lete lunar years. And the same
interval necessarily held good between the Passover of that first year
and the Feast of Tabernacles of the forty-ninth year. The Passover
recalled the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt; and in
like manner, the release to be given to the Hebrew slave at the year of
Jubilee was expressly connected with the memory of that national
deliverance.

"For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the
land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen."

The day of Jubilee fell in the middle of the ecclesiastical year. From
the close of the year of Jubilee--that is to say, of the ecclesiastical
year in which the freeing, both of the bondmen and of the land, took
place--to the next day of Jubilee was 48-1/2 solar years, or--as seen
above--600 lunations, or 50 lunar years, so that there can be no doubt
that the period was expressly designed to exhibit this cycle, a cycle
which shows incidentally a very correct knowledge of the true lengths of
the lunation and solar year.

This cycle was possessed by no other nation of antiquity; therefore the
Hebrews borrowed it from none; and since they did not borrow the cycle,
neither could they have borrowed the ritual with which that cycle was
interwoven.

That the Hebrews possessed this knowledge throws some light upon an
incident in the early life of the prophet Daniel.

"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah
came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and
besieged it. . . . And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master
of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children
of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and
skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and
understanding science, and such as had ability in them to
stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the
learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. . . . Now among
these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah: unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave
names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and
to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to
Azariah, of Abed-nego. . . . As for these four children, God
gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and
Daniel had understanding in all visions and drea