יוֹמָם51 H3117
Day, time, lifetime; a unit of time ranging from a single day to an era or lifespan, also used in temporal and comparative expressions.
The Hebrew word yom (יוֹם) is deceptively simple — 'day' — yet it carries an enormous semantic load in Scripture. It can mean a literal 24-hour period, the daylight hours as opposed to night, a specific calendar date, an entire era ('in the days of'), or someone's whole lifetime ('all the days of his life'). Combined with prepositions it forms many idioms: 'on that day,' 'in those days,' 'from day to day.' The multilingual evidence confirms this breadth: German 'am-Tag' and French 'dans-le-jour' both track the temporal specificity, while the comparative construction 'like the days of' (Gen 29:20) shows yom encoding experiential quality, not just chronological quantity.
Senses
1. day, specific time — The general temporal sense: a day as a unit of time, a specific date, or a period/era marked by events. This massively dominant sense (2,231 occurrences) spans 'the third day' (Gen 2:2), 'on that day' (Gen 26:32), and epochal 'day of the LORD' expressions. The prepositional prefix ke- ('in/on the day') frequently attaches, yielding 'in-the-day' and 'on-the-day' glosses across languages. Spanish 'en-el-día,' French 'dans-le-jour,' and German 'am-Tag' all preserve the temporal-locative construction. This sense serves as the basic building block for biblical chronology and narrative sequencing. 2231×
AR["في-اليَومِ","فِي-اليَوْمِ","فِي-الْ-يَوْمِ","فِي-الْـ-يَوْمِ","فِي-الْـيَوْمِ","فِي-الْيَوْمِ","فِي-ذٰلِكَ"]·ben["-দিন","-দিনে","-সেই-দিনে","দিনে","দিনে-(সেই)","সেই-দিনে"]·DE["am-Tag","an-dem-Tag","auf-der-Tag","in-der-Tag"]·EN["in-the-day","on-the-day"]·FR["dans-le-jour","sur-le-jour"]·heb["ב-ה-ביום","ב-ה-יום","ב-יום"]·HI["दिन","दिन-को","दिन-में","में-दिन","याजक"]·ID["pada-hari"]·IT["in-il-giorno","nel-giorno","su-il-giorno"]·jav["Ing-dinten","Wonten-ing-dinten","ing-dinten","wonten-dinten","wonten-ing-dinten"]·KO["그-날-에","그-날에","날-에","에-그-날","에-날에"]·PT["No-dia","em-o-dia","no-dia"]·RU["в-день"]·ES["En-el-día","en-el-día"]·SW["katika-siku","katika-siku-hiyo","siku","siku-","siku-hiyo","siku-ile","siku-ya"]·TR["-da-gün","-de-gün","-de-günde","-günde","-gününde","günde-","gününde","gününde-","yedinci-günde"]·urd["دن","دن-میں","دن-کو","میں-دن"]
Gen 2:2, Gen 26:32, Gen 34:25, Gen 40:20, Gen 48:20, Exod 14:30, Exod 16:22, Exod 19:16, Lev 7:18, Lev 8:34, Lev 13:5, Lev 13:32 (+38 more)
2. one's days, lifetime — The biographical sense: 'one's days' as a metonym for a person's lifetime, reign, or allotted span. Phrases like 'the days of Peleg' (Gen 10:25), 'all the days of your life,' and 'his days were 930 years' use yom plurally to encompass an entire existence. The possessive suffix is key — 'his-days,' 'your-days,' 'their-days' — as reflected in Spanish 'días-de-él,' French 'de-son-jours,' and German 'auf-sein-Tag.' This sense appears in both biographical summaries and divine decrees limiting someone's days (e.g., Exod 5:13, Lev 23:37). 52×
AR["أَيَّامِهِ","بِـ-يَوْمِهِ","بِيَوْمِهِ","فِي-أَيَّامِهِ","فِي-أَيّامِهِ","فِي-يَوْمِهِ","مِنْ-أَيَّامِهِ","يَوْمِهِ"]·ben["-দিনে","তাঁর-দিন","তাঁর-দিনগুলি","তাঁর-দিনগুলিতে","তাঁর-দিনগুলো","তাঁর-দিনগুলোতে","তাঁর-দিনে","তার-দিনগুলিতে","তার-দিনগুলো","তার-দিনে","দিনে-তাঁর"]·DE["Tag","auf-sein-Tag","in-sein-Tag","in-seine-Tage","sein-Tage","seine-Tage","von-sein-Tage"]·EN["from-his-days","his-day","his-days","in-his-day","in-his-days","in-its-day","on-its-day"]·FR["dans-son-jour","de-son-jours","jour","son-jour-lui","son-jours","sur-son-jour"]·heb["ב-יום-ו","ב-יומו","יום-ו","יומו","ימיו","מ-ימיו"]·HI["अपने-दिन-को","अपने-दिन-में","उसके-दिन","उसके-दिन-में","उसके-दिनों","उसके-दिनों-में","कभी-उसे","चकित-होंगे","दिन-उसके-में","दिन-का","दिन-में-उसके","दिनों-अपने","दिनों-उसके","ब-दिनों-उसके","ब-योम-उसके"]·ID["-hari-harinya","Pada-harinya","dari-hari-harinya","hari-harinya","harinya","pada-hari-harinya","pada-harinya"]·IT["da-suo-giorni","giorno","giorno-suo","in-suo-giorno","su-suo-giorno","suo-giorni"]·jav["Ing-dintenipun","dinten-dintenipun","dintenipun","ing-dinten-dintenipun","ing-dintenipun","ngantos-sadinten","saben-dinten-ipun","saben-dintenipun","wonten-dinten-ipun."]·KO["-에-그-날에","그-날-에","그-날에","그의-날들","그의-날들로부터","그의-날들에","그의-날들을","그의-날을","에-그-의-날","에-그의-날","에-날들-그의"]·PT["desde-seus-dias","dia-dele","em-dia-dele","em-dia-seu","em-seu-dia","em-seu-dia,","em-seus-dias","seu-dia","seus-dias","¶ no-seu-dia"]·RU["В-день-его","в-день-его","в-дни-его","во-дни-его","день-его","дни-его","днём-его","от-дней-его"]·ES["En-su-día","desde-sus-días","días-de-él","días-sus","en-día-de-él","en-días-de-él","en-su-día","en-sus-días","su-día","sus-días"]·SW["akisema","katika-siku-yake","katika-siku-zake","kwa-siku-yake","siku-yake","siku-zake","yamayw","za-maisha-yake","za-siku-zake"]·TR["-de-gününde","günleri","günlerinde","günlerinde-onun","günlerinden","günü","gününde"]·urd["اُس-کے-دنوں","اُس-کے-دنوں-میں","اُسی-دن","اپنے-دن","اپنے-دن-میں","دن-اُس-کے","دن-اپنے-میں","دنوں","دنوں-میں","دنوں-میں-اُس-کے","میں-دن-اُس"]
Gen 10:25, Exod 5:13, Exod 5:19, Exod 16:4, Lev 23:37, Deut 22:19, Deut 22:29, Deut 24:15, 1 Sam 25:28, 1 Kgs 1:6, 1 Kgs 8:59, 1 Kgs 15:14 (+38 more)
3. like the day(s) of — The comparative-temporal expression 'like the day(s) of,' using the prefix ke- to draw an analogy between present experience and a remembered or anticipated time. Jacob's seven years seemed 'like a few days' because of his love for Rachel (Gen 29:20); Moses remained on Sinai 'like the first days' (Deut 10:10); the blessing 'as your days, so shall your strength be' (Deut 33:25). The simile structure is clear across languages: French 'comme-jour,' German 'wie-Tag,' Spanish 'como-día.' Only 14 occurrences, but each carries strong rhetorical or emotional force. 14×
AR["كَ-يَوْمٍ","كَ-يَوْمِ","كَأَيَّامٍ","كَالْأَيَّامِ","كَـ-يَوْمِ","كَيَومِ","كَيَوْمِ","كَ‒الأَيَّامِ","وَكَأَيّامِ","وَكَـ-أَيَّامِكَ"]·ben["-দিনগুলোর-মতো","এবং-তোমার-দিনের-মতো","এবং-দিনগুলির-মতো","দিনের-মতো","দিনের-মতো-","যেন-দিনে","যেমন-দিনে","সেই-দিনের-মতো"]·DE["und-wie-Tage-von","und-wie-dein-Tage","wie-Tag","wie-Tage","wie-auf-dem-Tag-","wie-der-Tage","wie-ein-Tag"]·EN["and-as-your-days","and-like-days-of","as-day-of","as-days","as-on-the-day-of","as-the-day","as-the-days","like-a-day","like-a-day-of-","like-the-day","like-the-days"]·FR["comme-jour","comme-jours","comme-le-jours","et-comme-ton-jours","et-jour","wie-jours"]·heb["ו-כ-ימי","ו-כ-ימיך","כ-ה-יום","כ-ה-ימים","כ-יוֹם","כ-יום","כ-ימים"]·HI["और-जैसे-तेरे-दिन","और-दिनों-की-तरह","जैसे-दिन","जैसे-दिन-","जैसे-दिन-में","जैसे-दिनों","दिनों-की-तरह"]·ID["dan-seperti-hari-hari","dan-seperti-harimu","seperti hari-hari","seperti-hari","seperti-hari-hari","seperti-pada-hari"]·IT["come-giorni","come-giorno","come-il-giorni","e-come-giorno","e-come-tuo-giorni"]·jav["Kados-dinten","kados-dinten","kados-dinten-dinten","kados-ing-dinten","lan-kados-dinten-dinten-panjenengan","lan-kados-dinten-dintenipun"]·KO["~의-날처럼","같은-날들","과-같이-날","그-날들과-같이","그리고-같다-날들이","그리고-같이-네-날들","날-같이","날-에-처럼","날-처럼","날들-같이","대로-날들","어제-날-같으니","처럼-날"]·PT["como-dia-de","como-dias","como-no-dia-de","como-os-dias","e-como-dias-de","e-como-teus-dias","são-como-o-dia-de"]·RU["Как-дни","и-как-дни","и-как-дни-твои","как-в-день","как-в-дни","как-день","как-дни"]·ES["Como-los-días","Y-como-días-de","como-día","como-día-de","como-días","como-en-día-de","como-los-días","y-como-tus-días"]·SW["kama-siku","kama-siku-ya","na-kama-siku-za","na-kama-siku-zako"]·TR["dün-gibi","gununde-gibi","gün-gibi","günler-gibi","günler-gibi-","günü-gibi","ve-günleri-gibi","ve-günlerin-gibi"]·urd["اور-جیسے-تیرے-دن","اور-دنوں-کی-طرح","جیسے-دن","دنوں-کی-طرح","کے-مطابق-دنوں"]
4. two days — The dual form yomayim (יוֹמָיִם) indicating exactly two days — a grammatical rather than semantic distinction, but one that Hebrew marks morphologically. It appears in regulations about a servant surviving 'a day or two days' (Exod 21:21), the people gathering manna for 'two days' (Num 11:19), and the cloud tarrying 'two days' (Num 9:22). The multilingual glosses uniformly render the numeral: French 'deux-jours,' German 'zwei-Tage,' Spanish 'dos-días.' Only 4 occurrences carry this specific form in the corpus. 4×
AR["يَومَينِ","يَوْمَيْنِ"]·ben["দুই-দিন","দুই-দিনের"]·DE["Tage-zwei","von-zwei-Tage","zwei-Tage"]·EN["days-two","of-two-days","two-days"]·FR["de-deux-jours","deux-jours","jours-deux"]·heb["יומיים","יומים","ימים"]·HI["दो-दिन","दो-दिन-की"]·ID["dua hari","dua-hari"]·IT["di-due-giorni","due-giorni","giorni-due"]·jav["kalih-dinten"]·KO["이틀","이틀-분의"]·PT["de-dois-dias;","dois-dias"]·RU["два","два-дня","двух-дней"]·ES["dos-días"]·SW["siku","siku-mbili","wa-siku-mbili"]·TR["iki-gün","iki-günlük"]·urd["دو-دن","دو-دن-کی"]
5. daylight, daytime — The daylight or daytime sense: the bright portion of the 24-hour cycle as opposed to night. Jacob declares 'by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night' (Gen 31:39), Nehemiah posts guards 'in the day' (Neh 4:22), and the psalm title of Psalm 88:1 invokes crying 'in the day.' This contrasts with sense 1 where 'day' is a calendar unit; here it is the luminous half of the daily cycle. Only 3 clear occurrences, but the adverbial form yomam (יוֹמָם, 'by day') extends this sense throughout the Hebrew Bible. 3×
AR["نَهارٍ","وَ-النَّهَارَ","يَوْمًا-"]·ben["এবং-দিনে","দিনে","দিনে-"]·DE["Tag","am-Tag","und-der-Tag"]·EN["and-the-day","day"]·FR["et-der-jour","jour"]·heb["ו-ה-יום","יום"]·HI["और-दिन-को","दिन-की","दिन-में"]·ID["dan-siang","pada-siang","siang"]·IT["e-il-giorno","giorno"]·jav["ing-siyang","ing-wanci-siyang","lan-rina"]·KO["그리고-그-낮-에는","날-에","낮의"]·PT["de-dia","dia","e-o-dia"]·RU["днём","днём-","и-днём"]·ES["día","día-","y-el-día"]·SW["mchana","na-mchana"]·TR["gün","gündüz","ve-gündüz"]·urd["اور-دن-کے","دن"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
יוֹמָם51 subst. and adv. daytime, by day (cf. Aramaic יְמָמָא, ܐܻܝܡܳܡܳܐ day (as opp. to night); 𝔗 יֵמָם by day; perhaps Ph. ימם (in dates, before num.), CISI. i. 10. 1(see note); so NöZDMG 1886, 721: on ם—ָ, v. sub חִנָּם)— 1. subst. daytime (rare) Je 15:9 בעוד יומם while it is yet daytime, 33:20b לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת יומם ולילה daytime and night, v 25 בְּרִיתִי י׳ ולילה (? read יוֹם as v 20a); Ez…