3561. nouménia
Lexical Summary
nouménia: New Moon

Original Word: νουμηνία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: nouménia
Pronunciation: noo-may-NEE-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (noo-may-nee'-ah)
KJV: new moon
Word Origin: [feminine of a compound of G3501 (νέος - New) and G3376 (μήν - months) (as noun by implication, of G2250 (ἡμέρα - day))]

1. the festival of new moon

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
new moon.

Feminine of a compound of neos and men (as noun by implication, of hemera); the festival of new moon -- new moon.

see GREEK neos

see GREEK men

see GREEK hemera

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
variant reading for neoménia, q.v.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3561: νεομηνία

νεομηνία, see νουμηνία.

STRONGS NT 3561: νουμηνίανουμηνία, and according to a rarer uncontracted form (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 148 (Lightfoot on Col. as below; WH's Appendix, p. 145)) νεομηνία (so L text Tr WH), νουμηνίας, (νέος, μήν a month), new moon (Vulg.neomenia; barbarous Latinnovilunium): of the Jewish festival of the new moon (BB. DD., under the phrase, New Moon), Colossians 2:16. (The Sept. chiefly for חֹדֶשׁ; also for חֹדֶשׁ אֶחָד, Exodus 40:2; and חֹדֶשׁ רֹאשׁ, Numbers 10:10; Numbers 28:11; see μήν, 2. Pindar, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Xenophon, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Historical Background of the New Moon

The monthly new-moon day marked the first visible sliver of the lunar cycle and served as Israel’s divine calendar reset (Genesis 1:14). By the law given at Sinai it became a sacred convocation with special burnt, grain, and drink offerings (Numbers 28:11-15). Silver trumpets announced the day (Numbers 10:10), and celebratory meals were customary (1 Samuel 20:5, 1 Samuel 20:24). Market activity paused (Amos 8:5), making the day a blend of worship, rest, and communal fellowship. The new moon thus helped Israel keep time around Yahweh’s redemptive acts and sustained covenant identity between the great annual pilgrim feasts.

Old Testament Ritual and Moral Emphases

• Sacrificial worship: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs without blemish, plus a male goat for sin atonement (Numbers 28:11-15).
• Musical worship: “Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on the day of our Feast” (Psalm 81:3).
• Royal and prophetic settings: Saul’s court (1 Samuel 20), Elisha’s ministry (2 Kings 4:23), Ezekiel’s temple vision (Ezekiel 46:1-6).
• Prophetic correction: ritual without righteousness became odious to the LORD—“Your New Moons and appointed feasts My soul hates” (Isaiah 1:13-14; Hosea 2:11). The prophets call the people to covenant loyalty rather than empty ceremony.

Eschatological Expectation

Isaiah foretells a purified future in which “from one New Moon to another… all mankind will come to bow down before Me” (Isaiah 66:23). The rhythm of renewed time will remain, yet fully aligned with universal worship of the Creator and Redeemer.

New Testament Usage: Colossians 2:16

The only New-Testament occurrence of νεομηνία is in Paul’s warning against legalistic judgment: “Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a festival, a new moon, or a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16). Paul groups three pillars of Israel’s sacred calendar—annual festivals, monthly new moons, and weekly Sabbaths—and declares them “a shadow of the things to come, but the body belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:17). The new-moon observance, once a God-ordained shadow, finds its substance in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ.

Theological Significance

1. Typology and Fulfillment: As the moon reflects the sun’s light, the monthly rite reflected greater glory yet to be revealed. Christ, the “light of the world,” fulfills the pattern by inaugurating new creation life (2 Corinthians 5:17).
2. Time Redeemed: The new moon sanctified time; the resurrection reorders time around the first day of the week, testifying to the new age dawning (John 20:1; Acts 20:7).
3. Freedom in Christ: Believers are freed from condemnation tied to lunar observances, not from the underlying call to worship, gratitude, and orderly life in God’s presence (Romans 14:5-6).

Ministry Application

• Guard the gospel: Resist teachings that bind consciences to obsolete calendar laws.
• Celebrate fulfillment: Use Israel’s sacred rhythms to illustrate Christ’s sufficiency when preaching or teaching.
• Cultivate gratitude: Monthly or other regular times of reflection can help believers rehearse God’s faithfulness without imposing Old-Covenant requirements.
• Eschatological hope: The promise of Isaiah 66:23 fuels missions—every people, every month, worshiping the Lamb.

Key Biblical References

Numbers 10:10; Numbers 28:11-15; 1 Samuel 20:5-29; 2 Kings 4:23; Psalm 81:3; Isaiah 1:13-14; Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 46:1-6; Hosea 2:11; Amos 8:5; Colossians 2:16-17.

Related Concepts

Feast, Sabbath, Festival, Trumpets, Sacrifice, Covenant Calendar, Shadow and Substance, Legalism, Christian Liberty, New Creation.

Forms and Transliterations
νεομηνία νεομηνίαις νεομηνιας νεομηνίας νουμηνία νουμηνίαις νουμηνίας νουμηνιών neomenias neomenías neomēnias neomēnías
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Colossians 2:16 N-GFS
GRK: ἑορτῆς ἢ νεομηνίας ἢ σαββάτων
KJV: or of the new moon, or
INT: of feast or new moon or Sabbath

Strong's Greek 3561
1 Occurrence


νεομηνίας — 1 Occ.

3560
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