Jewish Calendar - Hebrew Month Names - Pre-Exilic And Post-Exilic
The Jewish calendar month names - both Pre-Exilic and Post-Exilic - meaning the Jewish calendar month names or Hebrew calendar month names before most of the Jews were exiled from the Kingdom of Judah to Babylonia by the Babylonians when the latter conquered Judah in 587 B.C.E. or 586 B.C.E. - I.E. Pre-Exilic - and the Jewish calendar month names after the Jews were allowed by King Cyrus the Great of Persia to return to Judea following the Persian conquest of Babylonia in 539 B.C.E. (alternate date claims: 538 B.C.E., 537 B.C.E., and 536 B.C.E.) - I.E. Post-Exilic - are presented here in a table along with the Babylonian month names that the Jews adopted while in exile in Babylonia along with the Jewish calendar month name(s) referenced in the Hebrew Bible as well as the zodiac sign or constellation sign assigned to each month.
Note: Regarding all aforementioned dates on this Jewish Calendar Month Names web page, see the footnote near the bottom of this web page.
| Babylonian Month Name | Month Number | Hebrew Month Name(s) | Month Number | Zodiac Sign (Constellation Sign) | Hebrew Month Name Mentioned In Hebrew Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nisanu | 1 | - Nisan / Nissan / Niy an (Post-Exilic) - 'aviyv / Aviv (Pre-Exilic) |
1 | Aries | Esther 3:7, Nehemiah 2:1 (Post-Exilic) Exodus 13:4, 23:15, 34:18, Deuteronomy 16:1 (Pre-Exilic) |
| Ayaru | 2 | - Iyar / Iyyar (Post-Exilic) - Ziv (Pre-Exilic) |
2 | Taurus | No mention of Iyar or Iyyar in the Hebrew Bible (Post-Exilic) 1 Kings 6:1, 6:37 (Pre-Exilic) |
| Simanu | 3 | Sivan / iyvan / Si'-van | 3 | Gemini | Esther 8:9 |
| Du'uzu | 4 | Tammuz / Tamuz / Thammuz / Thamuz | 4 | Cancer | No mention of Tammuz, Tamuz, Thammuz, or Thamuz as a month in the Hebrew Bible |
| Abu | 5 | Av / 'av | 5 | Leo | No mention of Av in the Hebrew Bible |
| Ululu | 6 | Elul / 'Eluwl | 6 | Virgo | Nehemiah 6:15 |
| Tashritu | 7 | - Tishrei / Tishri / Tisrei / Tisri (Post-Exilic) - Eisanim / 'Eythaniym / Ethanim (Pre-Exilic) |
7 | Libra | No mention of Tishrei, Tishri, Tisrei, or Tisri in the Hebrew Bible (Post-Exilic) 1 Kings 8:2 (Pre-Exilic) |
| Arach-Samna / Arakhsamna / Arachsamna | 8 | - Cheshvan / Marcheshvan / Heshvan / Marheshvan / Heshwan / keswan (Post-Exilic) - Bul / Buwl (Pre-Exilic) |
8 | Scorpius | No mention of Cheshvan, Marcheshvan, Heshvan, Marheshvan, Heshwan, or keswan in the Hebrew Bible (Post-Exilic) 1 Kings 6:38 (Pre-Exilic) |
| Kislimu | 9 | Kislev / Kiclev / Chisleu | 9 | Sagittarius | Nehemiah 1:1, Zechariah 7:1 |
| Tebetu | 11 | Tevet / Teveth / tava' / taval | 10 | Capricornus | Esther 2:16 |
| Shabatu | 10 | Shevat / Se'-bat | 11 | Aquarius | Zechariah 1:7 |
| Adaru | 12 | Adar / Addar / Ataroth-Adar / se'or | 12 | Pisces | Ezra 6:15, as well as eight times in the Book of Esther (Esther 3:7, 3:13, 8:12, 9:1, 9:15, 9:17, 9:19, and 9:21) |
Footnote regarding the aforementioned dates on this Jewish Calendar Month Names web page: all dates discussed on this website are based on the modern Gregorian calendar, however, these dates are but one secular scholarly deduction; there are many other secular scholarly deductions as well as traditional Jewish chronological dates in addition to modern Hebrew/Jewish calendar dates regarding the timeline of events in Jewish history. To see a table of some important events in Jewish history discussed on this website and their various dates deduced from traditional Jewish sources, the modern Hebrew/Jewish calendar, and secular historical timelines, check out our Jewish History Timeline web page.
