God created the four seasons, each with its meaning. Spring, following the dormancy of winter, is considered a time of rebirth. It’s also a season where flowers bloom, and people enjoy the outdoors more. Because of the warm weather, people partake in spring cleaning, which has become an annual ritual for many households. While many cultures have adopted spring cleaning throughout the world, it stems from the Jewish custom of Passover (Festival of Unleavened Bread). So, what is the Hebrew word for spring?

Mayan, mayeno, or mayanah, pronounced mah-yawn, is the Hebrew word for spring. The word Mayan symbolizes new life, renewal, or growth. This season also holds symbolism from various religious traditions, including Judaism, making it a time of cleansing. 

5 Bible Verses Where The Word Mayan/ Spring Is Used

• The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death (Proverbs 13:14).
• and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses (Isaiah 44:4).
• Distil, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it (Isaiah 45:8).
• Behold, this is the joy of his way: out of the earth, others shall spring (Job 8:19).
• Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern in which water is gathered shall be clean, but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean (Leviticus 11:36).

What Does the Bible Say About Spring?

During Spring, people get busy spring cleaning as the Festival of Unleavened Bread approaches. Passover, a major Jewish holiday, celebrates the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. This celebration requires cleaning all traces of yeast. In Passover tradition, leaven represents sin, and Jewish people remember the miracle of the angel of death passing over the Hebrew houses protected by a lamb’s blood.

In fact, in Jewish tradition, the celebration and remembrance of Passover is commanded by God:

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:14-15)

While the Jewish people have kept this tradition for generations, the message that God is faithful and will always fulfill His promises is still powerfully relevant for all believers. Just like the process of thoroughly doing spring cleaning, as believers we can turn to God and ask Him to purify us from sins until we are “whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

In Judaism, anything that is going to be in contact with food during Passover has to be cleaned. Both Passover and the concept of spring cleaning teach us that we should aim to do a thorough cleansing. Identifying what needs to go is a step that applies in our spiritual life. What do we need to clean to ensure a stronger relationship with God and a chance for eternal life? Is it pride, anger, lust, jealousy, or any other sin?

Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us we should get rid of our “old self” that is corrupted by its deceitful desires, such that our hearts and minds become completely new. We should also ensure that our new self is in God’s likeness, upright and holy. We should be glad to have a new self because the Bible reminds us that our old self was crucified with Him so that our body of sin might be done away with, and we can patiently wait for the Lord just like a farmer waits for the autumn and spring rains (Romans 6:6; James 5:7).

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were governed by the Mosaic covenant, one of which is that they had to obey God to get Autumn and Spring rain (Deuteronomy 11: 13-14). Throughout the Bible, we are reminded the Lord is a covenant-keeping God, and every promise he makes will come to fruition. So we should earnestly seek the Lord and press on to know Him, and He will come out to us as the spring rains that water the Earth (Hosea 6:3).

Mayan as a Symbol of Growth

In the dictionary, Spring is referred to as “a place where water naturally flows out from the ground” or a season when plants start to grow again, and flowers appear.” It’s the time of year when the world seems to come back to life again after the stagnant growth of winter. During creation, the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters (Genesis 1:2), exemplifying the phrase ‘water is a source of life’

In fact, in the Bible, there are several mentions of the Spirit participating in creation (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Isaiah 32:15) and the Spirit giving life to humanity and other creatures. (Psalm 104:29-30; Job 33:4) We are created in the image of God, and through Him, we can attain new life and grow in faith by knowing him more. As plants and flowers grow again after a dormant winter, spring symbolizes spiritual growth.

Spiritual maturity comes from prayer, reading the Bible, and striving to know God more. When we press on to know God, He promises to guide us until we become like an ever-flowing spring (Isaiah 58:11). The process of attaining spiritual maturity can be likened to a tree planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither (Psalm 1:3).

Mayan as a Symbol of Renewal

Just like Spring is a season of renewal for the flowers to reawaken and bloom, the one sitting on the throne will make everything new (Revelation 21:5). When we surrender to God and atone for our sins, we become a new creation. To be renewed and regenerated allows the old to be gone and the new to come. In addition, we must forget the former things and not dwell on the past (Isaiah 43:18-19). To do that, we need to draw water from the spring of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). It’s only from Him we can get salvation (Psalms 62:1).

Conclusion

Mayan, the Hebrew word for spring, symbolizes a fresh start and spiritual growth. Spring is a reminder that God will make all things new and that we should use the season to progress in our spiritual journey. This season also holds symbolism in Jewish tradition, where it’s seen as a time of cleansing.