the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Dictionaries
Even, Evening, Eventide
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words
properly, the feminine of the adjective hesperos, "of, or at, evening, western" (Lat., vesper, Eng., "vespers"), is used as a noun in Luke 24:29; Acts 4:3 , "eventide;" Acts 28:23 . Some mss. have the word in Acts 20:15 , "in the evening (we touched)," instead of hetera, "next (day)."
the feminine of the adjective opsios, "late," used as a noun, denoting "evening," with hora, "understood" (see No. 1), is found seven times in Matthew, five in Mark, two in John, and in these places only in the NT (some mss. have it in Mark 11:11 , see B). The word really signifies the "late evening," the latter of the two "evenings" as reckoned by the Jews, the first from 3 p.m. to sunset, the latter after sunset; this is the usual meaning. It is used, however, of both, e.g., Mark 1:32 (cp. opsimos, "latter," said of rain, James 5:7 ).
"long after, late, late in the day, at evening" (in contrast to proi, "early," e.g., Matthew 20:1 ), is used practically as a noun in Mark 11:11 , lit., "the hour being at eventide;" Mark 11:19; 13:35; in Matthew 28:1 it is rendered "late on," RV, for AV, "in the end of." Here, however, the meaning seems to be "after," a sense in which the word was used by late Greek writers. See LATE. In the Sept., Genesis 24:11; Exodus 30:8; Jeremiah 2:23; Isaiah 5:11 .
Note: In Luke 12:38 some mss. have the adjective hesperinos, "of the evening" (see A, No. 1), lit., "in the evening watch."These files are public domain.
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Even, Evening, Eventide'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​ved/​e/even-evening-eventide.html. 1940.