H0570 H0570
Yesterday, last night; by extension, the recent past.
A temporal adverb meaning 'yesterday' or more specifically 'last night,' reflecting an etymological connection to evening. In Genesis, Lot's daughters reference 'last night' (19:34), and Laban confronts Jacob about events of 'yesterday' (31:29, 42). In 2 Kings 9:26, it broadens to mean 'recently.' The German 'gestern Nacht' and Spanish 'anoche' both preserve the nocturnal nuance, while French 'hier' and Spanish 'ayer' lean toward the general 'yesterday' sense.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A temporal adverb meaning 'yesterday' or 'last night,' with occasional extension to the recent past. The root may relate to the Semitic word for 'evening' (cf. Arabic masa', Assyrian mushu 'night'), explaining why it often implies the previous night specifically. Genesis 19:34 and 31:29, 42 use it for events of the prior evening, while 2 Kings 9:26 stretches it to mean 'recently.' Job 30:3 is textually uncertain but may carry a sense of 'darkness' or 'gloom,' consistent with the nocturnal etymology. 5×
AR["أَمسِ", "الْ-بارِحَةَ", "الْبارِحَةَ", "الْبَارِحَةَ"]·ben["গত-রাতে", "গতকাল", "গতরাতে"]·DE["[אמש]", "gestern", "gestern-Nacht"]·EN["last-night", "yesterday"]·FR["dernier-nuit", "hier", "אמש"]·heb["אמש", "אמש ׀"]·HI["एमेश", "कल", "कल-रअत", "कल-रात"]·ID["kemarin", "kemarin-malam", "semalam", "tadi malam"]·IT["ieri", "last-notte", "yesterday"]·jav["kala-wingi", "kala-wingi-dalu", "ndalu", "wingi-dalu"]·KO["어젙밤", "어제", "어젣밤", "어젯밤에"]·PT["ontem", "ontem-à-noite"]·RU["вчера", "вчера-ночью"]·ES["anoche", "ayer"]·SW["jana", "jana-usiku", "jioni"]·TR["dün-gece", "dün-geceki"]·urd["تباہی", "کل", "کل-رات"]
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
† אֶ֫מֶשׁ adv. yesterday (etym. dub.; MV after Fl De on Jb 30:3 cf. Sta§ 256 c der. from √ משׁה = Arabic مسا, whence مَسَآءٌ, evening; v. also in Thes, & cf. Assyrian mušu, night COTGloss, Ethiopic ምሴት but also Arabic أَمْسٌ = Assyrian amšatu, yesterday) = last night Gn 19:34; 31:29, 42 (אָ֑מֶשׁ); = recently 2 K 9:26.—Jb 30:3 א׳ שׁוֹאָה is difficult & uncertain Thes MV al. darkness, gloom of…