The two months referred to most often are the two months in the calendar with the most feasts: the first month (only 8 occurrences refer directly to the feasts) and the seventh month (of which 20 times refer directly to the feasts). Of the other month numbers, the smallest number of references is three for the third month and the greatest number is
14 for the second month.
If we remove the references to feasts in the first month, we have 24 other references, which is still many more than for any other month. However, there are a couple of references to things being done in the first month of the first year of the reign of a king, so those may not be referring to the first month of the religious calendar year at all. Another eight references tell us when things were done (or were to be done) on the first day of
the first month, so new year’s day was obviously quite important at times.
No clear-cut conclusions can be drawn, but if I had to guess where leap months might have been inserted, I would suggest that it was at the start of a year. Possibly they would be inserted if there were no signs of spring at the end of the twelfth month. However, this is just a guess.
Month names
As well
as month numbers, which is the most common way of referring to a specific month, some month names are used. However, these names tend to be in two groups: early names (used at the time of the Exodus and the construction of the temple) and later, Babylonian names (used during and after the captivity, in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Zechariah). The two calendars seem to have lined up well enough that Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel were able to refer to dates in terms of the years of
Jewish and Babylonian kings interchangeably.
Earlier names
Abib (1st month – Exodus 13:4, 23:15, 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1)
Ziv (2nd month – 1 Kings 6:1, 37)
Ethanim (7th month – 1 Kings 8:2)
Bul (8th month – 1 Kings 6:38)
Later names –
Babylonian
Nisan (1st month – Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7)
Sivan (3rd month – Esther 8:9)
Elul (6th month, by tradition – Nehemiah 6:15)
Chislev (9th month – Nehemiah 1:1; Zechariah 7:1)
Tebeth (10th month – Esther 2:16)
Shebat (11th month – Zechariah 1:7)
Adar (12th month – Ezra 6:15; Esther 3:7, 3:13, 8:12, 9:1, 9:15, 9:17, 9:19, 9:21)
References
I have tried to limit this article to using Bible-based detail, since I have more confidence in it than in other histories.
If you want to read more on calendars, try the following links. It is important to remember that many of the details in these references are based on much later times and much later evidence.
Various
sites
http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/526875/jewish/The-Jewish-Year.htm
http://www.yashanet.com/library/hebrew-days-and-months.html
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_calendar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_calendars
