What does יוֹם (yôm) mean in the Bible?
יוֹם is the common Hebrew noun for day. Depending on context it can denote daylight as opposed to night, a calendar day, a particular occasion, an appointed time, or a less precisely bounded period.
Hebrew · H3117
יוֹם
A day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
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יוֹם H3117
Pronunciation yôm
What does יוֹם (yôm) mean in the Bible?
יוֹם is the common Hebrew noun for day. Depending on context it can denote daylight as opposed to night, a calendar day, a particular occasion, an appointed time, or a less precisely bounded period.
Reader summary
Full entry for יוֹם (H3117) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3117?
The BSB source-word alignment has 2,303 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include day (584), days (260), . . . (249), today (128), the day (83).
Where does יוֹם (yôm) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:5. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (167), Genesis (152), 1 Samuel (150), Jeremiah (137).
What This Word Actually Means
יוֹם is the common Hebrew noun for day. Depending on context it can denote daylight as opposed to night, a calendar day, a particular occasion, an appointed time, or a less precisely bounded period. The local Old Testament index currently counts about 2,304 occurrences, so most uses are ordinary chronological or narrative language rather than technical theology.
The plural “days” can describe a span of life or a historical period, and prophetic formulas such as “days are coming” introduce future events. These idioms show the flexibility of ordinary time language; they do not establish that ancient Hebrews viewed every day as a theological “container of divine action.” The event and literary setting supply the significance.
“The Day of the Lord” is an important prophetic expression for occasions when the Lord intervenes in judgment, deliverance, or the public vindication of his rule. Amos 5:18-20 warns Israel that the anticipated day will be darkness rather than light because of covenant unfaithfulness. Other prophetic day texts may concern nearer historical judgments, climactic future judgment, restoration, or overlapping horizons. They should not all be flattened into one timetable.
Genesis 1 uses יוֹם within the creation sequence. The noun itself can have several temporal senses elsewhere, so lexical range alone does not resolve debates about the literary form or duration of the creation days. Interpretation must consider the syntax, numbered sequence, evening-and-morning refrain, and the chapter’s place in Genesis.
For teaching, יוֹם helps readers attend both to ordinary days and to divinely appointed moments of accountability and hope. New Testament day-of-the-Lord language develops the prophetic tradition around Christ’s return and final judgment. The crucifixion is central to salvation and includes darkness, but the Gospels do not explicitly call the cross “the Day of the Lord in compressed form.”
Lexical sourcelocal_artifactPassage contextBook contextCanonical parallelPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
יוֹם occurs about 2,304 times in the local OT index, making it one of the most common nouns. Key theological concentrations include the creation days, the day of divine appointment and encounter, the yôm YHWH (Day of the Lord) theology across the prophets, the narrative significance of specific days (the day of the Lord's act, the day of battle, the day of distress), and the wisdom literature's meditation on the brevity of human days.
- Amos.5.18
Woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord! What will the Day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
The prophetic reversal of the yôm YHWH expectation: Israel desired the Day as a day of national vindication against enemies, but Amos declares it will be darkness not light for a sinful Israel. This is one of the earliest and most definitive yôm YHWH texts, and its structure is critical: the Day is still the Day of YHWH's definitive action, but what that action will accomplish depends on the covenant faithfulness of those expecting it.
The Day is not automatically favorable to those who call themselves God's people.
- Joel.2.1
Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord is coming; indeed, it is near—
Joel's classic yôm YHWH alarm: the Day is near, and its approach is terrifying. Joel describes it as a day of darkness, clouds, thick darkness, and an overwhelming army (vv.2-11). The trumpet alarm (šôpār) is the ancient battle signal and covenant-assembly call — its sounding announces that the normal order is about to be disrupted by divine action. Joel's yôm YHWH becomes one of the most complex in the prophetic tradition: it is simultaneously past (the locust plague as yôm YHWH already experienced) and future (the great cosmic Day that will follow repentance).
- Isa.2.12
For the Day of the Lord of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—
Isaiah's yôm YHWH as the day of the leveling of all human pride: every high thing — mountains, cedars, ships, towers — will be brought low. The Day is the great rûm-reversal (cf. H7311 rûm companion) applied at cosmic scale: on that day, only YHWH will be exalted (v.17: 'the Lord alone will be exalted in that day'). This gives the yôm YHWH a specific theological content: the Day is when the divine glory — the exclusive exaltation of the one true God — is universally recognized.
- Zeph.1.14
The great Day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the Lord! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
Zephaniah's yôm YHWH passage, which became the source of the medieval hymn Dies Irae (Day of Wrath). The Day is described as a day of wrath, distress, anguish, devastation, desolation, darkness, gloominess, clouds, thick darkness, trumpet blast, and battle cry (vv.15-16). Zephaniah gives the most complete negative catalog of the Day in the entire OT — a picture of total covenantal reckoning that the NT applies to the final judgment.
- Mal.4.5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord.
The final OT occurrence of yôm YHWH: Malachi promises that Elijah will come before the great and dreadful Day. This verse ends the Hebrew canon of the prophets and creates the expectation that the forerunner who announces the Day is yet to come. Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the Elijah figure (Matt 11:14; 17:12-13), locating the Day in the ministry of Jesus — the kingdom's arrival is the yôm YHWH both arriving and continuing to arrive.
- Lam.1.12
Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see! Is there any sorrow like mine, which was inflicted on me, which the Lord made me suffer on the day of His fierce anger?
The Day of the Lord experienced in the fall of Jerusalem: the destruction of the city and temple is described as yôm YHWH having arrived. Lamentations frames the exile not as a political defeat but as a covenantal encounter with the divine anger — the Day came for Jerusalem. This is the OT's most concrete instance of the yôm YHWH pattern: YHWH's definitive action against covenant-breaking, experienced in historical catastrophe, but pointing toward the eschatological Day that will ultimately judge all evil and vindicate all who trust.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It day 584× Genesis 1:5, Genesis 1:8, Genesis 1:13, Genesis 1:19
days 260× Genesis 7:4, Genesis 7:10, Genesis 7:12, Genesis 7:17
. . . 249× Genesis 5:5, Genesis 5:8, Genesis 5:11, Genesis 5:14
today 128× Genesis 19:37, Genesis 19:38, Genesis 24:42, Genesis 30:32
the day 83× Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:18, Genesis 27:2
on the day 82× Genesis 21:8, Exodus 10:28, Leviticus 6:5, Leviticus 6:20
the days 82× Genesis 3:14, Genesis 3:17, Genesis 27:41, Leviticus 8:33
in the day 40× Genesis 2:4, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:5, Genesis 5:1
in the days 39× Genesis 26:15, Genesis 26:18, Genesis 49:1, Numbers 24:14
time 39× Genesis 21:34, Genesis 26:1, Genesis 38:12, Exodus 2:23
this day 30× Genesis 31:48, Genesis 35:20, Genesis 47:23, Exodus 32:29
- 27× Genesis 5:4, Genesis 7:11, Genesis 25:33, Numbers 11:19
a day 20× Genesis 50:20, Numbers 29:1, Esther 9:17, Esther 9:18
day long 19× Deuteronomy 33:12, Psalms 25:5, Psalms 35:28, Psalms 38:12
when 14× Leviticus 14:57, Numbers 6:13, Numbers 7:10, Numbers 30:8
each day 11× Exodus 5:13, Exodus 16:4, Exodus 29:36, Exodus 29:38
from the day 11× Judges 19:30, 1 Samuel 8:8, 1 Samuel 29:6, 1 Samuel 29:8
My days 11× Job 7:6, Job 9:25, Job 17:1, Job 17:11
your days 11× Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Deuteronomy 6:2, Deuteronomy 11:21
after day 10× Genesis 39:10, 1 Samuel 23:14, 1 Chronicles 12:22, 2 Chronicles 21:19
his days 10× Genesis 6:3, 1 Kings 15:14, 2 Chronicles 15:17, Job 14:5
daily 9× Judges 16:16, 2 Chronicles 24:11, Ezra 3:4, Nehemiah 11:23
in years 8× Genesis 18:11, Genesis 24:1, Joshua 13:1, Joshua 23:1
life 8× 1 Kings 3:11, 2 Chronicles 1:11, Job 12:12, Psalms 61:6
by day 7× Genesis 31:39, Genesis 31:40, Nehemiah 4:22, Psalms 61:8
from the days 7× 1 Kings 22:46, 2 Kings 23:22, Ezra 9:7, Nehemiah 8:17
is the Day 7× Leviticus 23:27, Leviticus 23:28, Judges 4:14, 1 Kings 14:14
One day 7× Genesis 39:11, Exodus 2:11, 1 Samuel 14:1, 2 Kings 4:8
the time 7× Genesis 6:5, Numbers 6:5, Deuteronomy 2:14, Deuteronomy 31:14
their days 7× 1 Kings 15:16, 1 Kings 15:32, 2 Chronicles 12:15, Job 21:13
years 7× Genesis 47:8, Numbers 20:15, 2 Samuel 14:28, 2 Samuel 19:34
for the day 6× Job 38:23, Proverbs 16:4, Proverbs 21:31, Jeremiah 12:3
of the day 6× Genesis 3:8, Genesis 18:1, 1 Samuel 11:11, 2 Samuel 4:5
Our days 6× 1 Chronicles 29:15, Job 8:9, Psalms 90:9, Psalms 90:12
vvv 6× Leviticus 25:8, Numbers 7:84, Deuteronomy 1:46, 1 Samuel 18:10
during the days 5× Leviticus 15:26, 1 Chronicles 5:10, 2 Chronicles 13:20, 2 Chronicles 32:26
First 5× Genesis 25:31, 1 Samuel 2:16, 1 Kings 1:51, 1 Kings 22:5
to this day 5× Genesis 22:14, Deuteronomy 3:14, Deuteronomy 4:4, Psalms 119:91
you today 5× Deuteronomy 28:13, Deuteronomy 30:11, Deuteronomy 30:16, Jeremiah 1:10
And in the days 4× 1 Samuel 17:12, Ezra 4:7, Nehemiah 12:26, Psalms 37:19
in days 4× 2 Kings 19:25, Isaiah 37:26, Lamentations 1:7, Lamentations 2:17
in his days 4× Genesis 10:25, 1 Chronicles 1:19, Psalms 72:7, Jeremiah 23:6
in my day 4× Genesis 35:3, 2 Samuel 22:19, Psalms 18:18, Psalms 102:2
In your days 4× Job 38:12, Ezekiel 12:25, Joel 1:2, Habakkuk 1:5
of time 4× Genesis 4:3, Joshua 11:18, 1 Samuel 1:20, 2 Samuel 2:11
on that day 4× Numbers 30:7, Deuteronomy 1:39, Nehemiah 13:15, Isaiah 52:6
since the day 4× Exodus 10:6, Leviticus 7:35, Deuteronomy 9:24, 2 Samuel 13:32
and day 3× 1 Kings 8:29, 2 Chronicles 21:15, Isaiah 27:3
and the day 3× Judges 19:11, Isaiah 61:2, Zephaniah 2:2
as in days 3× Isaiah 51:9, Jeremiah 46:26, Malachi 3:4
as in the days 3× Hosea 9:9, Hosea 12:9, Micah 7:14
as long as 3× Deuteronomy 11:21, 1 Samuel 20:31, Psalms 89:29
at once 3× 1 Samuel 9:13, 1 Samuel 14:33, Proverbs 12:16
day {holy} 3× Jeremiah 17:22, Jeremiah 17:24, Jeremiah 17:27
for days 3× Nehemiah 1:4, Jeremiah 2:32, Daniel 8:27
for the days 3× Job 29:2, Isaiah 30:8, Hosea 2:13
from day 3× Numbers 30:14, Isaiah 38:12, Isaiah 38:13
his time 3× Numbers 6:12, Numbers 6:13, Job 15:32
is a day 3× 2 Kings 7:9, 2 Kings 19:3, Isaiah 37:3
like those 3× Job 7:1, Job 10:5
now 3× 1 Samuel 18:21, 2 Samuel 19:35, Nehemiah 1:6
of days 3× Job 14:1, Psalms 21:4, Ezekiel 4:4
of years 3× Genesis 35:29, 1 Chronicles 29:28, Job 42:17
on the day that 3× Exodus 6:28, Numbers 9:15, Isaiah 14:3
since the days 3× 2 Chronicles 30:26, 2 Chronicles 35:18, Hosea 10:9
their day 3× Deuteronomy 32:35, Psalms 37:13, Jeremiah 50:27
this very day 3× Leviticus 10:19, Joshua 22:3, 1 Kings 20:13
very day 3× 1 Kings 3:6, Esther 1:18, Psalms 146:4
When the days 3× Genesis 50:4, Leviticus 12:6, Ezekiel 5:2
your life 3× Deuteronomy 30:20, 2 Kings 20:6, Isaiah 38:5
[and] 2× Judges 18:1, 1 Chronicles 5:17
[your] days 2× Deuteronomy 5:33, Deuteronomy 30:18
a daily 2× 2 Kings 25:30, Jeremiah 52:34
according to the daily 2× 1 Chronicles 16:37, 2 Chronicles 8:14
All this time 2× Joshua 22:3, 2 Samuel 3:8
And in the day 2× Genesis 5:2, Isaiah 49:8
as in the day 2× Isaiah 9:4, Hosea 2:15
As long as I live 2× Job 27:6, Psalms 116:2
as on the day 2× Isaiah 27:8, Lamentations 2:7
at the time 2× Numbers 3:1, Judges 15:1
day [of the month] 2× Exodus 19:1, Nehemiah 8:13
day on 2× Nehemiah 4:16, Haggai 2:19
day will be 2× Jeremiah 30:7, Zephaniah 1:15
days later 2× Genesis 34:25, 1 Samuel 25:38
days old 2× Genesis 17:12, Genesis 21:4
During the reign 2× 2 Samuel 21:1, Jeremiah 36:2
during the reigns 2× 1 Chronicles 5:17, Isaiah 1:1
for two days 2× Exodus 16:29, Numbers 9:22
his day 2× 1 Samuel 26:10, Job 14:6
his reign 2× 2 Kings 15:18, 2 Chronicles 34:33
in my lifetime 2× 2 Kings 20:19, Isaiah 39:8
in those days 2× Genesis 6:4, Genesis 14:1
in times 2× Psalms 49:5, Psalms 59:16
is now 2× Genesis 42:13, Genesis 42:32
like the day 2× Psalms 139:12, Hosea 2:3
long as he lives 2× Deuteronomy 22:19, Deuteronomy 22:29
May the day 2× Job 3:3, Jeremiah 20:14
of my days 2× Psalms 39:4, Psalms 102:24
of the days 2× Leviticus 14:46, Daniel 12:13
of these days 2× 1 Samuel 27:1, Ezekiel 43:27
of your days 2× Exodus 23:26, Job 38:21
on a day 2× Jeremiah 36:6, Ezekiel 34:12
that day 2× Deuteronomy 21:23, 1 Kings 13:11
the annual 2× 1 Samuel 1:21, 1 Samuel 2:19
The length 2× 1 Kings 2:11, 1 Chronicles 29:27
the reign 2× 2 Kings 13:22, Ezra 4:5
this 2× 2 Chronicles 8:8, 2 Chronicles 10:19
[and those] 1× Deuteronomy 11:21
[any since] the day 1× Isaiah 7:17
[as is] the lifetime 1× Isaiah 65:22
[by] day 1× Proverbs 8:30
[his] days 1× Proverbs 28:16
[is better] than his day 1× Ecclesiastes 7:1
[the] days 1× Jeremiah 23:7
[their] days 1× 1 Kings 14:30
[who were present] when 1× Zechariah 8:9
[who] daily 1× Psalms 68:19
a day’s 1× 1 Kings 19:4
a long time 1× Genesis 26:8
a time 1× Isaiah 7:17
a unique day 1× Zechariah 14:7
a very long time 1× Deuteronomy 1:46
a year 1× 1 Samuel 27:7
about the days 1× Deuteronomy 4:32
about tomorrow 1× Proverbs 27:1
after 1× 2 Samuel 21:12
after a day 1× Exodus 21:21
After two days 1× Hosea 6:2
after year 1× Exodus 13:10
ago 1× 1 Samuel 9:20
all my life 1× Genesis 44:32
am now 1× Deuteronomy 31:2
among the days 1× Job 3:6
an annual 1× 1 Samuel 20:6
and 1× Nehemiah 12:47
and [have done] since the day 1× 1 Chronicles 17:10
and [of] 1× Hosea 1:1
and a day 1× Isaiah 58:5
And as long as 1× 2 Chronicles 26:5
and celebrating 1× Esther 8:17
and days 1× Genesis 1:14
and from [that] day on 1× Ezekiel 48:35
And from that day 1× 1 Samuel 7:2
and her days 1× Isaiah 13:22
and in his days 1× 2 Chronicles 14:1
and in your days 1× Jeremiah 16:9
And now 1× Joshua 22:18
And on the day 1× Ezekiel 44:27
and one day 1× 2 Kings 4:18
and one’s day 1× Ecclesiastes 7:1
and the daylight 1× Micah 3:6
and the days 1× Isaiah 60:20
And the length 1× 1 Kings 14:20
And the time 1× 1 Samuel 27:7
and their days 1× Ecclesiastes 8:13
And today 1× Deuteronomy 26:18
And whenever the day 1× 1 Samuel 1:4
are but 1× Psalms 90:4
Are my days 1× Job 10:20
Are not his days 1× Job 7:1
Are Your days 1× Job 10:5
as [we are] to this day 1× Deuteronomy 6:24
as a daily 1× Ezekiel 46:13
as a day 1× Esther 9:19
as each day 1× 1 Kings 8:59
as for the day 1× Lamentations 2:22
as he is doing today 1× 1 Samuel 22:13
As in the days when 1× Micah 7:15
as is being done 1× 1 Chronicles 28:7
as is the case today 1× 1 Samuel 22:8
as it is 1× 1 Kings 8:61
as it is to this day 1× Jeremiah 11:5
as long as you live 1× 1 Samuel 25:28
as she is during the days 1× Leviticus 12:2
as the days 1× Esther 9:22
As the time 1× 1 Kings 2:1
as usual 1× 1 Samuel 18:10
as you are today 1× Deuteronomy 4:20
as you do today 1× Isaiah 58:4
as you see today 1× Jeremiah 44:23
at that time 1× 1 Samuel 3:2
at the days 1× Proverbs 31:25
Before the wedding day arrived 1× 1 Samuel 18:26
birthday 1× Genesis 40:20
but a few days 1× Isaiah 65:20
but in the day 1× Ecclesiastes 7:14
but now 1× 2 Samuel 3:8
But on the day 1× Exodus 32:34
But today 1× 1 Samuel 10:19
But whenever 1× Leviticus 13:14
concerns those days 1× Daniel 10:14
day [appointed] 1× Esther 8:12
day [belongs] 1× Jeremiah 46:10
day [long] 1× Psalms 56:2
day after day 1× Deuteronomy 28:32
day comes 1× 1 Samuel 8:18
day from now 1× 2 Kings 20:5
day’s 1× 2 Samuel 19:2
daylight 1× Genesis 29:7
days [in which] 1× Ecclesiastes 6:12
days ago 1× 1 Samuel 30:13
days in all 1× 1 Kings 8:65
days more 1× 2 Chronicles 7:9
During [Josiah’s] reign 1× 2 Kings 23:29
during his days 1× 1 Kings 21:29
during his reign 1× 1 Chronicles 22:9
During Jehoiakim’s reign 1× 2 Kings 24:1
during that year 1× Leviticus 25:29
Each year 1× 1 Samuel 2:19
endures 1× Genesis 8:22
even to this day 1× Deuteronomy 10:15
ever 1× Psalms 37:26
every day 1× 1 Kings 17:15
Every Sabbath day 1× Leviticus 24:8
for a day’s 1× Numbers 11:31
for a while 1× 1 Samuel 9:27
for as many days 1× Psalms 90:15
for each day 1× Ezra 3:4
for life 1× 1 Samuel 28:2
for some time 1× Genesis 40:4
for that day 1× Ezekiel 30:2
for their daily 1× 2 Chronicles 31:16
from days 1× Psalms 94:13
from eternity 1× Isaiah 43:13
from the time 1× Jeremiah 11:7
full 1× Daniel 10:2
full days 1× Exodus 7:25
full years 1× 2 Chronicles 21:19
future 1× Daniel 8:26
great age 1× Zechariah 8:4
has [set] a day 1× Isaiah 22:5
has a day 1× Isaiah 34:8
he lives 1× Ecclesiastes 6:3
He observed the daily 1× 2 Chronicles 8:13
her days 1× Nahum 2:8
his fate 1× Job 18:20
his years 1× Isaiah 65:20
I was the day 1× Joshua 14:11
immediately 1× Nehemiah 5:11
In [Ahab’s] days 1× 1 Kings 16:34
in a day 1× Nehemiah 4:2
In a little more than 1× Isaiah 32:10
in her day 1× Jeremiah 51:2
in his lifetime 1× Jeremiah 22:30
in that day 1× Obadiah 1:12
In the days [of Jehoram] 1× 2 Kings 8:20
In the days of Jehoram 1× 2 Chronicles 21:8
in the days that 1× Isaiah 7:1
in the daytime 1× Amos 8:9
in the future 1× Genesis 30:33
in the time 1× Proverbs 25:13
in their days 1× Psalms 44:1
in time 1× Proverbs 25:19
into a holiday 1× Esther 9:22
into day 1× Job 17:12
is one day 1× Psalms 84:10
it as in the days 1× Amos 9:11
it during your lifetime 1× 1 Kings 11:12
It is a holiday 1× Esther 9:19
It was the season 1× Numbers 13:20
its designated 1× Leviticus 23:37
just as she is during the days 1× Leviticus 15:25
know that on the day 1× Ezekiel 24:25
later 1× Judges 14:8
lived 1× Genesis 9:29
long as 1× Leviticus 13:46
many days 1× Isaiah 24:22
many years 1× Deuteronomy 17:20
match your days 1× Deuteronomy 33:25
May his days 1× Psalms 109:8
my days [are] 1× Job 7:16
my time 1× Genesis 29:21
My years 1× Genesis 47:9
Now in the days 1× Jeremiah 3:6
Now on the day 1× 1 Samuel 9:15
occasions 1× Numbers 10:10
of his days 1× Jeremiah 17:11
of my life 1× Isaiah 38:10
of the Chronicles 1× 1 Chronicles 27:24
of the time 1× Daniel 1:18
of today 1× 1 Samuel 9:9
On the day [that] 1× Joshua 10:12
on the other days 1× Exodus 16:5
On this day 1× Esther 9:1
on Your day 1× Psalms 110:3
one more day 1× 2 Samuel 11:12
or day 1× Esther 4:16
or two days 1× Numbers 11:19
our lives 1× Jeremiah 35:8
our time 1× Lamentations 4:18
over [his] day 1× Ecclesiastes 8:8
per year 1× Judges 17:10
period 1× Numbers 6:5
Recently 1× Jeremiah 34:15
season 1× Joshua 3:15
So in the days 1× Nehemiah 12:47
So on that day 1× Judges 6:32
So that day 1× Genesis 48:20
so that today 1× Deuteronomy 1:10
So the duration 1× 2 Kings 10:36
so will be the days 1× Isaiah 65:22
that age 1× Job 32:7
that each 1× Judges 11:40
That same day 1× Judges 20:25
the [other] day 1× Judges 13:10
the daily 1× Leviticus 25:50
the day [is] 1× Ezekiel 30:3
the day long 1× Lamentations 1:13
the day of his [birth] 1× Job 3:1
the daylight 1× Jeremiah 6:4
the days {to come} 1× Deuteronomy 31:29
The length of our days 1× Psalms 90:10
the span 1× Isaiah 23:15
the years 1× Genesis 47:9
then 1× Joshua 14:12
there is a yearly 1× Judges 21:19
these days 1× 1 Samuel 25:10
they are today 1× Jeremiah 44:6
though for a time 1× Daniel 11:33
though on the day 1× Isaiah 17:11
through the days 1× Jeremiah 1:3
through this day 1× 2 Kings 6:31
throughout the days 1× 2 Chronicles 26:5
Thus the time 1× 1 Kings 11:42
till 1× Proverbs 7:20
times 1× Ezekiel 38:17
to come 1× Psalms 93:5
to determine a day 1× Esther 3:7
to the days 1× Job 33:25
to your days 1× Proverbs 3:2
today’s 1× Esther 9:13
today’s date 1× Ezekiel 24:2
two 1× Exodus 21:21
until the day 1× Zephaniah 3:8
until the time 1× Deuteronomy 34:8
Was that day 1× 1 Samuel 22:15
When her time 1× Genesis 25:24
When the time 1× Genesis 47:29
where they are today 1× Deuteronomy 29:28
while 1× Obadiah 1:11
will ever again 1× 1 Samuel 2:32
will the Day 1× Amos 5:18
with the day 1× Jeremiah 33:20
year 1× Exodus 13:10
Year after year 1× 1 Samuel 1:3
years from now 1× Ezekiel 12:27
Yet from the days 1× Malachi 3:7
You have brought your days 1× Ezekiel 22:4
you who now 1× Zechariah 8:9
your daily 1× Exodus 5:19
your day 1× Jeremiah 50:31
your lives 1× Jeremiah 35:7
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 1:5 י֔וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:5 י֥וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:8 י֥וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:13 י֥וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:14 הַיּ֖וֹם to the day Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:14 וּלְיָמִ֖ים to and days Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural Genesis 1:16 הַיּ֔וֹם to the day Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:18 בַּיּ֣וֹם to the day Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:19 י֥וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular Genesis 1:23 י֥וֹם to day Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 1:5
Aligned rows 2,303
Books represented 39
Genesis 152 Exodus 115 Leviticus 113 Numbers 121 Deuteronomy 167 Joshua 78 Judges 75 Ruth 8 1 Samuel 150 2 Samuel 75 1 Kings 100 2 Kings 79 1 Chronicles 41 2 Chronicles 75 Ezra 21 Nehemiah 60 Esther 53 Job 59 Psalms 115 Proverbs 32 Ecclesiastes 26 Song Of Solomon 5 Isaiah 120 Jeremiah 137 Lamentations 19 Ezekiel 108 Daniel 23 Hosea 28 Joel 13 Amos 22 Obadiah 12 Jonah 4 Micah 14 Nahum 4 Habakkuk 2 Zephaniah 21 Haggai 8 Zechariah 40 Malachi 8
Source forms
בַּיּ֣וֹם 175x bay·yō·wm Genesis 1:18, Genesis 2:2, Genesis 7:11, Genesis 15:18
הַיּ֥וֹם 80x hay·yō·wm Genesis 26:33, Genesis 48:15, Exodus 9:18, Exodus 10:13
הַיּ֣וֹם 73x hay·yō·wm Genesis 17:23, Genesis 17:26, Genesis 29:7, Genesis 32:32
בְּי֣וֹם 60x bə·yō·wm Genesis 30:33, Genesis 35:3, Leviticus 24:8, Numbers 6:9
בַּיּ֥וֹם 59x bay·yō·wm Exodus 13:8, Exodus 14:30, Exodus 16:29, Exodus 16:30
הַיּ֔וֹם 55x hay·yō·wm Genesis 1:16, Genesis 22:14, Genesis 31:43, Genesis 42:13
יְמֵ֣י 52x yə·mê Genesis 5:11, Genesis 5:14, Genesis 5:17, Genesis 5:23
י֣וֹם 50x yō·wm Genesis 2:3, Genesis 33:13, Exodus 5:13, Exodus 12:18
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - masculine singular 459x Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 3:8, Genesis 4:14
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular 322x Genesis 1:18, Genesis 2:2, Genesis 7:11, Genesis 15:18
Noun - masculine plural 270x Genesis 4:3, Genesis 8:10, Genesis 8:12, Genesis 17:12
Noun - masculine singular 164x Genesis 1:5, Genesis 1:8, Genesis 1:13, Genesis 1:19
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct 150x Genesis 2:4, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:5, Genesis 5:1
Article | Noun - masculine plural 136x Genesis 7:10, Genesis 26:8, Genesis 38:12, Genesis 43:9
Noun - masculine plural construct 131x Genesis 3:14, Genesis 3:17, Genesis 5:4, Genesis 5:5
Noun - masculine singular construct 75x Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:3, Genesis 27:2, Genesis 40:20
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- The yôm YHWH passages consistently call for covenant faithfulness in the present because the Day is coming. Amos directs his 'woe' at those who desire the Day while practicing injustice — the Day will not be what they expect if they are covenant-breaking. The pastoral application is not primarily about future prediction but about present accountability: how the community lives now in light of the Day that is coming.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that the 'great and terrible day of the Lord' (Mal 4:5) refers exclusively to any single historical event (e.g., 70 AD, the Reformation, a future tribulation) without acknowledging that the prophetic yôm YHWH has both historical and eschatological dimensions that the NT explicitly carries forward into multiple future events.
- Do not claim that because the Day brought darkness and judgment on Israel (Lamentations), the church today is exempt from any covenantal accountability — the NT explicitly applies the 'judgment begins with the household of God' principle (1 Pet 4:17); the Day does not bypass the covenant community but begins with it.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Fundamental unit of time marked by daylight, extending metaphorically to ages, epochs, and eschatological periods.
Source Gloss
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
many days
A designated time, often of decisive divine action.
A specific time or decisive period, here referring to the day of divine judgment.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 2,304 lexical occurrence verses.
Why This Word Matters
The Day of the Lord frames judgment as a specific, sovereignly appointed event. Hosea 3:1-5
The term anchors the prophecy in a coming decisive act of God that will expose pride and establish his supremacy. Isaiah 13:1-8
Indicates extended period of deprivation. Isaiah 2:10-22
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The prophetic Day of the Lord warns that God’s intervention cannot be domesticated into automatic national or religious advantage. Amos confronts Israelites who desired the day by declaring it darkness for the unfaithful. Other prophets apply day language to historical judgments and future hope. Teachers should begin with each oracle’s audience and horizon before synthesizing a final eschatological doctrine.
The New Testament speaks of the day of the Lord, the day of Christ, and the coming of the Son of Man in relation to accountability, salvation, and judgment. These passages focus the church’s hope on Christ’s return and call for present faithfulness. They do not require the claim that the cross itself was the prophetic Day in concentrated form or that the resurrection was its dawn.
The darkness during Jesus’ crucifixion may evoke several Old Testament judgment and lament texts, including prophetic darkness imagery. Any proposed echo of Amos 8:9 must be argued from literary evidence and should not be stated as an explicit Gospel identification. The certain gospel claim is that Christ bore sins and reconciles believers to God, established by the New Testament’s direct atonement texts.
Anchor passage
Amos.5.18
Doctrinal connections
- H7451 רַע — evil; companion in this session; the Day of the Lord is the day of covenantal reckoning with evil; evil and the Day belong together in the prophetic diagnosis
- H3068 יְהוָה — the Lord; the Day is always the Day of YHWH, not a generic judgment day; its character is defined by the covenant identity of the one who brings it
- G2250 ἡμέρα — day; the NT heir; 'the day of the Lord' language continues unchanged in the NT (1 Cor 1:8; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 6:17)
- H7307 רוּחַ — spirit; companion from session 163; Joel 2:28-32 pairs the rûaḥ-outpouring with the yôm YHWH: the Spirit's coming is the Day arriving in blessing before the Day arrives in judgment
- 2 Pet 3:10 — 'the day of the Lord will come like a thief'; the OT yôm YHWH unexpectedness applied to the Parousia
- Rev 6:17 — 'the great day of their wrath has come'; Revelation's identification of the Lamb's wrath with the yôm YHWH
- 1 Thess 5:2-4 — 'the day of the Lord comes like a thief'; Paul's application of the yôm YHWH darkness/light contrast to the present community
יוֹם can denote daylight, a calendar day, an occasion, or a broader period depending on construction and context. Counts of the exact phrase “Day of the Lord” vary with spelling, phrase boundaries, and whether related expressions such as “that day” are included. “That day” should not automatically be classified as the same technical concept; its referent must be established in each oracle. Creation-day debates likewise cannot be settled from dictionary range alone.
From Old to New Testament
The New Testament uses “day of the Lord,” “day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and “day of the Son of Man” language for future coming, judgment, salvation, and accountability. First Corinthians 1:8 directs the community toward the day of Jesus Christ, and 2 Peter 3:10-12 draws on prophetic judgment imagery for the day of the Lord. Revelation 6:17 speaks of the great day of wrath within its vision.
These passages develop the prophetic tradition around Christ. Luke 23:44 reports darkness at the crucifixion, but it does not cite Amos 8:9 or call the crucifixion the Day of the Lord; that proposed typological connection must remain qualified.
Passage contextBook contextCanonical parallelEditorial synthesisPastoral application
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain