Bible months are a predictable 30 days each. No exceptions. There is no attempt to make the month synchronous with the movements of the earth's moon. It also makes time counted with months quite precise.
How long is a month?
Since there is no place in the Bible where the shape of the calendar is spelled out completely, the answer must be found by scavenging references to time given across the Bible. At least 4 separate stories indicate a month as referenced in the Bible is 30 days long.
The first place to find enough references to compute the length of a month as used in the Bible is found in Genesis chapter 7 and the account of Noah's flood. The opening of the flood, the day Noah and his family entered the ark, is clearly documented.
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11בִּשְׁנַ֨ת שֵׁשׁ־ מֵא֤וֹת שָׁנָה֙ לְחַיֵּי־ נֹ֔חַ בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָֽה־ עָשָׂ֥ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה נִבְקְעוּ֙ כָּֽל־ מַעְיְנֹת֙ תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וַאֲרֻבֹּ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם נִפְתָּֽחוּ׃ 12וַֽיְהִ֥י הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם עַל־ הָאָ֑רֶץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה׃ 13בְּעֶ֨צֶם הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ בָּ֣א נֹ֔חַ וְשֵׁם־ וְחָ֥ם וָיֶ֖פֶת בְּנֵי־ נֹ֑חַ וְאֵ֣שֶׁת נֹ֗חַ וּשְׁלֹ֧שֶׁת נְשֵֽׁי־ בָנָ֛יו אִתָּ֖ם אֶל־ הַתֵּבָֽה׃ (WLC)
1 Genesis 7:11
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noahs wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; (KJV)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In year 600 of Noah's life, in month 2, day 17 of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12And the rain was upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the 3 wives of his sons with them, into the ark; (KJV/NC)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; (ASV)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11¶ In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that very day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of heaven were opened. 12And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13¶ On that same day entered Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with him, into the ark; (LAM)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, (RSV)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month -- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. (NIV)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened. 12The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark; (WEB)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened. 12The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship; (WEB/HNV)
1 Genesis 7:11-13 11In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month, on that very day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of heaven were opened. 12And the rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.
13On that same day entered Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the 3 wives of his sons with him, into the ark; (BRB)
Waters began to flood the earth from the sky, and waters came up from the "great deep" covering the planet. On this same day Noah and his family entered the ark and Yahvah sealed them in.1
The story continues with details regarding a the first 40 days of the flood which were more intense than the remaining 110. The story also recounts that everything in the waters died, everything with the breath of life. The account of Noah's flood finally concludes with a restatement that the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.2
Then the story turns to the end of the flood and the ark coming to rest on the mount of Ararat.
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3וַיָּשֻׁ֧בוּ הַמַּ֛יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָ֖רֶץ הָל֣וֹךְ וָשׁ֑וֹב וַיַּחְסְר֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם מִקְצֵ֕ה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת יֽוֹם׃ 4וַתָּ֤נַח הַתֵּבָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָה־ עָשָׂ֥ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ עַ֖ל הָרֵ֥י אֲרָרָֽט׃ (WLC)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (KJV)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the 150 days the waters were abated. 4And the ark rested in month 7, on day 17 of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (KJV/NC)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (ASV)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3And the waters receded from the earth gradually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty clays the waters abated.
4¶ And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Kardo. (LAM)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had abated; 4and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ar'arat. (RSV)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. (NIV)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3The waters receded from off the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. 4The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains. (WEB)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. 4The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains. (WEB/HNV)
1 Genesis 8:3-4 3And the waters receded from the earth gradually; and after the end of 150 days the waters abated.
4And in the 7th month, on the 17th day of the month, the ark rested on the mountains of Kardo. (BRB)
Two important details spring from this story:
The date was month 7 day 17.
After the 150 days of flooding.
The detail that this day, the day when the ark landed, was after the 150 days of flooding matters to the precision of this story.
Recall the principle of counting in the Bible. Any fraction counts towards a whole. The first day of the 150 was the day Noah and his kin entered the ark. This is the day the rains began. Though it wasn't raining when the day began, this is day 1 in the 150 days being used to count out the days of rain in this story because sometime on this day the rains started. Rains on this day cause it to be counted as day 1.
Day 150 in this story is month 7 day 16 exactly the day before the date given in the passage above. Remember, it was after day 150 of rain that the ark rested on Ararat.
Now, what we're trying to understand is the number of days in the months used to record this story. Instead of using an algebra formula, in this case a simpler answer is to use a table. The left hand side of the table is the day number, the right hand side is the date. At this point three rows are known:
| Day Number | Noah's Date |
|---|---|
| 1 -- Rains begin | 600/2/17 -- Noah enters ark |
| ... | ... |
| 150 -- Floods abate | 600/7/16 |
| 151 | 600/7/17 -- Ark rests |
The dates given in this table are of the form year/month/day. The day field is what drives the number of days in the month. To fill out the table, supplying the missing 148 rows, requires an answer to the question. How many days are there in each month?
It should be obvious that the answer is roughly 150 days / 5 months = 30 days/month.
If this is the right answer the table can be filled out with 30 days in each of the months going down the table. In order to save space the following is the same table as above, skipping some of the rows that don't add much to this story, but filling in all the rows were things interesting happen.
| Day Number | Noah's Date |
|---|---|
| 1 -- Rains begin | 600/2/17 -- Noah enters ark |
| 2 | 600/2/18 |
| 3 | 600/2/19 |
| ... | ... |
| 14 | 600/2/30 |
| 15 | 600/3/1 |
| ... | ... |
| 40 -- Rains end | 600/3/26 |
| ... | ... |
| 44 | 600/3/30 |
| 45 | 600/4/1 |
| ... | ... |
| 74 | 600/4/30 |
| 75 | 600/5/1 |
| ... | ... |
| 104 | 600/5/30 |
| 105 | 600/6/1 |
| ... | ... |
| 134 | 600/6/30 |
| 135 | 600/7/1 |
| ... | ... |
| 150 -- Floods abate | 600/7/16 |
| 151 | 600/7/17 -- Ark rests |
It should be obvious how to fill in the missing rows. If this doesn't make sense, the whole table is here.
OK, here's the full table:
| Day Number | Noah's Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | 600/2/17 -- Noah enters ark |
| 2 | 600/2/18 |
| 3 | 600/2/19 |
| 4 | 600/2/20 |
| 5 | 600/2/21 |
| 6 | 600/2/22 |
| 7 | 600/2/23 |
| 8 | 600/2/24 |
| 9 | 600/2/25 |
| 10 | 600/2/26 |
| 11 | 600/2/27 |
| 12 | 600/2/28 |
| 13 | 600/2/29 |
| 14 | 600/2/30 |
| 15 | 600/3/1 |
| 16 | 600/3/2 |
| 17 | 600/3/3 |
| 18 | 600/3/4 |
| 19 | 600/3/5 |
| 20 | 600/3/6 |
| 21 | 600/3/7 |
| 22 | 600/3/8 |
| 23 | 600/3/9 |
| 24 | 600/3/10 |
| 25 | 600/3/11 |
| 26 | 600/3/12 |
| 27 | 600/3/13 |
| 28 | 600/3/14 |
| 29 | 600/3/15 |
| 30 | 600/3/16 |
| 31 | 600/3/17 |
| 32 | 600/3/18 |
| 33 | 600/3/19 |
| 34 | 600/3/20 |
| 35 | 600/3/21 |
| 36 | 600/3/22 |
| 37 | 600/3/23 |
| 38 | 600/3/24 |
| 39 | 600/3/25 |
| 40 | 600/3/26 -- Rains end |
| 41 | 600/3/27 |
| 42 | 600/3/28 |
| 43 | 600/3/29 |
| 44 | 600/3/30 |
| 45 | 600/4/1 |
| 46 | 600/4/2 |
| 47 | 600/4/3 |
| 48 | 600/4/4 |
| 49 | 600/4/5 |
| 50 | 600/4/6 |
| 51 | 600/4/7 |
| 52 | 600/4/8 |
| 53 | 600/4/9 |
| 54 | 600/4/10 |
| 55 | 600/4/11 |
| 56 | 600/4/12 |
| 57 | 600/4/13 |
| 58 | 600/4/14 |
| 59 | 600/4/15 |
| 60 | 600/4/16 |
| 61 | 600/4/17 |
| 62 | 600/4/18 |
| 63 | 600/4/19 |
| 64 | 600/4/20 |
| 65 | 600/4/21 |
| 66 | 600/4/22 |
| 67 | 600/4/23 |
| 68 | 600/4/24 |
| 69 | 600/4/25 |
| 70 | 600/4/26 |
| 71 | 600/4/27 |
| 72 | 600/4/28 |
| 73 | 600/4/29 |
| 74 | 600/4/30 |
| 75 | 600/5/1 |
| 76 | 600/5/2 |
| 77 | 600/5/3 |
| 78 | 600/5/4 |
| 79 | 600/5/5 |
| 80 | 600/5/6 |
| 81 | 600/5/7 |
| 82 | 600/5/8 |
| 83 | 600/5/9 |
| 84 | 600/5/10 |
| 85 | 600/5/11 |
| 86 | 600/5/12 |
| 87 | 600/5/13 |
| 88 | 600/5/14 |
| 89 | 600/5/15 |
| 90 | 600/5/16 |
| 91 | 600/5/17 |
| 92 | 600/5/18 |
| 93 | 600/5/19 |
| 94 | 600/5/20 |
| 95 | 600/5/21 |
| 96 | 600/5/22 |
| 97 | 600/5/23 |
| 98 | 600/5/24 |
| 99 | 600/5/25 |
| 100 | 600/5/26 |
| 101 | 600/5/27 |
| 102 | 600/5/28 |
| 103 | 600/5/29 |
| 104 | 600/5/30 |
| 105 | 600/6/1 |
| 106 | 600/6/2 |
| 107 | 600/6/3 |
| 108 | 600/6/4 |
| 109 | 600/6/5 |
| 110 | 600/6/6 |
| 111 | 600/6/7 |
| 112 | 600/6/8 |
| 113 | 600/6/9 |
| 114 | 600/6/10 |
| 115 | 600/6/11 |
| 116 | 600/6/12 |
| 117 | 600/6/13 |
| 118 | 600/6/14 |
| 119 | 600/6/15 |
| 120 | 600/6/16 |
| 121 | 600/6/17 |
| 122 | 600/6/18 |
| 123 | 600/6/19 |
| 124 | 600/6/20 |
| 125 | 600/6/21 |
| 126 | 600/6/22 |
| 127 | 600/6/23 |
| 128 | 600/6/24 |
| 129 | 600/6/25 |
| 130 | 600/6/26 |
| 131 | 600/6/27 |
| 132 | 600/6/28 |
| 133 | 600/6/29 |
| 134 | 600/6/30 |
| 135 | 600/7/1 |
| 136 | 600/7/2 |
| 137 | 600/7/3 |
| 138 | 600/7/4 |
| 139 | 600/7/5 |
| 140 | 600/7/6 |
| 141 | 600/7/7 |
| 142 | 600/7/8 |
| 143 | 600/7/9 |
| 144 | 600/7/10 |
| 145 | 600/7/11 |
| 146 | 600/7/12 |
| 147 | 600/7/13 |
| 148 | 600/7/14 |
| 149 | 600/7/15 |
| 150 | 600/7/16 -- Floods abate |
| 151 | 600/7/17 -- Ark rests |
This is a perfect fit, with no errors across the 150 days. The above table works exactly.
To understand more completely what is going on here, consider if Noah's flood happened at some point in the modern era. Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that Noah's flood happened on February 17, of 2029.3
The year 2029 is not a leap year, and is structured like all other non-leap years in our era. The following example works for any modern year provided it is not a leap year. It would work the same for 2007, 2009 and 2010.
The following table is like the previous table but now the dates are modern dates from the modern Gregorian Calendar. Note carefully how the same day 150 flood abatement lands on the same month and day as given in the account of Noah's flood.
The following table begins and ends the same way as it did in the original account. The interior is subtly different. Think about why this is so.
| Day Number | Noah's Date |
|---|---|
| 1 -- Rains begin | 2029/2/17 NS -- Noah enters ark |
| 2 | 2029/2/18 NS |
| 3 | 2029/2/19 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 12 | 2029/2/28 NS |
| 13 | 2029/3/1 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 40 -- Rains end | 2029/3/28 NS |
| 41 | 2029/3/29 NS |
| 42 | 2029/3/30 NS |
| 43 | 2029/4/1 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 73 | 2029/4/30 NS |
| 74 | 2029/5/1 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 104 | 2029/5/31 NS |
| 105 | 2029/6/1 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 134 | 2029/6/30 NS |
| 135 | 2029/7/1 NS |
| ... | ... |
| 150 -- Floods abate | 2029/7/16 NS |
| 151 | 2029/7/17 -- Ark rests |
It should be obvious how to fill in the missing rows. If this doesn't make sense, the whole table is here.
| Day Number | Noah's Date4 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2029/2/17 -- Noah enters ark |
| 2 | 2029/2/18 |
| 3 | 2029/2/19 |
| 4 | 2029/2/20 |
| 5 | 2029/2/21 |
| 6 | 2029/2/22 |
| 7 | 2029/2/23 |
| 8 | 2029/2/24 |
| 9 | 2029/2/25 |
| 10 | 2029/2/26 |
| 11 | 2029/2/27 |
| 12 | 2029/2/28 |
| 13 | 2029/3/1 |
| 14 | 2029/3/2 |
| 15 | 2029/3/3 |
| 16 | 2029/3/4 |
| 17 | 2029/3/5 |
| 18 | 2029/3/6 |
| 19 | 2029/3/7 |
| 20 | 2029/3/8 |
| 21 | 2029/3/9 |
| 22 | 2029/3/10 |
| 23 | 2029/3/11 |
| 24 | 2029/3/12 |
| 25 | 2029/3/13 |
| 26 | 2029/3/14 |
| 27 | 2029/3/15 |
| 28 | 2029/3/16 |
| 29 | 2029/3/17 |
| 30 | 2029/3/18 |
| 31 | 2029/3/19 |
| 32 | 2029/3/20 |
| 33 | 2029/3/21 |
| 34 | 2029/3/22 |
| 35 | 2029/3/23 |
| 36 | 2029/3/24 |
| 37 | 2029/3/25 |
| 38 | 2029/3/26 |
| 39 | 2029/3/27 |
| 40 | 2029/3/28 -- Rains end |
| 41 | 2029/3/29 |
| 42 | 2029/3/30 |
| 43 | 2029/3/31 |
| 44 | 2029/4/1 |
| 45 | 2029/4/2 |
| 46 | 2029/4/3 |
| 47 | 2029/4/4 |
| 48 | 2029/4/5 |
| 49 | 2029/4/6 |
| 50 | 2029/4/7 |
| 51 | 2029/4/8 |
| 52 | 2029/4/9 |
| 53 | 2029/4/10 |
| 54 | 2029/4/11 |
| 55 | 2029/4/12 |
| 56 | 2029/4/13 |
| 57 | 2029/4/14 |
| 58 | 2029/4/15 |
| 59 | 2029/4/16 |
| 60 | 2029/4/17 |
| 61 | 2029/4/18 |
| 62 | 2029/4/19 |
| 63 | 2029/4/20 |
| 64 | 2029/4/21 |
| 65 | 2029/4/22 |
| 66 | 2029/4/23 |
| 67 | 2029/4/24 |
| 68 | 2029/4/25 |
| 69 | 2029/4/26 |
| 70 | 2029/4/27 |
| 71 | 2029/4/28 |
| 72 | 2029/4/29 |
| 73 | 2029/4/30 |
| 74 | 2029/5/1 |
| 75 | 2029/5/2 |
| 76 | 2029/5/3 |
| 77 | 2029/5/4 |
| 78 | 2029/5/5 |
| 79 | 2029/5/6 |
| 80 | 2029/5/7 |
| 81 | 2029/5/8 |
| 82 | 2029/5/9 |
| 83 | 2029/5/10 |
| 84 | 2029/5/11 |
| 85 | 2029/5/12 |
| 86 | 2029/5/13 |
| 87 | 2029/5/14 |
| 88 | 2029/5/15 |
| 89 | 2029/5/16 |
| 90 | 2029/5/17 |
| 91 | 2029/5/18 |
| 92 | 2029/5/19 |
| 93 | 2029/5/20 |
| 94 | 2029/5/21 |
| 95 | 2029/5/22 |
| 96 | 2029/5/23 |
| 97 | 2029/5/24 |
| 98 | 2029/5/25 |
| 99 | 2029/5/26 |
| 100 | 2029/5/27 |
| 101 | 2029/5/28 |
| 102 | 2029/5/29 |
| 103 | 2029/5/30 |
| 104 | 2029/5/31 |
| 105 | 2029/6/1 |
| 106 | 2029/6/2 |
| 107 | 2029/6/3 |
| 108 | 2029/6/4 |
| 109 | 2029/6/5 |
| 110 | 2029/6/6 |
| 111 | 2029/6/7 |
| 112 | 2029/6/8 |
| 113 | 2029/6/9 |
| 114 | 2029/6/10 |
| 115 | 2029/6/11 |
| 116 | 2029/6/12 |
| 117 | 2029/6/13 |
| 118 | 2029/6/14 |
| 119 | 2029/6/15 |
| 120 | 2029/6/16 |
| 121 | 2029/6/17 |
| 122 | 2029/6/18 |
| 123 | 2029/6/19 |
| 124 | 2029/6/20 |
| 125 | 2029/6/21 |
| 126 | 2029/6/22 |
| 127 | 2029/6/23 |
| 128 | 2029/6/24 |
| 129 | 2029/6/25 |
| 130 | 2029/6/26 |
| 131 | 2029/6/27 |
| 132 | 2029/6/28 |
| 133 | 2029/6/29 |
| 134 | 2029/6/30 |
| 135 | 2029/7/1 |
| 136 | 2029/7/2 |
| 137 | 2029/7/3 |
| 138 | 2029/7/4 |
| 139 | 2029/7/5 |
| 140 | 2029/7/6 |
| 141 | 2029/7/7 |
| 142 | 2029/7/8 |
| 143 | 2029/7/9 |
| 144 | 2029/7/10 |
| 145 | 2029/7/11 |
| 146 | 2029/7/12 |
| 147 | 2029/7/13 |
| 148 | 2029/7/14 |
| 149 | 2029/7/15 |
| 150 | 2029/7/16 -- Floods abate |
| 151 | 2029/7/17 -- Ark rests |
This works because February is only 28 days long, 2 days shorter than the average. These 2 missing days in February are made up for in March and May, both of which have 31 days. The result exactly averages to 30 days/month.
This works for all non-leap years in the modern era using the modern calendar.
Was the modern Gregorian calendar, or for that matter the Julian Calendar, used to write the Bible? Used to write the account of Noah's flood? No.
The written account of Noah is likely 3500 years old or more. This precedes the introduction of this calendar by about 1500 years.
No known ancient calendars had an upper length for months at 31 days while at the same time kept a short leap month at 28 days. This is the feature needed to make this work.
It should also be noted, the feature of the modern calendar that makes this work is the short 28 day February. Across most of the era since the time of Jesus, March 25 was New Years day. This makes month 2 out to be April, and this degenerate case would not have worked in any of those years.
The number of days per month of time can also be independently established from at least one reference from the Book of Revelation.
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1ܘܐܬܝܗܒ ܠܝ ܩܢܝܐ ܕܡܘܬܐ ܕܫܒܛܐ ܘܩܐܡ ܗܘܐ ܡܠܐܟܐ ܘܐܡܪ ܩܘܡ ܘܡܫܘܚ ܠܗܝܟܠܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܘܠܡܕܒܚܐ ܘܠܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܤܓܕܝܢ ܒܗ ܀
2ܘܠܕܪܬܐ ܕܠܓܘ ܡܢ ܗܝܟܠܐ ܐܦܩ ܡܢ ܠܒܪ ܘܠܐ ܬܡܫܚܝܗ ܡܛܠ ܕܐܬܝܗܒܬ ܠܥܡܡܐ ܘܠܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܢܕܘܫܘܢ ܝܪܚܐ ܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܘܬܪܝܢ ܀
3ܘܐܬܠ ܠܬܪܝܢ ܤܗܕܝ ܠܡܬܢܒܝܘ ܝܘܡܝܢ ܐܠܦ ܘܡܐܬܝܢ ܘܫܬܝܢ ܟܕ ܥܛܝܦܝܢ ܤܩܐ ܀
(SYP)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
(KJV)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot 42 months.
3And I will give power unto my 2 witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
(KJV/NC)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
(ASV)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1AND there was given to me a reed like a rod; and the angel stood, saying, Arise and anoint the temple of God and the altar and those who worship therein.
2But leave out the outer court of the temple, and do not anoint it; for it has been given to the Gentiles; and they shall tread the holy city under foot for forty and two months.
3¶ Then I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand and two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.
(LAM)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,
2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.
3And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."(RSV)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.
2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
(NIV)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, 'Rise, and measure God's temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don't measure it, for it has been given to the gentiles. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.
3I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.'
(WEB)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, 'Rise, and measure God's temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don't measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.
3I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.'
(WEB/HNV)
66 Revelation 11:1-3
1AND there was given to me a reed like a rod; and the angel stood, saying, Arise and anoint the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in there.
2But leave out the outer court of the temple, and do not anoint it; for it has been given to the Gentiles; and they will tread the holy city under foot for 42 months.
3Then I will give power to my 2 witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
(BRB)
To be able to use this reference as a basis for computing the number of days in a month the equivalence of these two intervals must be shown. Understand carefully this problem. Are the 42 months the same time interval as the 1260 days?
If they are not the same interval, then the number of days in the 42 months may or may not be 1260 days and the number of days per month cannot be computed from this reference.
Reading the text of the verses surrounding these two time references does not help. The 42 months are a time when the holy city shall be tread under foot while the 1260 days are when two witnesses shall prophesy and be dressed in sackcloth. Are these the same thing or are they different?
To make matters worse the number of days/month has already been shown to be 30 days/month so the math is screaming out that these are the same. Why? Because 40 months * 30 days/month = 1260 days.
But, just because the math works does not prove that these two intervals are the same.
There is a principle in interpreting the Bible that helps in this situation: Every matter is to be established by the testimony of two or more witnesses.5 6 7
This same principle was also clearly used in the writing of the Bible to begin with.8
Under this principle every conclusion that might be brought from any one passage of the Bible must be established from some other passage. Since it was written with duplication in mind we can even go so far as to state that until the second references are known, no conclusions can be drawn from the Bible.
This is a powerful foundation. It also means that references like 42 months must be stated somewhere else, at least 1 time.
Without giving a full defense here, let me state that time references, especially the prophetic end-times references, are given with different units. This reference to 42 months must be given as a day count, or as a year count, somewhere else, using different units.
If the 42 months, is not the 1260 days then there must be a reference to some other number of days that would be the day count instead. A lunar month is about 29.5 days and a solar month is about 30.5 days so the range of possible day counts that would be an independent statement of 42 months would be between about 1240 days and 1280 days. No such day count references exist in the Bible.
Curiously several other references that confirm the 1260 day counts for 42 months are found in the very next chapter of Revelation.9 10 Here the prophetic expression "time, 2 times and 1/2 time" are equated again to 1260 days. Since "time" in one of its prophetic uses means years, this means the 12 + 24 + 6 = 42 months in 3 and 1/2 years.
Bottom line here is the math works to confirm what Noah's Flood first showed:
1260 days / 42 months = 30 days/month
Daniel is also shown about the events leading up to the end of the age. In addition to being told his book is sealed until the time of the end of the age, he is also given nearly the same mathematics as John was given in Revelation, except the stated day count is 1290 days.
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5וְרָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֲנִ֣י דָנִיֵּ֔אל וְהִנֵּ֛ה שְׁנַ֥יִם אֲחֵרִ֖ים עֹמְדִ֑ים אֶחָ֥ד הֵ֙נָּה֙ לִשְׂפַ֣ת הַיְאֹ֔ר וְאֶחָ֥ד הֵ֖נָּה לִשְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃ 6וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לָאִישׁ֙ לְב֣וּשׁ הַבַּדִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִמַּ֖עַל לְמֵימֵ֣י הַיְאֹ֑ר עַד־ מָתַ֖י קֵ֥ץ הַפְּלָאֽוֹת׃ 7וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע אֶת־ הָאִ֣ישׁ׀ לְב֣וּשׁ הַבַּדִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר מִמַּעַל֮ לְמֵימֵ֣י הַיְאֹר֒ וַיָּ֨רֶם יְמִינ֤וֹ וּשְׂמֹאלוֹ֙ אֶל־ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע בְּחֵ֣י הָעוֹלָ֑ם כִּי֩ לְמוֹעֵ֨ד מֽוֹעֲדִ֜ים וָחֵ֗צִי וּכְכַלּ֛וֹת נַפֵּ֥ץ יַד־ עַם־ קֹ֖דֶשׁ תִּכְלֶ֥ינָה כָל־ אֵֽלֶּה׃ 8וַאֲנִ֥י שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי וְלֹ֣א אָבִ֑ין וָאֹ֣מְרָ֔ה אֲדֹנִ֕י מָ֥ה אַחֲרִ֖ית אֵֽלֶּה׃
9וַיֹּ֖אמֶר לֵ֣ךְ דָּנִיֵּ֑אל כִּֽי־ סְתֻמִ֧ים וַחֲתֻמִ֛ים הַדְּבָרִ֖ים עַד־ עֵ֥ת קֵֽץ׃ 10יִ֠תְבָּֽרֲרוּ וְיִֽתְלַבְּנ֤וּ וְיִצָּֽרְפוּ֙ רַבִּ֔ים וְהִרְשִׁ֣יעוּ רְשָׁעִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֖ינוּ כָּל־ רְשָׁעִ֑ים וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִ֖ים יָבִֽינוּ׃ 11וּמֵעֵת֙ הוּסַ֣ר הַתָּמִ֔יד וְלָתֵ֖ת שִׁקּ֣וּץ שֹׁמֵ֑ם יָמִ֕ים אֶ֖לֶף מָאתַ֥יִם וְתִשְׁעִֽים׃ (WLC)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (KJV)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other 2, the 1 on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for 1 time, 2 times, and 1/2; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be 1290 days. (KJV/NC)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side. 6And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things? 9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but they that are wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand and two hundred and ninety days. (ASV)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5¶ Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two other angels stood one on this side of the bank of the river and the other on that side. 6And they said to the man clothed in costly array who stood above the waters of the river, How long shall it be till the end of these things? 7And I heard the man clothed in costly array who stood above the waters of the river. He held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half a time; and when holy people are delivered, all these things shall be fulfilled. 8And I, Daniel, heard something, but I did not understand; then I said, O my lord, what shall come after these things? 9And he said, Go your way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10Many shall be chosen and made white and tried; but the sinners shall continue to sin; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who have done good works shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be abolished, and the abomination is given to destruction, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (LAM)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I Daniel looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6And I said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, "How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" 7The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be accomplished. 8I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, "O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?" 9He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (RSV)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"
7The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."
8I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"
9He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (NIV)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side. 6One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8I heard, but I didn't understand: then said I, my lord, what shall be the issue of these things? 9He said, Go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand. 11From the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. (WEB)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side. 6One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8I heard, but I didn't understand: then said I, my lord, what shall be the issue of these things? 9He said, Go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand. 11From the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. (WEB/HNV)
39 Daniel 12:5-11 5Then I, Daniel, looked, and saw 2 other angels stood one on this side of the bank of the river and the other on that side. 6And they said to the man clothed in costly array who stood above the waters of the river, How long will it be until the end of these things? 7And I heard the man clothed in costly array who stood above the waters of the river. He held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it will be for a time, times, and 1/2 a time; and when holy people are delivered, all these things will be fulfilled. 8And I, Daniel, heard something, but I did not understand; then I said, Oh my lord, what will come after these things? 9And he said, Go your way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be chosen and made white and tried; but the sinners will continue to sin; and none of the wicked will understand; but those who have done good works will understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice will be abolished, and the abomination is given to destruction, there will be 1,290 days. (BRB)
Unlike John's account in Revelation, we can show that the 3.5 times11 is the same as the number of days. Why? Because Daniel did not understand the 3.5 times reference so he is told again, this time a count of 1290 days.
This is very much like Revelation except the number of days is not the same. Importantly the number of days given to Daniel compared to the number of days given to John is exactly 30 days higher.
Why would this be so?
Since the 1290 days is linked to 3.5 years this count of days must still be counting exactly the number of days in some set of months. So the 30 day difference is a difference of 1 month, confirming the count of 30 days/month.
The Book of Zechariah has an obscure reference that also confirms the number of days in a month. The passage is in a prophecy given about Jesus. It will be fulfilled when Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver paid him by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. The following is part of the original account.
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8וָאַכְחִ֛ד אֶת־ שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת הָרֹעִ֖ים בְּיֶ֣רַח אֶחָ֑ד וַתִּקְצַ֤ר נַפְשִׁי֙ בָּהֶ֔ם וְגַם־ נַפְשָׁ֖ם בָּחֲלָ֥ה בִֽי׃ 9וָאֹמַ֕ר לֹ֥א אֶרְעֶ֖ה אֶתְכֶ֑ם הַמֵּתָ֣ה תָמ֗וּת וְהַנִּכְחֶ֙דֶת֙ תִּכָּחֵ֔ד וְהַ֨נִּשְׁאָר֔וֹת תֹּאכַ֕לְנָה אִשָּׁ֖ה אֶת־ בְּשַׂ֥ר רְעוּתָֽהּ׃ 10וָאֶקַּ֤ח אֶת־ מַקְלִי֙ אֶת־ נֹ֔עַם וָאֶגְדַּ֖ע אֹת֑וֹ לְהָפֵיר֙ אֶת־ בְּרִיתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרַ֖תִּי אֶת־ כָּל־ הָעַמִּֽים׃ 11וַתֻּפַ֖ר בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיֵּדְע֨וּ כֵ֜ן עֲנִיֵּ֤י הַצֹּאן֙ הַשֹּׁמְרִ֣ים אֹתִ֔י כִּ֥י דְבַר־ יְהוָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ 12וָאֹמַ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם אִם־ ט֧וֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֛ם הָב֥וּ שְׂכָרִ֖י וְאִם־ לֹ֣א׀ חֲדָ֑לוּ וַיִּשְׁקְל֥וּ אֶת־ שְׂכָרִ֖י שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים כָּֽסֶף׃ (WLC)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 9Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. (KJV)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 83 shepherds also I cut off in 1 month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 9Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every 1 the flesh of another.
10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price 30 pieces of silver. (KJV/NC)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. 9Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another. 10And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah. 12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver. (ASV)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8Three shepherds I did away with in one month; and my soul was wearied of them, and their soul also howled against me. 9Then I said, I will not feed you; that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be lost, let it be lost; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. 10And I took my staff, even Pleasant, and I broke it, thus nullifying the covenant which I had with all the peoples. 11And it was nullified in that very day; and so the meek of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12And I said to them, If it seems good in your sight, give me my wages; and if not, then you are doing me injustice. So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (LAM)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another." 10And I took my staff Grace, and I broke it, annulling the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11So it was annulled on that day, and the traffickers in the sheep, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12Then I said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. (RSV)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them 9and said, "I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another's flesh."
10Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. 11It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD.
12I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.(NIV)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. 9Then I said, 'I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those who are left eat each other's flesh.' 10I took my staff Favor, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the word of Yahweh. 12I said to them, 'If youP think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them.' So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (WEB)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 8I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me. 9Then I said, 'I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those who are left eat each other's flesh.' 10I took my staff Favor, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12I said to them, 'If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them.' So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (WEB/HNV)
19 Zechariah 11:8-12 83 shepherds I did away with in one month; and my soul was wearied of them, and their soul also howled against me. 9Then I said, I will not feed you; that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be lost, let it be lost; and let each one of the rest eat the flesh of another. 10And I took my staff, even Pleasant, and I broke it, thus nullifying the contract which I had with all the peoples. 11And it was nullified in that very day; and so the meek of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of Yahvah. 12And I said to them, If it seems good in your sight, give me my wages; and if not, then you are doing me injustice. So they weighed for my wages 30 pieces of silver. (BRB)
The reference to 1 month in this passage is repeated again using different units at the end of this passage when the price to betray Jesus is stated for the first time as 30 pieces of silver.
Why would month be linked to 30 pieces of silver?
A general prophetic principle is that units of currency are also units of time.12 The price is 1 silver coin for each day in the month when Jesus cuts off the three shepherds.
This is a veiled prophetic reference that indicates the time of Jesus' earthly life will be 1 month. Using the standard day-for-a-year ratio where a day as spoken to the prophet is a year in the history of the nation, Jesus' ministry on earth is being predicted at 30 years.
This will be born out when we get to the topic of Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus lived 40 days longer than 30 years. It was exactly 30 years between his day 40 appearance at the temple as an infant and his crucifixion.
Jesus' life followed the standard day-for-a-year ratio, but in this case, it was a reverse. 1 year for each of the 30 days in a month.13
Revelation asserts that across long time spans that the month length averages to 30 days. Neither the Roman nor the Jewish calendars exhibit this quality the Roman with a slightly longer month length, the Jewish with a slightly shorter month length.
It is easy to show that neither the Roman Solar nor Jewish Lunar-Solar calendars were used in the Bible.
The average Roman month length is 30.44 days/month14 . If the Bible was using the Roman calendar the period 42 months would take over 1278 days, 18 days longer than given in Revelation.
The Roman calendar and any related or similar calendar cannot be the calendar used to write Revelation.
If the Bible was using the Jewish Lunar calendar with an average month length of 29.45 days/month15 42 months would be under 1237 days, 23 days shorter than given in Revelation.
The Jewish calendar and any related or similar calendar cannot be the calendar used to write Revelation.
Though the modern calendar can be shown to map to Noah's flood in various degenerate ways, it is not possible for the modern calendar to have been used for the writing of Revelation, nor the rest of the Bible.
The calendar used to write the Bible has a strict 30 days/month as seen in Revelation, Daniel, and Genesis. This same 30 day/month value is used prophetically in places like Zechariah.
Knowing all months are of equal length greatly simplifies the process of reconstructing the time line of the Bible. No astronomical calculations are needed, the calendar is not tied to the movements of the sun or moon or starry host. Not much more than a high school programming class and a Bible is needed to unravel this riddle.
As will be seen, it is possible to even day-accurately place the timing of Noah's flood onto the modern calendar. Read on for more.
1Genesis 7:16
2Genesis 7:24
3This example, using the Gregorian Calendar, is about 6 days ahead of the 7000th anniverary of Noah's flood on the 30 day calendar, the actual date warned of by Noah.
4Instead of the year 600
of Noah's Life
5Deuteronomy 17:6
6Matthew 18:16
7Second Corinthians 13:1
8Philippians 3:1
9Revelation 12:6
10Revelation 12:14
11Daniel 12:7
12Matthew 19:1
13It appears that the price for a slave is 1 coin per year of
age. Joseph was apparently priced this way. This is why the price is
mocked in this passage and why Judas behaves by throwing it back into
the temple.
14This is
approximate, derived from 365.25 days/year / 12 months/year
15This is approximate.