The poem Raʾash Sheviʿit (רעש שביעית) refers to a fast observed on the 23rd of the Hebrew month of Shvat in memory of the victims of an earthquake that caused destruction in Tiberias and elsewhere. When the correspondence of 23 Shvat is compared with Julian calendar dates between 745 and 752 CE, it is found that 23 Shvat aligns with the 18 January date given by Theophanes and Cedrenus for the Holy Desert Quake — and only in 749 CE.

Although 23 Shvat and 18 January also fall close together in 746 CE, archaeoseismic coin evidence from Bet Sheʿan rules out this year, as 746 CE predates the A.H. 131 (31 August 748 – 19 August 749 CE) terminus post quem established by the coins. This convergence between two independent traditions thus points to 749 CE and a date around 18 January for the earthquake.