BIBLE GREEK WORD STUDY
Hemera (ἡμέρα) — Day in the Bible
ἡμέρα (G2250) is the standard Greek noun for 'day,' covering the daylight hours, a full 24-hour period, or a defined era depending on context.
Meaning of the word
ἡμέρα fundamentally denotes the time between dawn and dark — the daylight portion of a 24-hour span. In Jewish reckoning, a 'day' was measured from one evening to the next, so the term could include the parts of both extremes rather than strictly modern midnight-to-midnight boundaries.
Beyond literal measurement, ἡμέρα functions figuratively as 'a period' of time. The meaning is always defined by the surrounding context: it can refer to a specific event (the day of Pentecost), a recurring rhythm (day by day), or a sweeping epoch (the day of the Lord).
The word appears about 22 times in the example corpus alone, in several inflected forms — ἡμέρα, ἡμέραν, ἡμέρας, ἡμέρᾳ, ἡμέραις — showing how the noun bends to grammatical case without changing its core sense of 'day' or 'time.'
Usage in Scripture
In Acts 2, ἡμέρα is densely deployed. It marks the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), the third hour of the day (Acts 2:15), the span of days when the Spirit will be poured out (Acts 2:18), the great 'day of the Lord' (Acts 2:20), the historical duration reaching 'to this day' (Acts 2:29), the specific day of mass conversion (Acts 2:41), and the daily rhythm of the early church (Acts 2:46). Each use shows how flexibly the word adapts to temporal scale.
In John's Gospel, ἡμέρα takes on a more theological, almost prophetic edge: 'that day' in John 14:20, 16:23, and 16:26 points to a future era when believers will have a new kind of knowledge of the Father and the Son. In Matthew 7:22, Jesus speaks of 'that day' as the day of judgment. The same word thus carries eschatological weight when context demands it.
The word in detail
- G2250 ἡμέρα (G2250) covers both the literal daylight span and a broader defined period. The case ending shifts (ἡμέρα, ἡμέραν, ἡμέρας, ἡμέρᾳ, ἡμέραις) but the underlying sense of 'day / time' remains constant. Translated usages in the KJV include 'day,' 'days,' and 'in that day.'
Example verses
- Matthew 7:22 'That day' here is the day of eschatological judgment, when many who performed works in Jesus' name will face Him. ἡμέρα is not a calendar marker but a decisive moment of reckoning.
- John 14:20 'That day' points to a future era of relational knowledge — believers will know that the Father, Son, and they themselves are mutually indwelling. ἡμέρα here marks a spiritual transition, not a literal 24 hours.
- Acts 2:1 The 'day of Pentecost' uses ἡμέρα as a fixed feast-day label. The same word that means 'day' also names a recognized festival.
- Acts 2:20 'The day of the Lord' — ἡμέρα here is a sweeping eschatological epoch, marked by cosmic upheaval (sun, moon) before it arrives. This is the word's most expansive figurative reach.
Common questions
Is ἡμέρα always a literal 24-hour day?
No. While the foundational sense is the daylight portion of a 24-hour span, ἡμέρα frequently extends to a defined period such as 'the day of the Lord' or 'that day' of judgment. The context determines the scale.
Why does ἡμέρα appear in so many forms (ἡμέρα, ἡμέραν, ἡμέρας, ἡμέρᾳ, ἡμέραις)?
These are just different grammatical cases of the same noun (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and plural dative). The meaning 'day' does not change; only the noun's role in the sentence does.
What is the difference between 'the day of the Lord' and an ordinary day in this word's usage?
The word itself is the same (ἡμέρα). What shifts is the modifying phrase and context. An ordinary day is tied to a routine 24-hour span; 'the day of the Lord' carries eschatological weight, marking a decisive epoch of divine intervention or judgment (e.g., Acts 2:20).