“This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse marks a profound reordering of time for Israel. By declaring this specific month the "beginning of months," God isn't just changing a calendar date; He's establishing a new way of reckoning, forever tying their identity and history to this moment of liberation. This wasn't just a new year, but a holy New Year, marking the start of their sacred journey.
“This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is about to institute the Passover and command Israel's exodus from Egypt. In preparation, He declares this upcoming month, Abib, to be the new beginning of their calendar year, marking a significant shift from their previous reckoning. This establishes the sacred cycle that will guide their festivals and remind them of their liberation.
Did you know the Jewish calendar used to start in the fall? God institutes a dramatic shift here, marking a new spiritual year.
Before this moment, the ancient Israelite year likely began in the autumn, around September (the month of Tisri). This was the traditional start for civil matters, possibly linked to creation or the harvest cycle.
But here, God declares a new beginning: 'This month shall be the beginning of months.' This refers to the month of Abib (later called Nisan), which falls in our March-April. This shift marks the sacred year.
This isn't just a calendar tweak; it's a foundational act. It reorients their entire sense of time around God's redemptive work, starting with the Passover and the Exodus. It creates a distinct 'sacred' calendar that runs parallel to any lingering 'civil' one.
Why does God call this month the 'head' or 'chief' of months? It's more than just the first; it signifies ultimate authority.
The Hebrew word for 'beginning' here can also be translated as 'head' (rosh). God isn't just appointing the first month in a chronological sense; He's declaring it the head, the principal, the most important month.
This elevates the month of Abib above all others. It becomes the chief marker in their spiritual lives, a constant reminder of God's power to deliver and redeem.
This authority over time and seasons belongs solely to God. By establishing this new 'head of months,' He asserts His sovereignty over their past, present, and future, reordering their entire existence around His divine plan.
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This new calendar isn't abstract; it's rooted in a world-changing event. God wants you to remember His rescue.
The significance of this 'first month' is inextricably tied to the Exodus from Egypt. This monumental act of deliverance is now the defining event around which their sacred year is structured.
By making Abib the first month, God is embedding the memory of His saving power into the very fabric of their timekeeping. Every year, the cycle begins with a reminder of their liberation from slavery.
This is God's way of saying, 'Remember this!' The Passover, and all the feasts that follow, serve as annual anchors, ensuring that future generations understand their identity as a people delivered by God's mighty hand.
This verse marks a significant shift in the Israelite calendar, reorienting their understanding of time around their liberation from Egypt. It establishes a sacred new year, highlighting that their divine redemption now defines their historical and spiritual starting point, even as a civil calendar continues alongside it.
~1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites are miraculously led out of slavery in Egypt under Moses, marking a pivotal moment in their history and the establishment of their identity as a nation.
c. 15th Century BC
Institution of the Passover
God institutes the Passover festival to commemorate the Exodus, establishing the month of Abib (later Nisan) as the first month of the sacred year.
c. 15th Century BC
Two Year Reckonings Established
Following the Exodus, the Israelites adopt two calendar systems: a sacred year beginning in Abib (March/April) and a civil year retaining its earlier start in the fall (around September).
c. 10th Century BC
Biblical Use of Spring New Year
Later biblical texts, particularly those from the period of the divided monarchy and exile (e.g., in Kings and Jeremiah), begin to show the spring reckoning being used for civil dates.
c. 6th Century BC
Babylonian Influence on Calendars
During the Babylonian exile, the Hebrew calendar likely saw increased use of Babylonian month names (like Nisan) and possibly reinforced the spring new year tradition, although its precise origin remains debated.
This verse introduces the concept of the 'signs' and 'seasons' given by God in the celestial bodies, linking the rhythm of the year to His divine order, just as Exodus 12:2 reorders the calendar for a new beginning.
Leviticus 23:4-5This passage directly follows the institution of the Passover and highlights the importance of the 'first month' (Nisan/Abib) for observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, reinforcing the command in Exodus 12:2 by grounding it in specific festival observance.
Nehemiah 8:2This verse shows the practice of reading the Law in the 'seventh month' (which had previously been the start of the civil year), illustrating the lingering significance of the older calendar system even after God established a new sacred year beginning in Nisan, as declared in Exodus 12:2.
Luke 4:19Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:2, proclaiming 'the year of the Lord's favor.' This connects the concept of a 'year' with a significant season of divine action and redemption, echoing how the Passover month in Exodus 12:2 marked a pivotal moment of liberation.
cambridgeExodus 12:2: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you."
2 . This month , &c.] The ‘month’ is the one corresponding to our Mar.–Apr., called in J and E ( Exodus 13:4 , Exodus 23:15 , Exodus 34:18 ) and Deuteronomy 16:1 ) ‘Abib,’ and in the later post-exilic writings ( Nehemiah 2:1 , Esther 3:7 ) by its Bab. name, Nisan . P never, like the older pre-exilic writers, calls the months by their Canaanitish or Phoenician names, Abib ( ll.cc.…
clarkeExodus 12:2: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you."
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months - It is supposed that God now changed the commencement of the Jewish year. The month to which this verse refers, the month Abib, answers to a part of our March and April; whereas it is supposed that previously to this the year began with Tisri, which answers to a part of our September; for in this month the Jews suppose God cre…
This verse marks a profound reordering of time for Israel. By declaring this specific month the "beginning of months," God isn't just changing a calendar date; He's establishing a new way of reckoning, forever tying their identity and history to this moment of liberation. This wasn't just a new year, but a holy New Year, marking the start of their sacred journey.
God is about to institute the Passover and command Israel's exodus from Egypt. In preparation, He declares this upcoming month, Abib, to be the new beginning of their calendar year, marking a significant shift from their previous reckoning. This establishes the sacred cycle that will guide their festivals and remind them of their liberation.
God is about to institute the Passover and command Israel's exodus from Egypt. In preparation, He declares this upcoming month, Abib, to be the new beginning of their calendar year, marking a significant shift from their previous reckoning. This establishes the sacred cycle that will guide their festivals and remind them of their liberation.
"“This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you." — This verse marks a profound reordering of time for Israel. By declaring this specific month the "beginning of months," God isn't just changing a calendar date; He's establishing a new way of reckonin…
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Last reviewed October 2026