day Summary and Overview

The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). "The heat of the day" (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o'clock, and "the cool of the day" just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex. 14:24). In the New Testament the division of the Greeks and Romans into four watches was adopted (Mark 13:35). (See WATCHES T0003789.) The division of the day by hours is first mentioned in Dan. 3:6, 15; 4:19; 5:5. This mode of reckoning was borrowed from the Chaldeans. The reckoning of twelve hours was from sunrise to sunset, and accordingly the hours were of variable length (John 11:9). The word "day" sometimes signifies an indefinite time (Gen. 2:4; Isa. 22:5; Heb. 3:8, etc.). In Job 3:1 it denotes a birthday, and in Isa. 2:12, Acts 17:31, and 2 Tim. 1:18, the great day of final judgment.

The variable length of the natural day at different seasons led in the very earliest times to the adoption of the civil day (or one revolution of the sun) as a standard of time. The Hebrews reckoned the day from evening to evening, #Le 23:32| deriving it from #Ge 1:5| "the evening and the morning were the first day." The Jews are supposed, like the modern Arabs, to have adopted from an early period minute specifications of the parts of the natural day. Roughly, indeed, they were content to divide it into "morning, evening and noonday," #Ps 55:17| but when they wished for greater accuracy they pointed to six unequal parts, each of which was again subdivided. These are held to have been -- 1. "the dawn." 2. "Sunrise." 3. "Heat of the day," about 9 o'clock. 4. "The two noons," #Ge 43:16; De 28:29| 5. "The cool (lit. wind) of the day," before sunset, #Ge 3:8| --so called by the Persians to this day. 6. "Evening." Before the captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, #Ps 63:6; 90:4| viz. the first watch, lasting till midnight, #La 2:19| the "middle watch," lasting till cockcrow, #Jud 7:19| and the "morning watch," lasting till sunrise. #Ex 14:24| In the New Testament we have allusions to four watches, a division borrowed from the Greeks and Romans. These were -- 1. From twilight till 9 o/clock, #Mr 11:11; Joh 20:19| 2. Midnight, from 9 till 12 o'clock, #Mr 13:35| 3 Macc 5:23. 4. Till daybreak. #Joh 18:28| The word held to mean "hour" is first found in #Da 3:6,15; 5:5| Perhaps the Jews, like the Greeks, learned from the Babylonians the division of the day into twelve parts. In our Lord's time the division was common. #Joh 11:9|

DAY . The natural day consists of 24 hours, or one revolution of the earth upon its axis. The artificial day is the time during which the sun is above the horizon. The civil day is reckoned differently by different nations-some from sunrise to sunrise; others from sunset to sunset; others still from noon to noon, or from midnight to midnight. The Jewish day was reckoned from evening to evening, adopted, as some think, from Gen 1:5, or, as others with more probability hold, from the "use of the lunar calendar in regulating days of religious observance." Lev 23:32. Their Sabbath, or seventh day, which was the only day named-the others were numbered merely-began on what we call Friday, at sunset, and ended on what we call Saturday, at sunset. Ex 12:18. This mode of reckoning days was not uncommon in other Eastern nations. The day was originally divided into morning, noon, and night. Ps 55:17. But besides, the Jews distinguished six unequal parts, which were again subdivided. 1. Dawn, subdivided into gray dawn and rosy dawn. 2. Sunrise. Some supposed that the Hebrews, prior to leaving Egypt, began the day at that time, but discontinued it by divine command, and began at even in order to be different from those nations which worshipped the rising sun. 3. The heat of the day, about nine o'clock. 1 Sam 11:11; Neh 7:3, etc. 4. The two noons. Gen 43:16; Deut 28:29. 5. The cool (lit. wind) of the day, before sunset. Gen 3:8. 6. Evening. In Ex 12:6; Ex 30:8, margins, occurs the phrase "between the two evenings," which probably is correctly taken to mean "between the beginning and end of sunset." The mention of hours in the Bible dates from the Captivity, Dan 3:6, and it is therefore reasonably presumed that this division of time is of Babylonish origin. Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches-from sunset to midnight, from midnight to cock-crow, Jud 7:19; from cock-crow to sunrise. Ex 14:24. In the N.T. mention is made of four watches, because the Greek and Roman division was then adopted. In our Lord's time the division of the day into 12 hours was common. John 11:9. The word "day" is used of a festal day, Hos 7:5; a birthday. Job 3:1; a day of ruin, Hos 1:11; Job 18:20; the judgment-day, Joel 1:15; 1 Thess 5:2; Acts 17:31; and the kingdom of Christ. John 8:56; Rom 13:12. It is also often used to denote an indefinite time. Gen 2:4; Isa 22:5. The term "three days and three nights," in Matt 12:40, denotes the same space of time as "three days." Matt 27:63-64. Day's Journey, a distance mentioned Gen 31:23; Ex 3:18, etc. It is quite evident that this phrase does not mean any particular distance, but rather the space travelled during one day, and this would of course vary with the circumstances of the traveller. But unless there is special reason for believing the contrary, we may interpret it as meaning a stretch of 25 to 30 miles, since this is the usual length of a day's journey in the East, on camel or horseback, performed in 6 to 8 hours. See also Sabbath Day's Journey. Day, Lord's. See Sabbath. Daysman. Job 9:33. The word is derived by Webster from "him who fixes the day upon which he will decide as judge or arbitrator." It was in common use, when the Bible was translated, in the sense of "umpire." Dayspring. Job 38:12; Luke 1:78. The first dawning of light. Comp. Isa 60:1-2 and Rev 22:16. Day-star, or Morning-star, 2 Pet 1:19, in the figurative language of the apostle, is supposed to mean the light which shines on the soul of the believer, and cheers him with the expectation of a perfect day of holiness and joy.

Reckoned from sunset to sunset by the Hebrew. Genesis 1:5; "the evening and the morning were the first day." 2 Corinthians 11:25; "a night and a day." Daniel 8:14 margin. So our fortnight equals fourteen nights. "Evening, morning, and noon" (Psalm 55:17) are the three general divisions. Fuller divisions are: dawn, of which the several stages appear in Christ's resurrection (Mark 16:2; John 20:1; Revelation 22:16, "the bright and morning star" answering to Aijeleth Shahar, "gazelle of the morning," Psalm 22 title; Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1); sunrise; heat of the day; the two noons (tsaharaim, Hebrew; Genesis 43:16); the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8); evening (divided into early evening and late evening after actual sunset). Between the two evenings the paschal lamb and the evening sacrifice used to be offered. "Hour" is first mentioned Daniel 3:6; Daniel 3:15; Daniel 5:5. The Jews learned from the Babylonians the division of the day into twelve parts (John 11:9). Ahaz introduced the sun dial from Babylon (Isaiah 38:8). The usual times of prayer were the third, sixth, and ninth hours (Daniel 6:10; Acts 2:15; Acts 3:1). "Give us day by day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3); i.e., bread for the day as it comes (epiousion arton).