Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Chris Watts:

 

You wrote:  “There are two new years so to speak separated by 6 months, but this in no way ever did imply that the jewish year was six months long.  Never.”

 

Logically, then, a Hebrew’s age might be counted in any one of the following three ways:

1.  How many times the first day of a civil New Year had been observed.

2.  How many times the first day of a religious New Year had been observed.

3.  How many times the first day of each New Year [both civil and religious New Years] had been observed.

 

When Abraham is said to live to age 175 shanah, then realistically, the method of counting that Hebrew’s age must be #3.  Abraham had witnessed the first day of 175 New Years:  88 civil New Years and 87 religious New Years.  Abraham thus lives to stated age 175 shanah, meaning that Abraham is portrayed as having lived to the realistic age of 87½ years in 12-month years. 

 

Yes, the civil year is 12 months, and the religious year is 12 months.  But a Hebrew’s age could be expressed in terms of how many total New Years had passed, counting the first day of both civil New Years and religious New Years.  For the lifespans set forth in the Patriarchal narratives, the only realistic result is if each person’s stated age is set forth in terms of how many total New Years [the first day of both civil New Years and religious New Years] had been observed.  Every 12 months features the first day of two such New Years:  a civil New Year and a religious New Year.

 

The archaic meaning of “shanah” was “the head of the year” or “the turn of the year” or “the equinox year”:  that is, a 6-month period.  The early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives was well aware of, and used appropriately, both the archaic and the non-archaic meaning of the word “shanah”.  All person’s ages in the Patriarchal narratives are set forth in terms of 6-month periods, per the archaic meaning of shanah.  For example, Ishmael is not portrayed as living a miraculously long life, dying at age 137 years in 12-month years.  What would be the point of that?  No, Ishmael is said at Genesis 25: 17 to live 137 shanah, meaning that during Ishmael’s life, the first day of 137 total New Years, both religious New Years and civil New Years, had been observed.  Thus Ishmael lived to age 68½ years in 12-month years, which is a realistic lifespan.

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois