H2676 H2676
midnight, middle of night
The middle point of the night, midnight. The term is formed from the root meaning 'to divide' or 'to cut in half,' thus referring to the division point that splits night into two halves. Exodus uses it for the precise moment when God struck Egypt's firstborn during the tenth plague. Job and Psalms employ it for the deepest, darkest hour of night when sudden events occur or when the faithful rise to praise God. Midnight represents both a temporal marker and a symbol of deep darkness or urgent vigilance.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The middle of the night, midnight hour. Exodus 11:4 announces God's judgment will come 'about midnight,' the plague's precise timing. Job 34:20 describes the sudden death of the mighty 'at midnight.' Psalm 119:62 expresses devotion: 'at midnight I rise to give thanks to you.' The prepositional phrases (about midnight, at midnight) show both approximate and exact temporal references. All languages preserve the midnight designation (Spanish medianoche, French minuit, English midnight). 3×
AR["كَ-نِصْفِ", "نِصْفَ-", "وَ-نِصفَ"]·ben["আর-মধ্যরাতে", "মধ্য-", "মধ্যরাতের-প্রায়"]·DE["[וחצות]", "bei-der-middle-von", "ueber-midnight"]·EN["about-midnight", "and-at-midnight", "at-the-middle-of"]·FR["au-sujet-de-minuit", "et-וחצות", "milieu"]·heb["ו-חצות", "חצות", "כ-חצות"]·HI["आधी-रात-को", "और-आधी"]·ID["dan-tengah", "sekitar-tengah", "tengah-malam"]·IT["[חצות]", "e-e-a-midnight", "riguardo-midnight"]·jav["Tengah-", "kinten-tengah", "lan-ing-tengah"]·KO["그리고-한밤중에", "한밤중-에", "한밤중에"]·PT["como-metade-de", "e-meia", "À-meia-noite"]·RU["В-полночь-", "и-в-полночь", "около-полуночи"]·ES["Mitad-de", "como-medianoche-de-", "y-mitad-de-"]·SW["katikati-ya", "na-katikati-ya", "usiku-wa-manane"]·TR["gece-yarısında-", "ortasında-", "ve-yarısında"]·urd["آدھی", "آدھی-رات-کو", "اور-آدھی"]
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
† [חָצוֹת] n.f. (Inf. form.) division, middle—only cstr. כַּחֲצֹת הַלַּיְלָה Ex 11:4 (J)—midnight; חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה Jb 34:20 ψ 119:62, where adverb. phr. of time (בְּ om.)