; Pss. 81:3; 98:6). Another term is yovel (Exod. 19:13; Josh. 6:5). The two words seem to be interchangeable and are sometimes found paired (Josh. 6:4, 6). The ram’s horn could play only a restricted number of pitches and was more a signaling instrument than a musical one. As such, it had an important function in warfare as well as in worship. In the sanctuary, it was used to announce the various sacrifices and festive days and to proclaim the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:9), which takes its name from that of the instrument, yovel. The shofar was the one instrument carried over into the worship of the synagogue, which did not continue the sanctuary tradition of instrumental music, using vocal music only. Musicologists have attempted to reconstruct some of the patterns of horn signaling used in the ancient synagogue.
Trumpets
The biblical trumpet (ḥtzotzrah), made originally of silver (Num. 10:2), is shown on ancient coins as a straight tube, similar to the later heraldic trumpet but shorter and with a larger bore. Unlike the modern concert trumpet, it had no valves and could therefore play only a limited number of notes. The silver trumpets were used in pairs, and large numbers of them might be employed at one time. The uses of the trumpet were virtually identical to those of the ram’s horn: to sound the alarm in warfare; to herald the festivals, sacrifices, and offerings (Num. 10:8–10; 2 Chron. 13:12, 14; 29:27); and generally to join the other instruments in praise of the Lord (Ps. 98:6). Both the ram’s horn (1 Kings 1:39; 2 Kings 9:13) and the trumpet (2 Kings 11:14) were sounded to herald the coronation of a king, and this motif is appropriate in their use for the worship of Yahweh, the Great King of Israel (Ps. 47:5). The instructions for the so-called Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23–25) do not specifically mention trumpets but a “memorial of shout” (tru‘ah) or sounding.
Pipes
The instrument known as the ḥalil is mentioned a number of times in the Bible. The name is related to a word meaning “pierced,” indicating that the instrument had fingering holes. Thus, unlike the horn or trumpet, it was able to play a melodic line, as was its New Testament equivalent, the aulos (1 Cor. 14:7). Although the ḥalil or aulos is usually called a “flute” in English versions, archaeological evidence suggests that it had a reed mouthpiece and was, therefore, a primitive form of the clarinet; illustrations show musicians playing two pipes simultaneously, a difficult feat unless each had a reed. Jeremiah refers to the “wailing” or “moaning” sound of the instrument (Jer. 48:36). The ḥalil was played for occasions of rejoicing, as at the coronation of Solomon (1 Kings 1:40), or by worshipers as they marched to the festivals on Zion (Isa. 30:29). Jesus refers to the use of the aulos to accompany dancing (Luke 7:32) and in the customary rites of mourning for the dead (Matt. 9:23). The ḥalil had a limited function in the sanctuary; the superscription of Psalm 5 directs the use of the naḥilah, a related word, in performance. Another instrument, called the ‘ugav (Gen. 4:21; Ps. 150:4), may have been a form of pipe, though this is not certain; it was also used for rejoicing (Job 21:12) and mourning (Job 30:31). However, it seems to have had erotic associations and was not played in worship. The mashroqi mentioned in Daniel 3 in connection with Nebuchadnezzar’s worship may have been a type of flute.