Bible Dictionary
Year
A year is the ordinary major division of time, understood in Scripture in relation to the sun’s revolution. Israel used both a sacred calendar beginning with Abib and a civil reckoning associated with the autumn season.
Definition
A year is the highest ordinary division of time and is associated with the sun’s return or revolution. The Hebrew year was solar while the month was lunar, with adjustment made by intercalation. The term may also be expressed by words meaning return or days.
Biblical Usage
Israel reckoned the year in two ways: by a sacred calendar beginning around the vernal equinox with Abib, and by a civil calendar beginning around the autumnal equinox. The supplied material also notes that Tisri is now the beginning of the Jewish year.
Historical Background
The ancient Egyptians divided the year into twelve months of thirty days, adding five days to complete the solar revolution. Hebrew reckoning combined a lunar month with a solar year through intercalation.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Heb. shanah, meaning “repetition” or “revolution” (Gen. 1:14; 5:3). Among the ancient Egyptians the year consisted of twelve months of thirty days each, with five days added to make it a complete revolution of the earth round the sun. The Jews reckoned the year in two ways, (1) according to a sacred calendar, in which the year began about the time of the vernal equinox, with the month Abib; and (2) according to a civil calendar, in which the year began about the time of the autumnal equinox, with the month Nisan. The month Tisri is now the beginning of the Jewish year.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
the highest ordinary division of time. Two years were known to, and apparently used by, the Hebrews.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>yer (shanah, Aramaic shenah, "a return" (of the sun), like the Greek eniautos; yamim, "days," is also used for "year," and the Greek hemerai, corresponds to it (Jos 13:1; Lu 17,18); etos, is also employed frequently in the New Testament; for the difference between etos and eniautos, see Grimm-Thayer, under the word): The Hebrew year was solar, although the month was lunar, the adjustment being made in intercalation.</p><p>See ASTRONOMY; TIME.</p>