H8543 H8543
Yesterday; formerly, previously -- often in the idiom 'yesterday and the day before' meaning 'in times past'
A temporal adverb meaning 'yesterday' in its literal sense and 'formerly' or 'previously' in its idiomatic range. It most commonly appears in the fixed expression temol shilshom ('yesterday and the third day,' i.e., 'in the past'), used when characters assess whether a situation has changed -- as when Laban's countenance was no longer what it had been 'yesterday and the day before' (Gen 31:2, 5), or when Moses protested he was not a man of words 'from yesterday or the day before' (Exod 4:10). The idiom is so pervasive that Spanish ayer, French hier, and German gestern all appear regularly in translation, preserving the concrete temporal anchor even where English might prefer 'formerly.'
Senses
1. yesterday / previously — The adverb 'yesterday' used both literally and idiomatically in the pair temol shilshom ('yesterday and the day before') to mean 'formerly, previously.' Key passages: Gen 31:2, 5 (Laban's changed attitude); Exod 4:10 (Moses' protest). Spanish ayer, French hier, and German gestern preserve the temporal anchor. 23×
AR["أَمسِ", "أَمْس", "أَمْسٍ", "أَمْسِ", "كَ-أمسِ", "كَ-أَمْسِ", "كَأَمْسِ", "كَـ-أَمْسِ", "مِن-أَمسِ", "مِن-قَبلُ", "مِنْ-أَمْسِ"]·ben["কাল-থেকে", "গতকাল", "গতকাল-", "গতকাল-থেকে", "গতকালের", "গতকালের-মতো", "যেমন-গতকাল"]·DE["[תמול]", "gestern", "von-gestern", "wie-gestern"]·EN["as-yesterday", "from-yesterday", "yesterday"]·FR["[תמול]", "comme-hier", "de-hier", "de-yesterday", "hier"]·heb["כ-תמול", "כ-תמול-", "כ-תמל", "מ-תמול", "תמול"]·HI["कत्तमोल", "कल", "कल-से", "जैसा-कल", "जैसे-कल", "तीसरे", "से-कल"]·ID["Kemarin", "dari-kemarin", "kemarin", "sejak-kemarin", "seperti-dahulu", "seperti-kemarin", "seperti-kemarin-"]·IT["[תמול]", "come-ieri", "come-yesterday", "da-ieri", "da-yesterday", "ieri", "yesterday"]·jav["Wingi", "kados-kala-wingi", "kados-wingi", "kala-wingi", "saking-kala-wingi", "saking-wingi", "wingi", "wiwit-wingi"]·KO["~처럼-어제", "어제", "어제-같이", "어제도", "어제부터", "어제와", "어제의", "어제처럼", "에서-어제"]·PT["Ontem", "como-ontem", "de-ontem", "desde-ontem", "ontem"]·RU["вчера", "вчерашние", "как-вчера", "как-вчера-", "от-вчера", "со-вчера"]·ES["ayer", "como-ayer", "de-ayer", "desde-ayer"]·SW["jana", "kama-jana", "kama-jana-", "tangu-jana", "zamani"]·TR["-den-dün", "dün", "dün-gibi", "dün-gibi-", "dünden"]·urd["جیسے-کل", "پہلے", "پہلے-سے", "پہلے-کی-طرح", "کل", "کل-جیسا", "کل-سے", "کل-کی-طرح", "کل-کے"]
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
† תְּמוֹל (תְּמֹל)23, אֶתְמוֹל5, אִתְּמוֹל † 1 S 10:11, אֶתְמוּל †Is 30:33; Mi 2:8 (v. inf.), subst., used sometimes as adv.acc., yesterday, fig. recently, formerly (Aramaic אִתְּמָלֵי, תְּמָלֵי, sometimes אִתְּמוֹל, ܬܡܳܠ, ܐܶܬܡܳܠ, ܐܶܬܡܳܠܝ; Mand. עתמאל NöM 202; Ethiopic ትማልም Assyrian timâli, itimâli, ina timâli (Dl158, 721); der. dub.; according to MeGr Syriac 118 Köii 264 f. from Arabic مَلَا ii.…