Bible
Question:In which month is the Passover? Is it in Shebat or
Abib?
Bible Answer: The Passover was established
by God just before the "destroyer" passed by to kill the first-born
in each family (Ex. 12:23). The Hebrew word for "Passover" means "to
pass over." Moses had warned Pharaoh one last time to let Israel
leave or the Lord would kill the first-born (Ex. 11:1-10) in the land
of Egypt. Pharaoh refused. Those who believed God and obeyed God's command
were passed over; their lives were saved. The command the Lord gave to
Moses is as follows.
Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt, This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it
is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation
of Israel, saying, . . . take a lamb for themselves, according
to their fathers households, a lamb for each household. . . . Your
lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the
sheep or from the goats. And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day
of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
is to kill it at twilight.'" (NASB) Ex. 12:1-6
This was the first Passover. Exodus
12:1-6 is a great passage because here we discover the first month of
the Jewish year is the month in which the Exodus occurred. We also discover
that the Passover must occur on the fourteenth day of this first month.
In Deuteronomy 16 we discover the name of the month. Observe
the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God,
for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt
by night. (NASB) Deut. 16:1
The month of Abib is now the month Nisan in the current Jewish calendar.
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Jewish Calendar - Today |
Hebrew Calendar |
Current Calendar |
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Nisan |
Abib |
Mar/Apr |
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Iyyar |
Ziv |
Apr/May |
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Sivan |
Sivan |
May/June |
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Tammuz |
Tammuz |
June/July |
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Ab |
Ab |
July/Aug |
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Elul |
Elul |
Aug/Sept |
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Tishri |
Thanim |
Sept/Oct |
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Marheshvan or Heshvan |
Bul |
Oct/Nov |
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Kislev |
Chislev |
Nov/Dec |
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Tebet |
Tebeth |
Dec/Jan |
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Shevat |
Shebat |
Jan/Feb |
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Adar |
Adar |
Feb/Mar |
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The answer to your question is that Passover occurs in the month Abib,
or Nisan, which is in the March-April time frame.
Conclusion:To celebrate the new beginning of
a year in Abib or Nisan has tremendous symbolic meaning. Jesus died on
Nisan 14, the first month of a new year - a new beginning. This was the
same month in which God saved those who believed Him and obeyed Him.
This was the same month a lamb was killed to save the lives of men and
women. Passover is a new beginning of a new life because of Jesus' death
and return to life for all who believe on/trust in God for the forgiveness
of their sins.
Related Links:
References:
1. Jack Finegan. Handbook of
Biblical Chronology. Hendrickson Publishing. 1998. p. 30-31.
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