ὀψία G3798
evening — the latter part of the day, from late afternoon through nightfall
Opsia (or opsios as an adjective) designates the closing hours of the day, roughly from mid-afternoon onward. In the Gospel narratives it serves as a crucial time-marker: Jesus heals the sick 'when evening came' (Matt 8:16), the feeding miracles begin as evening falls (Matt 14:15, 23; Mark 6:47), and the burial of Jesus takes place toward evening (Matt 27:57; Mark 15:42). Jewish reckoning recognized two 'evenings' — one in the declining afternoon and another at sunset — which explains why Matthew can note evening twice in the same feeding narrative (Matt 14:15 and 14:23). Spanish 'tarde,' French 'soir,' and German 'Abend' all capture this twilight-to-dark window.
Senses
1. evening — Evening — the latter portion of the day, spanning from late afternoon through sunset and into early nightfall. Functions primarily as a narrative time-marker in the Gospels: healing scenes (Matt 8:16; Mark 1:32), the feeding miracles (Matt 14:15, 23; Mark 6:47), weather observation (Matt 16:2), the paying of laborers at day's end (Matt 20:8), the Last Supper (Matt 26:20; Mark 14:17), and the burial of Jesus (Matt 27:57; Mark 15:42; John 6:16; 20:19). The dual Jewish concept of 'between the evenings' explains why evening is mentioned twice in the feeding narratives without contradiction. 14×
AR["المَساءِ", "الْمَسَاءُ", "الْمَسَاءِ", "مَساءً", "مَساءٌ", "مَسَاءً", "مَسَاءٌ", "مَسَاءٍ", "وَلَمَّا-صَارَ"]·ben["সন্ধ্যা", "সন্ধ্যায়", "সন্ধ্যার"]·DE["Abend"]·EN["Evening", "evening"]·FR["soir"]·heb["וּ-כַּ-", "עֶרֶב"]·HI["और-जब", "जब", "शअम", "शाम", "साँझ", "सांझ"]·ID["Ketika-malam", "Petang", "petang", "sore"]·IT["opsia", "opsias"]·jav["Ing-wanci-sonten", "Sonten", "dalu", "sonten"]·KO["저녁-에", "저녁-이", "저녁이"]·PT["Da-tarde", "Tarde", "a-tarde", "tarde"]·RU["Вечера", "Вечером", "вечер", "вечера", "вечером", "вечеру"]·ES["De-tarde", "Tarde", "la-tarde", "tarde"]·SW["Jioni", "jioni", "lakini"]·TR["Akşam", "akşam"]·urd["شام", "شام-کو", "شام-کی"]
Matt 8:16, Matt 14:15, Matt 14:23, Matt 16:2, Matt 20:8, Matt 26:20, Matt 27:57, Mark 1:32, Mark 4:35, Mark 6:47, Mark 14:17, Mark 15:42 (+2 more)
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
ὀψία, Ionic dialect -ιη (i.e. ὥρα), ἡ, the latter part of day, evening, opposed to ὄρθρος, frequently joined with δείλη (which see), μέχρι δείλης ὀψίης Refs 5th c.BC+; δείλης ὀ. late in the evening, Refs 4th c.BC+; ὀψίας alone, Refs 2nd c.AD+ —Cf. ὄψιος.