new moon Summary and Overview

The first day of the lunar month was observed as a holy day. In addition to the daily sacrifice there were offered two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first year as a burnt offering, with the proper meat offerings and drink offerings, and a kid as a sin offering. #Nu 28:11-15| As on the Sabbath, trade and handicraft work were stopped, #Am 8:5| and the temple was opened for public worship. #Isa 66:23; Eze 46:3| The trumpets were blown at the offering of the special sacrifices for the day, as on the solemn festivals. #Nu 10:10; Ps 81:3| It was an occasion for state banquets. #1Sa 20:5-24| In later, if not in earlier, times fasting was intermitted at the new moons. Judith 8:6. The new moons are generally mentioned so as to show that they were regarded as a peculiar class of holy days, distinguished from the solemn feasts and the Sabbaths. #1Ch 113:31; 2Ch 2:4; 8:13; 31;3; Ezr 3:5; Ne 10:33; Eze 45:17| The seventh new moon of the religious year, being that of Tisri, commenced the civil year, and had a significance and rites of its own. It was a day of holy convocation. The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time.

NEW MOON . 1 Sam 20:5. See Moon, Feasts, Month.

(See MONTH.) On it work was suspended (Amos 8:5), the temple was opened for worship (Isaiah 66:23), and in northern Israel the godly repaired to the prophets for religious instruction (2 Kings 4:23). The trumpets were blown, in token of gladness, at the sacrifices peculiar to the clay (Numbers 10:10; Psalm 81:3); but there was no "holy convocation" as on the sabbath. The seventh new moon of the religious year was the feast of trumpets and began the civil year.