The count for Old Cycle Jubilees (1406/5 BCE – 574/3 BCE) began by counting 49 years, inclusively, in the Hebrew custom from Tishri 1, 2356 AM (Mon., Sept. 13, 1406 BCE, Julian) to Tishri 1, 2404 AM (Sat., Sept. 21, 1358 BCE). The Jubilee was a special 50th non-calendar year beginning with the Day of Atonement in the 49th year of a cycle to the Day of Atonement in the first year of the next cycle. Jubilees coincided with Sabbatical or Sabbatic years for all but 10 days (Tishri 1 – 10) the time beginning with the Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1) through the Day of Atonement (Tishri 10).
The Sabbatical count started on Tishri 1, 2356 AM (1406/5 BCE) [Mon., Sept. 13, 1406 BCE, Julian]. This established the Sabbatical cycle of seven years through the 17th Jubilee on the Old Cycle, as well fixing the dates of the first 17 Jubilees (each beginning Tishri 10 in the 49th year of a Jubilee cycle). The first Sabbatical year was 1400/1399 BCE.
The Old Cycle count for Jubilees and Sabbatical years ended with Hebrew year 2404 AM (1358/9 BCE). The land then had a 40 year rest while the people of the southern kingdom of Judah were held in captivity in the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Talmud (b. ‘Arak. 32b) and Seder ‘Olam Ch. 30 state that the counting of Sabbatical years began anew after the exile, in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Old Cycle Jubilees
Old Cycle Jubilees 1-17 | BCEt/t | AMt/t | Known Events |
1 | 1358/1357 | 2404 | |
2 | 1309/1308 | 2453 | |
3 | 1260/1259 | 2502 | |
4 | 1211/1210 | 2551 | |
5 | 1162/1161 | 2600 | |
6 | 1113/1112 | 2649 | |
7 | 1064/1063 | 2698 | |
8 | 1015/1014 | 2747 | |
9 | 966/965 | 2796 | Solomon’s fourth regnal year (2 Chronicles 3:1-2;1 Kings 6:1). On the Feast of Trumpets, Tishri 1, 2796 AM (Sat., September 7, 966 BCE), Priestly Course 1 (Jehoiarib) reported for duty. On Tishri 2 (Sun., Sept. 8, 966 BCE) the priests solemnly assembled the stones for the Altar of Burnt Offering. On Tishri 3 (Mon., September 9, 966 BCE) its purification began. On the Day of Atonement, Tishri 10, 2796 AM, (Mon., Sept. 16, 966 BCE), Course 2 (Jedaiah) offered the first morning and evening sacrifices on the new Altar of Burnt Offering about six months after the Temple groundbreaking on Iyyar 2, 2795 AM (Sun., April 14, 966 BCE) (2 Chronicles 3:1-2). |
10 | 917/916 | 2845 | |
11 | 868/867 | 2894 | Jehoshaphat’s third regnal year (2 Chronicles 17:7). A Jubilee was to be a time of restoration and Jehoshaphat undertook a concerted effort to teach the people to be obedient to God suggesting his heart was in the right place. 2 Chronicles 17:3-5 provides a description Jehoshaphat’s character and his relationship with God. The behavior recorded in 2 Chronicles suggests behavior consistent with the observance of a Jubilee. Perhaps, on its own, the data is not conclusive, but in overall context it is decidedly consistent with the exceptional behavior expected in a Jubilee year and an exact match based upon the Old Cycle Jubilee count beginning with 2356 AM (1406/1405 BCE) by 49 year periods. |
12 | 819/818 | 2943 | |
13 | 770/769 | 2992 | |
14 | 721/720 | 3041 | |
15 | 672/671 | 3090 | |
16 | 623/622 | 3139 | Josiah’s eighteenth year (2 Kings 22:3-7). The crux of the matter in Megillah 14b is that the later rabbis believed observance of the Jubilee required the reassembly of all twelve tribes of Israel. Their conclusion was that since a Jubilee had occurred in the year that Josiah asked advice of the prophetess Huldah, Jeremiah had returned with refugees from all twelve tribes to settle in the Land. Thus this Jubilee benchmark comes from the Babylonian Talmud at Megillah 14b. |
17 | 574/573 | 3188 | Jehoaichin’s twenty-fifth year of exile (Ezekiel 40:1). The dating of Ezekiel 40:1 refers to a “new year” – bə·rōš (בְּרֹ֨אשׁ) [at the beginning or start of something] haš∙šā∙nāh (הַשָּׁנָ֜ה) [of the year] – which began on “the tenth day” of the month. The only year that begins or starts with “the tenth day” of the month is a Jubilee year. |
Old Cycle Sabbatical Years
Old Cycle Sabbatical Years 1-119 | BCEt/t | AMt/t | Known Events |
1 | 1400/1399 | 2362 | |
2 | 1393/1392 | 2369 | |
3 | 1386/1385 | 2376 | |
4 | 1379/1378 | 2383 | |
5 | 1372/1372 | 2390 | |
6 | 1365/1364 | 2397 | |
7 | 1358/1357 | 2404 | |
8 | 1351/1350 | 2411 | |
9 | 1344/1343 | 2418 | |
10 | 1337/1336 | 2425 | |
11 | 1330/1329 | 2432 | |
12 | 1323/1322 | 2439 | |
13 | 1316/1315 | 2446 | |
14 | 1309/1308 | 2453 | |
15 | 1302/1301 | 2460 | |
16 | 1295/1294 | 2467 | |
17 | 1288/1287 | 2474 | |
18 | 1281/1280 | 2481 | |
19 | 1274/1273 | 2488 | |
20 | 1267/1266 | 2495 | |
21 | 1260/1259 | 2502 | |
22 | 1253/1252 | 2509 | |
23 | 1246/1245 | 2516 | |
24 | 1239/1238 | 2523 | |
25 | 1232/1231 | 2530 | |
26 | 1225/1224 | 2537 | |
27 | 1218/1217 | 2544 | |
28 | 1211/1210 | 2551 | |
29 | 1204/1203 | 2558 | |
30 | 1197/1196 | 2565 | |
31 | 1190/1189 | 2572 | |
32 | 1183/1182 | 2579 | |
33 | 1176/1175 | 2586 | |
34 | 1169/1168 | 2593 | |
35 | 1162/1161 | 2600 | |
36 | 1155/1154 | 2607 | |
37 | 1148/1147 | 2614 | |
38 | 1141/1140 | 2621 | |
39 | 1134/1133 | 2628 | |
40 | 1127/1126 | 2635 | |
41 | 1120/1119 | 2642 | |
42 | 1113/1112 | 2649 | |
43 | 1106/1105 | 2656 | |
44 | 1099/1098 | 2663 | |
45 | 1092/1091 | 2670 | |
46 | 1085/1084 | 2677 | |
47 | 1078/1077 | 2684 | |
48 | 1071/1070 | 2691 | |
49 | 1064/1063 | 2698 | |
50 | 1057/1056 | 2705 | |
51 | 1050/1049 | 2712 | |
52 | 1043/1042 | 2719 | |
53 | 1036/1035 | 2726 | |
54 | 1029/1028 | 2733 | |
55 | 1022/1021 | 2740 | |
56 | 1015/1014 | 2747 | |
57 | 1008/1007 | 2754 | |
58 | 1001/1000 | 2761 | |
59 | 994/993 | 2768 | |
60 | 987/986 | 2775 | |
61 | 980/979 | 2782 | |
62 | 973/972 | 2789 | |
63 | 966/965 | 2796 | Solomon’s fourth regnal year (2 Chronicles 3:1-2;1 Kings 6:1). |
64 | 959/958 | 2803 | |
65 | 952/951 | 2810 | |
66 | 945/944 | 2817 | |
67 | 938/937 | 2824 | |
68 | 931/930 | 2831 | |
69 | 924/923 | 2838 | |
70 | 9f17/916 | 2845 | |
71 | 910/909 | 2852 | |
72 | 903/902 | 2859 | |
73 | 896/895 | 2866 | |
74 | 889/888 | 2873 | |
75 | 882/881 | 2880 | |
76 | 875/874 | 2887 | |
77 | 868/867 | 2894 | Jehoshaphat’s third regnal year (2 Chronicles 17:7). The public reading of the Law was to occur at the Feast of Tabernacles” in every Sabbatical year “the year of release” (Deuteronomy 31:10-12). As Jehoshaphat undertook this duty in his third regnal year (2 Chronicles 17:79) it identifies his third regnal year as a Sabbatical year. |
78 | 861/860 | 2901 | |
79 | 854/853 | 2908 | |
80 | 847/846 | 2915 | |
81 | 840/839 | 2922 | |
82 | 833/832 | 2929 | |
83 | 826/825 | 2936 | |
84 | 819/818 | 2943 | |
85 | 812/811 | 2950 | |
86 | 805/804 | 2957 | |
87 | 798/797 | 2964 | |
88 | 791/790 | 2971 | |
89 | 784/783 | 2978 | |
90 | 777/776 | 2985 | |
91 | 770/769 | 2992 | |
92 | 763/762 | 2999 | |
93 | 756/755 | 3006 | |
94 | 749/748 | 3013 | |
95 | 742/741 | 3020 | |
96 | 735/734 | 3027 | |
97 | 728/727 | 3034 | |
98 | 721/720 | 3041 | |
99 | 714/713 | 3048 | |
100 | 707/706 | 3055 | |
101 | 700/699 | 3062 | Hezekiah’s Fallow Land (2 Kings 19:21; Isaiah 37:30 and the Baby-lonian Talmud at Taanit 29a. |
102 | 693/692 | 3069 | |
103 | 686/685 | 3076 | |
104 | 679/678 | 3083 | |
105 | 672/671 | 3090 | |
106 | 665/664 | 3097 | |
107 | 658/557 | 3104 | |
108 | 651/650 | 3111 | |
109 | 644/643 | 3118 | |
110 | 637/636 | 3125 | |
111 | 630/629 | 3132 | |
112 | 623/622 | 3139 | Josiah’s eighteenth year (2 Kings 22:3-7). |
113 | 616/615 | 3146 | |
114 | 609/608 | 3153 | |
115 | 602/601 | 3160 | |
116 | 595/594 | 3167 | |
117 | 588/587 | 3174 | Zedekiah’s Emancipation Proclamation (Jeremiah 34:8-10; Ezekiel 30:20-21). |
118 | 581/580 | 3181 | |
119 | 574/573 | 3188 | Jehoiachin’s twenty-fifth year of exile (Ezekiel 40:1). |
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