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 [147]WATCHES.) 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, (Leviticus 23:32) deriving it from (Genesis 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," (Psalms 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-- + "the dawn." + "Sunrise." + "Heat of the day," about 9 o'clock. + "The two noons," (Genesis 43:16; 28:29) + "The cool (lit. wind) of the day," before sunset, (Genesis 3:8)--so called by the Persians to this day. + "Evening." Before the captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (Psalms 63:6; 90:4) viz. the first watch, lasting till midnight, (Lamentations 2:19) the "middle watch," lasting till cockcrow, (Judges 7:19) and the "morning watch," lasting till sunrise. (Exodus 14:24) In the New Testament we have allusions to four watches, a division borrowed from the Greeks and Romans. These were-- + From twilight till 9 o/clock, (Mark 11:11; John 20:19) + Midnight, from 9 till 12 o'clock, (Mark 13:35) 3 Macc 5:23. + Till daybreak. (John 18:28) The word held to mean "hour" is first found in (Daniel 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. (John 11:9) The light first called -- Ge 1:5. Natural, from evening to evening -- Ge 1:5; Le 23:32. Artificial, the time of the sun's continuance above the horizon -- Ge 31:39,40; Ne 4:21,22. Prophetical, a year -- Eze 4:6; Da 12:12. Artificial, divided into Break of. -- Ge 32:24,26; Song 2:17. Morning. -- Ex 29:39; 2Sa 23:4. Noon. -- Ge 43:16; Ps 55:17. Decline of. -- Jdj 19:8,9; Lu 9:12; 24:29. Evening. -- Ge 8:11; Ps 104:23; Jer 6:4. Sometimes divided into four parts -- Ne 9:3. Later subdivided into twelve hours -- Mt 20:3,5,6; Joh 11:9. Time of, ascertained by the dial -- 2Ki 20:11. Succession of, secured by covenant -- Ge 8:22. Made for the glory of God -- Ps 74:16. Proclaims the glory of God -- Ps 19:2. Under the control of God -- Am 5:8; 8:9. A time of judgment called a day of Anger. -- La 2:21. Wrath. -- Job 20:28; Zep 1:15,18; Ro 2:5. Visitation. -- Mic 7:4. Destruction. -- Job 21:30. Darkness. -- Joe 2:2; Zep 1:15. Trouble. -- Ps 102:2. Calamity. -- De 32:35; Jer 18:17. Adversity. -- Pr 24:10. Vengeance. -- Pr 6:34; Isa 61:2. Slaughter. -- Isa 30:25; Jer 12:3. Evil. -- Jer 17:17; Am 6:3; Eph 6:13. The Lord. -- Isa 2:12; 13:6; Zep 1:14. A time of mercy called a day of Salvation. -- 2Co 6:2. Redemption. -- Eph 4:30. Visitation. -- Jer 27:22; 1Pe 2:12. God's power. -- Ps 110:3. A time of festivity called a Good day. -- Es 8:17; 9:19. Day of good tidings. -- 2Ki 7:9. Day which the Lord has made. -- Ps 118:24. Solemn day. -- Nu 10:10; Ho 9:5. Day of gladness. -- Nu 10:10. The time for labour -- Ps 104:22. Wild beasts hide during -- Ps 104:22. Illustrative of Time of judgment. -- 1Co 3:13; 4:3. Spiritual light. -- 1Th 5:5,8; 2Pe 1:19. The path of the just. -- Pr 4:18.
Day