The Sabbatical Years

Respected Chronologist, Edwin R. Thiele wrote the book, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings¹. In it he states how there are only two dates in all of Hebrew chronology that can be confirmed by outside sources.

In the Old Testament, no absolute dates are given for the Hebrew kings and it becomes a true Berean’s task to establish, if he or she can, an absolute date in the history of Israel that can be used as a starting place to establish other dates in the desired chronological scheme. One’s only hope of doing this in the instances where there exist historical gaps which cannot be accounted for, is to isolate an intersecting principal point of contact where Hebrew history correlates with certainty to the history of another nation whose chronology, for a given space and time, is more well-known.

In the early history of the Hebrew monarchies, the two most well documented examples of this were the Assyrians first and the Babylonians second. Fortunately for us, the chronologies of these two nations as they pertain to the time periods we will be concerning ourselves with the most have been very thoroughly established².

853BC The Battle of Qarqar

853 B.C.

One is the Battle of Qarqar in 853 B.C. in which King Ahab died. This story is found in I Kings 22. The reason this date is important is because of who Ahab is fighting against. He and his regiment were fighting against Assyria. Assyrian chronology dating back to the beginning of the 9th century B.C. rests on a highly dependable and exceptionally solid foundation. All the essentials for a sound chronology are present. Therefore, scholars have been able to come up with a sound chronological system for the nation of Assyria.³

701BC Sennacherib attack Judah

701 B.C.

The only other date that ties into other chronologies is 701 B.C. when King Sennacherib attacks Judah in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign.

A solid synchronism between Judah and Assyria in which our pattern of Hebrew dates could begin is 701 B.C. is a definitely fixed date in Assyrian history and is the year in which King Sennacherib, in his third campaign, “went against the Hittite-land” (Aram), and shut up King Hezekiah the Jew… like a caged bird in Jerusalem, his royal city. This took place in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (II Kings 18:13), that is, in the year 701 B.C.⁴

Assyrian Chronologies

The Assyrians adhered to a practice of appointing to the office of Eponym, or Limmu, some high official of the court such as the governor of a province or the king himself. The Limmu held office for a calendar year and to that year was given the name of the individual then occupying the position of Limmu.⁵

From the ruins of Nineveh we have four Assyrian Chronologies called Eponym with which we can date from 911 B.C.–701 B.C.—each of which overlap the others.

We also have seven Assyrian Chronologies called Limmu Lists which cover the years from 891 B.C.–648 B.C. and they too have astronomical events that can be used to pinpoint the exact time in history that an event itself took place and the King that existed at that time.

There are also two other documents known as the Khorsabad King List from Sargon and the SDAS King List which not only are in agreement with each other, but are also in agreement with the Eponym and Limmu Lists previously mentioned.

Ptolemy’s Canon

And if the above isn’t enough, to all of this we can then add Ptolemy’s Canon which is a chronology of Babylonian, Persian and Grecian kings dating from 747 B.C.–161 C.E. But even this is not the end of it. Ptolemy also authored over eighty astronomical recordings (aka, observations)—including their dates and their relationship to the rulers at that time. These astronomical recordings can then be used to double-check the accuracy of the list of Kings and confirm when they ruled in human history.

It is only with these lists of chronologies, recovered from the ruins of Nineveh, that we are able to have a reliable chronological record of any of the Hebrew Kings

Having the lists of Assyrian rulers at our disposal only matters, however, when we can connect one or more Israelite kings to it and, remarkably, this has been done with the Battle of Qarqar and the Assyrian attack on King Hezekiah. Except for these two events tying directly into the known Assyrian chronology, we would have no date by which to reckon the Kings of Israel to, for they left no records to us.

Why, you may ask, is any of this important?

For one, the reference above with regard to King Sennacherib’s attack on King Hezekiah is recorded in the Assyrian chronologies. This recording is an absolute benchmark year and from that year we can determine when all the other kings of Israel reigned. We could also use the Battle of Qarqar, but the one for Hezekiah is much more important to us in the context of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years.

In this well-documented account, of which I cited earlier, King Sennacherib, in his third campaign, “went against the Hittite-land Aram, and shut up Hezekiah the Jew … like a caged bird in Jerusalem, his royal city.” This took place in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (II Kings 18:13). This is the year 701 B.C.

As I also stated earlier, but in more general terms, 701 B.C. is an absolute chronological benchmark date in history. It is irrefutable. It is provable beyond scrutiny.

Sabbatical and Jubilee Years

Read 2 Kings 18-20:11 and Isaiah 37:21-37. I highlight the key passages:

Isaiah 37:30 MKJV And this shall be a sign to you: You shall eat self-sown grain this year; and the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year you shall sow, and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

What Isaiah has just told is repeated and confirmed in II Kings 19:29-30

2 Kings 19:29 MKJV And this shall be a sign to you: you shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springs up of the same. And in the third year, sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat the fruits of them.

The Assyrian King, Sennacherib, recorded his troubles with King Hezekiah on stone pillars. This is one way we can date the Jubilee Year that occurred in 700 BC.

What you have just read is Yehovah’s injunction that for two years they were commanded not to plant or harvest and there are only two years in a Sabbatical Cycle when you cannot plant or harvest and that is the forty-ninth and fiftieth years of the Jubilee Cycle. But as to the II Kings 19:29 opener, “And this is the sign for you,” this is speaking about the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years, which are part of the Sabbaths and Holy Days that go into keeping the Fourth Commandment—a sign that we are His.

“This year you eat what grows of itself.” – The year Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem and Hezekiah was one of the most documented and undisputable years in history. It was 701 B.C.

“… and in the second year what springs from that.” – Knowing what year Sennacherib attacks then makes this second line the year 700 B.C.

“… and in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” – So the logical conclusion is that this third year is 699 B.C.

As I have reiterated already, these are proven historical years which match up with other known chronological histories.

701 B.C. is a proven historical date that can be successfully corroborated with a proven Assyrian date. We now can tie the succession of Hebrew kings in with a known chronology. Even more importantly, we can also use this exact same date to know when a Sabbatical Year was, which was followed by another Sabbatical Year, which was, in fact, a Jubilee Year.

This information is truly ground breaking and so pivotal, yet no one wants to look at it or acknowledge it. Very few seem to be operating under the conviction of just how paramount the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years are with regard to biblical history and prophecy, yet their importance is not to be denied and they can be found throughout the Bible if you know how to look for them and where.

Just how important are the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years to Yehovah?

Do they even matter? Did anyone even keep them? We do not read of them in the Bible, do we? But if we do, why do they matter?

2 Chronicles 36:19-21 MKJV
And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces of it with fire, and destroyed all its beautiful vessels. (20) And the ones who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, (21) to fulfill the Word of Jehovah in the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of the desolation it kept the sabbath, to the full measure of seventy years.

Jeremiah 25:11-13 MKJV
And this whole land shall be a ruin and a waste. And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (12) And it shall be, when seventy years are fulfilled I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, and the land of the Chaldeans, says Jehovah, for their iniquity, and I will make it an everlasting ruin. (13) And I will bring on that land all My Words which I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

Jeremiah 29:10-12 MKJV
For so says Jehovah, When according to My Word seventy years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and confirm My good Word to you, to bring you back to this place. (11) For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (12) Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

So, again I ask you, DO the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years even matter?

Jeremiah warned them they would be captives seventy years and 2 Chronicles explains why—for not keeping seventy Sabbatical Years prior to this outcome.

This captivity took place in 586 B.C. You must be mindful to factor in the Jubilee Years when you count the Sabbatical Years—the seventy Sabbatical Years being no different. So, seventy Sabbatical Years from 586 B.C. takes you back far enough, at the very least, to the time when David became king in 1010 B.C.⁶

If the Israelites kept some of the Sabbatical Years and not others, then we can speculate they never kept them from the time of Joshua, which was fifty-three Sabbatical Years before King David.

What we are seeing here is the fact that, if no one else kept track of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, Yehovah did. He kept track of precisely how many Sabbatical Years the Earth was owed. One might think it strange that the Earth would be “owed” anything. Yet, this is what Yehovah is impressing upon us in His Word. Yet, the simple truth of the matter is this: each year the Earth has to work while it grows your food on the Sabbath while you are resting, it misses fifty-two Shabbats a year as a result. Unlike us, it is not possible for the Earth to cease and desist from growing your food once a week to observe the weekly Sabbath rest.

When you multiply 52 weeks x 7 years you get 364 Sabbath Days that the Earth misses, or: 52 x 7 = 364

The Sabbatical Year is when the Earth finally is allowed to rest from and make up for all the Sabbaths it had to work growing food on the weekly Sabbath.

Do these years which are so vital to the Earth’s ongoing, overall well-being matter to Yehovah? You bet your life they do. And if you wish to keep benefiting from the Earth being in a position to continue to yield its sustenance, then these years should matter to you too—every bit as much.

It is after Judah returned to the land of Israel that we begin to see the Jews getting on board with observing and keeping the Sabbatical Years—along with the other Holy Days and the weekly Sabbath—something they did not do before their captivity. They are now becoming zealous about obeying them. And it is only after this time that we are actually able to find references to the Sabbatical Years in biblical history.

After Judah went into captivity for seventy years, the Jews returned to The Land and were more zealous than ever to keep the Sabbatical Years, the weekly Sabbath and the Holy Days than before their captivity when they made little or no effort to keep them. So again, it is only after their captivity we find artefacts and records of Judah keeping the Sabbatical Years.

Nehemiah 8:17-18 MKJV
And all the congregation of those who had come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths. For since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the sons of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. (18) Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read in the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth was an assembly, according to the Law.

List of Historically recorded Sabbatical Years

Historically Recorded Sabbatical Years:

701 B.C. Sennacherib attack Judah 2 Kings 19:29
700 B.C. 2 Kings 19:29 A Jubilee year
456 B.C. Nehemiah 8:18
162 B.C. I Maccabees 16:14 & Josephus Antiquities
134 B.C. I Maccabees & Josephus Antiquities
43 B.C. Julius Caesar & Josephus Antiquities
36 B.C. Josephus Antiquities 14:16:2
22 B.C. Josephus Antiquities 15:9:1
42 C.E. Josephus Antiquities 18
56 C.E. A note of Indebtedness in Nero’s time.
70 C.E. The Sabbath year of 70/71 C.E.
133 C.E. Rental contracts before Bar Koch bah Revolt
140 C.E. Rental contracts before Bar Koch bah Revolt

Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths, or, Sukkot)

From the Days of Joshua until Nehemiah they had not kept the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as Feast of Booths, or, Sukkot). If they never kept Sukkot then, how would they know or remember to keep the Sabbatical Years and the Jubilee Years?

Deuteronomy 31:10-13 MKJV
And Moses commanded them, saying: At the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles,
(11) when all Israel has come to appear before Jehovah your God in the place which He shall choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel in their hearing.
(12) Gather the people, men and women and the little ones, and your stranger who is within your gates, so that they may hear and that they may learn and fear Jehovah your God, and be careful to do all the words of this Law,
(13) and that their sons who have not known may hear and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over Jordan to possess it.

Moses commanded the Israelites to read the Torah every seventh year during Sukkot. And this is also what Nehemiah was doing. This was the “Year of Release.”

Qadesh La Yahweh Press in their book, The Sabbath and Jubilee Cycle⁷ examine the theories stemming from the Zuckermann-Schurer school of thought and the Marcus-Wacholder interpretation method, as well as others in extreme detail. This book is 445 pages and is free to download and read from their website. I highly recommend this book. We will begin to look at some of the theories these men have put forward and show where they have erred in their understanding of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.

Let’s now explore: One Day is like a Thousand Years?

1
http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Numbers-Hebrew-Kings/dp/082543825X
2
Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings; p.67
3
Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings; p.67
4
Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings; p.78
5
Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings; p.68
6
http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/e8.htm
7
http://www.yahweh.org/yahweh2.html