09 Jewish Months

Jewish Months

It is clear from Scripture that the Jewish months were lunar months. The beginning of a month corresponded as nearly as could be with the new moon.

Twelve lunar months would be only 354 days; consequently the next year would be 11¼ days in error all through: the second year 22½ days; and so on. But this was adjusted and regulated by the harvest: the wave sheaf was always to be presented in the month of Abib; and when the year closed at the end of the month Adar, if there was no prospect of the wave sheaf being ripe in time, an extra month was added, called Ve-Adar (additional Adar) and this would again bring the year nearly correct. And this was done as often as the harvest required it. From this it is evident that it cannot be stated to which of our months the Jewish months correspond exactly, as the latter were always changing. We give them as near as may be.

All the names of the months do not occur in Scripture, the months being generally called first month, second month, etc. The names that do occur (before the captivity) are very significant: as Abib, ’ears of corn;’ Zif ’blossom;’ Bul, ’rain.’