Segment of time that includes the night ( Gen 1:8 ) as in a twenty-four hour day. "Day" also stands in contrast to "night" ( Num 11:32 ; Luke 18:7 ; Rev 7:15 ). The term may refer to an era ( Matt 24:37 ) or to the span of human history ( Gen 8:22 ), or specify a memorable event ( Isa 9:4 ) or a significant time ( Zep 1:14-16 ). The term often has a metaphorical meaning. A "day" is important largely for what fills it rather than for its chronological dimension.
The "Day" and Cosmic Order. The "days of creation" in Genesis 1, given the semipoetic nature of the composition, are quite possibly intended as literary devices, division markers as in a mosaic. The refrain, "And there was evening, and there was morning, " speaks not only of sequence but of an order that is affirmed following the flood as a foundational element in creation and as an answer to chaos and destruction ( Gen 8:22 ). The succession of days is testimony to a God whose governance of the universe is not haphazard but marked by order and, especially, reliability. The regularity of day and night guarantees God's promises in history as trustworthy. So when God makes a new covenant and assures Israel of continuing as a nation indefinitely, God offers the constancy of the cosmic order ("he who appoints the sun to shine by day") as his credentials for following through on his intention ( Jer 31:35-37 ).
The "Day" and Redemption History. Certain days in Israel's history were clearly days of salvation, the most striking of which was the day of God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt at the exodus ( Exod 12:14 ; 13:3 ). In conjunction with Saul's conflict with the Philistines, it is said, "so the Lord rescued Israel that day" ( 1 Sam 14:23 ).
Interest in "days to come" is a longstanding one ( Gen 49:1 ; Num 24:14 ). The prophets speak of a coming day when God will intervene in history. In that day a root will emerge from the stem of Jesse. This remarkable person will be endowed with the sevenfold Spirit ( Isa 10:33-11:10 ). In coming days, God will be exalted in all of Israel and even over all the earth ( Isa 2:11 ). In that future day Israel will be saved from her enemies and will be safely secured in her land. God promises that "In the day of salvation I will help you" ( Isa 49:8 ). Evil will be decisively dealt with and righteousness will be established. That decisive action involving judgment and salvation is the day of the Lord.
At Pentecost Peter can speak of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy of the day of the Lord ( Acts 2:17-21 ; cf. Joel 2:28-32 ). Essentially this day is one in which God is fully on the scene; it is a day that he monopolizes. In the coming of Christ and in the Spirit's descent at Pentecost, Peter discerns a day of God. Because of God's grace and favor, the current day is the day of salvation ( 2 Cor 6:2 ). The offer during this extended "day" remains: "and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" ( Acts 2:21 ). Such decision is urged because God has "set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed" ( Acts 17:31 ). With regard to the history of redemption the word "day" is shorthand for a particular event (such as the exodus), but more often for an era as a singular stage in the progress of God's plan for salvation.
The "Day" and Calendars of Worship. Some days in Israel's calendar were set aside for special purposes (e.g., the Sabbath Exod 20:8-11 ; Deut 5:12-15 ). In keeping with the purpose of the day, which was to bring wholeness (Heb. salom), Jesus healed individuals of their sicknesses. The writer to the Hebrews sees in the day a prefiguring of the greater "rest" that God envisions for his own (4:6-11).
Special days are holy days that belong to God ( Ne 8:9 ). In Israel's religious calendar the Day of Atonement, observed soon after the day of the New Year (Sept.-Oct), was a day when corporate and individual sins were confessed, appropriate sacrifices and rituals were performed, and divine forgiveness was extended ( Lev 16 ; 23:26-32 ). Other special days were the several festivals, such as the Passover, the Feast of the Firstfruits, and the Feast of Tabernacles ( Lev 23 ; Deut 16:1-17 ). Taken together the days of festival indicated that Israel's religion was communal in character, that it came as an occasion for instruction, and that it was marked by joyfulness. Later in Israel's history the festival of Purim was added ( Esther 9:18-32 ). In New Testament times, Christians worshiped on the first day of the week ( 1 Cor 16:2 ), but Paul cautioned them not to overrate any festival ( Col 2:16 ).
The "Day" and Believer's Lifestyle. Life is lived a day at a time. Prayer is offered for daily bread ( Matthew 6:9-13 Matthew 6:31-34 ). Like Paul, the Christian in one sense dies daily ( 1 Cor 15:31 ), but in another sense is renewed day by day ( 2 Cor 4:16 ). Since within the larger span of history, any one person's days are like a shadow ( 1 Chron 29:15 ; Psalm 102:11 ), it is appropriate to pray for wisdom ( Psalm 90:12 ). Believers recognize that days can be stressful ( Gen 35:3 ), but they do not share a pessimistic view about life as a series of meaningless days ( Eccl 6:12 ). Jesus urged his followers to work the works of God while it is day ( John 9:4 ). Believers, children of the day as opposed to children of darkness, will do works of love and hope becoming to persons enlightened by the gospel ( 1 Thess 5:5 ).
Elmer A. Martens
See also Day of the Lord, God, Christ, the; Last Day(s), Latter Days, Last Times
Bibliography. G. Delling, TDNT, 2:943-53; S. J. DeVries, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; G. Hasel, ISBE, 1:877-78; M. Saebo, TDOT, 6:12-32.
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The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset ( Leviticus 23:32 ). It was originally divided into three parts ( Psalms 55:17 ). "The heat of the day" ( 1 Samuel 11:11 ; Nehemiah 7:3 ) was at our nine o'clock, and "the cool of the day" just before sunset ( Genesis 3:8 ). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight ( Lamentations 2:19 ); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing ( Judges 7:19 ); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise ( Exodus 14:24 ). In the New Testament the division of the Greeks and Romans into four watches was adopted ( Mark 13:35 ). (See WATCHES .)
The division of the day by hours is first mentioned in Daniel 3:6 Daniel 3:15 ; 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 ( Genesis 2:4 ; Isaiah 22:5 ; Hebrews 3:8 , etc.). In Job 3:1 it denotes a birthday, and in Isaiah 2:12 , Acts 17:31 , and 2 Timothy 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 --
DAY
da (yom; hemera):
This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are understood the difficulty of interpretation vanishes. We note several different uses of the word:
(1) It sometimes means the time from daylight till dark. This popular meaning is easily discovered by the context, e. g. Genesis 1:5; 8:22, etc. The marked periods of this daytime were morning, noon and night, as with us. See Psalms 55:17. The early hours were sometimes called "the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8). After the exile the day. or daytime was divided into twelve hours and the night into twelve (see Matthew 20:1-12; John 11:9; Acts 23:23); 6 a. m. would correspond to the first hour, 9 a. m. to the third; 12 noon to the sixth, etc. The hours were longer during the longer days and shorter during the shorter days, since they always counted 12 hours between sunrise and sunset.
(2) Day also means a period of 24 hours, or the time from sunset to sunset. In Bible usage the day begins with sunset (see Leviticus 23:32; Exodus 12:15-20; 2 Corinthians 11:25, where night is put before day). See DAY AND NIGHT.
(3) The word "day" is also used of an indefinite period, e. g "the day" or "day that" means in general "that time" (see Genesis 2:4; Leviticus 14:2); "day of trouble" (Psalms 20:1); "day of his wrath" (Job 20:28); "day of Yahweh" (Isaiah 2:12); "day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10); "day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2);. "day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
(4) It is used figuratively also in John 9:4, where "while it is day" means "while I have opportunity to work, as daytime is the time for work." In 1 Thessalonians 5:5,8, "sons of the day" means spiritually enlightened ones.
(5) We must also bear in mind that with God time is not reckoned as with us (see Psalms 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).
(6) The apocalyptic use of the word "day" in Daniel 12:11; Revelation 2:10, etc., is difficult to define. It evidently does not mean a natural day. See APOCALYPSE.
(7) On the meaning of "day" in the story of Creation we note (a) the word "day" is used of the whole period of creation (Genesis 2:4); (b) these days are days of God, with whom one day is as a thousand years; the whole age or period of salvation is called "the day of salvation"; see above. So we believe that in harmony with Bible usage we may understand the creative days as creative periods. See also \ASTRONOMY\; \CREATION\; \EVOLUTION\.
G. H. Gerberding
Figurative:
The word "day" is used figuratively in many senses, some of which are here given.
(1) The span of human life.--Genesis 5:4:
"And the days of Adam .... were eight hundred years." "And if thou wilt walk .... then I will lengthen thy days" (1 Kings 3:14; compare Psalms 90:12; Isaiah 38:5).
(2) An indefinite time.--Existence in general:
Genesis 3:14: "All the days of thy life" (compare Genesis 21:34; Numbers 9:19; Joshua 22:3; Luke 1:24; Acts 21:10).
(3) A set time.--Genesis 25:24:
"And when her days .... were fulfilled"; Daniel 12:13: "Thou shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days" (compare Leviticus 12:6; Daniel 2:44).
(4) A historic period.--Genesis 6:4:
"The Nephilim were in the earth in those days"; Judges 17:6: "In those days there was no king in Israel" (compare 1 Samuel 3:1; 1 Chronicles 5:17; Hosea 2:13).
(5) Past time.--Psalms 18:18:
"the day of my calamity"; Psalms 77:5: "I have considered the days of old" (of Micah 7:20; Malachi 3:7; Matthew 23:30).
(6) Future time.--Deuteronomy 31:14:
"Thy days approach that thou must die"; Psalms 72:7: "In his days shall ...." (compare Ezekiel 22:14; Joel 2:29; Matthew 24:19; 2 Peter 3:3; Revelation 9:6).
(7) The eternal.--In Daniel 7:9,13, where God is called "the ancient of days."
(8) A season of opportunity.--John 9:4:
"We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (compare Romans 13:12,13; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8). See DAY (4), above.
(9) Time of salvation.--Specially referring to the hopes and prospects of the parousia (see ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT). Romans 13:12:
"The night is far spent, and the day is at hand."
Henry E. Dosker
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