In the ancient Near East, the computation of time was a crucial aspect of daily life, religious observance, and historical record-keeping. The Bible provides insights into how early civilizations, including the Israelites, understood and measured time, particularly years.

Lunar and Solar Calendars

The early computation of time was primarily based on lunar and solar cycles. The Israelites, like many ancient cultures, initially used a lunar calendar. This is evident in the Bible's references to months and new moons. For instance, in 1 Samuel 20:5, David speaks of the new moon festival, indicating the importance of lunar cycles in marking time: "David said to Jonathan, 'Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the table.'"

However, the Israelites also recognized the solar year, which was essential for agricultural purposes and the timing of festivals. The intercalation of months was necessary to align the lunar calendar with the solar year, ensuring that festivals occurred in their appropriate seasons. This practice is implied in the timing of the Passover, which is to be celebrated in the spring (Exodus 12:2).

The Year of Jubilee

The concept of the Jubilee year, as described in Leviticus 25, highlights the significance of the sabbatical cycle in Israelite society. Every seventh year was a sabbatical year, and after seven cycles of sabbatical years (49 years), the 50th year was proclaimed as the Year of Jubilee. This year was marked by the release of slaves, the return of property, and rest for the land. Leviticus 25:10 states, "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you."

Genealogies and Chronologies

The Bible often uses genealogies and chronologies to compute time and establish historical context. The genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11, for example, provide a framework for understanding the passage of time from Adam to Abraham. These genealogies are not merely lists of names but serve to connect significant events and covenants in biblical history.

Prophetic Timelines

Prophetic literature in the Bible also employs specific timeframes to convey divine messages. The seventy weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 is a notable example, where weeks are understood as sets of seven years. This prophecy outlines a timeline for the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

Historical Context

The computation of years in the Bible must be understood within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern timekeeping. Neighboring cultures, such as the Egyptians and Babylonians, also developed sophisticated calendars that influenced the Israelites. The Babylonian calendar, for instance, was a lunisolar calendar similar to the one used by the Israelites.

Conclusion

The early computation of time by years in the Bible reflects a complex interplay of lunar and solar cycles, religious observance, and historical record-keeping. Through genealogies, sabbatical cycles, and prophetic timelines, the Bible provides a rich tapestry of how time was understood and measured in the ancient world.Genesis 5:3
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Works of Hippolytus which have Reached Us.
... rigidly orthodox man; while at the same time it must ... of the cycle, together with
a computation by means ... none of them later than the early years of Zephyrinus. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter xxii the works of hippolytus.htm

Supplementary Note to Chapter ii. The Year of Christ's Birth.
... 714; and that he reigned thirty-seven years (Antiq ... Lord was in all likelihood born
early in the ... According to this computation the conception took place exactly ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/supplementary note to chapter ii.htm

Historical Criticism of Medi??val Amplifications.
... varied, of Theodoret's, from which it derives also its computation of the ... Even if
we assign to it the improbably early date of 366, the eight years in Egypt ...
/.../v historical criticism of mediaeval amplifications.htm

Early Christianity in Other Parts of These Islands. --Ninian in ...
... included, was unanimous in its computation of Easter ... Gildas, thirty years before,
stated directly that the ... A very early Irish statement, usually accepted as ...
/.../lecture iii early christianity in.htm

Copy of an Imperial Epistle in which Money is Granted to the ...
... of the great God preserve thee for many years.". ... Compare also Hatch's Constitution
of the Early Christian Churches ... According to one computation it was worth 208 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pamphilius/church history/chapter vi name of an.htm

The Limitations of Earth's Great Week.
... was amongst the most renowned of the early fathers." Consider ... day is with the Lord
as a thousand years.". ... What then is the practical value of this computation? ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/9 the limitations of earths.htm

Reflections Upon the Preceding Account.
... judge of the argument which is drawn from the early propagation of ... difference amongst
the Indian writers of six millions of years in the computation of this ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/section ii reflections upon the.htm

Chapter xv
... very accurate transmission of the facts of early history ... see that the word reckons
a hundred years to a generation, according to the computation prevalent at ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xv.htm

The Apocalypse of Baruch.
... 84 AD That it was composed in early Christian times may ... speed on quicker than before,
and the years shall pass ... and a half is used in mystic computation of time ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the apocalypse of baruch.htm

Applications.
... would bring us about' to the early summer of 345 ... 13th Mechir would, therefore, in
these years correspond to ... on the unstable basis of a computation of Theophanes ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 3 applications.htm

What does 2 Peter 3:8 mean when it says a thousand years are a day? | GotQuestions.org

How can the light of stars billions of light years away from the earth have reached us if the earth is only thousands of years old? | GotQuestions.org

How does God restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25)? | GotQuestions.org

Years: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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