μεσο-νύκτιος G3317
Midnight; the middle of the night, marking a pivotal or dramatic moment.
A compound of mesos (middle) and nyx (night), this word denotes the hour of midnight. In the New Testament it consistently appears as a dramatic time marker for significant events. Jesus names it as one of the four watches when the master might return (Mark 13:35). A friend arrives at midnight seeking bread in Luke 11:5, testing the limits of neighborly generosity. Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns at midnight in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:25), and Paul preaches until midnight in Troas (Acts 20:7). The multilingual uniformity -- French 'minuit,' Spanish 'medianoche,' German 'Mitternacht' -- reflects the word's transparent compound meaning.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Midnight, the middle point of the night, used as a temporal marker for narratively significant moments. The compound structure is transparent across languages: Spanish 'medianoche' (mid-night), French 'minuit' (mid-night), German 'Mitternacht' (mid-night). In Mark 13:35 it is one of the watches during which the master may return unexpectedly. Acts 16:25 places Paul and Silas's miraculous worship at this hour, and Acts 20:7 marks the extent of Paul's farewell teaching in Troas. 4×
AR["مُنْتَصَفِ-اللَّيْلِ", "نِصفِ-اللَّيلِ", "نِصْفَ-اللَّيْلِ", "نِصْفِ-اللَّيْلِ"]·ben["মধ্যরাত", "মধ্যরাতে"]·DE["Mitternacht", "μεσονυκτίου", "μεσονύκτιον"]·EN["at-midnight", "midnight"]·FR["milieu-de-la-nuit", "minuit"]·heb["בַּ-חֲצוֹת", "בַּחֲצִי-הַלַּיְלָה", "חֲצוֹת-הַלַּיְלָה"]·HI["आधी-रात", "आधी-रात-को"]·ID["tengah-malam"]·IT["mesonuktion", "mesonuktiou", "mezzanotte"]·jav["tengah-dalu", "tengah-dalu."]·KO["한밤중까지", "한밤중에"]·PT["meia-noite,", "meia-noite.", "à-meia-noite"]·RU["в-полночь", "полуночи", "полуночи."]·ES["a-medianoche", "medianoche"]·SW["usiku-wa-manane"]·TR["gece-yarısı", "gece-yarısına"]·urd["آدھی-رات", "آدھی-رات-کو"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
μεσο-νύκτιος, ον, of or at midnight, ἔκλειψις Refs 5th c.BC+l.7(6).5; μ. ὠλλύμαν Refs 5th c.BC+: neuter as adverb, Refs 3rd c.BC+: as substantive μεσο-νύκτιον, τό, NT+5th c.BC+at midnight, NT; μεσονύκτου seems to be falsa lectio in Refs 4th c.BC+:—the spelling μεσᾰνύκτιον is variant in NT+3rd c.AD+