Last year I did a message about this topic because I was approached daily by many saying that a day is from morning to morning and that evening to evening was from Judaism. I proved in that message from many witnesses that a day is from evening to evening; however, the situation is on the rise again and I feel led to speak on it and prayerfully clear up some misconceptions. As I always say we have to read the scriptures with a Hebraic mindset, if the scriptures are being read through a Western mindset then conclusions will be drawn that do not line up with scriptures, so we will look at what the Aramaic language, the language that YESHUA spoke has to say. We will examine the word evening in the Otiot and review the common scripture brought up that YESHUA says there are only 12 hours in a day.
Before examining the Aramaic text, I want to show that even the Septuagint which is the Hebrew translated into Greek in 260 BC even agrees that a day is evening to evening, lets examine:
Judges 14:10-18 (Septugaint)
“And his dad went down to the woman and Samson made a banquet for seven days there, for so the young men are used to do. And it came to pass when they saw him, that they took thirty guests and they were with him. And Samson said to them, I propound (put forth) a riddle to you: If you will indeed tell me it and discover it within seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty coats and thirty changes of garments. And if you cannot tell me it, you shall give me thirty coats and thirty changing robes; and they said to him, propound your riddle and we will hear it.” Verse 17-18 And she wept before him the seven days during which their banquet lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her because she troubled him; and she told it to the children of her people. And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, BEFORE SUNRISE, what is sweeter than honey?...”
As we can see, Samson gave the men 7 days to figure out his riddle and they came to him on the 7th day BEFORE sunrise and told him the riddle, which means that the 7th already started on the evening of the 6th day which is technically the 7th day when a new day begins at sunset. The sun was not up yet as we see it says “BEFORE SUNRISE” which clearly shows us that a day cannot be morning to morning. This even matches the same sequence of the day we see in the Aramaic.
And we see that the morning (dawning) is THE DAYLIGHT PORTION of the 7th Day as the evening which is the START of the 7th day portion of the day had passed. When the sunset it would be the start of another day.
Joshua 6:15 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“And on the seventh day, they rose In the morning, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; it was on that day only that they compassed the city seven times.”
So we see the Greek and Aramaic both agree that it was already the seventh day BEFORE morning time, which is clearly before sunrise. The word used for morning here is #H5927 “Alah” (aw-law) means dawn, increase, light, begin and the blue letter bible renders Alah as “about the dawning”.
Dictionaries define dawning as the gradual beginning to become light, which tells us the sun is not even up yet which further confirms a day cannot be morning to morning. Even in the Greek #1306 diaugazo (dee-ow-gadzo describes the breaking of daylight upon the darkness of night and the oxford dictionary says dawn is the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.
Now we will view the Aramaic and see what is revealed in the ancient language:
Ramsha in Syriac Aramaic script from Wikipedia, findwordsinfo, and many other sources say that “Ramsha” is Aramaic or East Syriac term for evening liturgy (public worship) being followed as a part of the liturgy of the hours in the Syriac churches. In the East Syriac tradition, a liturgical day BEGINS WITH RAMSHA (evening) AT 6:00 PM which draws direct reference from Genesis 1:5.”
Our ancestors clearly understood when a scriptural day begins and it is at evening and the Aramaic translations of the scriptures all agree.
Mathew 28:1 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“Now in the CLOSING EVENING OF THE SHABBAT, as the first of the week was dawning, came Maryam of Magdala and the other Maryam that they might see the grave.”
Andrew Gabriel Roth writes: The Aramaic literally reads “b’RAMSHA din b’shabata” or in the evening of the Shabbat.”
We see the same word “ramsha” written in this scripture to confirm the Shabbat ended at evening. Let’s review two other translations to confirm this.
Mathew 28:1 (John Etheridge 1846, Aramaic New Testament)
“From the EVENING (END) OF THE SHABBAT, when the first day in the week was lightening…”
Mathew 28:1 (George Lamsa Aramaic New Testament)
“In the EVENING OF THE SHABBAT, when the first day of the week began to dawn…”
All three translations agree that the end of the Shabbat was at evening and that a new day had begun. Then we read that it was dawning towards the first day meaning that the 12 hours of the evening portion of the day were completed; now it was moving towards the 12 hour daylight portion of the day.
Erev in Otiot
Erev in Hebrew is spelled Ayin, resh, Beyt
Ayin is a picture of an eye which means to watch, know, shade
Resh is a picture of a mans head which means first, top, beginning
Beyt is a picture of a tent which means family, house, In
Combining the three words together we get: The shade (darkness) was the first part of day in creation! Which matches:
Genesis 1:8
“And ELOHIM called the firmament sky. And there was EVENING and there was MORNING, the second day.”
The dual meanings of erev and ramsha
Erev #6153 represents the time of day IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING (Coming before) AND following the setting of the sun. So we see that erev is not exclusive to meaning sunset, but also includes the time before sunset like late afternoon or twilight/in between the evenings which is the period before sunset.
Erev is from the root word Alah (Aw-law) #6148 which means to braid, intermix, mingle which ties into erev as explained above is when the light begins to mix with the darkness in late afternoon or twilight. Examples of the dual meaning:
Joshua 10:26-27
“And after that Joshua slew them, and hanged them on five trees; and they remained hung on the tree until evening (erev). And at the time OF THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN (Bo ha’shemesh), Joshua commanded and they took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and laid large stones at the mouth of the cave, which remains to this very day.”
So here we see that Joshua had the kings hung at erev (evening) which here we clearly see is before the sunset because literally after that is ANOTHER word used to describe the going down of the sun (Bo ha’shamesh), if the words meant the same thing there would be no need to get the extra detail. So late afternoon when the light and darkness begin to mix is the intention here, then in the next verse Joshua commanded to have the bodies taken down BEFORE the sunset while the sun was going down, because YAHWEH says in the Torah to make sure that anyone hung on a tree is buried the same day, which proves that when the SUNSETS it is what the start of a new day; and Joshua did not violate the command and made sure they were taken down the same day before sundown.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
“And if any man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is crucified on a tree, and thus put to death; his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall bury him THE SAME DAY (for he who shall revile ELOHIM shall be crucified), and you shall not defile your land, which YAHWEH your ELOHIM gives you for an inheritance.”
So the same concept with erev in Hebrew carries over into the Aramaic with the word ramsha, examples:
Mark 15:42 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And when the AFTERNOON (ramsha) was setting on the annual Shabbat…”
The afternoon setting is a clear depiction of the day declining towards sunset, but not yet sunset.
Mark 15:42 (Aramaic English New Testament 3rd Edition)
“And when it became the evening (ramsha) which is before the annual Shabbat.”
Mark 15:42 (John Etheridge 1846 Aramaic New Testament)
“And when it was evening of the preparation which is BEFORE THE SHABBAT.”
Mark 15:42 (George Lamsa Aramaic New Testament)
“And when it was FRIDAY evening (ramsha), which is BEFORE THE SHABBAT.”
Roth notes: “Mark has an unusual term here, ramsha d’erubata where ramsha can mean “evening”, as it does in Mark 4:35 and 13:35, however, the other meaning, which is intended here, is suggested in Mark 1:32 which literally reads, “in the evening of the setting sun.” It is this latter reading that proves ramsha does not always mean “evening” as we think of the term. The DUAL meanings are carried over from Hebrew where “ereb” can be either late afternoon OR sunset. In this odd instance, ramsha d’erubata literally means “afternoon of setting”, meaning the night period was COMING ON BUT STILL BEFORE SUNSET.”
So erev in Hebrew and Ramsha in Aramaic have dual meanings which refers to evening or a reference to the late afternoon when the sun is on the decline or in the process of going down. So we can see the intention in the Aramaic is to show that it was the ramsha/evening meaning the late afternoon; otherwise, there is no need to add the extra phrase “BEFORE THE SHABBAT” in all of the scripture Aramaic translations of Mark 15:42, which again shows the dual meaning of the word ramsha and erev. This is the beauty and complexity of the Hebrew and Aramaic that won’t come through in the English. Without this understanding people will lean to their own understanding and come up with new doctrine.
Luke 23:54 (George Lamsa Aramaic New Testament)
“This was a Friday, and the Shabbat was approaching.”
Luke 23:54 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And the day was setting and the SHABBAT was approaching.”
The “setting” is another example of the Aramaic word ramsha meaning late afternoon the period before sunset, as we see the Shabbat was approaching at sunset. Lamsa’s rendering of this verse is plain for all to see that Friday is “Preparation Day” and when the sun sets it is the beginning of the Shabbat from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.
More evidence
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
“You shall not cheat the wages of a hired laborer who is poor and needy, whether he is of your brethren or of the strangers who are in your cities; but you shall pay him his wages on the SAME DAY, neither shall the SUN GO DOWN UPON IT; for he is poor, and it is because of his wages that he places himself at your disposal; lest he cry against you to YAHWEH, and it be sin against you.”
Pay him his wages before the sun goes down because it will be the start of the next day.
Acts 4:3
“And they laid hands upon them and they watched over them TILL THE NEXT DAY, because EVENING IT WAS DRAWNING NEAR.”
Evening was approaching which means that current day was ending at sunset and they would proceed with their questioning of Peter the next day.
Exodus/Feast of Unleavened bread example
Let’s look at how a day is divided to further prove that evening is the start of the next day!
Leviticus 23:5-6
“On the FOURTEENTH DAY of the first month at evening (erev/twilight) is YAHWEH’s Passover.” And on the FIFTEENTH DAY of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened bread to YAHWEH; for seven days you must eat unleavened bread.”
So we see clearly that Passover is on the 14th at twilight before the sunsets, because once the sunsets it begins the start of the 15th day which is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, just as we see in Jubilees.
Jubilees 49:1 (Hebrew fragments found in Dead Sea Scrolls)
“Remember the command which YAHWEH commanded you concerning the Passover, that you should celebrate it at its appointed time, on the fourteenth day of the first month; that you should slaughter it BEFORE IT IS EVENING (Twilight/in between the evenings), so that they may eat it by NIGHT ON THE EVENING OF THE FIFTEENTH FROM THE TIME OF THE SETTING OF THE SUN.”
This is why YAHWEH says eat unleavened bread on the evening of the 14th while eating Passover because it is the start of the 15th day, which is the beginning of the Feast of unleavened bread when we cannot eat any leaven. YAHWEH is very precise with His instructions.
Exodus 12:6 (Aramaic)
“And you shall keep it until the FOURTEENTH DAY of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Yisra’el shall kill it at sunset.”
Now we have to remember the Hebrew word erev can mean before sunset at twilight just as it is intended here.
Exodus 12:6 (Septuagint)
“And it shall be kept by you until the fourteenth of this month and all the multitude of the congregation of the children of Yisra’el shall kill it TOWARD EVENING.”
Toward evening carries the same meaning as we see in the Aramaic which is twilight/in between the evenings, which makes a clear distinction that once the sunsets is the start of a new day. Since a day is EVENING to EVENING, YAHWEH is making it clear to slaughter the lamb IN BETWEEN THE EVENINGS AT TWILIGHT while its still the 14th day of the month, because at sunset will be the 15th.
Exodus 12:18
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at EVENING you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at EVENING.”
The Feast of Unleavened bread BEGINS AT EVENING ON THE FIFTEENTH AND ENDS ON EVENING OF THE 21st Day. We see in next scripture from Leviticus shows that at evening is that start of the 15th as well.
Leviticus 23:6
“And on the FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SAME MONTH is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to YAHWEH; for seven days you must eat unleavened bread.”
Exodus 12:17
“And you shall observe the feast of unleavened Bread; for ON THIS VERY DAY (15th) have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.
Exodus 16:1
“And they journeyed from Elim, and the whole congregation of the children of Yisra’el came to the wilderness of Seen, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH AFTER THEIR DEPARTURE FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT.”
More proof to show they left Egypt on the 15th day of the 1st month at night which is unleavened bread and not the 14th day of Passover, because they ended up in the wilderness of Seen exactly ONE MONTH LATER on the 15th day of the 2nd month, which shows us the shifting of a day at sunset. Further proof that it would be impossible for YAHWEH to strike the first-born of Egypt on the 14th day, it had to be the 15th day as we will examine in the next section.
Night is included in the day
Exodus 12:51
“And it came to pass on that VERY DAY that YAHWEH brought the children of Yisra’el out of the land of Egypt with all their hosts.”
Deuteronomy 16:1
“Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to YAHWEH your ELOHIM; because in the month of Abib YAHWEH your ELOHIM brought you out of Egypt by NIGHT.”
Exodus 12:42
“It was a NIGHT to be observed to YAHWEH for bringing them out of the hand of Egypt; therefore, this very NIGHT is to observed to YAHWEH by all the children of Yisra’el throughout their generations.”
In Exodus YAHWEH says that He brought us out of Egypt that day and yet Deuteronomy says at night. In other words YAHWEH is referring to “night” the 12 hour dark portion of the day, and of course we have the 12 hour day light portion. Let’s go through the timeline to clear this up, we see YAHWEH struck down the firstborn of Egypt at midnight on the 15th day as we have established.
Exodus 12:29-31
“And it came to pass that at MIDNIGHT YAHWEH slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the prison; and all the first-born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the NIGHT, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was a great wailing in the land of Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron that NIGHT, and said to them, rise up and get out from among my people, both you and the children of Yisra’el; and go, serve YAHWEH, as you have said.”
Exodus 14:19-24
“And the Angel of YAHWEH, who went before the camp of Yisra’el, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud moved from before them and stood behind them: and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the camp of Yisra’el; and it was cloudy and DARK ALL THE NIGHT, but it gave light all the NIGHT to the children of Yisra’el, so that they could not draw near one to another all the NIGHT. And Moses lifted up his hand over the sea; and YAHWEH caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the NIGHT and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Yisra’el went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground; and the water were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass that IN THE MORNING WATCH (3am-6am) YAHWEH appeared to the Egyptian army in a pillar of fire and of cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into confusion…”
This is how YAHWEH can say He brought us out that DAY although it occurred at night (because a day to YAHWEH includes the night portion as well) and because we see the complete exodus occurring from the EVENING of the 15th the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread AND went into the MORNING portion of the 15th when Pharaoh and the army were drowned. So we see evening and morning at work here just like the creation account:
Genesis 1:8
“And ELOHIM called the firmament sky. And there was EVENING and there was MORNING, the second day.”
YESHUA says there is only 12 hours in a day
John 11:9-11
“YESHUA said to them, “Are there not twelve hours in the day, and if a man walks during the daylight, he will not stumble because he see the light of this world. But if a man should walk during the night, he will stumble because there is NO FLAME IN HIM.”
So most read this scripture and believe that there are literally on 12 hours in a day when that is not the case at all.
Peshat means the literal meaning of scripture
Remez is a hint to a deeper spiritual meaning
So in the “peshat” sense of the scripture, the literal meaning of what YESHUA is saying is that there is 12 hours of “daylight” and he has the “light of this world” which is the sun to shine light for him. And we have already seen that there are 12 hours of “darkness” the evening time from the Exodus out of Egypt.
The “remez” the hint to a deeper spiritual meaning reveals a major truth. YESHUA says if a man walks during the daylight, he will not stumble because he sees the LIGHT OF THIS WORLD. Who is the Light of the world? YESHUA says in
John 8:1
“Now YESHUA spoke with them again and said, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but he will find the light of life for himself.”
So the shift is from a literal sun shining light to the spiritual sense of YESHUA shining the light through the truth of Torah. Then YESHUA says in verse 10 “But if a man should walk during the night, he will stumble because there is no flame (light) in him.” Notice how YESHUA says there is no light in the man?
So what is the Light?
Proverbs 6:23
“The command is a lamp, and the Torah a LIGHT.”
So the Light represents YESHUA (The Light of the World) who is the Living Torah, so when you are walking in the truth of the Torah you will not stumble.
Psalms 119:105
“Your word is a LAMP to my feet and a LIGHT to my path.”
As we see here the Torah is a light for our feet and with that light we not stumble on the path nor will we walk in darkness as YESHUA said in John 8:1.
But if you do not walk in the Torah, but choose to walk in the traditions of men like the Pharisees did then there is no light (Torah) in them, which matches:
Isaiah 8:20
“To the Torah and to the witness! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they no LIGHT.”
If you do not walk in Torah there is not light in you and that person will stumble and fall in the darkness of their lawlessness. And Roth notes “this Nahira (Flame) is used here as an idiomatic expression to mean ‘He is not ENLIGHTENED”. Maran YESHUA uses this term in a wordplay with Nhura (Light verse 9).”
So as we see YESHUA was maker a deeper point than what is on the surface and even with that said, the literal daylight is nothing more than the 12 hour daytime period we have discussed throughout this message. I pray that this message has given more clarity to this topic, and as always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!