Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical context, the concept of "years" is significant both in terms of chronology and symbolism. The Bible frequently uses years to mark time, denote periods of significance, and convey spiritual truths.
Creation and the Beginning of TimeThe Bible begins with the account of creation, where time is introduced.
Genesis 1:14 states, "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.'" Here, years are established as a fundamental unit of time, governed by celestial bodies.
Lifespan and GenealogiesThe early chapters of Genesis record the long lifespans of the patriarchs, with years serving as a measure of their lives. For example,
Genesis 5:27 notes, "So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died." These genealogies emphasize the longevity of early humans and the passage of time from Adam to Noah.
Covenantal and Prophetic SignificanceYears often carry covenantal and prophetic significance. In
Genesis 15:13, God tells Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years." This prophecy outlines the duration of Israel's future bondage in Egypt, highlighting God's sovereign control over history.
The concept of the Jubilee year, found in
Leviticus 25:10, is another example: "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you." The Jubilee year was a time of liberation and restoration, reflecting God's desire for justice and mercy.
Sabbatical YearsThe sabbatical year, or "Shmita," is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. Every seventh year, the land was to rest, as commanded in
Exodus 23:10-11: "For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat." This practice underscored the importance of rest and reliance on God's provision.
Prophetic TimelinesYears are also crucial in prophetic timelines. The seventy weeks prophecy in
Daniel 9:24-27 is a notable example, where "weeks" are understood as sets of seven years. This prophecy outlines significant events in Israel's future, culminating in the coming of the Messiah.
New Testament ReferencesIn the New Testament, years continue to play a role in marking significant events.
Luke 3:23 records, "Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry." This age is significant, as it aligns with the age of maturity and readiness for priestly service in Jewish tradition.
Eschatological ImplicationsThe Book of Revelation uses years in its apocalyptic visions.
Revelation 20:2-3 speaks of Satan being bound for a thousand years, a period often referred to as the "Millennium." This time frame is interpreted in various ways, but it signifies a future era of peace and Christ's reign.
Symbolism and Spiritual LessonsYears in the Bible often symbolize completeness, testing, and fulfillment. The forty years of Israel's wilderness wandering (
Numbers 14:33-34) represent a period of testing and preparation before entering the Promised Land. Similarly, the forty days and nights of rain during the Flood (
Genesis 7:12) signify judgment and renewal.
Throughout Scripture, years serve as a reminder of God's sovereignty over time and history, His faithfulness to His promises, and the unfolding of His redemptive plan for humanity.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SABBATHS, OF YEARSsab'-aths, (shabbethoth shanim; anapauseis eton (Leviticus 25:8)): The seven sabbatic years preceding the Year of Jubilee.
SeeSABBATICAL YEAR;JUBILEE YEAR; ASTRONOMY, sec. I, 5.
SEVENTY YEARS
The period assigned by Jeremiah for the duration of the Jewish exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11, 12;Jeremiah 29:10; compare2 Chronicles 36:21Ezra 1:1Daniel 9:2). If the period be reckoned from the date of the first deportation in the 4th year of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:12 Chronicles 36:6Daniel 1:1 by another reckoning calls it the 3rd year), i.e. 606 B.C., till the decree of Cyrus, 536 B.C., the prediction was fulfilled to a year.
SeeCAPTIVITY.
YEARS, SEVENTY
SeeSEVENTY YEARS.
Greek
1332. dietes -- lasting twoyears, twoyears old... lasting two
years, two
years old. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: dietes
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-et-ace') Short Definition: two
years old Definition
...1333. dietia -- a space of twoyears
... a space of twoyears. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: dietia Phonetic
Spelling: (dee-et-ee'-a) Short Definition: twoyears Definition: a period...
5148. trietia -- a period of threeyears
... a period of threeyears. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: trietia
Phonetic Spelling: (tree-et-ee'-ah) Short Definition: a space of threeyears...
1541. hekatontaetes -- a hundredyears old
... a hundredyears old. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: hekatontaetes Phonetic
Spelling: (hek-at-on-tah-et'-ace) Short Definition: a hundredyears old...
5063. tessarakontaetes -- fortyyears old.
... 5062, 5063. tessarakontaetes. 5064 . fortyyears old.... See 5062 (). Word Origin
variant reading for tesserakontaetes, qv. fortyyears old....
5066a. tesserakontaetes -- of fortyyears
... 5066, 5066a. tesserakontaetes. 5066b . of fortyyears. Transliteration:
tesserakontaetes Short Definition: forty. Word Origin from...
5066. tetartaios -- of fortyyears
... of fortyyears. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: tetartaios Phonetic Spelling:
(tet-ar-tah'-yos) Short Definition: four days since Definition: of the...
2250. hemera -- day
... Word Usage always* (1), court (1), daily* (10), day (207), day's (1), day...another
(1), daybreak (1), days (148), daytime (2), midday* (1), time (12),years (4...
2094. etos -- a year
... Word Origin a prim. word Definition a year NASB Word Usage age (1), year (3),years
(42),years of age (1). year. Apparently a primary word; a year -- year....
5550. chronos -- time
... occasion; and from aion, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension,
an individual opportunity; by implication, delay -- +years old, season...
Strong's Hebrew
7620. shabua -- a period of seven (days,years), heptad, week... 7619, 7620. shabua. 7621 . a period of seven (days,
years), heptad, week.
Transliteration: shabua Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-boo'-ah) Short Definition: weeks
...8141. shanah -- a year
... 8140, 8141. shanah. 8142 . a year. Transliteration: shanah Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-neh') Short Definition:years. Word Origin from...
7992. shelishi -- third (an ordinal number)
... 1), three (1). third part, rank, time, threeyears old. Ordinal from shalowsh;
third; feminine a third (part); by extension, a third...
8027. shalash -- to do a third time, divide into three parts
... but apparently used only as denominative from shalowsh, to be (causatively, make)
triplicate (by restoration, in portions, strands, days oryears) -- do the...
7872. sebah -- hoary head, old age
... Definition hoary head, old age NASB Word Usage gray (1), gray hair (7), gray hairs
(1), gray head (1), gray-haired (1), grayheaded (1), grayingyears (1), old...
3117. yom -- day
... 172), today* (1), usual (1), very old* (1), when (10), when the days (1), whenever
(1), while (3), whole (2), year (10), yearly (5),years (13), yesterday* (1...
5716. adi -- ornaments
... Word Origin from adah Definition ornaments NASB Word Usage fine ornaments (1), jewels
(1), ornaments (9), trappings (1),years (1). excellent, mouth, ornament....
8140. shenah -- a year
... Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to shanah Definition a year NASB Word Usage
age* (1), year (5),years (1). year. (Aramaic) corresponding to shaneh -- year....
Library
Sixtyyears with Plymouth Church
Sixtyyears with Plymouth Church. <. Sixtyyears with Plymouth
Church Stephen M. Griswold. Produced by Chris Logan and...
FortyYears in South China
FortyYears in South China. <. FortyYears in South China Rev.
John Gerardus Fagg. Produced by David Newman in honor...
EarlyYears
... Chapter I Life. 1. EarlyYears. The Emperor Flavius Valerius Constantinus,
surnamed the Great, [2992] born February 27, 272 or 274...
Of the ThousandYears
... Hypotheses. OF THE THOUSANDYEARS. Of the Seventh Trumpet, and of the other
Prophecies of wonderful Events contemporary with it....
LastYears.
... Chapter I Life. Section 9. LastYears. Later in this year, Constantine is known
to have been at Jerusalem, where he dedicated a church (VC4.40; Chron....
A NewYears Message
... THE BOOK OF DANIEL A NEWYEARS MESSAGE. 'But go thou thy way till the end be: for
thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.'"Daniel 12:13....
Two FruitfulYears
... THE ACTS CHAP. XIII TO END TWO FRUITFULYEARS. 'And it came to pass, that,
while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through...
Fourth FiveYears.
... Chapter I Life. Section 6. Fourth FiveYears. If the third period was
relatively quiet the fourth was absolutely stirring. There...
Of the ThousandYears in which the Dragon or Satan is bound, with...
... SYNCHRONISM IV. Of the ThousandYears in which the Dragon or Satan is bound, with
the Seventh Trumpet, or the Interval from the Destruction of the Beast....
Second FiveYears.
... Chapter I Life. Section 4. Second FiveYears.... Clinton, under theyears 208 and 209).
[3020] For the churches he is said to have founded, compare note on Bk....
Thesaurus
Years (5873 Occurrences)... SABBATHS, OF
YEARS. sab'-aths, (shabbethoth shanim; anapauseis eton (Leviticus
25:8)): The seven sabbatic
years preceding the Year of Jubilee.
... SEVENTY
YEARS.
...Sixteen (24 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the
son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteenyears....
Seventeen (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) One more than sixteen; ten and seven added; as, seventeenyears.... Joseph,
being seventeenyears old, was feeding the flock with his brothers....
Clans (120 Occurrences)
... the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their
fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twentyyears old and...
Shem (17 Occurrences)
... He died at the age of six hundredyears, having been for manyyears
contemporary with Abraham, according to the usual chronology....
Valuation (22 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 27:3 Your valuation shall be of a male from twentyyears old even to sixty
years old, even your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the...
Crops (48 Occurrences)
... Yahweh blessed him. (See NIV). Exodus 23:10 "For sixyears you shall sow your
land, and shall gather in its increase, (See NIV). Exodus...
Cainan (8 Occurrences)
... He was 70years old at the birth of his eldest son Mahalaleel, after which he lived
840years (Genesis 5:9-14), and was 910years old when he died....
Advanced (32 Occurrences)
... Luke 1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both
were well advanced inyears. (WEB WEY DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)....
Census (24 Occurrences)
... were encamped at Sinai. The number of men from twentyyears old and upward
was then 603,550 (Exodus 38:26). (2.) Another census...
Resources
What does 2 Peter 3:8 mean when it says a thousand years are a day? | GotQuestions.orgHow can the light of stars billions of light years away from the earth have reached us if the earth is only thousands of years old? | GotQuestions.orgHow does God restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25)? | GotQuestions.orgYears: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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