The modern month of May does not appear in biblical texts because the ancient world followed a different system of timekeeping. The Bible organizes its calendar around agricultural cycles and religious observances rather than the fixed, solar-based Gregorian calendar used today. To understand the biblical meaning of this time of year, it is necessary to examine the Hebrew months that typically overlap with the late spring. This exploration reveals a period rich with narratives concerning divine provision and the establishment of foundational covenants.
Understanding the Hebrew Calendar
The biblical calendar operates on a lunisolar model, unlike the solar-based system used globally today. Months are determined by the cycles of the moon, while the year is kept aligned with the solar year through the periodic addition of a leap month. This structure ensures that religious festivals tied to specific agricultural seasons, such as the spring harvest, remain consistent year after year.
The earliest biblical references identify months simply by number, such as the “first month” or the “second month.” Later texts, particularly those written after the Babylonian exile, incorporated names still used today, such as Iyar and Sivan. These names replaced the earlier numbering system, reflecting an evolution in timekeeping practice.
The fluidity of the lunisolar calendar means the start date of any given Hebrew month shifts relative to the fixed Gregorian calendar. Biblical time is fundamentally organized around the rhythm of the land and the sequence of divinely ordained festivals. This cyclical approach links the spiritual life of the people directly to the agricultural cycles. The time corresponding to May marks a significant transition from the early spring barley harvest to the later wheat harvest.
Identifying the Biblical Months Overlapping May
The time frame generally encompassed by the Gregorian month of May corresponds primarily to a period of transition between two distinct Hebrew months. These two months are Iyar and Sivan, which capture the late spring season. Because the lunisolar calendar shifts annually, May usually begins during the latter half of the month of Iyar and transitions into the beginning of Sivan. Iyar is traditionally considered the second month in the religious calendar, while Sivan is the third, following the spring month of Nisan. This dual month period focuses on the time immediately following the Exodus from Egypt and the journey toward Mount Sinai.
Significance of the Month of Iyar
The month of Iyar holds deep significance as the time when the newly freed Israelites began their forty-year journey in the wilderness. The most defining event of Iyar is the beginning of the miraculous provision of manna, recorded in the sixteenth chapter of Exodus. After the people complained of hunger in the desert of Sin, the manna began to fall from the sky on the fifteenth day of the second month, which falls squarely within Iyar.
This event established a pattern of divine sustenance and tested the people’s faith regarding obedience and dependence on daily provision. The manna, described as a small, flaky substance that tasted like wafers with honey, ceased only upon their entry into the promised land. This consistent provision fundamentally shaped their understanding of God’s immediate care and reliability during a time of immense vulnerability.
The Israelites’ first major stop after crossing the Red Sea was Marah, where the bitter waters were made sweet. This episode is tied to the concept of healing, as the people were given statutes and ordinances that promised health if they obeyed the divine voice. This connection established Iyar as a time historically associated with physical and spiritual restoration during the arduous journey away from Egyptian bondage.
Iyar also contains the observance of Pesach Sheni, or the Second Passover, described in the book of Numbers, chapter nine. This provision allowed individuals who were ritually impure or far away during the first Passover in Nisan to observe the feast exactly one month later. This second opportunity underscores a theme of inclusion and repentance, allowing all to participate in the commemoration of freedom and the covenant.
Furthermore, the duration of Iyar is entirely contained within the period known as the Counting of the Omer. Each of the twenty-nine days of Iyar is counted, building anticipation for the climax of the journey. This ongoing count connects the themes of initial freedom and subsequent provision to the ultimate goal of receiving the divine law.
Significance of the Month of Sivan
The month of Sivan represents the climax of the journey that began with the Exodus, focusing on the establishment of a formal covenant between the divine and humanity. The most prominent event is the Festival of Weeks, known in Hebrew as Shavuot, which occurs on the sixth day of Sivan. This festival is mandated in Leviticus 23 as the culmination of the fifty-day Omer count following the Passover observance.
Shavuot originally served as the celebration of the late spring wheat harvest, marking the presentation of the first fruits at the Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish tradition places the monumental event of the Giving of the Law, or the Torah, at Mount Sinai on this exact day, as detailed in Exodus 19. The giving of the Ten Commandments transformed the collection of former slaves into a unified nation bound by a legal and moral code. Sivan thus symbolizes the transition from physical freedom to spiritual obligation.
This time of year also holds profound significance in the New Testament, where Shavuot is identified as Pentecost. The Book of Acts, chapter two, records that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the gathered disciples in Jerusalem. This event inaugurated the Christian church and represented the fulfillment of a new covenant, echoing the original revelation at Sinai. The dual significance of Sivan—the establishment of the Law and the outpouring of the Spirit—marks it as a time of foundational revelation.