(אַייָר; Ι᾿άρ, Josephus, Ant. 8, 3, 1; the Macedonian Ἀρτεμίσιος ) is the late name of that month which was the second of the sacred, and the seventh of the civil year of the Jews, and which began with the new moon of May. The few memorable days in it are the 10th, as a fast for the death of Eli; the 14th, as the second or lesser Passover for those whom uncleanness or absence prevented from celebrating the feast in Nisan (Numbers 9:11); the 23rd, as a feast instituted by Simon the Maccabee in memory of his taking the citadel Acra, in Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 13:51-52); the 28th, as a fast fox the death of Samuel. (See CALENDAR).
Gesenius derives Iyar from the Hebrew root אור, to shine; but Benfey and Stern, following out their theory of the source from which the Jews obtained such names, deduce it from the assumed Zend representative of the Persian bahar,; spring" (Monatsnamen, p. 134). The name Iyar does not occur in the O.T., this month being always described as the second month, except in two places in which it is called Zif (1 Kings 6:1; 1 Kings 6:37). (See ZIF).
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More