Reference: Moon
American
This beautiful and stately ruler of the night, Ge 1:16, is one of the chief witnesses to mankind of the goodness, wisdom, and power of the Creator, Ps 8:3; and as receiving all its light from the sun, and reflecting it on all around, it is a striking image of the church of Christ. In the clear sky of the East, the moon shines with peculiar brilliancy; and it was worshipped by most nations of antiquity, either directly, or as an idol-goddess under the name of Ashtoreth, Artemis, Diana, Hecate, Meni, Mylitta, Maja, etc. The Hebrews were specially cautioned against this form of idolatry, De 4:19; 17:3; and yet fell into it; 2Ki 21:3; Isa 65:11; Jer 7:18; 8:2; 19:13; 44:17-25. See LUNATIC and NEW MOON.
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And God made the two great lights -- "the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshiped all the [starry] hosts of the heavens and served them!
When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
But you who forsake the Lord, who forget and ignore My holy Mount [Zion], who prepare a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune] and who furnish mixed drinks for Meni [the god of destiny] -- "
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!
And they will [carelessly] scatter [the corpses] before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which [the dead] have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked and which they have sought, inquired of, and required and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered, or be buried; they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth.
And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be like the place of Topheth -- "even all the houses upon whose roofs incense has been burned to all the host of the heavens and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods.
But we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her as we have done -- "we and our fathers, our kings and our princes -- "in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and prosperous and saw no evil. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. read more. [And the wives said] When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent and honor her and pour out drink offerings to her without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands? Then Jeremiah said to all the people -- "to the men and to the women and to all the people who had given him that answer -- " The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem -- "you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land -- "did not the Lord [earnestly] remember [your idolatrous wickedness] and did it not come into His mind? The Lord could no longer endure the evil of your doings and the abominations which you have committed; because of them therefore has your land become a desolation and an [astonishing] waste and a curse, without inhabitants, as it is this day. Because you have burned incense [to idols] and because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His law and in His statutes and in His testimonies, therefore this evil has fallen upon you, as it is this day. Moreover, Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have both declared with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her. [Surely] then confirm your vows and [surely] perform your vows! [If you will defy all My warnings to you, then, by all means, go ahead!]
Easton
heb. yareah, from its paleness (Ezr 6:15), and lebanah, the "white" (Song 6:10; Isa 24:23), was appointed by the Creator to be with the sun "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Ge 1:14-16). A lunation was among the Jews the period of a month, and several of their festivals were held on the day of the new moon. It is frequently referred to along with the sun (Jos 10:12; 72/5/type/am'>Ps 72:5,7,17; 89:36-37; Ec 12:2; Isa 24:23, etc.), and also by itself (Ps 8:3; 121:6).
The great brilliance of the moon in Eastern countries led to its being early an object of idolatrous worship (De 4:19; 17:3; Job 31:26), a form of idolatry against which the Jews were warned (De 4:19; 17:3). They, however, fell into this idolatry, and offered incense (2Ki 23:5; Jer 8:2), and also cakes of honey, to the moon (Jer 7:18; 44:17-19,25).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God's provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so. read more. And God made the two great lights -- "the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, be silent and stand still at Gibeon, and you, moon, in the Valley of Ajalon!
He put away the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in Judah's cities and round about Jerusalem -- "also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations [or twelve signs of the zodiac], and to all the hosts of the heavens.
And this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness,
When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
So that they may revere and fear You while the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
In His [Christ's] days shall the [uncompromisingly] righteous flourish and peace abound till there is a moon no longer.
His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed and bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed!
His Offspring shall endure forever, and his throne [shall continue] as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever as the moon, the faithful witness in the heavens. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened [sight is impaired], and the clouds [of depression] return after the rain [of tears];
[The ladies asked] Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear and pure as the sun, and terrible as a bannered host?
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when [they compare their ineffectual fire to the light of] the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when [they compare their ineffectual fire to the light of] the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!
And they will [carelessly] scatter [the corpses] before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which [the dead] have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked and which they have sought, inquired of, and required and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered, or be buried; they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth.
But we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her as we have done -- "we and our fathers, our kings and our princes -- "in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and prosperous and saw no evil. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. read more. [And the wives said] When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent and honor her and pour out drink offerings to her without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands?
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have both declared with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her. [Surely] then confirm your vows and [surely] perform your vows! [If you will defy all My warnings to you, then, by all means, go ahead!]
Fausets
yareach "yellow," and lebanah; "white" (Ge 1:14-16, "the lesser light".) Instead of being regarded as a person and worshipped, as it was by the surrounding nations, in Scripture it is God's creature "made for signs, seasons, days, and years" (Ps 104:19). The brightness of the moon in the East, guiding the traveler by night when the heat of day is past, gives it a prominence which it has not with us (Ps 8:3). In Ps 89:37 however the moon is not the "faithful witness," but God is witness to His own oath; translated "and the witness in heaven is faithful," so Ps 89:35. So Job 16:19, "my witness is in heaven," namely, God knows my innocence. The church is "fair as the moon, clear as the sun" (Song 6:10). As the moon shines in the night, reflecting the sun's light, so the church in this world's night (Ro 13:12) reflects the light of "the Sun of righteousness" (2Co 3:18).
Her justification in Him is perfect (1Jo 4:17 ff); in herself sanctification is yet imperfect, as the moon has less light than the sun on the illuminated part, and is but half illuminated. At His coming she "shall shine forth as the sun" (Mt 13:43). It influences vegetable growth; De 33:14, "moons," namely, its phases, others explain "months" as the times of ripening fruits. The cold night dews (Ge 31:40) and moonlight hurt the eyes and health of those sleeping under it; so Ps 121:6, "the moon shall not smite thee by night"; moon blindness is common in the East. The moon was worshipped as Isis in Egypt; as Karnaim, "two horns," of Ashtoreth, wife of Baal the king of heaven (the male and female symbolizing the generative powers of nature), in Syria; as Sin, "lord of the month," in Babylon.
Sabaism (from tsaabaa' "the heavenly hosts") was the earliest of false worships; it appears in our pagan names Sun day, Mon (moon) day; and in Job 31:26, "if I beheld the sun ... or the moon walking in brightness, and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand" in adoration. Josiah put down those who burned incense to the moon (2Ki 23:5). She was called "queen of heaven" (Jer 7:18), though that may mean Venus Urania. "Cakes" (cawanim) round like her disc were offered to her. So far from being an object of worship, it unconsciously worships its Maker (Ps 148:3; 8:3).
The moon in Re 12:1 is the Jewish dispensation, borrowing its former light from the Christian but now become worldly, and therefore under the church's feet (Ga 4:3 end; Heb 2:1). The sea, earth, and its satellite the moon, represent the worldly element in opposition to the sun, the kingdom of heaven. Before Jehovah the moon has no brightness (Job 25:5; Isa 24:23; 60:19-20). He shall be His people's everlasting light when sun and moon shall have ceased to shine.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God's provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so. read more. And God made the two great lights -- "the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.
This was [my lot]; by day the heat consumed me and by night the cold, and I could not sleep.
With the precious things of the fruits of the sun and with the precious yield of the months,
He put away the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in Judah's cities and round about Jerusalem -- "also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations [or twelve signs of the zodiac], and to all the hosts of the heavens.
Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God's glory] and the stars are not pure in His sight -- "
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness,
When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
Once [for all] have I sworn by My holiness, which cannot be violated; I will not lie to David:
It shall be established forever as the moon, the faithful witness in the heavens. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
[The Lord] appointed the moon for the seasons; the sun knows [the exact time of] its setting.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light!
[The ladies asked] Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear and pure as the sun, and terrible as a bannered host?
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when [they compare their ineffectual fire to the light of] the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.
The sun shall no more be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory and your beauty. Your sun shall no more go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!
Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, and let him consider and perceive and understand by hearing.
The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works and deeds of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light.
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
So we [Jewish Christians] also, when we were minors, were kept like slaves under [the rules of the Hebrew ritual and subject to] the elementary teachings of a system of external observations and regulations.
Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away.
In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
And a great sign (wonder) -- "[warning of future events of ominous significance] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crownlike garland (tiara) of twelve stars on her head.
Hastings
The moon is 'the lesser light to rule the night' of the cosmogony of Genesis (Ge 1:16). Its importance was in part due to the recurrence of its phases, which formed a measure for time. Each new moon, as it appeared, marked the commencement of a new period, and so in Hebrew the word for 'moon' and 'month' is the same. Sun and moon occur side by side in passages of Scripture, and to the moon as well as to the sun is ascribed a fertilizing power over and above the gift of light which comes from them to the earth. Just as we have in De 33:14 'the precious things of the fruits of the sun,' so we have there 'the precious things of the growth of the moons.' As a consequence of this, the re-appearance of the new moon was eagerly looked for, and trumpets were blown and sacrifices offered on the day of the new moon. We gather also from Ps 81:3 (RV) that something of a similar kind took place at the full moon. The moon took its part with the sun in one of Joseph's dreams when it 'made obeisance' to him (Ge 37:9); and it stood still, 'in the valley of Aijalon,' at the command of Joshua, at the battle of Gibeon (Jos 10:12-13; cf. Hab 3:11). Language which must have been derived from the appearance of the moon during eclipses is used by the prophets. The moon is to be darkened or turned into blood (Joe 2:10,31) before 'the day of the Lord'; and similar language is used by our Lord (e.g. Mr 13:24). We are told of the redeemed Zion that the light of the moon is to be as the light of the sun (Isa 30:26), and that there is to be no need of the moon, because the glory of God is to be the light of His people (Isa 60:19; cf. Re 21:23). Cautions against the worship of the moon, and punishment by death for the convicted worshippers, are to be found in De 4:19; 17:3; whilst a superstitious salutation of the moon by kissing the hand, not quite unheard of even in our own day, is mentioned in Job 31:26-27. Moon-worship by the burning of incense was offered in Jerusalem, and put down by Josiah (2Ki 23:5).
Mount Sinai is supposed to have derived its name from the moon-god Sin, to whom worship was paid there.
For the worship of the 'queen of heaven,' see under Stars.
In the OT we meet more than once with crescent-shaped ornaments (Jg 8:21; Isa 3:18); whether these are an indication of the worship of the moon is uncertain.
It has been always considered baneful in the bright clear atmosphere of the warmer regions of the earth to sleep exposed to the rays of the moon (Ps 121:6). The influence of the earth's satellite has long been considered burtful. Our word 'lunatic' reproduces the idea of the Western world of our Lord's time, that lunacy was due to the influence of the moon: the Greek word used in Mt 4:24; 17:15 shows this. In the RV the word is translated 'epileptic.' There are many still to be found who believe that the violence and recurrence of epileptic fits vary with the phases of the moon.
H. A. Redpath.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And God made the two great lights -- "the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.
But Joseph dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers [also]. He said, See here, I have dreamed again, and behold, [this time not only] eleven stars [but also] the sun and the moon bowed down and did reverence to me!
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
With the precious things of the fruits of the sun and with the precious yield of the months,
Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, be silent and stand still at Gibeon, and you, moon, in the Valley of Ajalon! And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise yourself and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna and took the [crescent-shaped] ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
He put away the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in Judah's cities and round about Jerusalem -- "also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations [or twelve signs of the zodiac], and to all the hosts of the heavens.
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness, And my heart has been secretly enticed by them or my mouth has kissed my hand [in homage to them],
Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
In that day the Lord will take away the finery of their tinkling anklets, the caps of network, the crescent head ornaments,
Moreover, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days [concentrated in one], in the day that the Lord binds up the hurt of His people, and heals their wound [inflicted by Him because of their sins].
The sun shall no more be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory and your beauty.
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
The sun and moon stood back [as before Joshua] in their habitation at the light of Your arrows as they sped, at the flash of Your glittering spear.
So the report of Him spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all who were sick, those afflicted with various diseases and torments, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, and paralyzed people, and He healed them.
Lord, do pity and have mercy on my son, for he has epilepsy (is moonstruck) and he suffers terribly; for frequently he falls into the fire and many times into the water.
But in those days, after [the affliction and oppression and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the splendor and radiance (glory) of God illuminate it, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Morish
At the creation the 'lesser light' was to rule the night. Its brilliancy is seen much more in the east than in the west, and its light is more appreciated in the former, especially when the heat of the day necessitates travelling by night. The NEW MOON among the Israelites was a festival: it was watched for on the hills, and as soon as it was seen, it was ushered in by sound of trumpet. Nu 10:10; 1Ch 23:31; Ps 81:3; Eze 45:17; Col 2:16: cf. 1Sa 20:5,18,24.
The Israelites were warned against worshipping the moon as well as the sun and stars. De 4:19; 17:3: cf. Job 31:26-28. Of Israel, in the time of Hoshea and of Manasseh it is said they worshipped 'all the host of heaven.' 2Ki 17:16; 21:3,5. Jeremiah also states that in Judah and Jerusalem cakes were made to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN, which is commonly supposed to refer to the moon, worshipped as Astarte. Then when the residue of the people had gone into Egypt, they declared that in spite of the prophet's warning they would burn incense to the Queen of Heaven, and pour out drink offerings unto her. Jer 7:18; 44:17-19,25.
There will be SIGNS IN THE MOON as well as in the sun when the time of God's dire judgement has arrived. Joe 2:10,31; Lu 21:25; Re 6:12. As a symbol the moon is used in prophecy to signify derivative authority, the sun being the supreme source of heavenly rule.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Also in the day of rejoicing, and in your set feasts, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your peace offerings; thus they may be a remembrance before your God. I am the Lord your God.
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
David said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the New Moon [festival], and I should not fail to sit at the table with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.
Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the New Moon festival; and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.
So David hid himself in the field, and when the New Moon [festival] came, the king sat down to eat food.
And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the [starry] hosts of the heavens and served Baal.
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshiped all the [starry] hosts of the heavens and served them!
And he [good Hezekiah's son] built altars for all the hosts of the heavens in the two courts of the house of the Lord!
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness, And my heart has been secretly enticed by them or my mouth has kissed my hand [in homage to them], read more. This also would have been [a heinous and principal] iniquity to demand the judges' action and punishment, for I would have denied and been false to the God Who is above.
Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!
But we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her as we have done -- "we and our fathers, our kings and our princes -- "in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and prosperous and saw no evil. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine. read more. [And the wives said] When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent and honor her and pour out drink offerings to her without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands?
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have both declared with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her. [Surely] then confirm your vows and [surely] perform your vows! [If you will defy all My warnings to you, then, by all means, go ahead!]
And it shall be the prince's part to furnish [from the contributions of the people] the burnt offerings, meal offerings, and drink offerings at the feasts and on the New Moons and on the Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare and make the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for, bringing forgiveness and reconciliation to, the house of Israel.
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [ without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn] at the roaring ( the echo) of the tossing of the sea,
Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath.
Smith
Moon.
The moon held an important place in the kingdom of nature, as known to the Hebrews. Conjointly with the sun, it was appointed "for signs and for seasons, and for days and years;" though in this respect it exercised a more important influence, if by the "seasons" we understand the great religious festivals of the Jews, as is particularly stated in
and more at length in Ecclus 43:6,7. The worship of the moon prevailed extensively among the nations of the East, and under a variety of aspects. It was one of the only two deities which commanded the reverence of all the Egyptians. The worship of the heavenly bodies is referred to in
and Moses directly warns the Jews against it.
De 4:19
In the figurative language of Scripture, the moon is frequently noticed as presaging events of the greatest importance through the temporary or permanent withdrawal of its light.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness, And my heart has been secretly enticed by them or my mouth has kissed my hand [in homage to them],
[The Lord] appointed the moon for the seasons; the sun knows [the exact time of] its setting.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising and the moon will not shed its light.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
But in those days, after [the affliction and oppression and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
Watsons
MOON. Particular sacrifices were enjoined by Moses at every new moon, which day was also celebrated as a feast. It is promised in Ps 121:6, "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." The effect of a coup de soleil, or stroke of the sun, is well known; and in some climates the beams of the moon are reputed hurtful. Anderson, in his "Description of the East," says, "One must here (in Batavia) take great care not to sleep in the beams of the moon uncovered. I have seen many people whose neck has become crooked, so that they looked more to the side than forward. I will not decide whether it is to be ascribed to the moon, as people imagine here." In some of the southern parts of Europe the same opinions are entertained of the pernicious influence of the moon beams. An English gentleman walking in the evening in the garden of a Portuguese nobleman at Lisbon, was most seriously admonished by the owner to put on his hat, to protect him from the moon beams. The fishermen in Sicily are said to cover, during the night, the fish which they expose to dry on the sea shore, alleging that the beams of the moon cause them to putrefy.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.