Topical Encyclopedia
Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to February-March in the Gregorian calendar. It holds significant importance in the Jewish tradition and biblical history, particularly in the context of the events recorded in the Book of Esther.
Biblical References:1.
Esther and the Feast of Purim: The most notable biblical event associated with the month of Adar is the account of Esther, which culminates in the celebration of Purim. In the Book of Esther, Haman, an official in the Persian Empire, plots to annihilate the Jewish people. Through the courage and intervention of Queen Esther, the Jews are saved, and the day intended for their destruction becomes a day of victory and celebration.
Esther 9:1 states, "On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but the opposite occurred, and the Jews overpowered those who hated them."
2.
The Institution of Purim: Following their deliverance, the Jews established the Feast of Purim to commemorate their salvation.
Esther 9:21-22 records, "to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. They were to observe them as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor."
3.
Ezra and the Temple: Another significant event associated with Adar is the completion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. According to
Ezra 6:15 , "And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius." This event marked a pivotal moment in Jewish history, symbolizing the restoration of worship and religious life after the Babylonian exile.
Cultural and Religious Significance:Adar is traditionally considered a month of joy and celebration in Jewish culture, largely due to the events of Purim. The Talmud states, "When Adar enters, joy increases," reflecting the festive spirit associated with this time. The themes of divine providence, deliverance, and the reversal of fortunes are central to the observances during Adar.
Leap Year and Adar II:In the Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar, a leap year occurs approximately every three years to align the lunar months with the solar year. During a leap year, an additional month, Adar II, is added after Adar. Purim is celebrated in Adar II during leap years to maintain its proximity to Passover, ensuring the continuity of the festival cycle.
Theological Reflections:From a theological perspective, the events of Adar, particularly those surrounding Purim, highlight themes of God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman's plot is seen as a testament to God's protective hand over His chosen people, even when His presence is not overtly mentioned, as is the case in the Book of Esther. This underscores the belief in God's providential care and the assurance that He works through history to fulfill His purposes.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Adarhigh; eminent
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Adar(high), a place on the south boundary of Judah. (Joshua 15:3)
ATS Bible Dictionary
AdarThe twelfth month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical year, and the sixth of the civil year. In this month occurred the celebrated feast of Purim. It nearly answers to our March. As the lunar year, which the Jews follow, is shorter than the solar year by eleven days, which after three years by eleven days, which, after three years, make about a month, they then insert a thirteenth month, which they call Ve- Adar, or a second Adar. SeeMONTH.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Large, the sixth month of the civil and the twelfth of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews (
Esther 3:7, 13;
8:12;
9:1, 15, 17, 19, 21). It included the days extending from the new moon of our March to the new moon of April. The name was first used after the Captivity. When the season was backward, and the lambs not yet of a paschal size, or the barley not forward enough for abib, then a month called Veadar, i.e., a second Adar, was intercalated.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) The twelfth month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical year, and the sixth of the civil. It corresponded nearly with March.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ADAR (1)a-'dar ('adhar, meaning uncertain): The Babylonian name of the twelfth month of the year. Used in the Bible only inEzra 6:15 and eight times in Esther. At first the author in Esther defines Adar as the twelfth month, but afterward omits the numeral. In order to maintain the relation of the year to the seasons it was customary to add a second Adar, as often as was needed, as an intercalary month.
ADAR (2)
a'-dar: In the King James Version (Joshua 15:3) for ADDAR, which see.
Strong's Hebrew
143.Adar -- the twelfth month in the Jewish calendar... 142, 143.
Adar. 144 . the twelfth month in the Jewish calendar. Transliteration:
Adar Phonetic Spelling: (ad-awr') Short Definition:
Adar.
...144.Adar -- the twelfth month in the Jewish calendar
... 143, 144.Adar. 145 . the twelfth month in the Jewish calendar. Transliteration:
Adar Phonetic Spelling: (ad-awr') Short Definition:Adar....
5737c.adar -- to be lacking, fail
... 5737b, 5737c.adar. 5738 . to be lacking, fail. Transliteration:adar Short
Definition: missing. Word Origin a prim.... 5737b, 5737c.adar. 5738 ....
5737.adar -- to help
... 5736, 5737.adar. 5737a . to help. Transliteration:adar Phonetic Spelling:
(aw-dar') Short Definition: dig.... 5736, 5737.adar. 5737a . Strong's Numbers
5737a.adar -- to help
... 5737, 5737a.adar. 5737b . to help. Transliteration:adar Short Definition:
helped. Word Origin a prim.... 5737, 5737a.adar. 5737b . Strong's Numbers.
5737b.adar -- to hoe
... 5737a, 5737b.adar. 5737c . to hoe. Transliteration:adar Short Definition:
cultivated. Word Origin a prim.... 5737a, 5737b.adar. 5737c . Strong's Numbers
142.adar -- wide, great
... 141, 142.adar. 143 . wide, great. Transliteration:adar Phonetic Spelling:
(aw-dar') Short Definition: majestic. Word Origin a prim.... 141, 142.adar. 143...
152. Adrammelek -- "Adar is prince," an Assyr. idol, also a son of...
... 151, 152. Adrammelek. 153 . "Adar is prince," an Assyr.... Word Origin
fromadar and melek Definition "Adar is prince," an Assyr....
5853. Atroth Addar -- a place on the border between Ephraim and...
... Ataroth-adaraddar. From the same as Atarowth and 'Addar; crowns of Addar;
Atroth-Addar, a place in Palestine -- Ataroth-adar(-addar). see HEBREW Atarowth....
115. Adorayim -- perhaps "two hills," a city in Judah
... Word Origin fromadar Definition perhaps "two hills," a city in Judah NASB Word
Usage Adoraim (1). Adoraim.... see HEBREW 'adar. 114, 115. Adorayim. 116 ....
Library
Syriac Calendar.
... so close as the names would indicate, since these commenced with the new moons,
and an intercalary month, Veadar, following their twelfth monthAdar, was added...
The Cleansing of the Temple - the Sign,' which is not a Sign.
... A month before the feast (on the 15thAdar) bridges and roads were put in repair,
and sepulchres whitened, to prevent accidental pollution to the pilgrims....
The Stater in the Fish. (Matt. , xvii. , 27. )
... to Capernaum probably took place at the time set apart for collecting the Temple
tribute of half an ounce of silver, ie, the monthAdar, corresponding nearly...
The Last Events in Galilee - the Tribute-Money, the Dispute by the...
... [3752] Lastly, although the Mishnah lays it down, that the goods of those might
be distrained, who had not paid the Temple-tribute by the 25thAdar, it is...
The New Temple and Its Worship
... And this house was finished on the third day of the monthAdar, which
was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.16....
Queen Esther's Love for Her People
... On the fourteenth day of the monthAdar, the Jews rested and made it a
day of feasting and rejoicing. Therefore the Jews who live...
Esther
... of Haman. In memory of the deliverance, the Purim festival is celebrated
on the 14th and 15th of the monthAdar. The popularity...
Tiberias.
... Hence is that, in the place but now cited; "Rabh Hezekiah read the Book of Esther
in Tiberias, on the fourteenth day (of the monthAdar), and also on the...
Some Miscellaneous Matters Respecting the Face of the Land.
... "Towns that were begirt with walls from the days of Joshua read it on the fifteenth
day" of the monthAdar: "Villages and great cities read it the fourteenth...
The Net Spread
... of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day,
and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the monthAdar.8. And...
Thesaurus
Adar (10 Occurrences)... backward, and the lambs not yet of a paschal size, or the barley not forward enough
for abib, then a month called Veadar, ie, a second
Adar, was intercalated.
...Ataroth-adar (2 Occurrences)
Ataroth-adar. Atarothadar, Ataroth-adar. Atarothaddar . Multi-Version
Concordance Ataroth-adar (2 Occurrences). Joshua...
Thirteenth (12 Occurrences)
... they went on looking for a sign given by Pur (that is chance) before Haman, till
the sign came out for the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the monthAdar....
Purim (5 Occurrences)
... It became a national institution by the common consent of the Jews, and is observed
by them to the present day, on the 14th and 15th of the monthAdar, a month...
Twelfth (20 Occurrences)
... of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day,
and from month to month, and chose the twelfth month, which is the monthAdar...
Fourteenth (25 Occurrences)
... Esther 9:15 The Jews who were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth
day also of the monthAdar, and killed three hundred men in Shushan...
Pur (3 Occurrences)
... It became a national institution by the common consent of the Jews, and is observed
by them to the present day, on the 14th and 15th of the monthAdar, a month...
Nicanor (1 Occurrence)
... Here on the 13th of the 12th monthAdar (March), 161 BC, the Syrians sustained
a crushing defeat, Nicanor himself being the first to fall....
Adra
... ADRAMMELECH and ANAMMELECH a-dram'-el-ek and a-nam'-el-ek ('adhrammelekh and
`anammelekh, apparently, according to Assyrian usage, "Adar is prince," "Anu is...
Karkaa (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A floor; bottom, a place betweenAdar and Azmon, about
midway between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea (Joshua 15:3)....
Resources
What is the structure of the Jewish calendar? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Haman the Agagite? | GotQuestions.orgAdar: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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