νυχθ-ήμερος G3574
A period of twenty-four hours encompassing both nighttime and daytime; a full day-and-night cycle
This Greek term denotes a complete cycle of day and night, a twenty-four-hour period. Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 11:25 when recounting his hardships: he spent a 'night and a day' adrift at sea. The compound nature of the word (combining 'night' and 'day') emphasizes the totality of the time period, marking the full duration of his peril. Translators across languages preserve this compound structure (Spanish 'un día y una noche,' French 'jour et nuit'), underscoring the complete temporal span rather than a vague 'long time.'
Senses
1. sense 1 — A complete twenty-four-hour period containing both night and day. The evidence from 2 Corinthians 11:25 shows Paul describing his maritime suffering in precise temporal terms—not merely 'a long time' but the full cycle of darkness and light. Multilingual glosses maintain the compound structure, reflecting Greek's precision in temporal measurement. 1×
AR["لَيْلاً-وَنَهاراً"]·ben["দিনরাত"]·DE["ein-Tag-und-eine-Nacht"]·EN["a-night-and-day"]·FR["jour-et-nuit"]·heb["לַיְלָה-וָיוֹם"]·HI["रात-दिन"]·ID["sehari-semalam"]·IT["giorno-e-notte"]·jav["sadalu-sadintunipun"]·KO["하루-밤을"]·PT["uma-noite-e-dia"]·RU["ночь-и-день"]·ES["un-día-y-una-noche"]·SW["usiku-na-mchana"]·TR["bir-gece-bir-gündüz"]·urd["رات-دن"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
νυχθ-ήμερος, α, ον, lasting a day and night, δρόμοι Refs 2nd c.BC+ __II as substantive νυχθ-ήμερον, τό, a night and a day, the space of NT+1st c.BC+