Night is also the season of dreams and divine communications. Dreams are called ‘visions of the night,’ and appear in Scripture not only as significant of the future (Gn 40° ete.), but also as direct means of divine revelation. God speaks in a dream by night to Abimelech (Gn 208), to Laban (Gn 31%), to οϊοιάνα (1 K 3°, 2Ch 17); and in visions of the night to Jacob (Gn 465), and to Paul (Ac 185). Zechariah ‘saw by night’ the visions described in his prophecies (Zee 15), and ‘night visions’ are repeatedly mentioned as the means of
divine revelation to Daniel (Dn 919 7*7 4), Apart from any special mention of dreams, God speaks at night to Abraham (Gn 26*), to Balaam (Nu 22”), to Gideon (Jg 6%), to Samuel (1 S 3.5. 15**
to Solomon (2 Ch 7"), to Paul (directly Ac 23 ᾿
and by an angel Ac 27%). The ‘ word of the Lord came by night to Nathan (2S 7*, 1 Ch 17°).
The darkness of night is a hindrance to active movement, causing men to stumble (Is 59°, Jn 1119) and grope (Job δ᾽). On the other hand, it is favourable to secrecy. Hence night was chosen
550 NIGHT HAWK
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for secret visits (1 S 28°, Jn 3? 19°") and treacheries (Jn 13”). Daring exploits were carried out by night, such as Gideon’s destruction of the altar of
Baal (Jg 6”), and his visit to the camp of Midian (Jg 7*); David's visit to the camp of Saul (1S 267) ; the rescue of Saul’s remains (1S 3113), Nehemiah’s survey of Jerusalem (Neh 2'-); the murder of Holotertied (Jth 13"). For the same reason in war night was a favourite time for ambushes (Jos 8°, Jg 9=* 16%, 2 K 6%), and surprises (Gn 14”, Jos 10, Jg 7°, 1S 14%, 2S 2% 17} 2 K 85, 2Ch 219, Jer 6°, 1 Mac 4: © 5% 12%- 2 13%, 2 Mac 87 12%). It was in the night that Sennacherib’s army was destroyed (2 K 19), and that panic fell on the Syrians (2 K 7"). Night was consequently a time a. re danger was to be apprehended (Ps 91°, Ca 3°), and when death and sudden destruction might come (Ex 1913. Job 3435 36”, Hos 45, Lk 12” 17%). Night was the safest time for flight and escape, as in the cases of Zedekiah at the wap te (2K 254, Jer 39* 527) ; Joseph and Mary (Mt 912); Paul at Damascus (Ac 935), at Thessalonica (Ac 17"), and at Jerusalem (Ac 23%), The great escape of Israel from Egypt was Seinen lire as having taken place by night (Ex 12%, Dt 161), and it was at night that the apostles were repeatedly delivered from prison (Ac 5” 12°), Night was the opportunity of the thief (Gn 31%, Job 24, Jer 499, Ob 5, 1 Th 52. See also Mt 2818), The quietness of night made it a fitting time for prayer and communion with God (1S 15", Ps 167 178 22? 119%, Jth 67 1117, Lk 6).
haa was the season of festive pleasure (Is 214), which might be innocent and holy (Job 35", Ps 428 77°, Is 30), or might degenerate into drunkenness and sensuality (Gn 198", Jg 19, Pr79, Is 54, 1 ΤῊ δ᾽).
Besides darkness, the physical features of night include dew (Ca 5?) and frost (Gn 31”, Jer 36°). It was at night that the manna fell in the wilder- ness (Nu 115).
The night was divided into watches (Ps 90‘). Under the Jewish system followed in OT these were three in number. We have ‘the beginning of the watches’ (La 2"), ‘the middle watch’ (Jg 7), and ‘the morning watch’ (Ex 14%). In NT four maces of the night are distinguished, viz. evening, midnight, cock-crowing, and morning (Mk 1335). These may be taken as corresponding to the four watches into which the night was divided by the Romans. Mention is made of the second and third watches (Lk 12%), and of the fourth watch (Mt 14”), _ Midnight is specified as the hour when certain impressive incidents, historical or parabolic, took place, such as the death of the Seber in Egypt (Ex 11* 12”); the earthquake at Philippi (Ac 16”) ; the summons to meet the bridegroom (Mt 25°, cf. Mk 13%),
_ Night is used as a figure for death, which ends life’s work (Jn 9), The present age, to be closed by the coming of Christ, is described as the night which precedes the day (Ro 13"). By another metaphor peut represents the sin and ignorance from which Christians have already escaped (1 Th 5°). One of the glories of the new Jerusalem will be the absence of night (Rev 9135 295),
JAMES PATRICK.
NIGHT HAWK (opnp tahmas, γλαύξ, noctua).— Tahméag oceurs twice (Ly 118, Dt 1415) in the list of unclean birds. Our view of its meaning will be influenced by that which we take of the signification of the preceding word myy"rnz bath- hayyaddnah. AV translates this in all’ the eight passages where it occurs ‘owl,’ but in four (Job 30”, Is 13% 3418 43°) the margin has ‘ostrich.’ ἴῃ all of them RV gives ‘ostrich.’ The LXX generally renders it στρουθός, but sometimes σειρήνος. As the latter is a fabulous bird, the weight of the LXX is with RV. Many have