The Israelites regarded the sunrise or dawn as the beginning of
the day; in the evening the sun starts declining and then goes down at night
until the new day started in the morning. The Old and New Testament proves this
as a fact. When determining how the ancient Israelites reckoned their days,
there is confusion since the word ‘date’ is not found in our bibles and since
they used the word ‘day’ instead of the word ‘date’. Today we use the words ‘day’
and ‘date’ interchangeably also.
Creation
On creation day one our Father in
Heaven created light. Our Father in
Heaven first mentions that light is called day and then He says darkness is
called night. Therefore, the order is day and then night.
“In the
beginning God made the heaven and the earth. But the earth was unsightly and
unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over
the water. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw
the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness.
And God called the light Day [G2250 hēmera], and
the darkness he called Night [G3571 nux (noox)], and
there was evening and there was morning, the first day [G2250 hēmera].” LXX (Sep) Gen 1:1-5
Our Father in Heaven created the sun,
moon and the stars for regulating the day and night on the fourth day of creation.
Notice that the day is always mentioned before night.
“And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide between day
[G2250 hēmera] and night [G3571 nux (noox)], and let them be for signs and for seasons
and for days and for years. And let them be for light in the firmament of the
heaven, so as to shine upon the earth, and it was so. And God made the two
great lights, the greater light for regulating the day [G2250 hēmera] and the lesser light for regulating the night [G3571 nux (noox)], the stars also. And God placed them in
the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth, and to regulate day
[G2250 hēmera] and night [G3571 nux (noox)], and to divide between the light and the
darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening [G2073 hespera] and there was morning [G4044 prōi], the fourth day [G2250 hēmera].”
LXX (Sep) Gen 1:14-19
“And God
said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day
[Latin diem singular of dies] and the night [Latin noctem singular of nox], and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days [Latin dies] and years”. DR Gen 1:14
“dixit
autem Deus fiant luminaria in firmamento caeli ut dividant diem ac noctem et sint in signa et
tempora et dies
et annos.” Latin Vulgate Gen 1:14
“And the evening
[Latin vespere
singular of vesper] and morning [Latin mane] were the
fourth day [Latin dies].” DR Gen 1:19
“et factum est vespere et mane dies quartus.” LV Gen 1:19
“God said, “Let
there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day [H3117 yom] from
the night [H3915 layelah]; and let them be for signs, and
for seasons, and for days [H3117 yom] and
years.” WEB Gen
1:14
“There was evening
[H6153 ereb] and there
was morning [H1242
boqer], a fourth day
[H3117 yom]”.
WEB Gen 1:19
Day, Night, Evening
& Morning Word Definitions
Below
are the definitions used in the creation verses above in all four
languages. Notice they all agree that
the day starts at sunrise. Sunrise is the time of
day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon. Sunrise is also known as dawn.
|
English |
Greek |
Latin |
Modern Hebrew |
|
Any
period of 24 hours,
A 24-hour period beginning at 6am or sunrise from
the Old English word dæġ meaning
day, (usually) as a period from sunrise to sunset and (scientifically) as a
24-hour period from sunrise to sunrise From the Proto-Germanic word dagaz which comes from the Proto-Indo-
European root word meaning ‘to burn’. |
a
day, the period from sunrise to sunset day,
i.e. (literally) the time space between dawn and dark, or the whole 24
hours From
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂eh₃mr̥ (“heat”), from *h₂eh₃-
(“be hot, burn”)
|
A
solar or sidereal day of about 24 hours Daytime:
a period of light between sunrise and sunset. From
the Proto-Italic word djous meaning day, sky. Ultimately
from the Proto-Indo-European root word dyew meaning
‘to be bright’, sky, heaven. |
From
an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal
(from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next) |
|
The period between sunset and sunrise,
darkness Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts
meaning night |
Night Proto-Indo-European
*nókʷts meaning night |
Night period of time, darkness. Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts meaning night. |
From the same as luwl; properly, a
twist (away of the light), i.e. Night; figuratively, adversity –
((mid-))night (season). |
|
from
the Old English ǣfnung, meaning ‘the coming of evening, sunset, time
around sunset’ |
evening,
eventide, eve |
The
evenings or vespers, supper, dinner, the Venus evening star, west. |
day,
evening, tide, night dusk
-- + day, even(-ing, tide), night |
|
The early part of the day, especially
from dawn to noon From
Middle English morwe meaning morning, dawn Ultimately from from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to flicker,
twinkle”) |
at dawn; by implication, the day-break
watch |
Morning From Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-
(“to ripen, to
mature”) |
day,
early, morning, morrow From baqar; properly, dawn (as the break of day);
generally, morning -- (+) day, early, morning, morrow. |
Regarding the
definition of the word ‘evening’, I did not feel any of the definitions above
were good. My understanding is the
evening means ‘when the sun is evening on the horizon’. The Wikipedia talk tab
shows arguments as to what the real definition means and one person states it
means when there is an even amount of day and night.
Genesis
Chapter One – The Day
Genesis chapter one models how we are to reckon our days and I
have created the table below to illustrate this fact. Notice what is done
during the light of day is always mentioned first. The time between evening and morning is
called night and it is always mentioned second. This illustrates the fact that
daylight is comes first and that is when our Father in Heaven did his work.
Night time comes second and that is when our Father in Heaven did no work.
|
Date |
Time |
Genesis Text with God’s Creation Paraphrased |
Verse Numbers |
|
One |
Day |
God created
light: God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. |
1:1-5 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was morning,
one day.”
[The time between evening
and morning is night time.] |
1:5 |
|
|
Two |
Day |
God created the sky:
God made the expanse, and divided the waters… God called the expanse sky. |
1:6-8 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was morning, a second day.” [Between
evening and morning is night time.] |
1:8 |
|
|
Three |
Day |
God created dry land,
earth and seas. He also placed grass,
herbs and fruit trees on the earth. |
1:9-12 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was morning, a third day.” [Between
evening and morning is night time.] |
1:13 |
|
|
Four |
Day |
God created two great
lights to divide the day and the night.
Timekeeping Starts “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons,
and for days, and years.” |
1:14-18 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was
morning, a fourth day.” [Between evening and morning is night
time.] |
1:19 |
|
|
Five |
Day |
God created living
creatures for the sea and birds. |
1:20-22 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was
morning, a fifth day.” [Between evening and morning is night
time.] |
1:23 |
|
|
Six |
Day |
God created living
creatures for the land (cattle and other animals) and man (male and female). |
1:24-31 |
|
Night |
“There was evening and there was
morning, the sixth day.” [Between evening and morning is night
time.] |
1:31 |
|
|
Seven |
Day |
“The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. On
the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had made. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had
created and made.” |
2:1-3 |
As you can see, our Father in Heaven
started the book of Genesis by giving as an example of how our day and week
should be reckoned, as follows:
1.
Day: he created the day before he created the
night; showing the day is first.
2.
Work
Day: he did all of HIS work during the
day, before evening started.
3.
Evening: he stopped working in the evening and did no
work at night.
4.
Morning: he started a new day in the morning and
considered the previous day done. Then
he started working again in the morning.
5.
Order
of Day: he showed us the order of our
day should be; morning, day, evening, night and then morning again.
6.
Work
Days: He worked for six days prior to
resting on the seventh day.
7.
Seventh
Day: He did no work on the seventh day
or night, he instead rested.
Jesus followed this reckoning of the
work week since he explained that he needed to get his work done during the day
since no one was to perform work at night.
“We
must work the works of him who sent me while it is day
[G2250 hēmera]; night [G3571 nux (noox)] is coming, when no one can work.” ESV John 9:4
Feast Days
When
our Father in Heaven provided us instruction for observing HIS feast days he
uses the word ‘day’; therefore our Father is reckoning our calendar by ‘day’
and not by ‘night’. For example, He told
the Israelites to observe the Passover on the 14th ‘day’ even though
the activity was to be performed in the evening (even).
“Moreover
let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season. In the fourteenth
day of this month, at even, ye
shall keep it in its appointed season: according to all the statutes of it, and
according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it.” ASV
Numbers 9:5
In the
verses below, notice that in our instructions for observing the feast day, our
Father in Heaven tells us the day or date they should be performed. He does not tell us which evening or night
they should be performed.
“And on the fifteenth day of this month is the feast of unleavened
bread to the Lord; seven days shall
ye eat unleavened bread. And the first day
shall be a holy convocation to you: ye shall do no servile work.” LXX Lev 23:6-7
“And in the seventh month, on the first day
of the month, there shall be to you a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile
work: it shall be to you a day of
blowing the trumpets.” LXX Num 29:1
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying,
The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of
tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.”
KJV Leviticus 23:34
The Switching of Day and
Night
There
has also been some tapering with the scriptures to make people believe that
night comes before day. Below are three
different translations of the same verse showing the day is before the night:
“And thy lyfe shall hange before the,
and thou shalt feare both daye and nyghte ad shalt haue no trust in thy lyfe.”
Tyndale Deuteronomy 28:66
“And thy life shall hang in doubt
before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night,
and shalt have none assurance of thy life.”
KJV Deuteronomy 28:66
“And thy life shall be in suspense
before thine eyes; and thou shalt be afraid by day and by night, and thou shalt have no
assurance of thy life.” Septuagint, Deuteronomy 28:66
Here are newer versions of the same verses that
have day and night switched which might lead people to believe that the night
is reckoned before the day:
“Your
life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no
assurance of your life.” ESV Deuteronomy 28:66
“And
your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you shall fear night
and day,
and shall have no assurance of your life.”
WEB Deuteronomy 28:66
There is a verse in Jeremiah where day
and night have been switched also. Here
is an earlier version of this verse:
“And thou shalt speak this word to them; Let your
eyes shed tears day
and night, and let
them not cease: for the daughter of my people has been sorely bruised, and her
plague is very grievous.” LXX Septuagint, Jeremiah 14:17
Here are two
later versions of the same verse where they have switched night and day again:
"You shall say to them this word: 'Let my
eyes run down with tears night and
day,
and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with
a great wound, with a very grievous blow.”
ESV Jeremiah 14:17
“And thou shalt say this word unto
them, Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease.” ASV Jeremiah 14:17
Closing the Temple
In
this verse, they are closing the gates at sundown in preparation for the
Sabbath day that will be starting the next morning. They have just probably completed their day
of work and they want to ensure that the gates are shut (at the close of
business most businesses lock their doors).
The Sabbath day starts in the morning; they cannot return to close the
gates on the Sabbath day since that would be considered work and a violation of
the law. No
work is allowed on the Sabbath day. Notice the verse reflects Sabbath day
and not Sabbath evening or night.
“As soon as it began to grow dark at the
gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be
shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath.
And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought
in on the Sabbath day.”
ESV Nehemiah 13:19
Daybreak
The Greek word ‘orthros’ Strong’s number 3722, translates to the English word dawn,
day-break, sunrise or early in the morning.
Here are sample verses reflecting the event happened at the start of the
day:
“And he said to
him, Let me go, for the day has dawned
[G3722 orthros]; but he said, I will not let thee go, except thou
bless me.” LXX Gen
32:26
“And it came to pass on the third day, as
the morning drew nigh [G3722 orthros], there
were voices and lightnings and a dark cloud on mount Sina: the voice of the
trumpet sounded loud, and all the people in the camp trembled.”
LXX Exo 19:16
“But the men
would not consent to hearken to him; so the man laid hold of his concubine, and
brought her out to them; and they knew her, and abused her all night till the
morning, and let her go when the morning dawned
[G3722 orthros].” LXX Jdg 19:25
“for a day of darkness and gloominess is
near, a day of cloud and mist: a numerous and strong people shall be spread
upon the mountains as the morning [G3722 orthros]; there has
not been from the beginning one like it, and after it there shall not be again
even to the years of many generations.”
LXX Joel 2:2
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn [G3722 orthros], they went
to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.”
ESV Luke 24:1
The
Hebrew word ‘shachar’,
Strong’s number 7837, translates to the English word ‘dawn’
and is defined as; dayspring, early, light, morning, or whence rises. The bible
translator has used these words, in our scriptures, to reflect the word
‘shachar’; dawn, dawning of the day, daybreak, and morning. Here are examples of verses translated from
the Hebrew word ‘shachar’ and they all imply the day was beginning:
“But the men would not hearken to him: so the
man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and
abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring [shachar], they let her go.”
KJV Judges 19:25
“On
the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day [shachar],
and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that
day
that they marched around the city seven times.” ESV Joshua 6:15
“Have
you commanded the morning since your days began [shachar],
and caused the dawn to know its place.”
ESV Job 38:12
“So
Bethel will do to you because of your great wickedness. At daybreak
[shachar] the king of Israel
will be destroyed.” WEB Hosea 10:15
The
events of Jesus’ crucifixion also prove the Israelites reckoned their time from
dawn of the morning sunrise to the dawn of the morning. I will be documenting
this fact below.
Let’s
remember that Paul told us we are children of the day:
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the
day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:5
The
Hour
The Israelites reckoned their day, new month and New Year to all
start at the same time. These all started at the Hebrew hour 0 which is 6:00
a.m. in the morning.
Above is a picture of how the Hebrew
sundial worked. The day, month, and New
Year all started at Hour 0 which is 6:00AM and scripture does prove this
also.
For information on reading the sun dial
and scriptures regarding the hour of the day, see this page Our Father's Solar Hour, the Division of
the Day .
Jesus’
Crucifixion & Spring Feast Event Summary
The crucifixion events prove dawn to
dawn reckoning. In order to for Jesus to
be the Passover lamb, he had to fulfill the law of Passover exactly. Our current calendar dates below are based on
Jesus being crucified and dying on April 3rd, 33AD which was the
Solar Passover date. This is the date
that many researchers believe to be true.
The spring
equinox in 33AD was on March 20th at 7:34am. Therefore, the Solar Passover sacrifice would
be required on April 3rd. http://data.giss.nasa.gov/ar5/srvernal.html
The new
moon was March 17th at 10:00am.
Therefore, a lunar Passover dinner would be on March 31st and
the Jewish Passover ended on April 1st at 6:00pm. http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/SpringPhenom.php
The
Solar & Lunar Passover above is confirmed since these events occurred on
April 1st:
Matthew 26:1-2 in
two days Passover is coming (Israelite Solar Passover)
Matthew 26:3
Caiaphas plots to kill Jesus but they decide not to during the feast (Lunar Passover)
Same as Mark 14:1-2
Note:
the translations in our bibles are worded to make you think it was
Passover the night of the Last Supper but it was not. That is why I have consulted Strong’s and
have reworded the verses.
|
Hebrew
Date |
Current
Calendar Date |
High-Level
Instructions |
High-level
Summary of Events |
|
Abib
13 late
evening [after
sundown] |
April
2nd |
The
events in the ‘Last Supper’. It includes a loaf of bread and wine. |
Jesus’ Last Supper (it was not
Passover) Have
dinner, after the sun goes down, and include regular bread with leaven and wine. Jesus
broke bread
G740 & they ate it. Note that they were not
eating
unleavened bread G106 like
you are required to do at Passover. (They did go to prepare since they were
required to have themselves cleaned up for the morning. They did not sacrifice a lamb before this
meal.) Luke
22:15-16 He
wants to eat Passover with the Disciples but states he will not eat it until
it is fulfilled in the kingdom (meaning after he is crucified). (reworded) Mat 26:36-46
Jesus goes to pray & the Disciples keep falling asleep |
|
Abib
14 Starting
at dawn or about 6:00am |
April
3rd |
Passover Preparation Day Event
order: kill the lamb, roast it and
then eat it at the night of the 14th. It includes unleavened bread
and bitter herbs. E12:6
Kill the lamb on the 14th day at evening H6153 (this is when the
sun is going down about 3:00pm) E12:9
roast the lamb E12:18
Start eating unleavened bread
(evening H6153) of the 14th day to the evening H6135 of the 21st
day. Num 9:3
celebrate the Passover on the 14th day at evening H6153 Lev 23:5
Passover is in the evening H6135 on the 14th Deu 16:14
none of the flesh that you sacrifice in the evening H6135 shall be left for
morning H1242 Jos 5:10
observed the Passover on the evening H6135 on the 14th day. 2 Chron 30:17
the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone that was not
clean. (This Passover was attended by many.)
Dinner was after the slaughter and roasting of the lamb. |
Passover Preparation Day Starts Mat 26:74
Peter denied him 3 times then right away the rooster crowed [meaning the sun
is starting to rise.] Mat 27:1
priest took counsel against him & sentenced him to death in the early
morning or dawn G4407. John
18:28 led Jesus to the judgment
hall early G4404 dawn – they were worried about defiling themselves on Passover. They
put Jesus on the cross right after dawn.
He died about 3:00pm Roman time. Mat 27:45
from the 6th hour (noon) there was darkness all over the land to
the 9th hour (3:00pm). (After this Jesus said his last words.) John 19:14
It was preparation day for the Passover, about the 6th hour when
Jesus said to the Judeans ‘Behold you King!’ |
|
Abib
14 Night
H3915 |
April
3rd |
E12:8
We are to eat flesh at night H3915 with unleavened bread & bitter herbs. E12:10
burn any remaining lamb in morning H1242 D16:7
the morning H1242 after Passover return to your tents |
Passover Dinner There
are is no evidence that Jesus’ family or the Disciples had dinner that
night. Jesus did say he would have
dinner when it is fulfilled in the kingdom and he did fulfill the Passover
Feast Day prior to the sundown meal time.
There
was no mention of a Passover dinner due to the law
Numbers 9:10-11: "Say
to the children of Israel, 'If any man
of you or of your generations is unclean by reason of a dead body, or is on a journey far away, he shall still
keep the Passover to God. In the second month, on the fourteenth day at
evening they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs.” 1 Corth 5:7-8
Shows the Disciples continued celebrating on the future Passovers. Mat 27:57
It was late evening G3798 or nightfall & a rich man Joseph took Jesus to
be wrapped in clean linen & they put him in a tomb. Mark 15:42
When late evening G3798 or nightfall had already come because it was the
preparation day, Joseph came to get Jesus’ body. Luke
23:54 When Joseph put Jesus
in the tomb it was preparation day and the Sabbath was beginning to dawn
G2020 (to let shine). (it was getting close to 6:00am or Hour 0) Luke
23:56 The women returned
home to prepare spices and ointments & rested on the Sabbath day. |
|
Abib
15 |
April
4th |
E12:15
Seven days you shall eat unleavened
bread. On the first day you shall
remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened,
from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from
Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the
seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what
everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. |
Special Sabbath Day & Unleavened
Bread Feast Day Starts No
work this day except what is required for food preparation. We are to assemble and remember that we
were removed from slavery that day. We
must eat unleavened bread. Mat 27:62
they went to guard Jesus’ tomb, the next day, the day after Preparation day.
[Preparation day is a day to prepare for the Sabbath day according to
Strong’s or it is preparation for the evening Passover meal. |
|
Abib 16 |
April 5th |
Unleavened bread |
Eat Unleavened bread |
|
Abib 17 |
April 6th |
Unleavened bread |
Eat Unleavened bread |
|
Abib 18 |
April 7th |
Unleavened bread/Resurrection Sabbath
Day |
Eat Unleavened bread/Resurrection Sabbath
Day he rose just before dawn |
|
Abib 19 |
April 8th |
Unleavened
bread . |
Eat
Unleavened bread Mat 28:1 After the Sabbath day when it was
beginning to be dawn G2020 and start being the 1st day of the week
after the Sabbath Mary found the tomb empty. (reworded) Also Mark 16 & Luke 24 John 20:1 On the first day, after the Sabbath, Mary came early to
the tomb while it was still dark. (reworded) Luke 24
The same day, Jesus was resurrected and appeared before the
Disciples. Luke 24:36 Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the 3rd
day Mat 12:40 An evil and adulterous generation
seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the
prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly, so shall the Son of man
be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" |
|
Abib 20 |
April 9th |
Unleavened bread |
Eat Unleavened bread |
|
Abib 21 |
April 10th |
Unleavened bread |
Eat Unleavened bread |
Therefore, in
summary, you sacrifice the lamb at evening, then you cook it whole which takes
several hours, and then you eat the Passover supper. Jesus was crucified the
same time as the lamb was to be sacrificed which was about 3:00pm in the
afternoon.
Jesus had
to fulfill the Passover laws in order to be our Passover lamb, therefore, we
must get this timing correct. Please see
this
page for more information on Passover timing and
laws.
“You shall sacrifice the passover at evening, at the going
down of the sun, at the time that you came forth out of Egypt.”
KJV Deuteronomy 16:6
Scripture
proves that our day starts at sunrise and that Jesus’ last supper was not a
Passover meal. There are three different
meals with three different types of bread requirements that prove our day
cannot start at sundown and does start at sunrise.
Abib
13: Loaf bread with wine at the Last
Supper.
Abib
14: Unleavened bread with bitter herbs
at Passover.
Abib
15: Plain unleavened bread during the
feast of Unleavened bread.
“Your
boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole
lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are
unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb,
has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old
leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”. ESV 1 Corth
5:8
Conclusion
Scripture proves
are day starts at dawn and this old Encyclopedia also has a good article
proving the fact that the day begins at dawn.
To
see the full text see this: Encyclopedia Biblica, 1899 New York,
Volume 1, p. 1036, The Israelites started their day in the morning. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1yaesEhVmpKQWtaZUhFMWU3RHc/view?usp=sharing
The Biblical Weekly Cycle of Seven https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2026/11/the-biblical-weekly-cycle-of-seven.html
Biblical Timekeeping, the Division of the Day https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2026/11/biblical-timekeeping-division-of-day.html
The First Day of each Year begins on the Fourth Day https://ephraimamerica.blogspot.com/2026/11/the-first-day-of-each-year-begins-on.html
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