Tishri The Babylonian name for the seventh month of the year; the Canaanite name was Ethanim (1 Kgs 8:2; Lev 23:27). Approximately corresponds to September/October. The name Tishri is not used in Scripture. While the religious calendar began in the spring (with Nisan/Abib), the civil calendar began in the autumn with Tishri. The holiday of the first day of the seventh month mentioned in Lev 23:23–25 later came to be known as “Rosh Ha-Shanah” (the “head of the year”). The Mishnah describes four “new years” (m. Rosh Hashanah 1:1):

1. The first of Nisan—the new year for marking the reigns of kings and reckoning religious festivals

2. The first of Elul—the new year for reckoning the tithe of cattle

3. The first of Tishri—the new year for reckoning years, Sabbatical Years, Jubilee years, and for planting trees and vegetables

4. The first of Shebat—the new year for planting trees

Two references in Exodus indicate that the autumn harvest was considered the time of the turn of the year at some point in Israelite history (Exod 23:16; 34:22). This tradition was preserved by reckoning the beginning of the year at different times for different purposes. For further information, see this article: Calendar.