Shalom, brethren:

In light of much excitability regarding prophecy, signs in the heavens and the oft-spoken of blood moons in the Hebrew
Roots and Messianic communities; believers eyes have been directed like never before toward the heavens for some kind of
answer. To this end, we would like to share some intriguing and possibly overlooked facts that, if they are honestly and
forthrightly examined, may very well help us to come to an honest conclusion on the Biblical Calendar. This is crucial with
regard to deciphering difficult age-old Biblical prophecies.
As disciples of YHWH, we know that a proper understanding of the moon and its incremental phases are vital to accurately
calculate our Creators feast days. This brief study focuses on the astronomical aspects of the Biblical Calendar and their
symbiotic relationship with Scripture. However, there are a number of perspectives from which we could approach this
subject. This study is intended for those in the Hebrew Roots or Messianic communities who have some experience with the
Biblical Calendar. More specifically, this addresses the hotly contested subject of what a Biblical new moon is.
To all who read this crash course study on what we strongly believe is the Biblical new moon please respond to
correct or confirm the evidence that is presented in the contents herein, so we can come to an accurate and objective
conclusion on the subject ourselves. If your spiritual and intellectual appetite has been perhaps piqued a bit, and you would
like to see the full-length study after reading this, please contact us: david@hiddenhouse.org
Thank you very much, Shalom and Yah bless!

With due diligence,
Beth Tspunim Ministries (hiddenhouse.org)_____ ________________

We would like to begin by sharing a curious excerpt from the 1911 Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica:

We note (a) that in the worship of Yahweh the sacred seasons of new moon and Sabbath are obviously lunar. Recent
investigations have even been held to disclose the fact that the Sabbath coincided originally, i.e. in early pre-exilian
days, with the full moon. 2 ( b ) It also accords with the name bestowed on Yahweh as Lord of Hosts (sebaoth) or
stars, which were regarded as personified beings (Job xxxviii. 7) and attendants on the celestial Yahweh, constituting
His retinue (T Kings xxii. 19) which fought on high while the earthly armies of Israel, His people, contended below
(Judges v. 20).
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 Edition, Hebrew religion, Section 3 (The Era of Moses)
http://www.studylight.org/encyclopedia/bri/view.cgi?n=14427

Interestingly, the Encyclopedia Britannica claims that the full moon was the method for calculating the Hebrew Calendar
before the Babylonian exile. Could there be any Scriptural validation to confirm this?
One prime example is the Crucifixion account. We will present with Scriptural and historical evidence that a solar eclipse
occurred on the day of the crucifixion of our Messiah, Yahshua HaMashiach.
First, let us examine the Crucifixion account in the evangel of Luke:

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
Luke 23:44-45, King James Version (Textus Receptus Greek)

For those that do not subscribe to the KJV only movement, let us look at the Codex Sinaiticus Greek, which most
scholars agree is the oldest existing Biblical manuscript.



And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the
whole land till the ninth hour,
the sun having failed; and the veil of the temple was rent in the
midst.
Luke 23:44-45, Codex Sinaiticus Greek

The words in bold, darkened (obvious meaning) in the KJV and
failed (failed to give its light and thus became darkened by some
means) in the Codex Sinaiticus, evidently have the same meaning. In
the Codex Sinaiticus, the Greek word for failed is eklipontos
(!"#$%&'(&)), which is where we get the word "eclipse.

Bear in mind that a solar eclipse can only occur on a conjunction moon phase during broad daylight. In fact, Amos
prophesied that the sun would go down at noon, or the sixth hour:

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Adonai YHWH that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will
darken in the earth in the clear day:
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your sons into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins,
and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Amos 8:9-10, KJV

Aside from the Scriptural accounts, historical evidence confirms the solar eclipse on the Crucifixion!
Dionysius the Areopagite, a Greek astronomer mentioned in Acts 17:34, was a contemporary figure who lived in Heliopolis
at the time of the Crucifixion. In his letter to the later martyred Polycarp, Dionysius mentions the solar eclipse which
occurred when the Savior was put on the cross.

What have you say about the solar eclipse which occurred when the Savior was put on the cross? At the time the two of us were in
Heliopolis and we both witnessed the extraordinary phenomena of the moon hiding the sun at the time that was out of season for their
coming together. We saw the moon begin to hide the sun from the east, travel across to the other side of the sun, and return on its path so
that the hiding and restoration of the light did not take place in the same direction but rather in diametrically opposite directions.
Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end.
Letter VII, Section II, to Polycarp-Hierarch & Letter XI, Dionysius to Apollphanes, Philosopher
The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite, London: James Parker and Co., pp. 148-149, 182-183

Aside from Dionysius, the Greek writer Phlegon of Tralles also confirmed in his historical records this very same solar
eclipse. He is known for his work Olympiads, as the Greeks chronicled their history on the year cycles of the Olympic
games. The date referenced in Phlegons account of the solar eclipse, the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, is the cycle of the
Crucifixion. Whether you subscribe to the hotly contested 30 AD or 33 AD dates, both fit into this Olympiad cycle.
The church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 264 340), references Phlegons Chronicle (2nd Century A.D.), which
recorded the solar eclipse:

A great eclipse of the sun occurred at the sixth hour that excelled every other before it, turning the day into such
darkness of night that the stars could be seen in heaven, and the earth moved in Bithynia, toppling many buildings in
the city of Nicaea. Chronicle, Olympiad 202, trans. Carrier (1999)

Take heed that the unbelieving Phlegon, who brings with him no bias or agenda to promote the Biblical Calendar in any of
its variations, records the very same event as the evangelist Luke and fellow believer Dionysius!
We know that Mashiach was crucified on Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), which is on the 14th Day of the 1st Hebrew Month (Lev.
23:5). If we count backwards 14 days from a conjunction moon, we arrive at the full moon for Day 1 of the 1st Month of
Aviv (Ex. 12:2, 13:4).
Below you will see a screenshot taken from a moon phase calendar using month and year April, 2004 respectively for the
Northern Hemisphere of the earth (Israel) as a hypothetical example that is fairly recent. As Genesis 1:5 tells us, a Scriptural
day begins and ends at sundown, so when you see April 6 labeled as Aviv 1, the actual day would commence at sundown
April 5 and conclude at sundown on April 6. The moon turns 100% full on April 5, 2004 at around 12:00 PM, so the Biblical
day would begin at sundown around 6:30 to 7:00 PM, roughly speaking.




Aviv 1 Aviv 2 Aviv 3 Aviv 4 Aviv 5



Aviv 6 Aviv 7 Aviv 8 Aviv 9 Aviv 10 Aviv 11 Aviv 12


Aviv 13 Aviv 14

Noting the evidence given to you in the preceding examples, let us now read a very explicit Scripture that indicates what
phase of the moon the new moon actually is.
It is amazing how many of us may have scanned this verse many times without actually realizing what it says:

Blow the trumpet at the time of the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
Psalms 81:3, New King James Version

Blow the ram's horn in the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
Psalms 81:3, Green's Literal Translation

Only one feast day is on a new moon that commands the blowing of trumpets Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets,
which is Day One of the Seventh Month, Ethanim (Lev. 23:24, 1 Kings 8:2). Meditate on what Psalms 81:3 is saying the
day of the New Moon festival, Rosh HaChodesh when we blow the shofar, also takes place on the full moon.
In the authorized King James Version, the Hebrew word for full moon is translated as time appointed. The Hebrew
word in question is kece (N73 Strong's Word H3677 pronounced "#$%#
!
), which Strong's, Brown-Driver-Briggs and
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon all define as the full moon.



We could have an entire in-depth study itself simply on the etymology of kece, but for the sake of time, we will just
examine one root meaning and two other related Hebrew words. Afterwards, we will return to more translations of Psalms
81:3.
When we are presented with a problematic Hebrew word that can possibly be translated as two vastly different concepts,
elements such as context, root words, verb stems, meanings and root words in similar Semitic languages, etc. will help solve
the conundrum. For example, the word cherem (2" Strong's Word H2764 pronounced "&$r#') can mean one of
two things: devoted to destruction or devoted to Yah (see Lev. 27:28-29). In the Septuagint (the Greek manuscript of
the Tanakh from B.C. times), the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew cherem would be anathema (*'+,!-. Strong's
Word G331 pronounced #n#th$m#).
New Covenant example: If any man preach any other evangel [gospel] unto you...let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:9)
So, the debate returns back to kece does it mean to be covered by darkness or covered by light? Kece is related
to the Akkadian word for full moon, kucew (Akaddian Script: wsk Hebrew Script: `73 pronounced k%-s&),
which means to be thickened or plumped up. By the same token, one root meaning of kece is kacah (73 Strong's
Word H3680 pronounced k($s()), which can mean to: cover over, spread over or overwhelm; fill out ones clothes, fill
out the hollows or fill out the shape or substance thereof; to plump up. Let us see how this root word 73 (kacah 3
Kaph, 7 Samekh, He) or N73 (kece 3 Kaph, 7 Samekh, N Aleph) is translated in these Scriptural examples:

Deut. 22:12 - Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself. You
wear the tsitsioth (tassles) on your clothes to fill out what is missing or to complete them. Just like how the full moon fills
out the empty, dark or missing parts of the moon after it is finished waxing, like the finishing touch. The blue thread in
the tsitsioth (Num. 15:38) is obviously not invisible or concealed, we can visibly see it.
Gen. 7:19 - And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven,
were covered. As the waters of the flood exceedingly covered the earth, the light of the full moon exceedingly covers the
darkness. The great flood was not an invisible or hidden covering, it was blatantly apparent.
Psa. 78:53 - ...the sea overwhelmed their enemies... Just like how the fullness of the new or full moon overwhelms the
dark side of the moon.

Some may argue that these two versions are
wrong, as well as the multitude of other translations
we will show. One contention is that kece means
the concealed or covered moon (i.e., conjunction).
While Gesenius generally dissents with the full
moon translations, he does acknowledge from a
linguistic standpoint that in other Semitic
languages, similar roots to kece can mean full
moon. We will further examine the Hebrew
etymology to show that kece can also mean to be
covered with light, not just hidden in darkness.
Gesenius' Lexicon viewable for free online:
.http://www.,tyndalearchive.com/tabs/Gesenius/

Another related word with the same root is Kislew (`"73 Strongs Word H3691 pronounced ks$l&w), which is the
ninth Hebrew month (Neh. 1:1, Zech. 7:1). Kislew is related to the Akaddian word kislimu (Akaddian Script:
wmylsk Hebrew Script: `C`"73 pronounced ks-l'-m), which means to be thickened, plumped up or abundant,
due to plentiful rain. In ancient Israel, the storms were so intense during Kislew that the cold rain caused the Hebrews to
tremble (Ezra 10:9). Rain and snow gradually increase as the moon waxes towards being full and during the full moon, tides
are more severe. This is not folklore or myths as some critics might claim, as NASA astronomers have asserted in National
Geographic and USA Today that the full moon contributed to the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy.
Now that we have analyzed the meaning of kece in its application of the full moon or new moon of Psalms 81:3, let us
examine two Hebrew words that are used interchangeably for both moon and month.






One word is chodesh (L" Strongs Word H2320 pronounced "*$
(#%)), as in rosh chodesh (L" LN pronounced r*
!
sh "*$(#%)),
which means head of the month. The root meaning of chodesh is to
repair, rebuild, renew or make new. For example, Brith Chadashah
(L" `2 pronounced b)-r'th "*-(#-sh#h) means the New
Covenant or New Testament.
In 2 Chronicles 15:8, King Asa of Judah renewed the altar of YHWH
after removing the idols. King Joash of Judah went to repair the house of
YHWH (2 Chr. 24:4).
Thus, the head of the month or rosh chodesh is when the moon repairs
or rebuilds itself from a broken or less prominent state. It renews itself
back to its former or full glory. The moon is now kece plumped up
or thickened up in its complete, fully formed shape or substance.
It would seem odd for the moon to repair or rebuild itself back to a
conjunction or dark moon, where it must wane or decrease its structure.
Another other word for both moon and month is yerach ("`
Strongs Words H3391, H3394 pronounced y#-r&") , which is from
the root word yereq (` Strongs Words H3418, H3422 pronounced
ye-req) ,which means to be golden or yellow (e.g., Psa. 68:13: feathers
with yellow gold).
Only when the moon is full can it show color such as yellow or red,
which would be a lunar eclipse or blood moon. In other words, the head
of the month or rosh chodesh is when the moon is 100% full and
golden yellow.
Here is one method on how to reckon if the moon is 100% full without
computer technology, as the ancient Hebrews did. On the evening of the
29th or 30th day of the Hebrew month, as a cycle of the moon is about
29.5305 days, go outside as the sun is starting to set, or civil twilight. As
the sky turns darker to Biblical erev or evening (Strongs Word
H6153, e.g., Lev. 23:32, KJV: from even unto even), which is nautical
twilight, the moon will have a golden-yellow or orange-yellowish glow or
aura around it. This only happens for a few minutes when the moon is
100% full at this precise window of twilight.
To drive home the point of the golden yellow moon and connect the dots,
let us consider another root meaning of the familiar kece. One root
word is kicce (N73 Strongs Word H3678 pronounced "+%$%&
!
),
which means a throne, stool or chair seat. The ark of the covenant
represented the throne of YHWH, as YHWH Tsvaoth (YHWH of
Hosts) dwelt between the two cherubim on the lid of the ark (1 Sam.
4:4). The mercy seat or lid on the ark, chesed being the Hebrew word
for mercy (7" pronounced "#$%#(), was commanded to be made of
pure gold (Ex. 25:17). The word chesed is a loosely related common
root to kece, as both Cheth " and Kaph 3 are in the guttural category of
Hebrew letters.







Returning to the subject of other translations, the Aramaic Targum translates Psalms 81:4 (or 81:3 in most English bibles)
as full moon. This is because the Aramaic word for full moon is kista (Aramaic: N73 pronounced ks-t#
!
),
which is similar to the Hebrew kece.
The Targums were translations or paraphrases of the Hebrew Scriptures into Aramaic. In the 1st Century AD, they were
read in the synagogues and were often quoted by Yahshua and the Apostles.
With the following Targum format, the Hebrew text is in the top row, followed by the Aramaic text, then the English
translation. "Kece" is highlighted in the Hebrew row, corresponding to the Aramaic kista root, then full moon.

Targum viewable for free online at: http://www.peshitta.org/

While neither Judaism nor the rabbinical authorities believe that the full moon is the new moon for determining the feast
days, the 1917 JPS Tanakh, does not concur with them and rather translates Psalms 81:4 in the exact same manner as we
have shown in the previous examples.


1917 JPS Tanakh viewable for free online at: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm

Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon (1846 Edition) and The New Ungers Bible Dictionary
(page 160, 1966 Edition) both confirm that yerach means to be gold or yellow.

Our last witness to this proof is Jay Patrick Greens Hebrew/English Interlinear Bible and the Greens Literal
Translation (a.k.a. LITV or KJ3) whom Jay Patrick Green, as the title reflects, translated directly word for word from the
classical Hebrew text.


As described in the creation account, the moon is a prominent sign for us as a timekeeping piece.

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, and for days, and years:
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the
stars also.
Genesis 1:14-16, KJV

The Hebrew word for "signs" in verse 14 is oth (`N Strong's Word H226) Here are the definitions of oth from
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:

I. sign, signal
A. a distinguishing mark B. banner C. remembrance D. miraculous sign E. omen F. warning

II. token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof

Thus, the lesser light to rule the night, that being the moon which is for moedim (2`.`C seasons in verse 14,
Strong's H4150), must be a visible banner or signal. Notice how oth is used in these other Scriptural examples:

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token |`N oth] of a covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 9:13, KJV

"And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token [`N oth] of the covenant betwixt me and
you."
Genesis 17:11, KJV

The rainbow is a very visible sign or oth that is readily apparent to the naked eye. An astronomical calculation is not
required to spot a circumcision, as is usually needed for the conjunction phase of the moon. By drawing a parallel with the
various ways oth is used, and since the rosh chodesh is an oth, a little child should be able to observe it (Matt. 18:3,
Deut. 11:19) with the simplicity that is in Mashiach (2 Cor. 11:3).
If the new moon is given to us as a sign to establish the seasons and appointed times and is to be the distinguishing signal or
banner, how much clearer of a beacon would the full moon be in all its glory, regalia and golden light that seems to make
poetic obeisance to the greater light the sun, as opposed to the invisible conjunction?
For our last Scriptural example, let us consider 1 Samuel 20 where David and Jonathan observe the new moon.
If you follow the timeline in the previous chapter (1 Samuel 19), all hours of the night are now over, as the men of Ramah
prophesied all day and all night (1 Sam.19:24). In Mark 13:35, the 12 hours of night (John 11:9) are divided into four
three-hour watches evening (6:00 PM 9:00 PM), midnight (9:00 PM 12:00 AM), cock crowing (12:00 AM 3:00 AM)
and morning (3:00 AM 6:00 AM). In the Tanakh, they are still divided into these four watches, albeit with different names.
The evening watch is the beginning watch (Lam. 2:19), then the midnight watch, (Psa. 119:62) the middle watch (Judg.
7:19) and the morning watch (Ex. 14:24).
Thus, when David said, tomorrow is the new moon in 1 Samuel 20:5, they are making the observation in broad daylight
after the morning watch. Since a Biblical day begins at sunset, you could say at noon tomorrow is the new moon and be
referring to sundown a few hours later as the start of tomorrow.






For a graphical layout of the 1 Samuel 20 timeline, please read the chapter along with this chart:




Behold, to
morrow is the
new moon...
...I may hide
myself in the
field unto the
third day at
even.
1 Sam. 20:5

To morrow is
the new moon...
...and when thou
hast stayed three
days... ...and I
will shoot three
arrows...
1 Sam
20:18 20
DAY 1
EVEN
FULL MOON
When the new moon
was come, the king sat
him down to eat
meat.
1 Sam. 20:24
DAY 1
DAYTIME

DAY 2
EVEN
On the morrow, which was
the second day of the
month, that Davids place
was empty: and Saul
said...Wherefore cometh
not the son of Jesse to meat,
neither yesterday, nor to
day?
1 Sam. 20:27

Jonathan...did eat no meat
the second day of the
month.
1 Sam. 20:34
DAY 2
DAYTIME

DAY 3
EVEN
Jonathan
may now
break his
fast.
DAY 3
MORNING

And it came to
pass in the
morning, that
Jonathan went out
into the field at the
time appointed with
David.
And he said unto
his lad, Run, find
out now the arrows
which I shoot.
1 Sam. 20:35-36

"The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 4:18) "That we might walk
worthy of YHWH and increasing in the knowledge of Elohim." (Col. 1:10)
After coming out of the deception of the church and its pagan traditions, let us always cleave to the Truth and love Truth more than
the praises of men. For if we seek to please men, we have ceased to be the servant of YHWH (Gal. 1:10). Let us go forth therefore
unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb. 13:13), and not follow a multitude to do evil (Ex. 23:2). Prove all things and
hold fast that which is good (1 Thes. 5:21) including the calendar.
"For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life." (Prov. 6:23) "Blow the
ram's horn in the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the Elohim of Jacob."
(Psa. 81:3-4)
If David and Jonathan were predicting the conjunction, they would have to visibly spot the
first visible waning crescent, which is the phase right before the dark moon. However, the
first visible waning crescent is only visible to the naked eye during the darker hours of
morning twilight, between the hours of 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM. This would be the morning
watch in Mark 13:35 and Ex. 14:24, which is considered one of the night watches.


The first visible waxing crescent is the phase that immediately follows the conjunction.
Since the conjunction is not even visible, David could not say, tomorrow is the new moon
in the daytime, as there would be no way to predict the waxing crescent at sundown. Keep
in remembrance that the first visible waxing crescent is only visible in the dark.

By process of elimination, the only remaining possibility for the new moon is the full
moon. Only the waxing gibbous phase of the moon is visible in the daylight, when it is
approximately 60% or more full. It is best visible in the southeast, towards the end of the
afternoon before sunset. It is an astronomical fact that the full moon appears in the east.
Thus, David could see the waxing gibbous phase in the afternoon daylight and accurately
say that "tomorrow", or in a few hours at sundown, that the "new moon" would be 100% full.
In fact, to the naked eye a full moon can appear to last up to three days as it gradually
wanes from full, 98%, 96%, etc. This accounts for the three-day timeline in 1 Samuel 20
with regard to the new moon festival.
2014 (Hebrew Year: 6015) Beth Tspunim Ministries

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...the labourer is worthy of his hire... Luke 10:6

Honour YHWH with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life... John 6:27

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