Abib
“Green ears of grain, young ears of barley”
Summary
The first month of the Jewish religious calendar, later called Nisan, marking the time of the barley harvest and the Exodus from Egypt.
☩Meaning and Timing
The name Abib means 'green ears' or 'young head of grain,' referring to the stage when barley ears have formed but are still green. This month corresponds approximately to March-April in the modern calendar, when the first grain ripens in Palestine. The Pentateuchal laws define this month as the beginning of the religious year.
☩The Exodus
God commanded Israel to observe the month of Abib because in it they came out of Egypt. The Passover was instituted on the fourteenth day of this month, commemorating God's deliverance of Israel from slavery.
☩Religious Observances
On the tenth day of Abib, the Passover lamb was selected; on the fourteenth, it was slain and eaten. On the fifteenth day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread began, and on the sixteenth, a sheaf of barley firstfruits was offered to the Lord.
☩Later Name
After the Babylonian exile, this month became known as Nisan, the name derived from the Babylonian calendar. Both names refer to the same first month of the Jewish religious year.
Related Verses8 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Abib," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Abib," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Abib," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Abib," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).