1 Dimmom of Time, See Tdcb. (1.) iTbiir.— The hour is supposed to be mentioned in Daniel Qii, 6, 15 ; iv, 16, 80 [Engl. 19, 88 ; v, 6]), but in no one of these cases is a definite period of time clearly intended by the Chald. term ^5«, ^^?^, ^5?^) employed. The Egyptians divided the day and night into hours like ourselves from at least B.C. dr. 1200 (Lepsius, (^rtmologm der JBg, i, 180). It is therefore not ira- probable that the Israelites were acquainted with the boor from an early period. The "sun-dial of Ahaa,** whatever histrument, fixed or movable, it may have heen,fanplies a division of the kind. See Dial. In the N. T. we find the same system aathe modem, the hours being reckoned firom the beginning of the Jew- ish night and day. See Houb.
(2.) Deqr.— For the civil day of 24 hours we find in one pUm» (Dan. viii, 14) the term Ig'a W^, •* even- ing^noming," Sept. wyfiiiiupw (also in 2 Cor. xi, 26, A. V. " a night and a day"). Whatever may be the proper meaning of this Hebrew term, it cannot be
doubted here to signify ' ' nights and days.** The com* mon word for day as distinguished from night is also used for the dvil day, or else both day and night are mentioned to avoid vagueness, as in the case of Jo- nah's *' three days and three n^hts** (Jon. ii, 1 [A. V. i, 17]; comp. Matt, xii, 40). The civQ day was di- vided into night and natural day, the periods of dark- ness and light (Gen. i, 6). It commenced with night, which stands first in the special term given above. The night, b^^, and therefore the civil day, is general- ly held to have begun at sunset Ideler, however, while admitting tliat this point of time was that of the commencement of the civil day among all other na- tions known to us which followed a lunar reckoning, objects to the opinion that this was the case with the Jews. He argues in favor of the beginning of deep night, reasoni]^ that, for instance, in ^e ordaining of the Day of Atonement, on the 10th of the 7th month, it is said **in the ninth [day] of the month at even, ftimi even unto even, shall ye celebrate (literally, ruC) your Sabbath'* (Lsv.zziii, 82); where, if the dvil diqr began at sunset, it would have been said that they should commence the observance on the evening of the 10th day, or merely on the 10th day, supposing ihit word ** evening** (3^9) to mean the Later part of our afternoon. He dtes, as probably supporting thto view, the expression b7$*^9n ^**$, ** between the two even- ings** used of the time of ofiMng the passover and the didly evening sacrifice (Exod. xii, 6; Num. ix, 8; xxviii, 4) ; for the Pharisees, whom the present Jews follow, took it to be the time between the 9tb and 11th hours of the day, or our 8 and 5 P.M., although the Samaritans and Karaites supposed it to be the time between sunset and full darkness, particularly on ac- count of the phrase tbc^sn Ki^3, " when the sun is setting,'* used in a parallel passage (Deut. xvi, 6) (see Haa^ibucky i, 482-484). These passages and expres- sions may, however, be not unreasonably held to sup- port the common opinion that the civH day began at sunset. The term '* between the two evenings" can scarcely be supposed to have originally indicated a long period ; a special short period, though scarcely a point, the time of sunset, is shown to correspond to it. This is a natural division between the late afternoon, when the sun is low, and the evening, when his light has not wholly disappeared — the two evenings into which the natural evening would be cut by the com- mencement of the civil day, if it began at sunset. There is no difficulty in the command that the observ- ance ni so solemn a day as that of Atonement should commence a little before the true beginning of the dvil day, tliat due preparation might be made for the sacrifices. In JudAa, where the duration of twilight is very short at all times, the most natural division would be at sunset. The natural " day** (d'I'^) proba^ bly was held to commence at sunrise, moming-twi- li^t being induded in the last watch of the night, ao- cording to the old as well as the later division ; some, however, made the morning-watch part of the day. See Dat ; Night. Four nataral periods, smaller than the dvil day, are mentiooed. These are S'n^, even- ing, and *^p3k, morning, of which there is frequent mention, and the less usual B^^^JSt, "the two lights,'* as though "double light,** noon, Imd tf^ftn niscn, or — ^*^2CrL "half the night,** midnight. No one of these with a people not given to astronomy seems to indi- cate a point of time, but all to designate periods^even- ing and morning l)eing, however, much longer than noon and midnight. The night was divided into watches (ni*^Qt3M). In the 0. T. bnt two are ex- pressly mentioned, and we have to inforthe existence of a third, the first watch of the night. (In Lam. ii, 19, niTaiiK ttSfch of course refers to, without abso- lutely designating, the first watch.) The middle watch