Topical Bible: Time: Computed by Years

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In the biblical narrative, the computation of time by years is a significant aspect of understanding the chronology and historical context of events. The Bible frequently references years to mark the duration of events, the ages of individuals, and the reigns of kings, providing a framework for the unfolding of God's plan throughout history.

Creation and Early Genealogies

The concept of years is introduced early in the Bible, beginning with the creation account. Genesis 1:14 states, "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.'" This establishes the celestial bodies as markers for time, including years.

The genealogies in Genesis are particularly notable for their use of years to denote the ages of the patriarchs. For example, Genesis 5:5 records, "So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died." These genealogies serve not only to trace lineage but also to provide a chronological framework from Adam to Noah and beyond.

The Flood and the Patriarchs

The account of the Flood in Genesis 7-8 also uses years to describe the duration of events. Genesis 7:11 notes, "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." The precise dating underscores the historical nature of the event.

The lives of the patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are similarly marked by years. Genesis 21:5 states, "Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him." These references to years highlight the fulfillment of God's promises over time.

The Exodus and the Wilderness Wanderings

The computation of years is crucial in the narrative of the Exodus and the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. Exodus 12:40-41 records, "Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt." This precise timing emphasizes God's sovereignty and faithfulness in delivering His people.

The forty years of wilderness wanderings, as mentioned in Numbers 14:33-34, serve as a period of testing and preparation for the Israelites before entering Canaan. The use of years here underscores the consequences of disobedience and the importance of trust in God's timing.

The Monarchy and the Prophets

The reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah are meticulously recorded in terms of years, providing a chronological framework for the history of the monarchy. For instance, 1 Kings 2:11 states, "David reigned over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem." These records are essential for understanding the political and spiritual climate of the time.

The prophets also use years to convey messages from God. Jeremiah 25:11-12 prophesies, "This whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it desolate forever." The specificity of years in prophecy underscores the certainty of God's word.

The New Testament and the Fulfillment of Time

In the New Testament, the computation of years continues to play a role in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. Galatians 4:4 states, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law." This reference to the "fullness of time" indicates the divine timing of Christ's incarnation.

The genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 also use years to trace His lineage back to David and Abraham, affirming His rightful place in the messianic line. The use of years in these genealogies highlights the continuity of God's promises throughout history.

Throughout the Bible, the computation of time by years serves as a vital tool for understanding the chronology of events and the unfolding of God's purposes. The consistent use of years underscores the historical reliability of the biblical narrative and the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His promises across generations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 15:13
And he said to Abram, Know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Samuel 21:1
Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Daniel 9:2
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
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Library

Of Methuselah's Age, which Seems to Extend Fourteen Years Beyond ...
... years of the life of Methuselah are computed to be ... Methuselah to the flood, there
remains fourteen years, which he ... water perished), he was for a time with his ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 11 of methuselahs age which.htm

Some History of Tiberias. The Jerusalem Talmud was Written There ...
... original: of which opinion I also was some time, until at ... these quotations, that
this was Diocletian the emperor, some years after him might be computed. ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 81 some history of.htm

How the Question Arose About the Due Time of Keeping Easter, with ...
... For John, keeping the Paschal time according to the ... Easter, appointed a cycle of
nineteen years, which either ... He so computed the fourteenth moon in our Lord's ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xxv how the question.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... eighty years. And from this time till the consulship in Rome of Caius Domitian
and Casian, a hundred and twenty years are computed. ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

The Struggler;
... as lawful as any have been above this thousand years. ... clock, on a working day, in
the dark winter time. I also computed about three thousand that came to hear ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the struggler.htm

The Prophet of the Highest.
... A long period, computed at four hundred years, had passed ... ceased, with its last breath
it foretold that it would be followed, in the after time, by a new ...
//christianbookshelf.org/meyer/john the baptist/iv the prophet of the.htm

Jews.
... For about eighteen hundred years, this wonderful people ... the bloody and tremendous
consummation, is computed to have ... 134, they were a second time slaughtered in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/jews.htm

At Inverness
... over to Sir Archibald Grant's, twelve computed miles from ... the country between is
improved even within these three years. ... was filled in a very short time, and I ...
//christianbookshelf.org/wesley/the journal of john wesley/at inverness.htm

Extracts from the Work on Things Created.
... thousand years. Therefore, all the days from our time to that which was in the
beginning, in which God created the heaven and the earth, are computed to be ...
/.../methodius/the writings of methodius fragments/extracts from the work on.htm

But this Again is Held by Other Wise and Most Acute Men to be An.. ...
... of nineteen years, a thoroughly genuine Paschal time, that is to ... of the moon, that
cycle of years which we have mentioned; the days being computed before in ...
/.../the paschal canon of anatolius of alexandria/section xii but this again.htm