Biblical Day
From Dawn Until the Following Dawn
Overview
Genesis tells us…
- Gen 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth;
- Gen 1:2 and the earth being without form and empty, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of Elohim moving gently on the face of the waters,
- Gen 1:3 then Elohim said, Let light be! And there was light.
- Gen 1:4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good, and Elohim separated between the light and darkness.
- Gen 1:5 And Elohim called the light, Day (yowm). And He called the darkness, Night (layil). And there was evening (‘ereb), and there was morning (boqer), day one (yowm).
According to scripture, YHVH did His work during the “daylight” hours, then evening occurred, then at morning (dawn) the day ended.
As such, the Biblical day is from morning (boqer) to morning (boqer).
Torah Requirements
Daily required burnt offerings (`olah):
- 2 male lambs, each 1 year old, without blemish – one in the morning, and one between the evenings (at twilight)
Required food offerings (minchah) for the burnt offerings (`olah):
- Flour mixed with beaten oil (1/10 of an ephah for each of the 2 lambs)
- Strong drink (1/4 of a hin for each of the 2 lambs)
The Biblical Day in the Torah
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth;
Genesis 1:2 and the earth being without form and empty, and darkness on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of Elohim moving gently on the face of the waters,
Genesis 1:3 then Elohim said, Let light be! And there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good, and Elohim separated between the light and darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And Elohim called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And there was evening, and there was morning, day one.
AND…
Genesis 1:8 And Elohim called the expanse, Heavens. And there was evening, and there was morning, day two.
AND…
Genesis 1:13 And there was evening, and there was morning, day three.
Genesis 1:14 And Elohim said, Let light sources be in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs and for (Holy day) seasons, and for days and years.
Genesis 1:15 And let them be for light sources in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it was so.
Genesis 1:16 And Elohim made the two great light sources the great light to rule the day, and the small light and the stars to rule the night.
Genesis 1:17 And Elohim set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth,
Genesis 1:18 and to rule over the day and over the night; and to divide between the light and the darkness. And Elohim saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:19 And there was evening, and there was morning, day four.
AND…
Genesis 1:23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.
AND…
Genesis 1:31 And Elohim saw everything that He had made and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their host.
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
Genesis 2:3 And Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because He rested from all His work on it, which Elohim had created to make.
Numbers 28:1 And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying,
Numbers 28:2 Command the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, My offering, My bread for My fire offerings, My soothing fragrance, you shall take heed to offer to Me in its appointed season.
Numbers 28:3 And you shall say to them, This is the fire offering which you shall offer to YAHWEH, two yearling lambs without blemish, day by day, as a continual burnt offering.
Numbers 28:4 You shall offer the one lamb in the morning, and you shall offer the other lamb between the two evenings;
Numbers 28:5 and a tenth of an ephah of flour for a food offering mixed with beaten oil, a fourth of a hin;
Numbers 28:6 a continual burnt offering which was performed in Mount Sinai for a soothing fragrance, a fire offering to YAHWEH;
Numbers 28:7 and its drink offering, a fourth of a hin for the one lamb; pour a drink offering of strong drink to YAHWEH in the sanctuary.
Numbers 28:8 And you shall offer the other lamb between the evenings, even as the food offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer as a sacrifice made by fire, a soothing fragrance to YAHWEH.
Common Misconceptions
Misconception #1 – The First Chapter of Genesis Proves an Evening to Evening Day
Each of the days of creation, as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, all end in a similar manner:
- Gen 1:5 And Elohim called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And there was evening, and there was morning, day one.
- Gen 1:8 And Elohim called the expanse, Heavens. And there was evening, and there was morning, day two.
- Gen 1:13 And there was evening, and there was morning, day three.
- Gen 1:19 And there was evening, and there was morning, day four.
- Gen 1:23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.
- Gen 1:31 And Elohim saw everything that He had made and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
Because the evening is mentioned before the morning (or “day” in some translations), these verses have lead many to believe that a day is being recorded as starting at dusk in the evening and ending after the following daytime has finished, lasting from evening until evening (as Jewish people observe today). This misconception is due in part to poor translations in many Bibles, and in part to a lack of context.
The word translated here as morning (the Hebrew “boqer”) is frequently translated as “day” in many bible translations. However, the Hebrew word “boqer” means the break of morning or dawn, and signifies the end of night and the start of the new day. So, each of these verses are actually stating that at “boqer” (dawn) the day ended.
Also, the context is very important. In each case we see YHVH doing His work during what would be the “daylight” hours, which is then followed by night (‘ereb) and then the break of morning (boqer), signifying the end of the 24-hour day period. In context it is clear that one day ended, and the next day began, at “boqer” – the break of morning or dawn.
Misconception #2 – The Day of Atonement Proves an Evening to Evening Day
In Leviticus 23 we read:
- Lev 23:32 It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall humble your souls in the ninth of the month at evening; from evening until evening you shall keep your Sabbath.
Many people have come to believe that this verse also proves that the day period is from evening to evening. However, this is due to this verse being taken completely out of context. The entire section, in Leviticus chapter 23, regarding the Day of Atonement, reads as follows:
- Lev 23:26 And YAHWEH spoke to Moses saying,
Lev 23:27 Also, on the tenth of this seventh month shall be a day of atonement; there shall be a holy gathering, and you shall humble and weaken your bodies and shall bring a fire offering to YAHWEH. - Lev 23:28 And you shall do no work in this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to atone for you before YAHWEH your Elohim.
- Lev 23:29 For any person who is not humbled in this same day shall be cut off from his people.
- Lev 23:30 And any person who does any work in this same day, I shall even cut off that person from the midst of his people.
- Lev 23:31 You shall do no work; it is a never ending statute throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.
- Lev 23:32 It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall humble your souls in the ninth of the month at evening; from evening until evening you shall keep your Sabbath.
Verse 27 tells us that the Day of Atonement is the 10th day of the 7th month. However, verse 32 states that we are to begin observing the Day of Atonement in the evening of the 9th day of the 7th month, and continue observing until the evening of the 10th day of the 7th month. The observance of this appointed time (mo’edim) starts the evening before the actual Day of Atonement commences.
The reason for this appointed time (mo’edim) being different from all others, by beginning the observance the night before, is very likely due to what the Day of Atonement represents. It was on this day each year that atonement was made for the people of Israel by their High Priest. Our High Priest, Yeshua Messiah, has atoned for us with His own blood. The ordeal He went through to do this started in the evening of the 13 day of the 1st month (when He was arrested by the Roman soldiers) and lasted all through the next day (Passover) until He died and was buried on the evening of the 14th day of the 1st month. Thus, lasting from evening until evening.