Celebrating Birthdays

“Is it permissible to celebrate one’s birthday?” The English word “birthday” appears three times in the Bible. The first occurrence pertains to the birthday of an Egyptian pharaoh (Genesis 40:20). The other two incidences relate to “Herod’s birthday” (Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21). In addition, other passages refer to birthdays. “And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them” (Job 1:4 NKJV). Hosea 7:5 may also be a reference to a birthday celebration.

Apparently, the Bible is impartial regarding the observance of one’s birthday. However, anything permissible can be wrong if it is associated with sinful activity. In the case of Herod’s birthday celebration, it was corrupted with sensual dancing by his daughter and the murder of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6-11).