Bible Dictionaries
Watch

Holman Bible Dictionary

A division of time in which soldiers or others were on duty to guard something. They are listed as “evening,” “midnight,” “cockcrowing,” and “morning” (Mark 13:35 NAS). Nehemiah set watches which may mean armed persons or just citizens on guard ( Mark 4:9; Mark 7:3 ). The Old Testament seems to have had three watches rather than four. There was the “beginning of the watches” (Lamentations 2:19 ), the “middle watch” (Judges 7:19 ), and the “morning watch” (Exodus 14:24 ). See Time.