Between the Two Evenings

The Hebrew Word ʻereb

All Bible texts are from ASV(1901) {comments are translator notes} orange words are English translations of ʻereb.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary H6153: עָ֫רֶב ʻereb, eh'-reb; dusk
KJV Translation(s):--+ day, even(-ing, tide), night. The OT Used H6153 125 Times

A similar word in the NT Greek:

Strong's Greek Dictionary G3798: ὄψιος ópsios, op'-see-os; feminine (as noun) afternoon (early eve) or nightfall (later eve). KJV Translation(s):--even(-ing, (-tide)). The NT Used G3798 15 Times

ʻereb -- between noon and sunset("the two evenings")

Exodus 12:6 and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}.

It seems that the 2 evenings are at the middle of the daylight hours(when the sun is at it's highest) and at the end of the daylight hours(sunset), as we will see... Note the phrase "at even". The word "at" is translated from the Hebrew word "בֵּין bêyn, bane", which is most-commonly translated "between", which would be consistent with the translators' note and with Deut. 16:6, as you can see below.

Deuteronomy 16:6 but at the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

Note: The sun starts "going down" at noon, when the sun is at it's highest,(the end of Israel's the 6th hour) and finishes "going down" when the sun sinks below the horizon(sunset - end of the 12th hour). Since this Deut16:6 is referencing the Passover sacrifice, it seems reasonable to apply the same understanding to all other references of the Passover.

Exodus 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even{Hebrew Between the two evenings.} ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God.

Note the phrase "At even". This is the same situation as mentioned in my note on Exodus 12:6.

Exodus 29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}: ... 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}, and shalt do thereto according to the meal-offering of the morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

Exodus 30:8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}, is Jehovah`s passover.

Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}, ye shall keep it in its appointed season: according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it. ... 5 And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}, in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that Jehovah commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. ... 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.} they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs:

Numbers 28:4 The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even{Hebrew between the two evenings.}; ... 8 And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meal-offering of the morning, and as the drink-offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.

Deuteronomy 23:11 But it shall be, when {Heb. turneth toward} evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary H3117: יוֹם yôwm, yome; 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). Many KJV Translations, but mostly day(s) and secondarly, time(s) (Shown below in red). The NT Used H3117 2048 Times

Keep in mind that the orange words are English translations of ʻereb and the red are yôwm:

Joshua 8:29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

Jeremiah 6:4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Here, we saw that ʻereb can refer to when the sun is at it's highest, or when the sun sets, or any time between those 2 "evenings".

Does ʻereb sometimes refer to night(after sunset & before sunrise)?

In the following two texts, other Bible translations(YLT1862; ERV1885; ASV1901) disagree with the translation of ʻereb to night, using the words even and evening instead.

Genesis 49:27(KJV) Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Genesis 49:27(ASV) Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth: In the morning she shall devour the prey, And at even he shall divide the spoil.
Leviticus 6:20(KJV) This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.
Leviticus 6:20(ASV) This is the oblation of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto Jehovah in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening.

In the following two texts, the YLT uses different wording. Here we see a range of time that likely begins before sunset and ends in the morning.

Job 7:4(KJV) When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.
Job 7:4(YLT) If I lay down then I said, `When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.
Psalm 30:5(KJV) For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalm 30:5(YLT) For -- a moment [is] in His anger, Life [is] in His good-will, At even remaineth weeping, and at morn singing.

Here, we saw that ʻereb doesn't likely refer directly to night(after sunset), but is sometimes used to describe a time period that starts at, or before sunset, and ends sometime later.

Does ʻereb sometimes refer to 24-hour days(only found in Dan8:14)?

In this case, they used the word "days" as a translation of two Hebrew words: ʻereb and yôwm, rather than just one. yôwm has a dual meaning "from sunrise to sunset", or "from one sunset to the next."

Daniel 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

YLT, ERV, and ASV all agree that a better translation of ʻereb and yôwm would be "evenings and mornings". Here is the ASV => Daniel 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Note the similarity between these 2 texts:

Dan8:14 ... three hundred ʻereb yôwm(days); then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Gen1:5 ... the ʻereb(evening) yôwm(morning) were the first yôwm(day).

Here again, we saw that ʻereb is sometimes used to describe a time period that starts at, or before sunset, and ends sometime later. {evening(s) and morning(s)}.

ʻereb at Sunset

Leviticus 23:28,32(KJV) And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement... 32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

Leviticus 23:32(NLT) ... This day of rest will begin at sundown on the ninth day of the month and extend until sundown on the tenth day.

2 Chronicles 18:34(KJV) And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.

2 Chronicles 18:34(NLT) The battle raged all that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.

Here, the NLT translators decided this use of ʻereb was at sunset.

My Conclusion => I think it unlikely that the original Hebrew writings ever intended the word ʻereb to mean "night", but sometimes to start before sunset and to continue through the night. ʻereb most-often refers to the time of the day after the sun has reached it's peak in the sky until it sinks below the horizon - either the beginning, or the end, or the full range of time inclusive of the seventh and twelfth hours.

Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah (Deut8:3; Matt4:4)

-Sid Nash: 06/10/2023. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/docs/Between2Evenings.html