Month
Month. From the time of the institution of the Mosaic law downward the month was a lunar one. The cycle of religious feasts commencing with the passover depended not simply on the month, but on the moon; the 14th of Abib was coincident with the full moon; and the new moons themselves were the occasions of regular festivals. Num. 10:10; 28:11-14. The commencement of the month was generally decided by observation of the new moon. The usual number of months in a year was twelve, as implied in 1 Kings 4:7; 1 Chron. 27:1-15; but since twelve lunar months would make but 354½ days, the years would be short twelve days of the true year, and therefore it follows as a matter of course that an additional month must have been inserted about every third year, which would bring the number up to thirteen. No notice, however, is taken of this month in the Bible. In the modern Jewish calendar the intercalary month is introduced seven times in every nineteen years. The usual method of designating the months was by their numerical order, e.g., “the second month,” Gen. 7:11, “the fourth month,” 2 Kings 25:3; and this was generally retained even when the names were given, e.g., “in the month Zif, which is the second month.” 1 Kings 6:1. The names of the months belong to two distinct periods. In the first place we have those peculiar to the period of Jewish independence, of which four only, even including Abib, which we hardly regard as a proper name, are mentioned, viz.: Abib, in which the passover fell, Ex. 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deut. 16:1, and which was established as the first month in commemoration of the exodus, Ex. 12:2; Zif, the second month, 1 Kings 6:1, 37; Bul, the eighth, 1 Kings 6:38; and Ethanim, the seventh. 1 Kings 8:2. In the second place we have the names which prevailed subsequent to the Babylonish captivity; of these the following seven appear in the Bible: Nisan, the first, in which the passover was held, Neh. 2:1; Esther 3:7; Sivan, the third, Esther 8:9; Bar. 1:8; Elul, the sixth, Neh. 6:15; 1 Macc. 14:27; Chisleu, the ninth, Neh. 1:1; Zech. 7:1; 1 Macc. 1:54; Tebeth, the tenth, Esther 2:16; Sebat, the eleventh, Zech. 1:7; 1 Macc. 16:14; and Adar, the twelfth. Esther 3:7; 8:12; 2 Macc. 15:36. The names of the remaining five occur in the Talmud and other works; they were, Iyar, the second, Targum; 2 Chron. 30:2; Tammuz, the fourth; Ab, the fifth; Tisri, the seventh; and Marcheshvan, the eighth. The name of the intercalary month was Ve-adar, i.e., the additional Adar. The identification of the Jewish months with our own cannot be effected with precision on account of the variations that must inevitably exist between the lunar and the solar month. Nisan (or Abib) answers to March; Zif or Iyar to May; Sivan to June; Tammuz to July; Ab to August; Elul to September; Ethanim or Tisri to October; Bul or Marcheshvan to November; Chisleu to December; Tebeth to January; Sebat to February; and Adar to March.
Month of
Jewish Name.
No. of Days.
Beginning with the new moon and corresponding with our
Products.
Jewish Festivals
Sacred Year.
Civil Year.
I.
VII.
Abib or Nisan.
30
March, April
Barley Ripe.
Fig in blossom.
Passover.
Unleavened Bread.
II.
VIII.
Iyar or Zif
29
April and May
Barly Harvest.
III.
IX.
Sisan or Sivan
30
May and June
Wheat harvest.
Pentecost.
IV.
X.
Tammuz
29
June, July
Early vintage.
V.
XI.
Ab
30
July, August
Ripe figs.
VI.
XII.
Elul
29
August, Sept.
General vintage.
VII.
I.
Tisri
30
Sept., Oct.
Ploughing and sowing.
Feast of Trumpets.
Atonement.
Feast of Tabernacles.
VIII.
II.
Bul
29
Oct., Nov.
Latter grapes.
IX.
III.
Chisleu
30
Nov., Dec.
Snow.
Dedication.
X.
IV.
Tebeth
29
Dec., Jan.
Grass after rain.
XI.
V.
Shebat
30
Jan., Feb.
Winter fig.
XII.
VI.
Adar
29
Feb., March
Almond blossom.
Purim.
XIII.
Ve-adar, intercalary.