King James Bible Dictionary

Among the Egyptians the month of thirty days each was in use long before the time of the Exodus, and formed the basis of their calculations. From the time of the institution of the Mosaic law the month among the Jews was lunar. The cycle of religious feasts depended on the moon. The commencement of a month was determined by the observation of the new moon. The number of months in the year was usually twelve (1 Kings 4:7; 1 Chronicles 27:1-15); but every third year an additional month (ve-Adar) was inserted, so as to make the months coincide with the seasons.

"The Hebrews and Phoenicians had no word for month save 'moon,' and only saved their calendar from becoming vague like that of the Moslems by the interpolation of an additional month. There is no evidence at all that they ever used a true solar year such as the Egyptians possessed. The latter had twelve months of thirty days and five epagomenac or odd days.", Palestine Quarterly, January 1889.

Ancient use of
Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:4

Twelve months reckoned to a year
1 Chronicles 27:1-15

1. Abib (April):

The Jewish calendar began with
Exodus 12:2; Exodus 13:4; Deuteronomy 16:1

Passover instituted and celebrated in
Exodus 12:1-28; Exodus 23:15

Israelites left Egypt in
Exodus 13:4

Tabernacle set up in
Exodus 40:2; Exodus 40:17

Israelites arrive at Zin in
Numbers 20:1

Cross Jordan in
Joshua 4:19

Jordan overflows in
1 Chronicles 12:15

Decree to put the Jews to death in
Esther 3:12

The death of Jesus in
Esther 40:26

After the captivity called Nisan
Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7

2. Zif (May):

General references
1 Kings 6:1; 1 Kings 6:37

Israel numbered in
Numbers 1:1; Numbers 1:18

Passover to be observed in, by the unclean and others who could not observe it in the first month
Numbers 9:10-11

Israel departed from the wilderness of Zin in
Numbers 10:11

Temple begun in
1 Kings 6:1; 2 Chronicles 3:2

An irregular Passover celebrated in
2 Chronicles 30:1-27

Rebuilding of the temple begun in
Ezra 3:8

3. Sivan (June):

General references
Esther 8:9

Asa renews the covenant of himself and people in
2 Chronicles 15:10

4. Tammuz (July): Mentioned by number, not by name

Jerusalem taken by Nebuchadnezzar in
Jeremiah 39:2; Jeremiah 52:6-7

5. Ab (August): mentioned by number, not by name

Aaron died on the first day of
Numbers 33:38

Temple destroyed in
2 Kings 25:8-10; Jeremiah 1:3; Jeremiah 52:12-30

Ezra arrived at Jerusalem in
Ezra 7:8-9

6. Elul (September):

Wall of Jerusalem finished in
Nehemiah 6:15

Temple built in
Haggai 1:14-15

7. Ethanim (October):

General references
1 Kings 8:2

Feasts held in
Leviticus 23:24; Leviticus 23:27; Nehemiah 8:13-15

Jubilee proclaimed in
Leviticus 25:9

Solomon's temple dedicated in
1 Kings 8:2

Altar rebuilt and offerings renewed in
Ezra 3:1; Ezra 3:6

8. Bul (November):

The temple finished in
1 Kings 6:38

Jeroboam's idolatrous feast in
1 Kings 12:32-33; 1 Chronicles 27:11

9. Chisleu (December):
Ezra 10:9; Jeremiah 36:9; Jeremiah 36:22; Zech 7:1

10. Tebeth (January):

General references
Esther 2:16

Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem in
2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4

11. Sebat (February):

General references
Zech 1:7

Moses probably died in
Deuteronomy 1:3

12. Adar (March):

General references
Esther 3:7

Second temple finished in
Ezra 6:15

Feast of Purim in
Esther 9:1-26

Months in prophecy
Revelation 11:2

From the time of the institution of the Mosaic law downward the 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. (Numbers 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 Chronicles 27:1-15) but since twelve lunar months would make but 354 1/2 days, the years would be short twelve days of the 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," (Genesis 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, (Exodus 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; 16:1) and which was established as the first month in commemoration of the exodus, (Exodus 12:2) Zif, the second month, (1 Kings 6:1,37) Bul, the eighth, (1 Kings 6:38) and Ethanim, the seventh. (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, (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7) Sivan, the third (Esther 8:9) Bar. 1.8; Elul, the sixth, (Nehemiah 6:15) 1 Macc. 14.27; Chisleu, the ninth, (Nehemiah 1:1; Zechariah 7:1) 1 Macc. 1.54; Tebeth, the tenth, (Esther 2:16) Sebat, the eleventh, (Zechariah 1:7) 1 Macc. 16.14; and Adar, the twelfth. (Esther 3:7; 8:1) 2 Macc. 15.36. The names of the remaining five occur int he Talmud and other works; they were, Iyar, the second, Targum; (2 Chronicles 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, noun [Latin mensis; Gr. a month from the moon.] A space or period of time constituting a division of the year. month originally signified the time of one revolution of the moon, a lunation, or the period from one change or conjunction of the moon with the sun to another, a period of 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes and 5 seconds. This is the periodical month or as we generally call it, the lunar month In this sense we still use the word month But we also apply the term to the space of time in which the sun passes through one sign, or a twelfth part of the zodiac. This period contains 30 days, 10 hours, 29 minutes, 5 seconds, and it called a solar month In the year, there are twelve solar months, and thirteen lunar months.

In popular language, four weeks are called a month being nearly the length of the lunar month A calendar month differs in some degree from a solar month; consisting of twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty or thirty one days, as the months stand in calendars or almanacs.

MONTHLY, adjective Continued a month or performed in a month; as the monthly revolution of the moon.

1. Done or happening once a month, or every month; as the monthly concert of prayer; a monthly visit.

MONTHLY, adverb Once a month; in every month. The moon changes monthly

1. As if under the influence of the moon; in the manner of a lunatic. [Not used.]

MONTH'S-MIND, noun Earnest desire; strong inclination.