ἡμέρα (hēmera)
hēmera
day
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 369 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun hēmera refers to the period of daylight between sunrise and sunset, distinct from the night. In the New Testament, it frequently appears in phrases like "by day" or "at mid-day," as seen when Paul describes his relentless work schedule in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:9) or when Jesus warns against walking in darkness (John 11:9). This usage highlights the practical rhythm of daily life and labor.
It also denotes a full civil day of twenty-four hours, including the night. Jewish reckoning often counted any part of a day as a whole unit, which influences how expressions like "on the third day" are understood in resurrection narratives (Matthew 16:21). The term extends to specific calendar days, such as the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day in Revelation 1:10.
Beyond its literal sense, hēmera carries significant metaphorical weight. It represents an era or age, particularly the "day of the Lord," a time of final judgment and divine intervention (2 Peter 3:10). Translators often render this as "time" in general contexts, capturing the Greek view of days as building blocks of history and human experience.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word hēmera usually points to the time between sunrise and sunset, but it carries a deeper weight than just hours on a clock. In your daily life, this term reminds us that God is present in the rhythm of ordinary labor and rest. When Jesus spoke about not worrying for tomorrow, He was grounding His followers in the reality of hēmera: each day brings its own specific needs, but it also brings God’s sufficient grace for those exact moments.
Beyond the daily grind, this word often signals a turning point in history. The New Testament uses it to describe the "day of judgment" or the "third day" of resurrection. These are not just dates on a calendar; they are markers of God’s ultimate intervention. Whether you are facing the routine of work or the uncertainty of the future, this word invites you to trust that your time is held securely in His hands.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 369 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- day153×
- days131×
- day.14×
- [the] day13×
- days.11×
- day,9×
- [the] days7×
- a day6×
- days,5×
- day;5×
- by day5×
- years3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἡμέρας103×
- ἡμέρᾳ72×
- ἡμέραν48×
- ἡμέραις41×
- ἡμέραι25×
- ἡμέρα20×
- ἡμερῶν20×
- ἡμέρας,8×
- ἡμέρᾳ.7×
- ἡμέρας.6×
- ἡμέρας·5×
- ἡμέρας.¶4×
Key Verses
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Matthew 6:34
Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
This verse anchors the reader in the present moment, teaching that anxiety about the future distracts from the grace available for today.
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Matthew 16:21
From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
Here the word marks the pivotal third day of resurrection, showing how hēmera can denote a specific, divinely appointed time for hope.
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Matthew 10:15
Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
The phrase "day of judgment" uses the word to signify a future era of accountability, contrasting temporary earthly life with eternal consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between hēmera and other Greek words for time?
How does this word relate to the concept of judgment?
Why does Jesus mention "each day's own evil" in Matthew 6:34?
Every Occurrence (369 verses across 23 books)
Matthew 42 verses
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to…
Matthew 3:1In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
Matthew 4:2When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
Matthew 6:34Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Matthew 7:22Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your…
Matthew 9:15Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will…
Matthew 10:15Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for…
Matthew 11:12From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:22But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
Matthew 11:24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you.”
Matthew 12:36I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Matthew 12:40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and…
Matthew 13:1On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside.
Matthew 15:32Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have continued with me now…
Matthew 16:21From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders,…
Matthew 17:1After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by…
Matthew 17:23and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” They were exceedingly sorry.
Matthew 20:2When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Matthew 20:6About the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day…
Matthew 20:12saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and…
Matthew 20:19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”
Matthew 22:23On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
Matthew 22:46No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
Matthew 23:30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the…
Matthew 24:19But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!
Matthew 24:22Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days…
Matthew 24:29“But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the…
Matthew 24:36“But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:37As the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:38For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until…
Matthew 24:42Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes.
Matthew 24:50the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
Matthew 25:13Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Matthew 26:2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Matthew 26:29But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with…
Matthew 26:55In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I…
Matthew 26:61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”
Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down…
Matthew 27:63saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’
Matthew 27:64Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal…
Matthew 28:15So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until…
Matthew 28:20teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”…