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Ezek. 24:1-2, "Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day." (KJV)

The traditional date observed for the both the first and second destruction of the temple is said to be the 9th of Av. However, Josephus recorded only the burning of the temple on the 10th of AV in AD 70. (Josephus Book of Wars 6.244-271) The Romans did not tear down the walls and stones of the temple until the first of Tishrei. (1)

The scriptures in Ezekiel recorded the destruction of the first temple on the tenth (10th) day of the tenth month. That places doubt on the traditional teaching for the 9th of Av, and upholds Josephus' record for the burning of the temple on the 10th of Av.

But, the month of Av by the Jewish calendar is the 7th month, not the tenth month.

Which month was the tenth month in Ezekiel's time of the Babylonian captivity? Is it possible the tenth month was a Babylonian month on a Babylonian calendar?

Note 1) The Scientific Date for the Destruction of Herod's Temple in AD 70 - here

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Ezek. 24:1-2, “Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, …” Which month was the tenth month?

TEBETH

Tebeth is the name of the tenth Jewish lunar month of the sacred calender and corresponts to part of December and part of January. It was simply referred as the "tenth month"

Esther 2:16 (NASB)

16 "So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign."

1 Chronicles 27:13 (NASB)

13 The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000.

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  • Is Tebeth also called Tevet? And, then which month are you starting from to make that the tenth month?
    – Gina
    Jul 14, 2019 at 19:19
  • @Gina:Yes "Tevet" corresponds to the forth month of the civil calendar, it is a winter month of 29 days and corresponds to December and January on the Gregorian calendar. (Info from Wikipedia.) A key word search on NASB and YTL Bibles did not reveal " Tevet".
    – Ozzie Ozzie
    Jul 14, 2019 at 19:45
  • After more research, I have discovered that the 1st siege of Jerusalem lasted about 2-1/2 years, the city fell on the 7th of Av, and the temple burned toward evening on the 9th of Av. Thank you!
    – Gina
    Jul 16, 2019 at 6:15
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The date of the destruction of the First Temple is given in the Bible as the seventh day (2 Kings 25:8) or tenth day (Jeremiah 52:10) of the fifth month. Av is the fifth month, counting from Nisan as the first.

So, why does Ezekiel 24:2 mention the tenth day of the tenth month? This date is mentioned in 2 Kings 25:1 and Jeremiah 52:4 as the beginning of the siege against Jerusalem. The verse in Ezekiel tells us that "the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day." Ezekiel is referring to the siege, not to the destruction of the Temple.

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  • Hmmmm. well, but why then did God take Ezekiel's wife that same night if it was not the same day that Jerusalem fell? He took Ezekiel's wife as a symbol for the loss of His own - Jerusalem.
    – Gina
    Jul 14, 2019 at 19:18
  • @Gina It doesn't say Ezekiel's wife died on the same day. Ezekiel's wife dies after "and God spoke to me saying" (24:15) which is how many sections in Ezekiel start. The immediate context (24:3) is a parable of being cooked in a cooking pot, which is a metaphor for a siege
    – b a
    Jul 14, 2019 at 19:44
  • Thank you!. Though your answer was helpful, I believe Ozzie's was slightly better. If I could vote for more than one to be correct, I would include yours as well.
    – Gina
    Jul 16, 2019 at 6:17

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