Without recourse. All Rights Reserved. Tree of Life©
Statement of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)
Created 5929± 10 10 2025 [2009-01-08]
Updated 5929± 10 10 2025 [2009-01-08]
Revised 5925[(*??*)] 08 22
2029 [2012-12-07] - An improved
understanding of fall New Moon visibility, and of Jerusalem based aviv
recognition, reversed my prior
conclusion.
Addition 5925[(*??*)] 01 20 2029 [2013-05-01]
– Confirmation of prior work by adding the section Events of the 7th Month.
New Meaning in Familiar Texts
“As soon as the seeker for truth opens the
Bible to read the utterances of God with reverence, possessing an earnest
desire to know "what saith the Lord," light and grace will be given
him, and he will see wondrous things out of God's law. He will not regard the
law of Jehovah as a yoke of bondage, but as the gracious commands of One who is
all-wise and full of compassion. He will make haste to fulfill His
requirements. Great truths
which have been neglected and unappreciated for ages, will be revealed by the
Spirit of God, and new meaning will flash out of familiar texts. Every page
will be illuminated by the Spirit of truth. The Bible is not sealed but unsealed. The most precious truths are
revealed; the living oracles are heard by wondering ears, and the consciences
of men are aroused into action.” --TSS 30.
{CSW 34.3}
“I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures
were as He wanted them; that
His hand was over and hid
a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed.” ({EW 74.1} The entire paragraph is quoted below!)
Nehemiah
vs.
the Beginning of the Reign of Artaxerxes I
-
Another Seventh Day Sabbath Bible Emphasis!
(Which Real Time Experience of Nehemiah May Serve Also
as
One of Many Scripture Passages that
Clearly Contradict the so Called Lunar Sabbath
Teaching.)
Abstract:
I find
that by means of a more precise understanding of the Hebrew dates, and especially
by a better understanding of the use of the names of the weekdays, and how
these are being used in the book of Nehemiah we are able to arrive at an exact
and correct relationship between the Scriptural and the Babylonian regnal years
as reckoned for the reign of Artaxerxes I. Thus the Scriptural 20th regnal year
of Artaxerxes, for the point in time
referenced in Nehemiah 2:1, is found to correspond to the 20th regnal year per Babylonian reckoning.
As an added blessing of this particular study, I
discovered that, in harmony with Nehemiah’s heavy emphasis upon keeping the
sanctity of the Seventh Day Sabbath (more than 8% of all incidences of the word
‘Sabbath’ in KJV is found within the Book of Nehemiah!,) the 52nd
and final day of building upon the wall of Jerusalem, Elul 25, fell on the
Sixth Day of the week. That is, the building of the wall was finalized upon the
Preparation Day such that all the people could then rest and rejoice with one
another upon the Seventh Day Sabbath, Elul 26, 445 BCE, in commemoration of
their Creator, who Himself taught us to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath holy (Gen
2:1-3.)
The strength of Nehemiah’s emphasis upon keeping the
Seventh Day of the week holy unto the Lord is further confirmed by Nehemiah 9:1 where I
find that the 24th day of the 7th month 445 BCE was
indeed also a regular weekly Seventh Day Shabbat of the Creator.
Considerations:
After considering carefully all the
dates re Artaxerxes I provided by the Elephantine papyri I am left without an
exact definition of the Scriptural years pertaining to the reign of Artaxerxes
I. Will the book of Nehemiah provide the necessary data to fill this gap? I
believe it does... Searching Nehemiah for “days” I get two hits of special
importance:
Neh 2:11 (KJV) So I came to
Neh 6:15 (KJV) So the wall was
finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.
Will we find it possible to use those dates for
arriving at a solution to our dilemma and to get an answer to my question re
the exact numbering of the Scriptural years of Artaxerxes?
Neh 2:11 ואבוא
אל־ירושׁלם
ואהי־שׁם
ימים שׁלשׁה׃
Neh 2:11 (TLT) So I came to
Will this TLT translation hold up to the calendrical
test? Let’s see… What year was this?:
Neh 2:1 (KJV)
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in
the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was
before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Given that the Babylonian year 20 of Artaxerxes’ reign
is exactly defined by means of the Elephantine papyri as beginning with Aviv 1,
445 BCE, the question is whether the Scriptural year 20 precedes the Babylonian
calendar such that Nisan in the 20th Scriptural regnal year = Nisan
in the 20th Babylonian regnal year, or else that the Scriptural year
20 follows the Babylonian calendar such that Nisan in the 20th
Scriptural regnal year corresponds to Nisan in the 21st Babylonian
regnal year. Thusly:
Nisan in the Babylonian 20th year falls in
445 BCE.
Nisan in the Babylonian 21st year falls in
444 BCE.
The same goes for the subsequent Elul:
Elul in the Babylonian 20th year falls in
445 BCE.
Elul in the Babylonian 21st year falls in
444 BCE.
Thus:
Elul 25, 445 BCE began at sunset Mon Sep 1 or Tue Sep 2; Wed Oct 1 or Thu Oct 2; (or else (Thu Oct
30 or) Fri Oct 31,) 445 BCE[1]
Elul 25, 444 BCE began at sunset Sun Sep 20 or Mon Sep
21; (or else (Mon Oct 19 or) Tue Oct 20 or Wed Oct 21,) 444 BCE[2]
It remains for us to count backwards in time from the
day when the wall was finished and unto the beginning when Nehemiah first
arrived: But this is not hard to do given our Julian day calculator…
The words of Nehemiah 6:15 are “in
the twenty… in fifty and two…” Thus, if the sunset of Thu Oct 2, 445 BCE [JD 1559162] was the beginning of the 52nd
day, then the accession
event (Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem) fell on the day beginning at sunset Mon
Aug 11, 445 BCE, which is the Third Day of the week! Given that a
placement of Elul one month later seems highly unlikely, that is, for a delayed
reckoning of the 52 days unto the end of October, and that a delay of the
beginning point of reckoning beyond one day seems unlikely, I find only one
good fit and only one likely solution to my above question.
Notice that a full 6 of the 7 weekdays are represented
among the above results, yet we are left with only one exact fit!!! Thus,
although Nehemiah 2:12-14 & 3:1, specifies some of the initial action, it
seems clear that Day Three, that is Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem, should be
reckoned as the beginning, considering also that without question it was the
key event of the rebuilding of the wall. Given the clear distinction between
the above results for 445 BCE and 444 BCE, I find no contest to the idea that
the beginning of building of the wall should be reckoned from:
Day Three, beginning at sunset Mon Aug 11, 445 BCE [Av
3 or 4, 445 BCE.]
I find that Day Three of Nehemiah 2:11 began at sunset
Mon Aug 11, 445 BCE [Av 3 or 4, 445 BCE] in Artaxerxes’ 20th regnal
year per Scriptural reckoning and in Artaxerxes’ 20th regnal per
Babylonian reckoning.
In consequence thereof I find that the 52nd
day of Nehemiah 6:15, that is, the 25th of Elul, began at sunset Thu
Oct 2, 445 BCE, which day was the Sixth Day of the week, the preparation day
before the Sabbath. Indeed, considering the heavy emphasis of the book of
Nehemiah upon keeping the sanctity of the Sabbath (the word Sabbath is found 14
times in Nehemiah out of 172 times in the entire Bible, i.e. >8%!,) I find
it quite as expected that the last day of work upon the wall would be the Sixth
Day of the Week.
Following the above events the next time reference in
Nehemiah is found in Neh 7:73; 8:2, 14; 9:1, as follows:
Nehemiah
7:73 KJV So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and
some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and
when the seventh month came,
the children of Israel were in their cities.
Nehemiah
8:2 TLT And
Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women,
and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month [beginning at sunset Wed Oct 8, 445 BCE.]
Nehemiah
8:2 KJV And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men
and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
Nehemiah
8:3 KJV And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could
understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the
law.
Nehemiah
8:9 TLT And
Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the
Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy [the New Moon Day: beginning at sunset Wed Oct 8, 445 BCE] unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all
the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Nehemiah
8:9 KJV And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe,
and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto
the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they
heard the words of the law.
Nehemiah
8:10 TLT Then
he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send
portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy [the New Moon Day: beginning at sunset Wed Oct 8, 445 BCE] unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the
LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah
8:10 KJV Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet,
and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto
our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah
8:11 TLT So
the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy [the New Moon Day: beginning at sunset Wed
Oct 8, 445 BCE;] neither be ye grieved.
Nehemiah
8:11 KJV So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
Nehemiah
8:13 TLT And on the second day [either the Second Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Day Six of
the week, beginning at sunset Thu Oct 22, 445 BCE, or else, the second day
of the 7th moon, Day Six of the week, beginning at sunset Thu
Oct 9, 445 BCE;] were gathered
together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the
Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
Nehemiah
8:13 KJV And on the second
day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all
the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to
understand the words of the law.
Nehemiah
8:17 KJV And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the
captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto
that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was
very great gladness.
Nehemiah
8:18 TLT Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day [beginning at sunset Wed Oct 22 through sunset Wed Oct 29, 445
BCE,] he read in the
book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth
day [beginning at
sunset Wed Oct 29, 445 BCE] was a
solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
Nehemiah
8:18 KJV Also day by day,
from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God.
And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn
assembly, according unto the manner.
Nehemiah
8:14 KJV And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by
Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
Nehemiah
9:1 TLT Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month [beginning at sunset Fri Oct 31, 445 BCE] the children of Israel were assembled with fasting,
and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
Nehemiah
9:1 KJV Now in the twenty
and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were
assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
Accordingly, it remains to determine the exact dates
of Tishri 1, 15, 21, 22, and 24, 445 BCE: Per the words of Nehemiah 9:1 and the
fact that the 24th day of the seventh moon is not per se identified
as a feast day or a day for a holy convocation, I find it most likely that the
24th day was a regular weekly Seventh Day Shabbat. Given also the
astronomically based days for the visibility of the New Moon of that 7th
moon, that is, given the choice between the sunsets of either a Thursday or of
a Friday[3] for this 24th day, I find that the 24th day of that 7th
moon was indeed a Seventh Day Sabbath.[4] It follows that the 1st, 15th,
and 22nd days of the 7th moon of 445 BCE fell on the
Fifth Day of the week, and that the 10th day of the 7th
moon was also a Seventh Day Sabbath.
As to “the second day” of the Nehemiah 8:13, I cannot
tell for certain whether this applies to the 2nd day of the 7th
moon (=Day Six of the week,) to the 2nd day of the Feast of
Tabernacles (=Day Six of the week,) or else Day Two of the week (which fell on
the 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th of
the 7th month of 445 BCE. Given these choices I find the 2nd
day of the Feast of Tabernacles most likely, that is following the First Day of
the Feast when they would have been, per the instructions of Leviticus 23:40,
occupied with building their succas, tabernacles, for the feast. This reading
seem to be born out also by the words of Nehemiah 8:18. Considering the
sequence of events, as recorded per verses 13 and 17, however, I find the 2nd
day of the month being a close second choice.
Conclusion:
I find that Artaxerxes’ regnal years, as reckoned per
the Scriptural calendar, began prior to the correspondingly numbered years as
reckoned per the Babylonian calendar.
As an added blessing of this particular study, I
discovered that, in harmony with Nehemiah’s heavy emphasis upon keeping the
sanctity of the Seventh Day Sabbath (more than 8% of all incidences of the word
‘Sabbath’ in KJV is found within the Book of Nehemiah!,) the 52nd
and final day of building upon the wall of Jerusalem, Elul 25, fell on the
Sixth Day of the week. That is, the building of the wall was finalized upon the
Preparation Day such that all the people could then rest and rejoice with one
another upon the Seventh Day Sabbath, Elul 26, 445 BCE, in commemoration of
their Creator, who Himself taught us to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath holy (Gen
2:1-3.)
More
considerations by Ellen G. White:
“September 23, the Lord showed me that He had stretched out His hand the
second time to recover the remnant of His people, [SEE PAGE 86.] and that
efforts must be redoubled in this gathering time. In the scattering,
The 1843 Chart
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