Calendar
The year was composed of twelve lunar months (beginning on the day of the new moon), with an intercalary month added periodically (see perhaps 1 Kings 12.33). In some traditions, and perhaps originally, the year began in the fall, at the autumnal equinox (see Exodus 23.16; 34.22). In others, following Babylonian practice, the new year was celebrated in the spring. The fall new year became standard in postbiblical Judaism. Months in the Bible are usually identified by ordinal numbers, beginning with the spring new year. Some months (in boldface in the following list) are also designated with names derived either from a Canaanite calendar or, in postexilic texts, from a Babylonian one; the names of months not found in the Bible are known from other ancient sources.
| CANAANITE NAME | BABYLONIAN NAME | MODERN EQUIVALENT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Abib | Nisan | March–April |
| Second | Ziv | Iyyar | April–May |
| Third | Sivan | May–June | |
| Fourth | Tammuz | June–July | |
| Fifth | Ab | July–August | |
| Sixth | Elul | August–September | |
| Seventh | Ethanim | Tishri | September–October |
| Eighth | Bul | Marheshvan | October–November |
| Ninth | Chislev | November–December | |
| Tenth | Tebeth | December–January | |
| Eleventh | Shebat | January–February | |
| Twelfth | Adar | February–March |
