Solar v Lunar: A Biblical Calendar Debate

Introduction

To say there’s been disagreement over the biblical calendar would be an understatement. Whether you’re pro-moon or pro-sun, each position has sparked an endless amount of debate. Some believe we should only follow the moon for the feasts, new moons, and sabbaths; while others conclude it’s the sun, and nothing else. Then there’s another group who combine a little bit of moon, or a little bit of sun, with a Saturday sabbath from the Gregorian calendar. Oh, the options! Whatever the truth is, we should be able to agree on this: all the luminaries were created for timekeeping.

Genesis 1:14 — And Elohim said, “Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times, and for days and years. (The Scriptures)

Let’s start there, and remember that we have common ground (or, common sky?). All of us are looking up to the heavens, the handiwork of our Creator, and wondering, “how on earth do we tell time?” I’m convinced, it’s one of the most natural things we can ask ourselves. If you’re like me, you’ve tried several different approaches over the years. So believe me when I say, this is not a condemnation of any one stance. We’re all learning. We’re all growing. And most importantly, we’re all seeking the truth. Hellfire is not awaiting those who are accidentally keeping the sabbath on the wrong day, or those who missed a feast by mistake. The Father knows our hearts, and that we’re all doing our best. 

That being said…

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be right. I believe having a desire to keep each appointed time exactly when, and how, they’re meant to be celebrated is one of the greatest honors mankind has been given. It’s a feeling that you probably can’t explain to any passerby on the street, but for those of us who strive to keep the Creator’s calendar, we know the absolute joy it brings. And not just elation, but a sense of duty, of purpose. 

A time will come (not too far from now) when we’re all keeping the feasts, new moons, and sabbaths together, on the same days, in the same ways, with our King. It will be truly amazing. But, wouldn’t it be even better if we can get it right before then? 

So without further ado, let’s meet the parties in our Solar v. Lunar debate.

 

Scriptures for the Sun

We all know the sun. No need to explain its pivotal role in our lives. So I’m just going to let scripture speak for itself, as we tally up a few sun-facts to get warmed up.

1: the sun is like a “strong man” with “might.”

Psalms 19:4-5 — ⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He set up a tent for the sun, ⁵ And it is like a bridegroom coming out of his room, It rejoices like a strong man to run the path. (The Scriptures)

Judges 5:31 — “So do all Your enemies perish, O יהוה! But let those who love Him be like the sun rising in its might!” And the land had rest forty years. (The Scriptures)

2: the sun moves through the sky.

Psalms 19:6 — Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end; And naught is hidden from its heat. (The Scriptures)

Ecclesiastes 1:5 — The sun also rises, and the sun sets, and hurries back to the place where it arose. (The Scriptures)

3: the Father and the Son are a ‘sun.’ 

Psalms 84:11 — For יהוה Elohim is a sun and a shield; יהוה gives favour and esteem; He withholds no good matter from those who walk blamelessly. (The Scriptures)

Malachi 4:2 — “But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. And you shall go out and leap for joy like calves from the stall. (The Scriptures)

But don’t be deceived. Even though the Father and the Son are described as a sun, neither one of them are the sun. The sun is part of the creation, not the Creator itself. This is just an analogy to help man comprehend their exceeding brightness. 

1 Timothy 6:16 — who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or is able to see, to whom be respect and everlasting might. Amĕn. (The Scriptures)

Besides this, the Father’s eyes, just his eyes, put the sun to shame. 

Sirach 23:19 — Such a man only feareth the eyes of men, and knoweth not that the eyes of יהוה are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, beholding all the ways of men, and considering the most secret parts. (LXX)

So now that we’re charged-up on some biblical solar power, I want to shift to scriptures that directly connect the sun to the calendar. But honestly, there aren’t many. Nothing that says, “the sun marks this month,” or, “the sun starts this feast.” There’s plenty of scriptures that speak of the sun’s influence over a single day, from when it rises or goes down, but it’s fairly quiet on the rest of the calendar.

However, if we go outside the biblical cannon, the book of Jubilees is a strong proponent for using the sun. And on the surface, it even seems to be a condemnation of the moon. (Picking sides, are we, Jubilees?) 

For those unfamiliar with the book, this is being spoken by the angel of the presence unto Moses, as he receives the law on Mount Sinai.

Jubilees 6:29-37 — ²⁹ And they placed them on the heavenly tablets, each had thirteen weeks; from one to another (passed) their memorial, from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to the fourth. ³⁰ And all the days of the commandment will be two and fifty weeks of days, and (these will make) the entire year complete. Thus it is engraven and ordained on the heavenly tablets. ³¹ And there is no neglecting (this commandment) for a single year or from year to year. ³² And command thou the children of Israel that they observe the years according to this reckoning, three hundred and sixty-four days, and (these) will constitute a complete year, and they will not disturb its time from its days and from its feasts; for everything will fall out in them according to their testimony, and they will not leave out any day nor disturb any feasts. ³³ But if they do neglect and do not observe them according to His commandment, then they will disturb all their seasons and the years will be dislodged from this (order), [and they will disturb the seasons and the years will be dislodged] and they will neglect their ordinances. ³⁴ And all the children of Israel will forget and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the new moons, and seasons, and sabbaths and they will go wrong as to all the order of the years. ³⁵ For I know and from henceforth will I declare it unto thee, and it is not of my own devising; for the book (lies) written before me, and on the heavenly tablets the division of days is ordained, lest they forget the feasts of the covenant and walk according to the feasts of the Gentiles after their error and after their ignorance. ³⁶ For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon, how (it) disturbs the seasons and comes in from year to year ten days too soon. ³⁷ For this reason the years will come upon them when they will disturb (the order), and make an abominable (day) the day of testimony, and an unclean day a feast day, and they will confound all the days, the holy with the unclean, and the unclean day with the holy; for they will go wrong as to the months and sabbaths and feasts and jubilees.

There’s a lot to unpack in this passage. But to keep it simple, Jubilees believes in the adherence of a 364-day year; 52 weeks of days, with 13 weeks in each quarter. That’s clearly a solar calendar, and it’s very similar to our current Gregorian calendar — give or take a day or two. 

Then, Jubilees speaks of the problems with observing the moon, and how it disrupts this 364-day count by 10 days. It even says that this practice will prevent us from correctly observing the feasts. Some people use these verses as a reason to ignore the moon completely. I understand the reasoning, though that’s not the argument I’ll be making. I believe the author of Jubilees is speaking of the problems that come with only observing the moon. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m simply putting all the solar cards on the table first, then the moon, before we make a clear assessment to the correct calendar. 

There’s a couple more arguments for the sun I’d like to make before moving on to the moon. The first of which may surprise you: did you know the flood has a bias in our Solar v. Lunar debate?

 

150 Reasons to Choose the Sun (the Flood)

Dating the year of the great flood can differ wildly depending on the translation. The two main sources vary by 586 years: the Masoretic text says it was in the year 1656 from creation, while the Septuagint says it was 2242. That discrepancy grows even wider if you include the Samaritan Pentateuch and the book of Jubilees, which say 1307 and 1308 respectively. Now, the window has grown to 935 years! For this topic the year isn’t important, but I wanted to point out these drastic differences; because even though the years are in question, the days and months are (mostly) in agreement.

The Masoretic text, Samaritan Pentateuch, and book of Jubilees all say that the flood began on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month, and that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 17^th day of the 7^th month. A 5-month span.

(Quick note: the translation I’m using says ‘moon’ rather than ‘month,’ but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s speaking of lunar months. Moon is italicized because it’s an addition to the text. I’ll write more on this later.)

Genesis 7:10-11 ; 8:4 — ^7:10 And it came to be after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. ^7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noaḥ’s life, in the second new moon, the seventeenth day of the moon, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the heavens were opened… ^8:4 And in the seventh new moon, the seventeenth day of the new moon, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. (The Scriptures)

However, the Septuagint goes rogue once again; though thankfully this time it’s by only 10 days, and not hundreds of years. It says the flood began on the 27^th day (not the 17^th) of the 2^nd month, and that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 27^th day (not the 17^th) of the 7^th month [Genesis 7:11 ; 8:3 LXX]. This difference is certainly interesting, but it doesn’t negate what’s important; and that’s the length from the start of the flood to the ark resting on Ararat, which is the same either way. These are the details we need. 

And in case you’re curious, all the other dates surrounding the flood are in alignment. The year and these 10 days are the only differences between translations.

Now, on to the main attraction.

Genesis 8:2-4 — ² And the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were stopped, and the rain from the heavens was withheld. ³ And the waters receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters diminished. ⁴ And in the seventh new moon, the seventeenth day of the new moon, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. (The Scriptures)

The 150 days are the key, and it’s going to help us unlock whether a solar or lunar calendar is being used in this account.

Flood Start: 17^th of the 2^nd month

— then after the end of 150 days —

Ark Rested: 17^th of the 7^th month

The only way for these numbers to line up is by using a solar calendar, as lunar months simply don’t work. Here’s why: because lunar months alternate between 29 and 30 days, 5 lunar months would amount to either 147 or 148 days.

29 + 30 + 29 + 30 + 29 = 147

30 + 29 + 30 + 29 + 30 = 148

For the ark to have rested on the mountains of Ararat after the end of 150 days on a lunar calendar, it would have had to have been the 19^th day of the 7^th month (at the earliest). The 17^th day isn’t a possibility. By combining 150 days and the 17^th day of the 7^th month, it rules out the moon entirely. Meaning, there’s only one option left: the sun. 

Why is that?

Because the sun doesn’t have 29-day months like the moon. 30-day months are the minimum. So for the numbers in Genesis to be in agreement with the months they occurred, we must be reading of a solar calendar, and not a lunar one. 

Though there is one caveat I should mention. On a 364-day solar calendar, the sun has 31-day months as well. These are added every 3 months (at the end of each quarter), creating a pattern that looks like this…

• 1. 30–30–31
  2. 30–30–31
  3. 30–30–31
  4. 30–30–31

Because of this, five months on a solar calendar (17^th of the 2^nd month — 17^th of the 7^th month) would actually be 152 days, and not 150. But, I don’t believe that changes anything. 

Here’s why…

The scripture says “at the end of” the 150 days the waters diminished; and then in the next verse it says “the ark rested.” 

Genesis 8:3-4 — ³ And the waters receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters diminished. ⁴ And in the seventh new moon, the seventeenth day of the new moon, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. (The Scriptures)

I believe it’s entirely possible that the 150 days are speaking only of the waters, and then after that (152 days) the ark rested. 

Perhaps this is a detail early readers would have picked up on, knowing that a solar calendar was being used; and because of this, it wasn’t clarified for the modern-day reader — us. Either way, I wanted to bring this up for full disclosure before moving on. And also to reiterate…

For the flood account… Solar months work. Lunar months do not. 

BONUS FUN FACT: On a 364-day solar calendar, the 17^th day of the 2^nd month is day 47, and the 17^th day of the 7^th month is day 199. They’re 152 days apart, but, if we were to count day 47 as the 1^st day, that would make day 199 the 153^rd day. 153 just so happens to be the number of fish that were brought to shore in John 21. Was John trying to tell us something? 153 fish are brought to land, and the ark finds land on the 153^rd day? Coincidence?

 

Silence on 13

“I find your lack of thirteen disturbing.” — Darth Vader

Alright fine, so Darth Vader said ‘faith,’ and not ’thirteen’ in A New Hope. On top of that, I’m not entirely sure it’s appropriate I brought Star Wars into our luminary debate. (Or is it?) Anyway. If Darth Vader actually were a student of scripture, he may have said this very thing; because there is a curious omission when it comes to biblical months. 

A 13^th month is never mentioned. Not once.

Incase you’re wondering why that matters, it’s because lunisolar calendars (lunar and solar) require a 13^th lunar month to be added every 3 years or so, to keep the months in their proper season. Otherwise, the lunar months would fall further and further back, by about 10 days per year. 

In that situation you’d have a pure lunar calendar with no connection to the solar seasons. This is what Islam adheres to, as their months come about 10 days earlier every year. So in 18 years, they’ll be keeping Ramadan six months earlier than they are today. It’s fascinating, but not the calendar found in our scriptures.

So it’s worth asking: why is a 13^th month never mentioned?

If lunar months are used in scripture, it’s a little unusual then that months 1-12 are all mentioned, but never a 13^th. Though granted, 13^th lunar months are more rare than the other 12. This is a breakdown of how often we see each month.

• • 1^st month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 2^nd month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 3^rd month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 4^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 5^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 6^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 7^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 8^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 9^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 10^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 11^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 12^th month — 19x in 19 years — 8.08%
  • 13^th month — 7x in 19 years — 2.98% 

The lunar cycle is 19 years, or 235 lunar months. Months 1-12 each account for about 8% of the calendar, or 97% altogether; while an added 13^th month makes up less than 3%. So it’s possible with such a small sample size that the 13^th lunar month was never worth mentioning. 

Another possibility is that the 13^th lunar month isn’t calculated like the other months. Even though it exists, it’s not relevant for it have a number. Similar to a 364-day solar calendar; even though there are technically 365 or 366 days in a solar year, only 364 days are recorded. Is that what we’re dealing with in regards to a 13^th month? Is it the elephant in the room we’d rather not discuss?

But then, how do we explain this…?

In the days of David, he had men serving him throughout the entire year, month by month. And here, we run into the same lunar conundrum: only 12 months are mentioned.

1 Chronicles 27:1-4 — ¹ And the children of Yisra’ĕl, according to their number, the heads of fathers’ houses, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the sovereign in all matters of the divisions which came in and went out new moon by new moon throughout all the new moons of the year, each division having twenty-four thousand. ² Over the first division for the first new moon was Yashoḇ’am son of Zaḇdi’ĕl, and in his division were twenty-four thousand; ³ of the sons of Perets, and the chief of all the commanders of the army for the first new moon. ⁴ And over the division of the second new moon was Doḏai an Aḥoḥite, and of his division Miqloth also was the leader, and in his division were twenty-four thousand. (The Scriptures)

To save time, I’m going to jump ahead to months 11 and 12. (No offense, 3-10.)

1 Chronicles 27:14-15 — ¹⁴ The eleventh for the eleventh new moon was Benayah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephrayim, and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵ The twelfth for the twelfth new moon was Ḥeldai the Netophathite, of Othni’ĕl, and in his division were twenty-four thousand. (The Scriptures)

This is where the months stop. No captain is provided for a 13^th month. With all the details clearly laid out — down to the numbers, the names, and the tribes each man came from — you would think a preparation would be made to serve David on the 13^th month. That is, if there is a 13^th month. It’s absence certainly seems to suggest that a solar calendar was being used by David and his kingdom, or at least in part.

The sun is making some good arguments, I must say.

This is when you may be asking, “Can I stop reading? Is the case between Solar v. Lunar closed?” Not yet, dear reader. Not yet. Court is at an intermission, with the sun looking strong — as always. But things could change when we return. 

There’s two sides to every debate.

 

Scriptures for the Moon

Next, we have the moon: the lesser of the two great lights [Genesis 1:16]. Though lesser in greatness to the sun, it’s still seen as a faithful witness.

Psalms 89:36-37 — ³⁶ “His seed shall be forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; ³⁷ “Like the moon, it is established forever, And the witness in the heaven is steadfast.” Selah. (The Scriptures)

“Witness” is an interesting word in Hebrew: עד, pronounced ‘ayd.’ And it makes up the latter half of the word מועד, or ‘moed,’ which means “appointed time.” As in, the feast days.  This next passage is from Leviticus 23: the chapter that best explains the appointed times of Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 

Leviticus 23:2 — “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times (מועדי) of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times (מועדי), are these. (The Scriptures)

This word, מועד (moed), shows up more than our English translations would like to admit. For example, here’s the scripture from Genesis again — this time in the KJV.

Genesis 1:14 — And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons (מועדים), and for days, and years. (KJV with Sacred Names)

The “seasons” that the luminaries were created for are, in fact, the feast days of our Creator. Psalms continues with this connection, though it appears to single out the moon for such appointed times. 

Psalms 104:19 — He made the moon for appointed times (מועדים); The sun knows its going down. (The Scriptures)

Next we have a passage from one of the books of the Apocrypha: Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus. It’s clear to see that the author was of the pro-moon persuasion. 

Sirach 43:6-8 — ⁶ He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world. ⁷ From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfection. ⁸ The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven. (LXX)

He confirms what’s written in the Psalms, that the moon declares the feasts. Though he brings up another interesting point: “The month is called after her name.” This is a detail that some people overlook, because it’s not apparent when looking at the Hebrew text. The word for moon is ‘yarach’ (ירח), while the word for month is ‘chadash’ (חדש). They’re different words, are they not? Then how can Sirach say, “the month is called after her name?”

The definition for ‘chadash’ (חדש) in Strong’s H2320:

1. The new moon, month, monthly

A. The first day of the month

B. The lunar month

So even though the word is most often translated as month, it’s understood to be the lunar month. On top of that, ‘chadash’ (חדש) also means to “to be new, renew, repair” [Strong’s H2318]. When you think of the act of renewal, what comes to mind: the moon or the sun? It’s the moon, hands down, as it’s on a constant cycle of losing light then regathering it to itself. But in order for us to get the full picture of what Sirach was saying, we have to compare the Hebrew with the Greek. Here’s two examples of Isaiah 1:14. The first is the Masoretic text (Hebrew), and the second is the Septuagint (Greek). 

Isaiah 1:14 — Your new moons (חדשיכם) and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. (KJV)

Isaiah 1:14 — your fasting, and rest from work, your new moons (νουμηνίας) also, and your feasts my soul hates: ye have become loathsome to me; I will no more pardon your sins. (LXX)

In the Hebrew text of the KJV, חדשיכם (plural possessive form of ‘month’) is translated as “new moons,” instead of the usual “month.” But even though it’s translated differently, the original text still doesn’t use the word for moon: yarach (ירח). However, that’s not the case with the Greek. ‘Νουμηνίας’ is pronounced ‘noumenias,’ and it comes from the words ‘new’ (νέος) and ‘moon’ (μήνη). It even sounds like ‘new moon’ in English, does it not? In fact in Greek, the word month, ‘ménas’ (μήνας), actually does come from moon, ‘méne’ (μήνη). So Sirach wasn’t wrong. Whether he was speaking from a Greek perspective, a Hebrew one, or both — it’s difficult to say. But it appears the Greek translations between ‘moon’ and ‘month’ has been preserved better than Hebrew. And that similarity between words has even passed down to the English language.

Though with all that being said, the word ‘month,’ or ‘chadash’ (חדש), can also be referring to a solar month in scripture, and not just a lunar one. The month may be named after the moon, but that doesn’t mean it’s limited to the moon. Because as we saw earlier, the flood account uses the phrase ‘new moon’ (חדש) several times, but the actual timing only fits on a solar calendar. This applies to the Greek as well, where the word ‘menόs’ (μηνός) is used for ‘month.’

Genesis 7:11 — In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month (μηνός), on the twenty-seventh day of the month (μηνός), on this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened. (LXX)

 

The Verdict

We have a conundrum, it seems. Whether we’re reading from the Hebrew or the Greek, it appears the word for ‘month’ can be referring to a solar month or a lunar month. Maybe the difference between the two was more clear-cut in the past. Or, maybe the context has always been for the reader to determine, and it requires some research and discernment on our part. 

Whatever the case may be, I think we can now see that there is no clear winner in our Solar v. Lunar debate. When it comes to the Creator’s calendar, it’s not a competition. The sun doesn’t excel the moon, nor does the moon eclipse the sun. (Well, technically it does.) They work together. They are both made for telling time. 

Now the question becomes: how do we read two different clocks at the same time?

Have you ever seen an office with multiple clocks on a wall? Usually it has to do with different time zones. There may be a clock for New York, one for London, and another for Hong Kong. But even though they’re spread hours apart in the day, all of these places are residing in the same piece of time at any given moment. The difference is just a matter of perspective; depending on where you are and how you see the world. 

I believe that’s what we have with the Creator’s calendar. The solar and lunar clocks may appear to be hours apart, but we just need to learn how to differentiate between the time zones. 

Here’s the good news: we only have two time zones we need to learn. And you, my friend, are going to become an expert in reading them.

 

Enoch’s Lunisolar Calendar

Since we can’t rule out the sun, and we can’t rule out the moon, the only option is that we use them both — simultaneously. And not only that, we use them exclusively in our biblical calendar keeping. 

Do you know what that means? We’ll no longer be keeping a sabbath according to the Gregorian week. (Sorry, Saturday.)

That might seem scary at first, but I promise you that it’s possible. And I truly believe it’s what the Father wants us to be doing: to rely entirely on the luminaries in keeping his feasts, his new moons, his sabbaths, and (don’t forget) his jubilees. 

There is such a calendar that provides these things… and that calendar can be found in the book of Enoch.

Enoch explains the movement of the sun, the moon, and the stars to an extraordinary degree; and it does so without diminishing the importance of either one. This is so hard to find among other calendars, as they almost always pick and choose sides. That’s why I keep the one in Enoch, because it’s the only one that checks all the boxes…

• Want to be able to keep the weekly sabbath, the seventh-year of rest, and the jubilees? The sun has you covered.
• Want to be able to keep the feasts and the new moons? That’s where the moon comes in.

In short, the book of Enoch is amazing when it comes to the calendar (and everything else). I may not be able to cover all the points now, but consider this article as your entryway to studying the Enoch lunisolar calendar. It’s going to take many more articles, and many more hours. But in the meantime just know this, all you calendar questions can be answered in that book; or at least, with the help of that book. Because when you combine Enoch with the other books of scripture… look out. The knowledge surpasses anything that modern science can teach.  

It’s going to be great. 

Thank you so much for reading. And until next time… stay in that thin gate.

 

— Daniel A., Creator of ThinGate.org