hour, moment

Definition

The term “hour” is often used in the Bible to tell what time of day a certain event took place. It is also used figuratively to mean “time” or “moment.”

• The Jews counted daylight hours starting at sunrise (around 6 AM). For example, “the ninth hour” meant “around three in the afternoon.”
• Nighttime hours were counted starting at sunset (around 6 PM). For example, “the third hour of the night” meant “around nine in the evening” in our present-day system.
• Since references to time in the Bible will not correspond exactly to the present-day time system, phrases such as “around nine” or “about six o’clock” could be used.
• Some translations might add phrases like “in the evening” or “in the morning” or “in the afternoon” to make it clear what time of day is being talked about.
• The phrase, “in that hour” could be translated as “at that time” or “in that moment.”
• Referring to Jesus, the expression “his hour had come” could be translated as “the time had come for him to” or “the appointed time for him had come.”

Bible References

• Acts 2:15
• John 4:51-52
• Luke 23:44
• Matthew 20:3

Word Data

• Strong’s: H8160, G56100