Lexical Summary neomēnia: New Moon Original Word: νεομηνία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Nero. Of Latin origin; Neron (i.e. Nero), a Roman emperor -- Nero. Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3505: ΝέρωνΝέρων (by etymol. 'brave', 'bold'), Νερωνος, ὁ, Nero, the well-known Roman emperor: Topical Lexicon Definition and Scope The term describes the first day of each lunar month in the Hebrew calendar. It denotes both the astronomical event of the waxing crescent and the covenantal observance that accompanied it. The new moon signaled the rhythm of Israel’s worship life, agricultural cycle, and civic administration. The New Moon in the Mosaic Covenant Numbers 10:10 links the day with trumpet blasts that served “as a reminder of you before your God.” Numbers 28:11–15 prescribes two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs, plus their grain and drink offerings “at the beginning of each of your months.” Thus the festival combined thanksgiving for past provision and petition for the month ahead. Psalm 81:3 commands: “Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon and at the full moon on the day of our Feast,” showing its integration with the three pilgrim festivals that framed Israel’s year. Sacrificial and Liturgical Elements • Burnt offerings: total consecration to the LORD. The Levitical singers also served “to give thanks and to praise the LORD at the gates on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts” (1 Chronicles 23:31). Symbolism and Theological Themes 1. Time belongs to God. He orders months and seasons (Genesis 1:14). Prophetic Corrections and Eschatological Vision When ritual persisted without righteousness, the prophets rebuked Israel. Isaiah 1:13 declares: “I cannot endure iniquity in the solemn assembly.” Amos 8:5 exposes merchants who begrudged sacred time: “When will the New Moon be over so that we may sell grain?” These oracles warn that form divorced from faith invites judgment. Yet Isaiah 66:23 projects a cleansed future: “From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come to worship before Me.” The festival’s holiness will be universally acknowledged in the consummated kingdom. Second Temple and Early Jewish Practice Post-exilic communities restored the calendar (Nehemiah 10:33). The new moon regulated temple service, civil contracts, and agricultural first-fruits. Rabbinic sources record the Sanhedrin’s role in confirming the lunar sighting, underscoring how the day guarded Israel’s corporate life from creeping syncretism. New Testament Perspective There is no occurrence of the exact lexical form in the Greek New Testament, yet the concept is presupposed. Paul warns believers not to submit to judgment on food, festival, new moon, or Sabbaths (Colossians 2:16), teaching that such observances were “a shadow of the things to come, but the body belongs to Christ.” The writer to the Hebrews presents Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice as superseding repetitive rituals (Hebrews 10:1-10). Application for Christian Doctrine and Ministry 1. Freedom from legalism: External calendars cannot justify; only the cross can (Galatians 4:9-11). Christological Fulfillment and Future Expectation The waxing moon that climaxed in full brightness prefigures the increasing revelation of God that culminates in Christ, “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). Believers experience spiritual renewal “day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16), anticipating the eternal city where “the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23). In the new heavens and new earth, unbroken fellowship—the substance to which every new moon pointed—will be fully realized. Forms and Transliterations ενευροκόπησαν ενευροκόπησε νενευροκοπημένης νέσσα νεύμασι νεύμασιν νεύρα νεύρά νευραίς νευράς νευροίς νευροκοπήσεις νευροκοπήσουσι νεύρον νεύρουLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Νέαν — 1 Occ.νέας — 2 Occ. νεωτέρας — 3 Occ. νεώτεροι — 2 Occ. νεώτερος — 4 Occ. νεωτέρους — 2 Occ. νέον — 9 Occ. νέος — 1 Occ. νοσσοὺς — 1 Occ. νεότητός — 4 Occ. νεύει — 1 Occ. νεύσαντος — 1 Occ. νεφέλαι — 1 Occ. νεφέλαις — 2 Occ. νεφέλη — 8 Occ. νεφέλην — 5 Occ. νεφέλης — 5 Occ. νεφελῶν — 4 Occ. Νεφθαλίμ — 3 Occ. νέφος — 1 Occ. |