χθές (chthes)
chthes
yesterday
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adverb chthes simply means "yesterday," marking a specific point in the recent past. In the New Testament, it appears only three times, each instance anchoring a narrative or theological statement to a concrete moment. John uses it in John 4:52 to pinpoint when the official’s son was healed, while Acts 7:28 records Moses’ challenge to an Egyptian oppressor. Hebrews 13:8 employs it to contrast the unchanging nature of Jesus with the shifting circumstances of human history.
Although the word itself is straightforward, its placement in Scripture often highlights the reliability of God’s actions or character. The sources note that while other forms existed in earlier Greek, chthes (or echthes) was the standard term by the time these texts were written. It serves as a linguistic anchor, reminding readers that the events described happened at a definite time, yet the truths they reveal remain constant.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chthes simply marks a specific point in the recent past. In Scripture, it anchors our faith to real history rather than abstract ideas. When John records that a fever left a boy "yesterday" (John 4:52), he gives us a precise moment where God’s power changed a family’s reality. This detail reminds us that God acts in time and space, bringing healing and hope at definite moments.
Hebrews 13:8 uses this same word to highlight the stability of Jesus Christ. While our circumstances shift like the days passing, He remains constant. The contrast between the fleeting nature of "yesterday" and the eternal nature of Christ offers deep comfort. You can trust that the God who acted in the past is the same God present with you today.
This simple adverb invites us to remember God’s faithfulness in our own lives. Just as the early church looked back at specific events to strengthen their hope, we too can recall moments where God was faithful. Let these memories ground your heart in the unchanging character of Jesus.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- yesterday2×
- Yesterday1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐχθὲς3×
Key Verses
-
John 4:52
So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.”
This verse uses the word to pinpoint the exact hour a miracle occurred, grounding the healing in a specific historical moment.
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Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Here the term contrasts the changing nature of human experience with the eternal constancy of Christ's character.
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Acts 7:28
Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Moses uses this word to reference a recent violent act, highlighting the immediate tension and danger of his situation.