Exodus 9:31, The barley was in the head. Barley was cultivated as a grain crop in ancient Egypt, as well as in Israel, and grows wild like a weed throughout the region to this day. Several passages in the Scriptures witness to the fact that the barley was the indicator of which month was to be the first month of the year for the Israelites, so that they could determine when the biblical feasts were to be observed.
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto YHVH your Elohim: for in the month of Abib YHVH your Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. (Deut 16:1, emphasis added)
Please notice, the definite article the proceeding the phrase “month of Abib.” The state of the barley determined the name of a specific month in the spring on YHVH’s biblical calendar. Months in the biblical Hebrew calendar have always been determined by the first visible sliver of the new moon from antiquity. This specific month is to be the beginning the biblical new year (Exod 12:2). The state of the barley simply determines which month is to be the first month of the biblical year. The month of the Abib is not so much the name of a month as it is a description of the month. Below are listed the other three places in the Scriptures where this phrase is found.
This day came you out in the month Abib. (Exod 13:4)
You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread: (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it you came out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty). (Exod 23:15)
The feast of unleavened bread shall you keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. (Exod 34:18, emphasis added on all)
What does the word abib in the phrase “the month of the Abib (or Aviv)” mean? The Hebrew word abib is found only six times in the Bible and is transliterated into the English (in the KJV) as “abib,” meaning “in the ear,” or “green ears of grain.” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, defines the word abib or aviv as follows:
This noun refers to barley that is already ripe, but still soft, the grains of which are eaten either rubbed or roasted. The ASV and RSV agree (but see Lev 2:14). The seventh plague brought ruinous hail upon Egypt’s barley crop at least two weeks before it was fully ripened and ready for harvest (Exod 9:31). Abib was also the early name (later, Nisan) of the first month of the Jewish calendar (the month of Passover). In that month the barley came to ear, but the usual time of harvest was the second month (Iyyar). According to Lev 2:14 the grain offering was to consist of the firstfruits of abib.
So the barley being in its abib state eliminates the guesswork of determining which new moon begins the new year. The Scriptures are clear. It is the new moon that immediately follows the abib barley that determines the beginning of the year. This is important to know, since knowing the start of the new year determines the dates for the biblical moedim or appoint times—namely the biblical holidays and feasts.
After the abib barley is found and the first visible sliver of the new moon is sighted marking the first day of the first month of YHVH’s biblical calendar, 14 days later is Passover (Pesach) with the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot) immediately following on the fifteenth day of the first month. Then on the day after the weekly Sabbath that occurred during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, a sheaf of now-ripened barley was cut and waved heavenward by the high priest to be accepted by YHVH as the first of the first fruits offering of the upcoming barley harvest. I have written extensively on this subject in another teaching article relating to the spring feast days, which can be found on our website. Suffice it to say that the barley that was lifted heavenward and waved was a prophetic picture of Yeshua the Messiah’s ascension to heaven after his resurrection where he was accepted by the Father as the perfect sin offering covering the sins of mankind. Fifty days later to the day is the Feast of Pentecost (Heb. Shavuot) picturing the ripening of the larger wheat harvest, which was a prophetic picture of all Israel and the peoples of the nations coming to faith in Yeshua from the first century until the present time. As you can see, an understanding of the abib barley is essential not only in setting the biblical calendar for the year, but for knowing when to keep the biblical feasts, and for gaining a fuller understanding of the salvific implications of the death, burial and resurrection of our Master and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah from a Hebraic perspective.
For more information on the biblical calendar and the waving of the barley first fruits see http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/cal_demyst.pdf; http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/new_moons.pdf; http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/firstfruits.pdf.
We’re “barley” there! Looking forward to “passing over”
Ex 9:31 and this is how we can know that in the month of the abib they were to go out of Egypt because the barley was “in the ear”, Even God begins in the beginning to do things, so it is to be the beginning of the year. How marvelous is He! Ever notice how the Exodus plagues parallel the plagues in Revelation?
Hi Carol
we are in agreement with you too, as presently we are going through Exodus with Hoshanah Rabbah and studying Revelation at the same time and this is what we were shown too.
It is the Heavenly pattern being bookended again! There is nothing new under the sun if we follow the Son!
Blessings sister and to all
FJ
Gee I feel such a kindred spirit with you FJ-seems we’re on the same page of the Good Book! 🙂
If we follow the Lamb wherever He goes, we should be on the same page …perhaps not the exact same line but definitely on the same page. Bless you Carol. And praise our King.
An thankyou Natan for this platform of fellowship and learning how to follow and how to be with one another in edifying ways.
Bless you and all who read here. FJ
What month is the month of abib and what day is the feast of the unleavened bread be held? In the general calendar Jan, Feb, Mar….
It varies by a couple of weeks and up to a month each year. However, the new year when the barley is abib/aviv usually falls somewhere between the middle and end of the month March and Passover and Unleavened Bread fall two weeks later.
Been blessed by this..
And just recently I went through the plagues in Revelations and would compare with exodus.
Thanks for the enlightenment Fj and Carol
Wonderful plan of God
Thank you Nathan. I have a family member that sets the Sabbath according to the new year. She says that the setting of the new year also applies to the Sabbath and therefore the Sabbath won’t generally fall on Saturday but could fall on a Thursday or Monday for example. They count 7 days after the new year which determines the day of the week for the Sabbath for that coming year. Have you heard of this teaching and do you have any literature that disproves this that I can share with her?
This is a new doctrine of men that I have never heard before. A main problem with this idea is that the weekly cycle has never been changed from creation until now. Your friend’s notion ignores this fact. How do we know that the weekly cycle hasn’t changed since the time of creation? Simply this: Yeshua kept the Sabbath on the right day or else he would have sinned, and historical records back to the time of Yeshua tell us that the weekly cycle has never changed since then, so our seventh day Sabbath is on the correct day. That’s it and that’s all; there’s nothing more to say on this subject. That’s the truth whether people want to receive it or not. Blessings!
Thank you Natan. It saddens me to here these strange doctrines and especially from a family member. There’s a lot of false doctrine floating around these days. May the Most High give us a spirit of discernment and a passion for His truth. Thanks again for your quick response. Blessings…
Why are we idolizing the moon? The first day of the year “without shadow” is the equinox, (which happens to be both months that Jehovah declared as the start of the month, pre and post flood), which the temple faces east and the sun illuminates the holy of holies on this day. The light at night is the firmament “Mazzaroth/stars” not the moon. The moon does not emit light, it is a reflector. If the first day of creation is the first day/month/year, where was the moon which wasn’t created till the 4th day? The moon is for agricultural and tidal purposes because it works in tandem with the sun for gravitational purposes in planting? Babylon and Jericho were destroyed for this crescent moon idol worship. yerach and yareach are not the same in meaning but rather manipulated in concordance to follow false pharisee moon worship? Just my learnings looking for the truth and hidden mysteries of Yahweh, not to be argumentative but ever learning.
Jesus is Lord and the blood atonement for all sin, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father, Amen!!
If I am idolizing the moon, then by your same standard of judgment, you are idolizing the equinox. That’s like saying that because Christians go to church on Sunday this makes them sun worshippers. This is an illogical and spurious argument. The truth is that the Hebrew people did not idolize the moon (like the moon-worshipping Arabs did). They were simply following the biblical instructions to look to it like a celestial clock to inform them of the times and seasons for YHVH’s feasts. Your ridiculously saying that I worship the moon when looking to it to tell me when the month starts makes as much sense as saying that I worship a clock when I look to it to tell me what time it is.
As I have documented in videos and in my writings, the Bible nowhere mentions the equinox as a determiner of anything, nor is there any record that the biblical Jewish leaders did the same. The pagans, however, looked to the equinox, as do the Roman Catholics (e.g., for determining Easter). So be my guest and follow the heathens, the whore of Babylon and ignore the truth of the Bible. It is your choice.
Finally, your argument is not with me, but with the Word of Elohim and ultimately Elohim himself. So I leave you to argue with him over this issue.
Therefore, we will agree to disagree on this subject, but hopefully we can still remain friends.
Blessings and shalom!
Curious as to which translation of the bible is being referred to as not many use the Name of the Creator.
I use the NKJV and sometimes the KJV. I simply substitute the Hebrew names of Elohim for the English, non-Hebrew names.
what is the meaning of NKJV and KJV ? Thanks
These initials refer to the two major English translations of the Bible: the King James Version and the New King James Version.
Thanks Nathan, I think that you are right about the method by which the first day of the year is determined. I was a little green, and wet behind the ears.
Good article. I learned a little more which is always that for which I strive.
I do believe that Yeshua was the sin offering, and just as the High Priest proclaimed the Passover Lamb to be free of blemish, Pilate proclaimed three times, “I find no fault with him.”
Immediately after seeing Mary, the First Fruits He presented to YeHoVah, in heaven, were likely those who were resurrected and were seen in Jerusalem before he returned and appeared before his apostles and could be touched by them. Thank you for your presentation of this insightful material.