WG: Day and Night (Hebrew/Greek Time Units)¶
Overview¶
The biblical vocabulary for "day" spans Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek — from the 24-hour cycle to the eschatological Day of the LORD. Hebrew yôwm (H3117) is one of the most frequent words in the OT (1926 verses, all 39 books). Its derivative yôwmâm (H3119) specifies the daytime period. Its antonym layil (H3915) means night. The related word ʻêth (H6256) marks appointed moments within a day. The NT Greek word ἡμέρα (G2250) is the direct LXX and NT equivalent of yôwm, bridged with 1485 co-occurrences and a PMI of 25.24 — the strongest single-pair lexical bridge in the entire Bible.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H3117 | יוֹם | yôwm | masc. noun | 1926 | Day as unit of time — all senses | H3117-yowm.md |
| H3119 | יוֹמָם | yôwmâm | adverb | 50 | "By day / in the daytime" — always in contrast with night | TODO(need H3119 study) |
| H3118 | יוֹם | yôwm (Aram.) | masc. noun | 15 | Aramaic cognate — Daniel and Ezra only | TODO(need H3118 study) |
| H3915 | לַיְלָה | layil / laylah | masc. noun | 223 | Night — primary antonym of yôwm | H3915-layil.md |
| H6256 | עֵת | ʻêth | fem. noun | 258 | Appointed time/moment within a day or era | H6256-eth.md |
| G2250 | ἡμέρα | hēméra | fem. noun | 365 | NT Greek equivalent — full range of yôwm | G2250-hemera.md |
Pairwise Co-occurrence (Shared Distinct Verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Vv | % of A | % of B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H3117 yôwm | H3915 layil | 56 | 3% | 25% |
| H3117 yôwm | H6256 ʻêth | 45 | 2% | 17% |
| H3119 yôwmâm | H3915 layil | 40 | 80% | 18% |
| H3117 yôwm | H3119 yôwmâm | 6 | 0% | 12% |
| H3915 layil | H6256 ʻêth | 3 | 1% | 1% |
| H3119 yôwmâm | H6256 ʻêth | 1 | 2% | 0% |
yôwmâm and layil appear together in 80% of yôwmâm's verses — confirming it functions as a daylight-period marker in systematic "day/night" merisms.
Key Multi-Member Passages¶
Lev 8:35 [H3117 + H3119 + H3915]
"Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days."
1 Sam 25:16 [H3117 + H3119 + H3915]
"They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep."
Neh 4:22 [H3117 + H3915 + H6256]
"Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day."
Jer 33:20 [H3117 + H3119 + H3915 + H6256 — all four Hebrew members]
"Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season."
Zec 14:7 [H3117 + H3915 + H6256]
"But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light."
Shared Greek Targets (LXX Bridge)¶
| Greek | Strong's | Connected Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἡμέρα (hēméra) | G2250 | H3117 (1485x), H3119 (44x), H3915 (88x), H3118 (14x) | Primary bridge for all "day" words |
| νύξ (nyx) | G3571 | H3915 (189x), H3119 (36x) | Night equivalent; appears in same merisms |
| νεφέλη (nephélē) | G3507 | H3119 (11x), H3915 (13x) | Cloud pillar — day/night in the wilderness |
Semantic Relationships¶
Core Pair: yôwm / layil (Day / Night)¶
The "day and night" (yomam walaylah) merism signals totality — continuous, unbroken action. The pairing appears in contexts of continuous watching, worship, study, or judgment (Josh 1:8; Ps 1:2; 1 Kgs 8:59; Rev parallel: hēméras kai nuktos, Rev 4:8; 7:15; 12:10; 20:10).
Narrowing: yôwm / yôwmâm¶
Yôwmâm is always a narrowing of yôwm — it specifies the daylight portion. It never appears in the "Day of the LORD" eschatological sense. It functions grammatically as an adverb where yôwm is a noun.
Appointed Moment: yôwm / ʻêth¶
Yôwm marks the day as a unit; ʻêth marks the moment within it. Together in "at the time of that day" or "not the time for the cattle to be gathered" (Gen 29:7) they layer the when (yom = which day) with the what moment (ʻêth = the right time within it).
TODO: Missing Member Studies¶
| Study Needed | Filename | Needed By |
|---|---|---|
| H3119 word study | H3119-yowmam.md | WG-day.md |
| H3118 word study | A3118-yowm.md | WG-day.md |
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py H3117 H3119 H3118 H3915 H6256 G2250 Last updated: 2026-04-02