Topical Bible: Months: The Year Composed of Twelve

◄ Months: The Year Composed of Twelve ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the concept of months is integral to understanding the calendar system used by the Israelites and the broader ancient Near Eastern cultures. The Bible frequently references months in relation to religious festivals, agricultural cycles, and historical events. The Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar, consists of twelve months, with a thirteenth month added periodically to align the lunar months with the solar year.

Biblical References and Significance

The division of the year into months is first mentioned in the account of the Flood. Genesis 7:11 states, "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." This passage indicates an established system of months even in the antediluvian period.

The Hebrew calendar begins with the month of Nisan (also known as Abib), as established in Exodus 12:2: "This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year." Nisan is significant as it marks the time of the Passover, a pivotal event in Israelite history commemorating the Exodus from Egypt.

The months are often associated with specific agricultural activities and religious observances. For example, the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, occurs in the month of Sivan (Leviticus 23:15-16), while the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, is celebrated in Tishri (Leviticus 23:34). These festivals are tied to the harvest cycles, reflecting the agrarian lifestyle of the Israelites.

Names and Order of the Months

The names of the months are not consistently listed in the Bible, but several are mentioned in various contexts. The post-exilic books, such as Nehemiah and Esther, provide more detailed references to the Babylonian names of the months, which the Jews adopted during the Babylonian exile. For instance, Esther 3:7 mentions the month of Adar, the twelfth month, in the context of Haman's plot against the Jews.

The order of the months in the Hebrew calendar is as follows: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishri, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, and Adar. In leap years, a second Adar, known as Adar II, is added.

Symbolism and Theological Implications

The division of the year into twelve months holds symbolic significance in biblical theology. The number twelve is often associated with completeness and divine order, as seen in the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Jesus. The cyclical nature of the months reflects the rhythm of creation and God's sovereignty over time.

The prophetic literature occasionally uses months to convey symbolic messages. In Revelation 22:2, the tree of life is described as bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month, symbolizing the eternal provision and sustenance found in God's kingdom.

Conclusion

The concept of months in the Bible is deeply intertwined with the religious, agricultural, and historical life of the Israelites. Understanding the biblical calendar enhances the comprehension of scriptural events and the theological themes of time, order, and divine providence.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Chronicles 27:2-15
Over the first course for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel: and in his course were twenty and four thousand.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Esther 2:12
Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Revelation 22:2
In the middle of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of the Opinion of those who do not Believe that in These Primitive ...
... Enos was born, though the Scripture calls these months 205 years ... into ten parts,
and to call each part a year. And each of these parts was composed of six days ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 12 of the opinion of.htm

Preached on Occasion of the Death of the Rev. Mr. John Fletcher ...
... "For his last months, he scarce ... a little inclining to one side; and so remarkably
composed and triumphant ... one struggle or groan, in the fifty-sixth year of his ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 133 preached on occasion.htm

Folly of the Arguments Derived by the Heretics from Numbers ...
... and oil in addition, so that it was composed of five ... who can concede to them that
the year has three ... only, in order that there may be twelve months of thirty ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxiv folly of the arguments.htm

That the Inventors of Other Arts were Mostly Barbarians.
... showed how to burn lamps, and divided the year into twelve months, prohibited
intercourse ... was the first woman who cultivated philosophy and composed poems ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xvi that the inventors of.htm

Why Man is of Two Sexes; what is his First Death, and what the ...
... the dumb cattle, whose spirits, not being composed of God ... who attain to the hundredth
year, which frequently ... undoubtedly live a thousand and two hundred months. ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xiii why man is of.htm

Ranee Khet Mission.
... the heat of the plains, during six months of the ... During the last year of our residence
in Ranee Khet ... at any previous period, and it was mainly composed of Doms. ...
/.../chapter xxii ranee khet mission.htm

The Mystical Meanings in the Proportions of Numbers, Geometrical ...
... agreeably to the revolution of the twelve months, in the ... in perceiving the seasons
of the year, the changes ... is called equality, because it is composed of eight ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xi the mystical meanings in.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... And it is said that Battus the Cyrenian composed what is called ... Domitian, fifteen
years, eight months, five days; Nerva, one year, four months, ten days ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

Concerning the Garments of the Priests, and of the High Priest.
... be set on the table, he denoted the year, as distinguished into so many months. ... The
veils, too, which were composed of four things, they declared ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 concerning the garments.htm

On the Creation of the World
... positions distinguish the seasons, and years, and months, and days ... Therefore this
world of ours is composed of four ... throughout the space of the year four seasons ...
/.../victorinus/on the creation of the world/on the creation of the.htm