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You are here: Home / 101Study Help / Background & History / Hebrew Calendar explained

Hebrew Calendar explained

July 1, 2015 by Krisan Marotta

jewishyear

When studying the Old Testament, dates can be a source of confusion, especially when they switch between the Jewish name and the Babylonian name in the same story. Here are my reference tables.

Sacred#Civic#Jewish# of daysJulianSeason
17Nisan30Mar/Aprbarley harvest
28Iyyar
(Lyar)
29Apr/Maygeneral harvest
39Sivan30May/Junwheat harvest
410Tammuz
(Tammiz)
29Jun/Julalmonds ripe
511Ab30Jul/Auggrape, fig, olive
612Elul29Aug/Sepgrape, fig, olive
71Tishri30Sep/Octearly rain, plowing
82Heshvan29/30Oct/Novwheat barley sowing
93Kislev
(Chislev)
30/29Nov/Decrainy months
104Tebeth29Dec/Janrainy months
115Shebat30Jan/Febrainy months
126Adar29/30Feb/Maralmonds blooming
 . . .Total: 354 . .

Hebrew months were alternately 30 and 29 days long. Their year had 354 days (shorter than ours). The year was divided into 12 lunar months, with a 13th month 7 times in every 19 years. Every three years (7 times in 19 years) an extra 29-day month called Veadar was added between the Jewish months of Adar and Nisan.

The sacred year began in the spring. The civil year began in the fall. The 7th Sacred month was the 1st civil month.

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Sacred#Jewish NameBabylonian NameMacedonian Name
1NisanNisanuArtemisios
2IyyarAiaruDaisios
3SivanSimanuPanemos
4TammuzDuzuLoos
5AbAbuGorpiaios
6ElulUluluHyperbereatios
7TishriTashrituDios
8HesvanArahsamnuAppellaios
9KislevKislimuAudynaios
10TebethTebetuPeritios
11ShebatShabatuDystros
12AdarAddaruXanthikos

Further Reference:

Hebrew4 Christians: Jewish Holidays

Bible-History.com: Jewish Calendar

Barnes Bible Charts: Hebrew Calendar

Wikipedia: Hebrew Calendar

Jewish Calendar Sacred and Civil Years

Hebrew Calendar Converter

Time&Date: Jewish Calendar

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Jewish Feasts

For more information see: Hebrew4Christians

Passover (Pesach) – Nisan

Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi) – Nisan

First Fruits (Yom habikkurim) – Nisan

Pentecost (Shavu’ot) – Sivan

Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) – Tishri

Atonement (Yom Kippur) – Tishri

Tabernacles (Sukkot) – Tishri

Introduction to Jewish Feasts

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Series: Bible Study 101

Where to next?

6 Basic Bible study tools & how to use them

Resources Book of the Bible

Bible Charts, Lists & Outlines

Quotations: Where Scripture quotes Scripture

Photo from Bible-History.com and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

(This article has been read 1,047 times plus 11 today.)

Related posts:

  1. Jewish Day (1st Century) explained
  2. Should I learn Greek & Hebrew?
  3. Hebrew Poetry: How to understand psalms and wisdom literature
  4. Jewish Feasts Introduction
  5. Bible Maps, Charts & Tools

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: Bible Study, months, study tools

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