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Zechariah 14:6 — Word Study

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WLCוְהָיָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא לֹֽא־ יִהְיֶ֣ה א֔וֹר יְקָר֖וֹת וְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃

BSAOn thathûwʼ dayyôwm [when God's plan unfolds] there will behâyâh nolôʼ [absence of, or lack of] lightʼôwr [natural or spiritual illumination] no coldyâqâr [neither, frosty conditions] or frostqâphâʼ [ice, a state of being frozen]

Word
Listen & take awayZechariah 14
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 6 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ve.yik.pe.'un) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Zechariah 14:6quick helps
In a sentenceOn that day, there will be no light, cold, or frost.
What is happeningA description of a specific day when these conditions will not exist.
Where we areIn a prophetic context, describing the conditions of a future day.
The hard wordיְקָר֖וֹת
Take awayThe absence of light and cold signifies a unique condition.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbהָיָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Zechariah 14:6

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Day of the Lordgenerated

5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
6On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.
7It will be a day known only to the LORD, without day or night; but when evening comes, there will be light.
8And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.

Zechariah 14:6 describes a future day marked by the absence of light and cold, indicating a time of divine intervention and transformation. This passage is part of a larger prophetic vision concerning the end times and the coming of the Lord, where the normal order of nature is disrupted. The surrounding verses (like Zechariah 14:5 and 14:8) elaborate on the events that will take place during this significant time.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 97:10–11Hate evil, O you who love the LORD! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
2Psalm 112:4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright— for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
3Proverbs 4:18–19The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
4Isaiah 50:10Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.
5Isaiah 60:1–3Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

The Key Word יְקָר֖וֹת, ye.ka.Rotgenerated

The word יְקָר (yaqar) is an adjective meaning precious or splendid. It conveys a sense of value and rarity, often used to describe something esteemed or costly. In this context, it refers to light that is not merely absent but highlights the starkness of the day described.

The parsing indicates that it is in the plural form, suggesting a variety of splendid lights that will not be present. This absence emphasizes the unique and extraordinary nature of the day being described.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is וְהָיָ֖ה, and it will be, which governs the entire clause. The sentence structure is straightforward, presenting the conditions of that day in a series of negations.

The word order emphasizes the lack of light and cold, focusing the reader's attention on what will not exist on that day.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אוֹר as φῶς, meaning light, which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning but may carry a broader connotation of illumination. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of light as both physical and metaphorical.

The translation of יְקָר֖וֹת is not directly represented in the Septuagint, which may suggest a different emphasis or interpretation of the conditions described.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Zechariah 14:6 states that on a specific day, there will be no light, cold, or frost. This verse emphasizes a unique condition that will exist, highlighting the absence of these elements as significant.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that there will be no light?

The absence of light signifies a profound change in the natural order, indicating a time of divine intervention.

Why is cold mentioned alongside light?

The mention of cold and frost alongside the absence of light emphasizes a complete lack of typical environmental conditions, suggesting a dramatic transformation.

What is the significance of this day?

This day is portrayed as a unique time in prophetic literature, often associated with God's judgment and the fulfillment of His promises.

How does this verse relate to other prophetic texts?

This verse connects with other prophetic texts that describe the end times and God's ultimate plan for creation, such as those found in Isaiah and Revelation.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does the absence of light symbolize in my life and faith?
  2. How can I prepare for the unique conditions described in this prophecy?
  3. In what ways do I see God's intervention in the natural order today?
  4. How can I share the significance of this verse with others?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early commentators like Jerome and Richard Challoner reference this verse to discuss the conditions of the day described, emphasizing the absence of light and its implications.

JeromeVers. 6, 7. c. 347–420
And it shall come to pass in that day, there shall be no light, but cold and frost. And there shall be one day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, and in the evening time there shall be light.
Early Church Fathers on Zechariah 14 →
Richard Challoner 1691–1781
No light: Viz., in that dismal time of persecution of Antiochus, when it was neither day nor night: (ver. 7) because they neither had the comfortable light of the day, nor the repose of the night.
Early Church Fathers on Zechariah 14 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Zechariah 14:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And it shall come to pass in that day,.... Which shall precede the coming of Christ, both his spiritual and personal reign; for what follows will not agree with either state: [that] the light shall

Read John Gill on Zechariah 14 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark.

Read Robert Jamieson on Zechariah 14 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

In that day; whilst God is fighting with the enemies of his church, the nations that fought against Jerusalem. The light; good estate, peace, and welfare. Shall not be clear; unmixed good, all light, it will not be so well with the church. Nor dark; not so sad as all darkness, there shall be a temper of both, some peace with some trouble; some prosperity with some adversity; some mercy in midst of judgment to allay the bitterness of judgment, and some judgment with our mercies to allay their sweetness.

Read Matthew Poole on Zechariah 14 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Zechariah 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the light shall not be clear, [nor] dark:Ver. 6. And it shall come to pass in that day] That is, saith Diodati, after the destruction of antichrist, shall the Son of God come in, who shall bring the Church into its glory; where without any vicissitude or variation of day and night, of calamity and prosperity, of knowledge and ignorance, it shall enjoy eternal light by the sight of God, Isaiah 60:19-20 Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5. Thus he. Between this fall of antichrist and the consummation of all some place the full and final restoration of the Jews, and make this a description of that glorious Church they shall then erect.…

Read John Trapp on Zechariah 14 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) That the light shall not be clear, nor dark.—Better, there shall not be light; the glorious ones (i.e., the heavenly bodies) shall fail (literally, become coagulated).

Read Charles John Ellicott on Zechariah 14 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 6. The light shall not be clear, nor dark] Metaphorically, there will be a mixture of justice and mercy in all this; or a bright light and darkness. Mercy shall triumph over judgment. There shall be darkness-distress, c. but there shall be more light-joy and prosperity-than darkness.

Read AdamClarke on Zechariah 14 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. the light shall not be clear, nor dark] Rather, there shall not be light, the bright ones shall be contracted; as in R. V. margin, i.e. the heavenly bodies shall be darkened. It shall be a day of deep gloom. Comp. “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining,” Joe 3:15, and Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12-13.

Read Cambridge on Zechariah 14 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The light shall not be clear nor dark - Or, more probably, according to the original reading , “In that day there will be no light; the bright ones will contract themselves,” as it is said, “The

Read Albert Barnes on Zechariah 14 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

It will happen in that day that there will not be light, cold, or frost.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.

NETBNew English Translation2006

On that day there will be no light – the sources of light in the heavens will congeal.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves:

RVARevised Version, American1894

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be with brightness and with gloom:

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And in that day shall there bee no cleare light, but darke.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] there shall not be light; the shining shall be obscured.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And it hath come to pass, in that day, The precious light is not, it is dense darkness,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And it has come to pass in that day, || The precious light is not, it is dense darkness,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And it shall come to pass on that day, that there shall be no light, but fleeting light and thick darkness;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

On that day there will be no light, but no cold or frost either.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall be no light, but cold and frost.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

On that day there will be no longer cold and frost.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And in that day there will be no heat or cold or ice;

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclauseverbהָיָ֖הit.will.beprepositional phrase · prepositionalבַּonnoun phrasethenoun phraseיּ֣וֹםdayadjective phraseהַ(the)ה֑וּאthatclauseadverbialלֹֽאnotverbיִהְיֶ֣הit.will.benoun phrase · subjectא֔וֹרlightnoun phraseיְקָר֖וֹתsplendid.[ones]וְandקִפָּאֽוֹןfrost

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads: וְהָיָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא לֹֽא־ יִהְיֶ֣ה א֔וֹר יְקָר֖וֹת וְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃. The Septuagint matches 5 of the 8 words from the Masoretic Text, indicating a close relationship between the two, although the exact wording and structure differ.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְהָיָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא לֹֽא־ יִהְיֶ֣ה א֔וֹר יְקָר֖וֹת וְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
בַּיּ֣וֹםἐνלֹֽא־οὐκיִהְיֶ֣הἔσταιא֔וֹרφῶςוְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃πάγος

5 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Zechariah 14:6הָיָהand it willand it will beהָיָהיוֹםon the dayon the dayיוֹםהוּאthatthatהוּאלֹאnotnotלֹאהָיָהit will beit will beהָיָהאוֹרlightlightאוֹריָקָרsplendid [osplendid [ones]יָקָרקָפָאand frostand frostקָפָאהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאאוֹרto lightto lightאוֹריָקַרbe precioube preciousיָקַרשְׁבִיעִיseventhseventhשְׁבִיעִישַׁבָּתSabbathSabbathשַׁבָּתטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאעֵתtimetimeעֵתיָכֹלbe ablebe ableיָכֹלעוֹדstillstillעוֹדחֹ֫שֶׁךְdarknessdarknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְיָרֵחַmoonmoonיָרֵחַבֹּ֫שֶׂםspicespiceבֹּ֫שֶׂםהוֹןsubstancesubstanceהוֹןעַלuponuponעַל
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Zechariah 14:6

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
וְהָיָ֖הve.ha.Yah and it will be H1961 Verb · Qal · sequential perfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential perfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqq3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TESTAMENT.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ THE MENTAL FACULTY

Freedom of, recognized by God Ge 4:6-10; De 5:29; 1Ki 20:42; Isa 1:18-20; 43:26; Jer 36:3,7; Joh 7:17

See BLESSINGS, CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE

See CHOICE

See CONTINGENCY

→ OF GOD, THE SUPREME RULE OF DUTY Mt 6:10; 12:50; 26:39,42; Mr 3:35; 14:36; Lu 11:2; 22:42; Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; Ac…

and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
בַּיּ֣וֹםbai.Yom on the day H3117 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
2,306× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Amplified meaning
when God's plan unfolds
Tyndale gloss
day
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

day, opp. night

Day as division of time

יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

Pl. days of anyone

Days

יוֹם = time

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night

. Day as division of time

. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

. Pl. days of anyone

. Days

. יוֹם = time

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3117 yowm yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm

hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one

sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by

an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +

chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)

day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +

(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as

(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,

presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,

then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,

weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole

(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹם (yom) — day.

: day/when/time/period

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: old.

: old/(full/many)[days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: year.

: year[of_days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

da (yom; hemera): This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are understood the difficulty of interpretation vanishes. We note several different uses of the word:

(1) It sometimes means the time from daylight till dark. This popular meaning is easily discovered by the context, e. g. Ge 1:5; 8:22, etc. The marked periods of this daytime were morning, noon and night, as with us. See Ps 55:17. The early hours were sometimes called "the cool of the day" (Ge 3:8). After the exile the day. or daytime was divided into twelve hours and the night into twelve (see

Day

The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). “The heat of the day” (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o’clock, and “the cool of the day” just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex.…

The variable length of the natural day at different seasons led in the very earliest times to the adoption of the civil day (or one revolution of the sun) as a standard of time. The Hebrews reckoned the day from evening to evening, (Leviticus 23:32) deriving it from (Genesis 1:5) "the evening and the morning were the first day." The Jews are supposed, like the modern Arabs, to have adopted from an early period minute specifications of the parts of the natural day. Roughly, indeed, they were content to divide it into "morning, evening and noonday," (Psalms 55:17) but when they wished for greater accuracy they pointed to six unequal parts, each of which was again subdivided. These are held to have been -- "the dawn." "Sunrise."…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The day is distinguished into natural, civil, and artificial. The natural day is one revolution of the earth on its axis. The civil day is that, the beginning and the end of which are determined by the custom of any nation. The Hebrews began their day in the evening, Le 23:32; the Babylonians at sunrise; and we begin at midnight. The artificial day is the time of the sun’s continuance above the horizon, which is unequal according to different seasons, on account of the obliquity of the equator. The sacred writers generally divide the day into twelve hours. The sixth hour always ends at noon throughout the year; and the twelfth hour is the last hour before sunset. But in summer, all the hours of the day were longer than in winter, while those of night were shorter. See HOURS, and THREE.

and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
הַה֑וּאha.Hu' that H1931 Particle · pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Pron — Particle · pronoun
HTd/Pp3ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
לֹֽא־lo'- not H3808 Particle
5,170× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Amplified meaning
absence of, or lack of
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3808 lo' lo

or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often

used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,

ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,

no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out

of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +

of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֹא (lo) — not.

1) not, no

1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)

1b) not (with modifier-negation)

1c) nothing (subst)

1d) without (with particle)

1e) before (of time)

Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTn
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
יִהְיֶ֣הyih.Yeh it will be H1961 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVqi3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVqi3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TESTAMENT.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ THE MENTAL FACULTY

Freedom of, recognized by God Ge 4:6-10; De 5:29; 1Ki 20:42; Isa 1:18-20; 43:26; Jer 36:3,7; Joh 7:17

See BLESSINGS, CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE

See CHOICE

See CONTINGENCY

→ OF GOD, THE SUPREME RULE OF DUTY Mt 6:10; 12:50; 26:39,42; Mr 3:35; 14:36; Lu 11:2; 22:42; Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; Ac…

and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
א֔וֹר'or light H216 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
121× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Light, including natural light from the sun or stars, and also spiritual light from God. It can refer to happiness, prosperity, or understanding. In the Bible, God is often described as the source of light and life.
Amplified meaning
natural or spiritual illumination
Tyndale gloss
light
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אוֹר (or) means 'light' and encompasses various forms of illumination, including daylight, dawn, and the light of heavenly bodies like the sun and stars. It can also refer to metaphorical concepts such as the light of life, prosperity, and instruction, as well as Yahweh as a source of light.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אוֹר 121 n.m. light

light as diffused in nature, light of day

morning light, dawn

light of the heavenly luminaries

daylight

lightning

light of lamp

light of life

light of prosperity

light of instruction

light of face

Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H216 אוֹר light . light as diffused in nature, light of day

. morning light, dawn

. light of the heavenly luminaries

. daylight

. lightning

. light of lamp

. light of life

. light of prosperity

. light of instruction

. light of face

. Yahweh

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

216 'owr ore

from 215; illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every

sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.):--bright, clear,

+ day, light (-ning), morning, sun.

see HEBREW for 0215

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אוֹר (or) — light.

1) light

1a) light of day

1b) light of heavenly luminaries (moon, sun, stars)

1c) day-break, dawn, morning light

1d) daylight

1e) lightning

1f) light of lamp

1g) light of life

1h) light of prosperity

1i) light of instruction

1j) light of face (fig.)

1k) Jehovah as Israel's light

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lit ('or, ma'or; phos; many other words):

1. Origin of Light

2. A Comprehensive Term

(1) Natural Light

(2) Artificial Light

(3) Miraculous Light

(4) Mental, Moral, Spiritual Light

3. An Attribute of Holiness

(1) God

(2) Christ

(3) Christians

(4) The Church

4. Symbolism

5. Expressive Terms

1. Origin of Light:

The creation of light was the initial step in the creation of life. "Let there be light" (Ge 1:3) was the first word of God spoken after His creative Spirit "moved" upon the primary material out of which He created the heavens and the earth, and which lay, until the utterance of that word, in the chaos of darkness and desolation. Something akin, possibly, to the all-pervasive electro-magnetic activity of the aurora borealis penetrated the chaotic night of the world. The ultimate focusing of light (on the 4th day of creation,

Light

The offspring of the divine command (Gen. 1:3). “All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light” (1 Kings 11:36; Isa. 58:8; Esther 8:16; Ps. 97:11). Light came also naturally to typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps. 119:105; Isa. 8:20; Matt. 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One of the most wonderful, cheering, and useful of all the works of God; called into being on the first of the six days of creation, by his voice: "Let there be light;" and there was light. No object better illustrates whatever is pure, glorious, spiritual, joyful, and beneficent. Hence the beauty and force of the expressions, "God is light," 1Jo 1:5, and "the Father of lights," Jas 1:17; Christ is the "Sun of righteousness," and "the light of the world," Joh 1:9 8:12. So also the word of God is "a light," Ps 119:105; truth and Christians are lights, Joh 3:19 12:36; prosperity is "light," Es 8:16; and heaven is full of…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Created Ge 1:3-5; Isa 45:7; 2Co 4:6

→ Miraculous Mt 17:2; Ac 9:3

→ FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLICAL 1Ki 11:36; Ps 27:1; 119:105,130; Pr 6:23; Ec 2:13; Isa 8:20; 49:6; 58:8; 60:19,20; Mt 4:16; 5:14,16; Lu 2:32; 11:34; 16:8;

and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
יְקָר֖וֹתye.ka.Rot splendid [ones] H3368 Adj
36× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means something or someone is valuable and precious, like costly jewels or highly valued people, as seen in descriptions of honorable women and precious stones in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
neither, frosty conditions
Tyndale gloss
precious
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָקָר (yaqar) means precious, rare, or splendid, and can refer to something valuable or weighty. It encompasses meanings like costly, excellent, and glorious, often used to describe precious stones or jewels. The word is built from a root that implies value, and it appears in contexts highlighting worth or reputation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָקָר adj. precious, rare, splendid, weighty

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3368 יָקָר precious, rare, splendid, weighty

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3368 yaqar yaw-kawr'

from 3365; valuable (obj. or subj.): -brightness, clear,

costly, excellent, fat, honourable women, precious,

reputation.

see HEBREW for 03365

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָקָר (ya.qar) — precious.

1) valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid

1a) precious

1a1) costly

1a2) precious, highly valued

1a3) precious stones or jewels

1b) rare

1c) glorious, splendid

1d) weighty, influential

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAafpa
and it will be on the day that not it will be light splendid [ones] and frost
וְקִפָּאֽוֹן׃ve.yik.pe.'un and frost H7087 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
4× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word describes something becoming thick or frozen, like curdled milk or a dark sky, as seen in Job 28:10. It can also refer to a liquid congealing or settling. The KJV translates it as congeal or curdle.
Amplified meaning
ice, a state of being frozen
Tyndale gloss
to congeal
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קָפָא (qapha') is a Hebrew verb meaning to thicken, condense, or congeal. It describes processes like thickening liquids or settling substances, with references to curdling and freezing. The noun form קִפָּאוֹן (qippa'on) refers to congelation. The word appears in contexts such as Zechariah 14:6, where it conveys the idea of becoming dense.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[קָפָא] vb. thicken, condense, congeal

Qal the deeps were condensed, became firm walls

Hiph. didst thou not curdle me like cheese

base

קִפָּאוֹן n.[m.] congelation;—Zc 14:6 Qr

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7087a קָפָא thicken, condense, congeal H7087b קִפָּאוֹן congelation

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7087 qapha' kaw-faw'

a primitive root; to shrink, i.e. thicken (as unracked wine,

curdled milk, clouded sky, frozen water):--congeal, curdle,

dark, settle.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קָפָא (qa.pah) — to congeal.

v

1) to thicken, condense, congeal, settle, become dense

1a) (Qal) to be condensed

1a1) thickening (participle)

1b) (Hiphil) to cause to curdle

קִפָּאוֹן (qi.pa.on) — thickness.

congelation

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

frost (kephor, "hoar-frost," Ex 16:14; Job 38:29; chanamal, perhaps "the aphis," Ps 78:47; qerach, "cold," Ge 31:40; Job 37:10 the King James Version; Jer 36:30):

1. Formation:

A temperature of freezing or lower is called frost. Dew forms when the temperature is decreased; and if below freezing, the dew takes the form of a white film or covering over rocks and leaves. This white covering is called hoar-frost. Like dew it is the result of condensation of the moisture of the air on objects which radiate their heat quickly. In order that condensation may take place…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Frost

(Heb. kerah, from its smoothness) Job 37:10 (R.V., “ice”); Gen. 31:40; Jer. 36:30; rendered “ice” in Job 6:16, 38:29; and “crystal” in Ezek. 1:22. “At the present day frost is entirely unknown in the lower portions of the valley of the Jordan, but slight frosts are sometimes felt on the sea-coast and near Lebanon.” Throughout Western Asia cold frosty nights are frequently succeeded by warm days.

“Hoar frost” (Heb. kephor, so called from its covering the ground) is mentioned in Ex. 16:14; Job…

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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