Hour. The twenty-fourth part of the day. Such a mode of dividing time was not originally employed among the Hebrews. And, when the word "hour" first occurs, it is used loosely and indefinitely, Daniel 3:6; Daniel 3:15; Daniel 4:33; Daniel 5:5; as it is frequently in the New Testament, Mark 13:32; John 2:4; and as very commonly among ourselves. At a very early period the Egyptians divided the day into twelve hours; and the same reckoning prevailed among the Babylonians, from whom the Greeks took it. It is likely that the Jews learned and adopted it at the period of the captivity. In our Lord's time, the day, that is, the space between sunrise and sunset, was commonly distributed into twelve hours, John 11:9; these, therefore, varied in length according to the season of the year. Generally, however, we may say that the third hour corresponded with our 9 a.m., the sixth with our noon, the ninth with our 3 p.m., etc. In Acts 23:23 the hours of the night were reckoned from sunset; consequently the time named would nearly correspond with our 9 p.m.