Topical Bible: Month: Ancient Use of

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In the ancient biblical context, the concept of a "month" played a significant role in the religious, agricultural, and social life of the Israelites. The Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar, was structured around the cycles of the moon, with each month beginning with the new moon. This system is evident in various scriptural references and practices.

Lunar Calendar and Religious Observances

The Hebrew word for month, "chodesh" (חֹדֶשׁ), is closely related to the word for "new" or "renew," reflecting the renewal of the moon. The Israelites observed the new moon as a significant time marker, as seen in 1 Samuel 20:5, where David says to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal." This indicates the New Moon was a time of communal gathering and feasting.

The months were integral to the timing of religious festivals and observances. For instance, the Passover is celebrated in the first month, Nisan (Exodus 12:2), marking the beginning of the religious year. Leviticus 23 outlines the timing of various feasts, such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, all of which are tied to specific months.

Agricultural Significance

The months also had agricultural significance, as they were aligned with the agricultural cycle of planting and harvest. The month of Abib (later called Nisan) is mentioned in Exodus 13:4, "Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving." This month corresponds with the barley harvest, marking the beginning of the agricultural year. Similarly, the Feast of Ingathering, or Sukkot, occurs in the seventh month, Tishri, celebrating the final harvest of the year (Exodus 23:16).

Social and Civil Aspects

In addition to religious and agricultural functions, months were used for civil purposes, such as the reigns of kings and the timing of events. For example, in 1 Kings 6:1, the construction of Solomon's temple is dated to the fourth year of his reign, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month. This reflects the use of months in recording historical and governmental events.

Names and Order of Months

The names and order of the months are not fully detailed in the Bible, but several are mentioned, such as Nisan, Ziv, Ethanim, and Bul. The post-exilic period saw the adoption of Babylonian month names, which are still used in the Jewish calendar today.

Prophetic and Symbolic Use

Months also appear in prophetic and symbolic contexts. In the book of Daniel, the vision of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) involves a prophetic timeline that has been interpreted in various ways, often involving months and years. Similarly, in Revelation, the period of 42 months is mentioned in relation to the end times (Revelation 11:2; 13:5), symbolizing a time of tribulation.

In summary, the ancient use of months in the Bible reflects a multifaceted system that was essential for religious observance, agricultural planning, social organization, and prophetic symbolism. The lunar-based calendar provided a rhythm to the life of the Israelites, deeply intertwining their spiritual and daily existence.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
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Genesis 8:4
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
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Library

On the Fast of the Seventh Month, iii .
... order that in the observance of the ancient sanctification Christian ... by the solemn
Fast of the Seventh Month, that we ... Let us then make the best use possible of ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/sermon lxxxviii on the fast.htm

Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
... than these, of the views of the ancient Pharisees, and ... having taken place in a certain
month of a ... Without referring to the use which opponents of Christianity ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 18 brief outline of.htm

On the Fast of the Tenth Month, I.
... in all works of godliness let us use what each ... the apostles: even as this tenth month
brings round ... us the opportunity when according to the ancient practice we ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leo/writings of leo the great/sermon xii on the fast.htm

The Margin of the Nile
... The pity he had felt that night a month agone for her sanguine anticipation of ... But
now, artist though he be, his eye is so befilmed by ancient use that he sees ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xiv the margin of.htm

Martyrdom of the Holy Confessors Shamuna, Guria, and Habib, from ...
... BP Pratten, BA] Ancient Syriac Documents. ... the third day arrived, about the beginning
of the month of August ... for us is the time already past for the use and the ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/ancient syriac documents martyrdom of 2.htm

In the Fourth Year of the Persecution against Us...
... 2. As it was an ancient custom to furnish the spectators more ... 2652] The month Dius
was the third month of the ... Suicer does not give the word); but the use of it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pamphilius/church history/chapter vi in the fourth.htm

A Loving Call to Reunion
... the permission to defer it for a month was taken ... people worshipped Him, and the still
more ancient, and, to ... name of Jacob adds force to its previous use as the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a loving call to reunion.htm

Public Use of the Version.
... number of passages in which consideration of the ancient Version was ... call out the
desire for the regular use of the ... Let us suppose a month set apart for the ...
/.../addresses on the revised version of holy scripture/address v public use of.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... thy two halves be full from month to month.'" He cleared ... was at last learnt less
for everyday use, than for ... or for the interpretation of very ancient texts of ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

Essay vi. "The Way of Ancient Ordinance, Though it Winds, is yet ...
... "The way of ancient ordinance, though ... A month or two sufficed to enrich the commander
and officers of this ... I had done my country service"and thus they use me ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/essay vi the way of.htm