Birthday

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Birthday —In  Matthew 14:6 and  Mark 6:21 this word represents the Gr. τὰ γενέσια in the account of the king’s (Herod Antipas) feast to his nobles, at which John the Baptist was condemned to death. It has been suggested, however, though without much acceptance, that the anniversary referred to was that of Herod’s accession, not strictly that of his birth. Γενέσια, which in Attic Greek means ‘the commemoration of the dead,’ is in the later language interchangeable with γενέθλια (birthday celebrations), and there seems no reason why the translation of Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 and Authorized Version should not be right (see Swete on  Mark 6:21, and Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible , s.v. ). The custom of observing the birthday of a king was widely spread in ancient times (cf.  Genesis 40:20,  2 Maccabees 6:7; Herod. ix. 110).

For the question of the date of our Lord’s birth, and the authority for the traditional 25th December, see art. Calendar.

C. L. Feltoe.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Γενέσια (Strong'S #1077 — Noun Neuter — genesia — ghen-es'-ee-ah )

a neuter plural (akin to genesis, "lineage," from ginomai), primarily denoted "the festivities of a birthday, a birthday feast," though among the Greeks it was also used of a festival in commemoration of a deceased friend. It is found in  Matthew 14:6;  Mark 6:21 . Some have regarded it as the day of the king's accession, but this meaning is not confirmed in Greek writings.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

BIRTHDAY . Birthday celebrations are mentioned only in connexion with royalty, viz. Pharaoh’s birthday (  Genesis 40:20 ), the monthly celebration of that of Antiochus Epiphanes ( 2Ma 6:7 ), and the birthday feast given by Herod Antipas (  Matthew 14:6 ,   Mark 6:21 ). The ‘day of our king,’ to which Hosea refers (  Hosea 7:5 ), may have been the anniversary either of the king’s birth or of his accession. Some authorities ( e.g. Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus , i. 672) regard Herod’s feast as celebrating the anniversary of his accession a view based on a mistaken exegesis of the Talmudic passage Aboda zara I. 3 (see the full discussion in Schürer, GJV [Note: JV Geschichte des Jüdischen Volkes.] 3 i. 438 441).

A. R. S. Kennedy.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Birthday. The custom of observing birthdays is very ancient,  Genesis 40:20;  Jeremiah 20:15, and in  Job 1:4, etc., we read that Job's sons "feasted every one his day." In Persia, birthdays were celebrated with peculiar honors and banquets, and in Egypt, those of the king were kept with great pomp.

It is very probable that, in  Matthew 14:6, the feast to commemorate Herod's accession is intended, for we know that such feasts were common, and were called "the day of the king."  Hosea 7:5.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) The day in which any person is born; day of origin or commencement.

(2): (a.) Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its anniversary; as, birthday gifts or festivities.

(3): (n.) The day of the month in which a person was born, in whatever succeeding year it may recur; the anniversary of one's birth.

King James Dictionary

BIRTH'DAY, n. birth and day. The day in which any person is born.

1. The same day of the month, in which a person was born, in every succeeding year often celebrated as a joyful anniversary. It sometimes has the form of an attribute as a birth-day ode.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( יוֹם הֻלֶּדֶת ,  Genesis 40:20; Τὰ Γενέσια ,  Matthew 14:6;  Mark 6:21). The observance of birthdays may be traced to a very ancient date; and the birthday of the first-born son seems in particular to have been celebrated with a degree of festivity proportioned to the joy which the event of his actual birth occasioned ( Job 1:4;  Job 1:13;  Job 1:18). The birthdays of the Egyptian kings were celebrated with great pomp as early as the time of Joseph ( Genesis 40:20). These days were in Egypt looked upon as holy; no business was done upon them, and all parties indulged in festivities suitable to the occasion. Every Egyptian attached much importance to the day, and even to the hour of his birth; and it is probable that, as in Persia (Herodot. i, 133; Xenoph. Cyrop. i, 3, 9), each individual kept his birthday with great rejoicinrs, welcoming his friends with all the amusements of society, and a more than usual profusion of delicacies of the table (Wilkinson, v, 290). In the Bible there is no instance of birthday celebrations among the Jews themselves (but see  Jeremiah 20:15). The example of Herod the tetrarch ( Matthew 14:6), the celebration of whose birthday cost John the Baptist his life, can scarcely be regarded as such, the family to which he belonged being notorious for its adoption of heathen customs. In fact, the later Jews at least regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship (Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. Ad  Matthew 14:6), and this probably on account of the idolatrous rites with which they were observed in honor of those who were retarded as the patron gods of the day on which the party was born.

The proper Greek term for a birthday festival is Τὰ Γενέθλια (and hence in the early writers the day of a martyr's commemoration), but Τὰ Γενέσια seems to be used in this sense by a Hellenism, for in Herod. 4:26, it means a day in honor of the dead. It is not impossible, however, that in  Matthew 14:6, the feast to commemorate Herod's Accession is intended, for we know that such feasts were common (especially in Herod's family, Josephus, Ant. 15:11, 3; see Blunt's Coincidences, Append. vii), and were called "the day of the king" ( Hosea 7:5). The Gemarists distinguish expressly between the יוֹם גְּנוּסָיֵא שֶׁל מְלָכַים , Dies Γεννέσια Regni, and the יוֹם יִלְדָּא , or birthday (Lightfoot, Hor. Hebrews 1. c.).

Treatises on birthday celebrations have been written in Latin by Braen (Hafn. 1702), Esenbreck (Altdorf, 1732), Funcke (Gorliz. 1677), same (ibid. 1695), Hilde1trand (Helmst. 1661), Rhode (Regiom. 1716), Roa (Lugd. Bat. 1604), Spangenberg (Gothle, 1722), Weber (Vimar. 1751), Wend (Viteb. 1687).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bûrth´dā  :

(1) The custom of observing birthdays of great men, especially of kings, was widespread in ancient times (see  Genesis 40:20 f, "the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday ," etc.; compare 2 Macc 6:7; and Herod. ix.110; in the New Testament,  Matthew 14:6;  Mark 6:21 , "Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords," etc., i.e. Herod Antipas). Here we see the ancient custom reflected in two conspicuous instances centuries apart: ( a ) Pharaoh, on his birthday "made a feast unto all his servants," etc., and ( b ) Herod on his birthday "made a supper to his lords, and the high captains," etc. The King James Version (  Matthew 14:6 ) has it "when Herod's birthday was kept," etc.

The correct text here (Tischendorf, Westcott-Hort) has a very peculiar construction, but without material difference of meaning. The locative case gives the time of the principal action, "danced on Herod's birthday, when it occurred." The construction is not unexampled (see Jelf, section 699). This need not be called "a case absolute," though it corresponds to the Latin ablative (locative) absolute; and the Greek genitive absolute is itself not really "absolute," i.e. it is not cut loose from the rest of the construction, but gives some event to which the principal action is referred, for the indication of its circumstances.

(2) The term "birthday" (τὰ γενέσια , tá genésia ) was applied also to the anniversary of a king's accession to the throne (Edersheim); but Wieseler's argument that such is the case here is not conclusive. It is easy to suppose that when Herod's birthday approached he was sojourning at the castle of Macherus, accompanied by leading military and civil officials of his dominions ( Mark 6:21 ). Petty ruler as he was, not properly "king" at all, he affected kingly ways (compare  Esther 5:3 ,  Esther 5:6;  Esther 7:2 ).

(3) Genesia , which in Attic Greek means the commemoration of the dead, in later Greek is interchangeable with genéthlia = "birthday celebrations"; and there is no good reason why the rendering of the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) here, "birthday," should not be right (See Swete on  Mark 6:21 , and HDB , under the word) For date of Christ's birth, etc., see Jesus Christ; Calendar , etc.