Tevet or Tebet also Tebeth (te'-beth, Esther 2:16 "in the tenth month, which is the month Te'-beth.").
Tropical: Nov. 16-Dec. 15, Gregorian: Dec. 16-Jan. 14, Julian: Dec. 30-Jan. 28.
- Hebrew Tebeth, tay'-beth, probably of foreign derivation.
- The tenth month of the Hebrew calendar and the fourth month of the Jewish calendar.
- Akkadian tebetu, the month Tebetu.
- One souce claims that it was identified with the 10th Assyrian month Dhabitu, corresponding to December-January.
- Canaanite derivation is "to sink," or to "dip."
- Sink.
- Sumerian gigri(2): to dive; to sink, founder (reduplicated giri5, 'to seek refuge').
- Hebrew taba', taw-bah', a primary root, to sink, drown, settle, sink, note similarity to Tebeth.
- Hebrew shaqa', shaw-kah', (abbrev. Amos 8:8), a primary root to subside, by implication to be overflowed, cease, make deep, let down, drown, quench, sink.
- Dip.
- Hebrew tabal, taw-bal', a primary root, to dip, plunge.
Rains continue with snow and hail in the mountains. Tebeth is the coldest month of the year and no agricultural activity is pursued. People subsist on stored and processed foods.
Snow.
- Hebrew sheleg, sheh'-leg, from Heb. shalag, shaw-lag', a primary root meaning to be white, as in snow-white, thus snow.
- Sumerian šeg8/9: snow; ice.
Cold.
- Hebrew qor, kore, from the same as Heb. qar, kar, (fem. qarah, kaw-raw') contraction from an unused root meaning chill, cool, thus cold.
- Sumerian ten; te-en: n., cold, coolness; v., to soften, allay; to trample, extinguish; to cool (te-en-te in marû).
- Sumerian sed, šed7,11, še4,5: n., cold water; coolness; v., to cool down; to repose; to be calmed, quieted; to pacify; to abate, subside.
- Sumerian šeg4: frost; cold shudder, chills.
Winter.
Capricornus represents the Winter Solstice (December 21st or 22nd) where the Sun, going south reaches its lowest point on the ecliptic, the Tropic of Capricorn. There the Sun turns and starts to climb up, heading towards the northern hemisphere, and thereafter the Sun begins to appear higher and higher in the sky each day. So we have an analogy of a goat climbing a mountain, which is Capricornus, but is associated with two types of goats: the Mountain-Goat and the Sea-Goat. The Sea-Goat is a mythological figure said to express the more esoteric nature of Capricornus.
- Hebrew choreph, kho'-ref, from Heb. charaph, khaw-raf', a primary root to pull off, to spend the winter, properly the crop gathered, by implication the autumn (an winter) season, thus cold, winter.
- Sumerian enten(a): winter (en, 'time', + ten, 'cold', + a(k), 'of').
Summer.
- Hebrew qayits, kah'-yits, from Heb. quwts, koots, a primary root, to clip off, to spend the harvest season, summer, thus harvest (as the crop), whether the product (grain or fruit) or the (dry) season, summer (fruit, house).
- Sumerian émeš: summer.
To see more about the comparisons of the Ancient Calendar Months with the Ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Semitic, Canaanite, Hebrew, Babylonian and Arabic names for each then click on Ancient Calendar Months.
The calendar reformed in the Ur III period by Shulgi, king of Sumer from 2094-2047 B.C.. Five of the pre-Sargonic month names survived the transition, and the total number of months rose from nine to twelve. The following is one of the twelve:
- Sumerian ezem-mah (ezem, festivity + mah, great), is also the Great Festival in the ninth month of the year, as well as here in the tenth reflecting the beginning of the winter months.
- Sumerian ezem: festivity.
- Sumerian èš-èš: a festival (reduplicated 'shrine').
- Sumerian ezen-mah: great festival ('feast' + 'great').
- Sumerian ezen: festival, feast (uzu, 'cut of meat', + en, 'time').
- Sumerian ùnu: feast; chief cowherd.
- Sumerian únu: (cf., únug).
- Sumerian gišbun: (cultic) feast.
- Sumerian mah: v., to be or make large. adj., high, exalted, great, lofty, sublime.
Of interest in the Egyptian arena is the Grand Temple Decan 19 is named Tep a semdet, Tepi a semdet, Tep a-Semt or Tepi-a-Semed, Tepi-a Smd, meaning "Precedes Semed (Semed is the Full Moon Festival as seen on Denderah Decan 3)," and as seen on "http://home.main.rr.com/imyunnut/Den.Round.html" by Joanne Conman, Semed possibly means "The Division of the Year," as in "this decan marks the winter solstice, and the half-way point through the year. Semed was the name of the Full Moon Festival held every month."
From www.lexiline.com it claims, "The 15th of Tebetu the swallow SIM.MACH (added later: shiunutum IM.SHESH in the East and the lance KAK.SI.SA), the Great Square ASH.IKU rises in 20 days, and on the opposite the standing gods DINGIR.GUB.BA.MESH. The path of the moon, the Goat-Fish SUCHUR.MASH, the Great GU.LA, the 'tail' of the Swallow SIM.MACH, the 'tail' KUN.MESH of the Swallow the 'bands' are intended and identified as the Tigris and Euphrates, 'bands' going forth from the Swallow (and Great Square), later as swallow and Anunitum were changed into two fish and the two bands of the fish."
Continue to Constellations Names of Capricornus or Star Names of Capricornus.
This file last updated on February 21, 2004, June 18, 2005, July 15, 2008, and June 30, 2010.
Goat"