Bible: Torah | Bible Dates | Scriptures & Sacred Books

The Jewish night was divided into three watches, (Exodus 14:24) (Judges 7:19) (1 Samuel 11:11).

Under the Roman system, the period from sunrise to sunset had four watches in twelve hours, the sixth hour being at midday.
Here are the time divisions:
First watch - Sunset To 9 P. M.
Second Watch - 9 P. M. To Midnight
Third Watch - Midnight To 3 A. M.
Fourth Watch - 3 A. M. To Sunrise
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First Watch - Sunrise To 9 A. M.
Second Watch - 9 A. M. - To Noon
Third Watch - Noon To 3 P. M.
Fourth Watch - 3 P.M. To Sunset

The year was based on a lunar-solar system. The Hebrew months were alternately 30 and 29 days long.
Their year, shorter than ours, had 354 days.
A supplementary month was added to correct the lag of the lunar cycle behind the solar cycle. About every 3 years (7 times in 19 years) an extra 29 - day month Ve-Adar,
was usually added before Nisan. After the exile, the Jews had adopted Babylonian names for the months.
(For much more detail see: The New Jerusalem Bible, page 2076, "The Calendar".)

Bibliography:

1. The New Jerusalem Bible, page 2076 (The Calendar), published by Doubleday 1985, N.Y., N.Y., 10036.
2. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.
3. McKenzies Dictionary of the Bible.
4. The Catholic Study Bible, 2^nd edition, by Scott Hahn.
5. "Faith Facts", Catholics United for The Faith (CUF).
6. Office for Catechesis of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago Catholic Scripture School.
7. The Holy Bible, (NRSV) 1990. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee 37214

Bible: Torah | Bible Dates | Scriptures & Sacred Books