Bible Dictionaries
Day

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

"a day," is used of (a) the period of natural light, Genesis 1:5; Proverbs 4:18; Mark 4:35; (b) the same, but figuratively, for a period of opportunity for service, John 9:4; Romans 13:13; (c) one period of alternate light and darkness, Genesis 1:5; Mark 1:13; (d) a period of undefined length marked by certain characteristics, such as "the day of small things," Zechariah 4:10; of perplexity and distress, Isaiah 17:11; Obadiah 1:12-14; of prosperity and of adversity, Ecclesiastes 7:14; of trial or testing, Psalm 95:8; of salvation, Isaiah 49:8; 2 Corinthians 6:2; cp. Luke 19:42; of evil, Ephesians 6:13; of wrath and revelation of the judgments of God, Romans 2:5; (e) an appointed time, Ecclesiastes 8:6; Ephesians 4:30; (f) a notable defeat in battle, etc., Isaiah 9:4; Psalm 137:7; Ezekiel 30:9; Hosea 1:11; (g) by metonymy = "when," "at the time when;" (1), of the past, Genesis 2:4; Numbers 3:13; Deuteronomy 4:10 , (2) of the future, Genesis 2:17; Ruth 4:5; Matthew 24:50; Luke 1:20; (h) a judgment or doom, Job 18:20 . * [* From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, pp. 150-151.] (i) of a time of life, Luke 1:17,18 ("years").

As the "day" throws light upon things that have been in darkness, the word is often associated with the passing of judgment upon circumstances. In 1 Corinthians 4:3 , "man's day," AV, "man's judgement," RV, denotes mere human judgment upon matters ("man's" translates the adjective anthropinos, "human"), a judgment exercised in the present period of human rebellion against "God;" probably therefore "the Lord's Day," Revelation 1:10 , or "the Day of the Lord" (where an adjective, kuriakos, is similarly used), is the Day of His manifested judgment on the world.

The phrases "the day of Christ," Philippians 1:10; 2:16; "the day of Jesus Christ," Philippians 1:6; "the day of the Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Corinthians 1:8 , denote the time of the Parousia of Christ with His saints, subsequent to the Rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 . In 2 Peter 1:19 this is spoken of simply as "the day," (see DAY-STAR).

From these the phrase "the day of the Lord" is to be distinguished; in the OT it had reference to a time of the victorious interposition by God for the overthrow of the foes of Israel, e.g., Isaiah 2:12; Amos 5:18; if Israel transgressed in the pride of their hearts, the Day of the Lord would be a time of darkness and judgment. For their foes, however, there would come "a great and terrible day of the Lord," Joel 2:31; Malachi 4:5 . That period, still future, will see the complete overthrow of gentile power and the establishment of Messiah's kingdom, Isaiah 13:9-11; 34:8; Daniel 2:34,44; Obadiah 1:15; cp. Isaiah 61:2; John 8:56 .

In the NT "the day of the Lord" is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2 , RV, where the Apostle's warning is that the church at Thessalonica should not be deceived by thinking that "the Day of the Lord is now present." This period will not begin till the circumstances mentioned in verses 3 and 4 take place.

For the eventual development of the Divine purposes in relation to the human race see 2 Peter 3:12 , "the Day of God."

"brightness, bright shining, as of the sun;" hence, "the beginning of daylight," is translated "break of day" in Acts 20:11 .

the neuter plural of ennuchos, used adverbially, lit., "in night" (en, "in," nux, "night," with lian, "very"), signifies "very early, yet in the night," "a great while before day," Mark 1:35 .

Notes: (1) For phrases, see DAILY. (2) In Mark 6:35 , the clause "the day was far spent" is, lit., "a much hour (i.e., a late hour) having become," or, perhaps, "many an hour having become," i.e., many hours having passed. In the end of the ver., RV, "day," for AV, "time." (3) In Mark 2:26 , AV, "in the days of," there is no word for "days" in the original; RV (from best mss.), "when;" in Acts 11:28 , "in the days of." (4) In John 21:4 , the adjective proios, "at early morn," is translated "day" (RV, for AV, "the morning"); see Matthew 27:1 . (5) In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 , "that day shall not come" (AV) translates nothing in the original; it is inserted to supply the sense (see the RV); cp. Luke 7:11 (RV, "soon afterwards"); 1 Corinthians 4:13 (RV, "even until now"). (6) For "day following" see MORROW.