ἔννυχος (ennuchos)
ennuchos
at night
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The word ennuchos is a rare Greek adjective meaning "nightly" or "nocturnal." It appears only once in the New Testament, in Mark 1:35, where it describes the time when Jesus rose to pray before dawn. The term is formed from the preposition en ("in") and nyx ("night"), literally placing the action within the darkness of night.
Its usage is distinctive because it modifies the act of rising or getting up, emphasizing the unusual hour rather than just the duration. While other words exist for "at night," this specific form highlights the quiet, solitary nature of that early morning devotion. Translators typically render it as "early in the morning" or "before daybreak" to capture the sense of waking while the world still sleeps.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ennuchos simply means 'at night' or 'nocturnal,' appearing only once in the New Testament in Mark 1:35. It describes Jesus rising while it was still dark to find a quiet place for prayer. This rare term highlights the intentional solitude of that moment, showing us that communion with God often happens in the stillness before the world wakes up.
For your faith life, this reminds us that spiritual strength is not found in the noise of the day but in dedicated time alone with the Father. You do not need to be perfect or have all the answers to pray; you only need to show up. Like Jesus, you can seek that quiet space to recharge your spirit and align your heart with God’s will before the demands of daily life begin.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in night1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἔννυχα1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 1:35
Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.
This is the only occurrence of the word, describing Jesus rising while it was still dark to pray in a deserted place.