Psalm 81:3 — the New Moon and the Full Moon

Since the invention of the Internet, innumerable calendars have popped up to challenge the Hebrew calendar, each one claiming to be the true calendar of the Bible. This includes numerous "sighted" calendars, that is, calendars that call for gazing up at the night sky and searching for the first visible crescent of the moon. This first visible crescent is said to be the "new moon" of the Bible and to mark the beginning of each month and, in turn, determine the dates of the holy days.

First of all, if anyone can point to even one Bible verse that says we must look up at the sky and find the first visible crescent of the moon, I would love to see it. I have never found such a verse, nor have I ever seen anyone else point to such a verse.

Secondly, the "new moon" doesn't appear in the Hebrew text of the Bible, as explained in this post. Neither is such a "new moon" defined; some define the new moon as the conjunction, when the moon is dark, and others define it as the first visible crescent. Because the Bible gives no instructions on sighting the moon or what to look for, sighted calendar devotees must look outside the Bible for evidence to support their doctrines.

In fact, God's Word shows us that the first visible crescent is NOT necessarily the beginning of the month! Here's how.

In Psa. 81:3, the psalmist Asaph wrote, "Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day." The phrase "new moon" is simply chodesh (Strong's #2320) and means "month," leaving the context to determine whether it's the first day of the month or some other day. The crucial part of this verse, though, is the "full moon," for it obliterates many sighted calendars!

The Hebrew word translated "full moon" is kese (Strong's #3677). Though generally interpreted as the full moon based on its use in other ancient Hebrew writings, it literally means "covered" and derives from the Hebrew root kasah (Strong's #3680), which means "cover, hide, conceal." The Hebrew scholar Gesenius speculated that it meant "full moon" because of the moon being covered with light, though he also expressed his doubts about this explanation.

If "concealed" or "hidden" is the correct definition, that would imply the conjunction, the dark moon, rather than the full moon. That would also be the new moon. Either way, the day in question was a feast day. God only placed one of His feast days at the new moon: the Day of Trumpets on the 1st day of the 7th month (Lev. 23:24). He placed two other holy days at the full moon, that is, the 15th day of the month: the First Day of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6) and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34).

Here's the kicker. If it means concealed, then the new moon can't be the first visible crescent. If it truly means the full moon, then it still shows a month cannot start with the first crescent, because if one goes by the first visible crescent, then the 15th of the month will always be 1-3 days after the full moon! Either way, any calendar that depends on the first visible crescent defies Scripture.

God set up His calendar so that the Day of Trumpets will be as close as possible to the new moon, and the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles as close as possible to the full moon. The Hebrew calendar accomplishes this. If you keep God's holy days by the Hebrew calendar, then please, this year at the Feast of Tabernacles, go outside, look up at the night sky, and, if the skies are clear, you will almost certainly see a beautiful full moon!