When does a day begin, according to the Bible?

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According to the Bible, a day begins at evening, and ends at sundown. However, first of all, we must establish what the word “day” means. In the Old Testament (Hebrew), the original word for day used was יוֹם or “yowm”. In the New Testament (Greek), the word for day used was ἡμέρα or “hēmera”. Both words, yowm and hēmera, can be used to represent day light, or a day in a week. So when we ask “when does a day begin?” we must differentiate between “day” as in day light (12 hours), which we’ll highlight in red, or day as in a calendar date (24 hours), which we’ll highlight in blue.

When does the period of day light begin?

There is no debate as when the day for day light begins, as the Bible clearly states that its the time of day when there’s light:

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5).

The light is called day, and the dark is called night, and the completion of evening (sundown to sunset) and the completion of morning (sunrise to sunset) make up a day. This brings up the next question:

When does a complete 24 hour day begin?

The Bible, in the creation account, states that “the evening and morning” were the first, second, third, etc… day:

“And the evening and the morning were the first day … And the evening and the morning were the second day … And the evening and the morning were the third day … And the evening and the morning were the fourth day … And the evening and the morning were the fifth day … And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
Genesis 1:5,8,13, 18, 23, & 31.

It’s clear that both the evening and morning make up a day.

See also:

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8

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BibleAsk composes of a group of team members dedicated to answering Bible Questions!

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