Lexical Summary Nisan: Nisan Original Word: נִיסָן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Nisan Probably of foreign origin; Nisan, the first month of the Jewish sacred year -- Nisan. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition first month of the Jewish religious year NASB Translation Nisan (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs נִיסָן proper name of 1st month (loan-word from Babylonian Nisannu, compare SchrCOT Nehemiah 1.. 1 Muss-ArnJBL xi. 1 (1892). 76; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; so Nabataean, Palmyrene, see Lzb323); — only post-exile: ׳חֹדֶשׁ נ Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7 ( + הָרִאשׁוֺן הַחֹדֶשׁ), = pre-exile הָאָבִּיב (הֹדֶשׁ). — On sacredness of Nisan compare also RSSemitic i. 387; 2d ed. 406 f. נִיצוֺץ see נצץ. נֵיר see נֵר. Topical Lexicon Calendar Placement Nisan is the post-exilic name for the first month of the biblical year, corresponding roughly to late March through early April. Its earlier designation was Abib (Exodus 13:4). As the opening month, it anchors the festal cycle that begins with Passover on the fourteenth day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth through the twenty-first, and the offering of Firstfruits on the sixteenth (Leviticus 23:4-14). Because the civil year later came to be reckoned from Tishri, Nisan also functions as a perpetual reminder that Israel’s true “new year” begins with redemption, not with mere chronology. Occurrences in Scripture These are the only explicit uses of the name Nisan in the Old Testament, both set in the Persian period and both tied to turning-points of national deliverance. Historical Background During the Babylonian captivity the Jewish people adopted several Babylonian month-names; Nisan derives from an Akkadian term related to “first fruits” or “sprouting,” fitting agricultural realities in the Land. The shift from Abib to Nisan therefore signals the community’s post-exilic context, yet Scripture maintains continuity by treating Nisan as the same first month ordained at the Exodus (compare Exodus 12:2 with Esther 3:7). Biblical Narratives 1. Nehemiah 2 records that “in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes” Nehemiah received royal permission to rebuild Jerusalem. His burdened prayer in chapter 1 culminates in a decisive step of faith at the very season when Israel annually commemorated God’s past deliverance. The timing magnifies the parallel: the God who once freed His people from Pharaoh now moves a Persian emperor to restore the covenant city. Redemptive Significance Nisan is inseparable from Passover, the foundational act of redemption under the Mosaic covenant. The New Testament presents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Passover (John 19:14) and His resurrection on “the first day of the week,” coinciding with Firstfruits, thereby fulfilling the typology embedded in Nisan’s festivals (1 Corinthians 5:7-8; 15:20). The month therefore points both backward to the lamb’s blood on Egyptian doorposts and forward to “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Prophetic Foreshadowing Daniel’s seventy-sevens prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) speaks of a decree to restore Jerusalem leading to the appearing of Messiah. If the “word” in view is Nehemiah 2, then the countdown begins in Nisan, underscoring the month’s prominence in God’s timetable. Likewise Zechariah 9:9, fulfilled at Jesus’ triumphal entry just prior to Passover, further links messianic expectation to this season. Practical Ministry Applications • Spiritual Renewal: Nisan invites congregations to revisit the themes of new birth, cleansing, and consecration that accompany Passover and Unleavened Bread (1 Corinthians 11:23-28). Related Themes and Cross-References Abib: Exodus 13:4; Deuteronomy 16:1 Passover: Exodus 12:1-14; Leviticus 23:5 Unleavened Bread: Exodus 12:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Firstfruits and Resurrection: Leviticus 23:10-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 Providence Over Lots: Proverbs 16:33; Esther 3:7; Esther 9:24-26 Restoration of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 2:1-8; Psalm 102:13-16 The testimony of Nisan weaves together God’s historic, ongoing, and future acts of salvation, assuring believers that the Lord who redeemed Israel and raised Jesus will also complete His purposes for the Church and for the world. Forms and Transliterations נִיסָ֔ן נִיסָ֗ן ניסן nî·sān niSan nîsānLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Nehemiah 2:1 HEB: וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ נִיסָ֗ן שְׁנַ֥ת עֶשְׂרִ֛ים NAS: about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth KJV: And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth INT: came the month Nisan year the twentieth Esther 3:7 2 Occurrences |
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