@rstrats, isn’t one example of anything in the Bible enough to show you that people of that time thought of part of a day is equal to a whole day?
Hi,
I did not see the question addressed to me. I know I am late responding to it. I apologize.
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures KJV
Paul tells us Jesus rose the third day. There is no mention of a 72 hour period of time. In fact, Jesus’ quote in Matthew can mean less than 72 hours as well. Be careful that you are adding to what the Bible says.
Did Jesus fulfill what He said?
Paul said Jesus did the correct amount of time. And that is good enough for me.
Why is Jesus the time marker i.e. BC, and AD?
Because Jesus changed time while He was here on earth .
We live in the hope os His return.
Blessings
Joe,
re: “‘1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures KJV’. Paul tells us Jesus rose the third day. There is no mention of a 72 hour period of time. In fact, Jesus’ quote in Matthew can mean less than 72 hours as well.”
I still don’t see what that has to do with my question.
re: “Be careful that you are adding to what the Bible says.”
What do you think I have I added?
re: “Did Jesus fulfill what He said? Paul said Jesus did the correct amount of time.”
The Messiah specifically made the point that His time in the “heart of the earth” would include 3 nights. Why do you suppose He did that if He knew that only 2 nights would be included?
re: “Why is Jesus the time marker i.e. BC, and AD? Because Jesus changed time while He was here on earth.”
I don’t see your point with regard to this topic. BTW, though, what time did He change?
Messiah in the Heart of the Earth — How Long According to the Hebrew Calendar and Verbs?
You ask why Jesus, the Messiah, declared “three nights” if only two nights occurred. The question, though sincere, fails to account for how Jews measured time, how Hebrew idiom works, and how prophetic fulfillment functions according to the Scriptures.
- The Key Text: Matthew 12:40
“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
The Greek says: τρεις ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας (three days and three nights). Jesus is quoting Jonah 1:17, which in Hebrew reads:
וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת
vayehi Yonah bim‘ei haddag sheloshah yamim u-sheloshah leilot
(“And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights”)
Now ask: does this Hebrew phrase demand three full 24-hour periods? No. Here’s why.
- Hebrew Timekeeping: Any Part of a Day Counts as a Day and Night
In Jewish reckoning, any part of a day counts as a whole day. This is attested in multiple places in Scripture and rabbinic writing. One clear example is Esther 4:16 where Esther says:
“Fast for me… three days, night or day… then I will go to the king.”
Yet Esther 5:1 says she went to the king “on the third day.”
The Hebrew verb צ֣וּמוּ עָלַ֔י (tzumu alai, “fast for me”) indicates a total fast, including nights. But the action begins and ends in less than 72 hours, yet is still called “three days and nights.”
The same Hebrew idiom occurs in 1 Samuel 30:12–13, where the Egyptian servant had eaten no bread or drunk water for “three days and three nights,” but is said to have been abandoned on “the third day.”
In Hebrew narrative idiom, sheloshah yamim u-sheloshah leilot does not require three full 24-hour periods. Even part of a day is reckoned as a whole.
- The Crucifixion and Resurrection Timeline: According to the Jewish Calendar
Jesus died on Friday afternoon, just before sundown (Luke 23:54, “the Sabbath was beginning”). That’s Day 1.
Day 1: Friday before sunset (preparation day), laid in the tomb (part of a day = full day in Jewish reckoning)
Night 1: Friday night
Day 2: Saturday (Sabbath)
Night 2: Saturday night
Day 3: Sunday morning—Jesus rose on the third day (Luke 24:7, 1 Corinthians 15:4)
This matches exactly with what the Messiah predicted: He would rise on the third day, not after three full days.
The Greek verb in Luke 24:46 is ἀναστῆναι τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (anastēnai tē tritē hēmera) — “to rise on the third day.” Not after three days, not on the fourth. The phrase is identical to the Septuagint pattern and standard Greek rendering of Hebrew idiom.
- The Hebrew Prophetic Pattern
The Messiah’s death and resurrection followed the prophetic pattern of Hosea 6:2:
“After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up.”
Hebrew: בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֖י יְקִימֵ֑נוּ (bayom hashelishi yeqimenu)
This verse was not about chronology but resurrection hope—Jesus fulfilled this exactly by rising on the third day.
- Heart of the Earth: Not a Burial Clock, but a Redemptive Descent
Jesus didn’t say “I’ll be buried for 72 hours.” He said He would be “in the heart of the earth” (kardia tēs gēs) — a phrase used nowhere else in Scripture. This was not a topographic statement about being six feet underground. It referred to the realm of death — the dominion He entered when He gave up His spirit. The moment He died, He entered the realm of the dead (see Acts 2:27, Psalm 16:10). That descent began on Friday, not when the tomb was closed.
In Hebrew idiom, the verb yarad (יָרַד, “descend”) is used to describe entry into death or Sheol. Isaiah 53:9 says “He was assigned a grave with the wicked” — vayiten et-kivro. His burial marked His descent. But the descent into the “heart” began at death.
Conclusion: The Messiah Meant What He Said, But You Must Read Him Through Jewish Eyes
The Messiah’s statement was not misleading. He knew precisely what He said and said it in a Jewish idiom that aligned with Hebrew Scripture and first-century time reckoning. Three days and three nights means a part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday, perfectly consistent with the Hebrew text of Jonah, the idiom of Esther and Samuel, the prophecy of Hosea, and the resurrection accounts in the Gospels.
The problem is not that Jesus miscalculated. The problem is we read Him with Gentile clocks instead of Hebrew verbs.
J.
Johann,
re: “You ask why Jesus, the Messiah, declared ‘three nights’ if only two nights occurred.”
Actually, that’s not what I asked. I asked - “Why do you suppose He did that if He knew that only 2 nights would be involved?”
re: “Now ask: does this Hebrew phrase demand three full 24-hour cording to the Scriptures.”periods? No.”
I’ve never said anything about three full 24-hour periods.
re: “Here’s why. Hebrew Timekeeping: Any Part of a Day Counts as a Day and Night. In Jewish reckoning, any part of a day counts as a whole day. This is attested in multiple places in Scripture and rabbinic writing.”
But, with the possible exception of your Esther account, where is no part of a night ever counted as a night?
re: “The same Hebrew idiom occurs in 1 Samuel 30:12–13, where the Egyptian servant had eaten no bread or drunk water for ‘three days and three nights,’ but is said to have been abandoned on ‘the third day.’”
I can’t find any translation which says on “the third day”.
re: “Jesus died on Friday afternoon, just before sundown (Luke 23:54, ‘the Sabbath was beginning’). That’s Day 1.”
Yes, calendar day 1 and daytime 1.
re: “Night 1: Friday night”
Actually, Friday night had been over some 3 hours by the time of the crucifixion.
re: “Day 2: Saturday (Sabbath) [-] Night 2: Saturday night”
Actually, Saturday night would have been night 1. So, calendar day 2, night time 1, daytime 2.
re: “Day 3: Sunday morning—Jesus rose on the third day (Luke 24:7, 1 Corinthians 15:4)”
Calendar day 3, night time 2, and daytime 3.
re: “This matches exactly with what the Messiah predicted: He would rise on the third day, not after three full days.”
Actually, Mark 9:31 says He would rise after 3 days.
re: “The Hebrew Prophetic Pattern. The Messiah’s death and resurrection followed the prophetic pattern of Hosea 6:2:…”
Nothing is said about daytimes and night times.
re: "Heart of the Earth: Not a Burial Clock, but a Redemptive Descent. Jesus didn’t say ‘I’ll be buried for 72 hours.’”
Again, I’ve said nothing about 72 hours.
re: “He said He would be ‘in the heart of the earth’ (kardia tēs gēs) — a phrase used nowhere else in Scripture. This was not a topographic statement about being six feet underground. It referred to the realm of death — the dominion He entered when He gave up His spirit. The moment He died, He entered the realm of the dead (see Acts 2:27, Psalm 16:10).”
I should have added in the OP, “…or no earlier than when the Messiah’s spirit left His body.” after “…there are some who think that the “heart of the earth” mentioned in the verse is referring to the tomb.” But it doesn’t really matter, because in both cases they would have taken place on the same daytime.
re: “That descent began on Friday, not when the tomb was closed.”
Are you implying the tomb was closed on the Sabbath?
David_Koberstein,
OK, back to the OP. - Since you’re a believer in a Friday crucifixion, how do you account for the lack of a 3rd night time?
Re, re, re— @rstrats
What Did Jesus Mean by "Three Days and Three Nights"? "%3F,-Author%3A%20Rick
No, I am not implying that the tomb was closed on the Sabbath. According to the Gospel narratives and supported by Jewish law and historical sources, the tomb was closed and sealed before the Sabbath began.
Here is the clear sequence based on Scripture and historical context:
-
Jesus died on Friday afternoon, about the ninth hour, which is roughly 3 PM (see Matthew 27 verse 46, Mark 15 verse 34).
-
The Sabbath was approaching, meaning it would begin at sundown (Luke 23 verse 54 says, “It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning”).
-
Joseph of Arimathea acted quickly, requesting the body, wrapping it in linen, laying it in the tomb, and rolling a great stone across the entrance. All of this took place before sundown on Friday (see Matthew 27 verses 57 to 60, Luke 23 verses 50 to 54, John 19 verse 42).
-
The chief priests approached Pilate the next day, which is explicitly called “the day after Preparation” (Matthew 27 verse 62), confirming that the burial had occurred the day before, not on the Sabbath.
-
Jewish law forbade burial activity on the Sabbath, based on Deuteronomy 21 verse 23 and later codified in the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 6.5). The law required burial before sunset to avoid Sabbath defilement.
So, the implication is the opposite, the tomb was closed on Friday, before sunset. This is consistent with Jewish custom, Gospel testimony, and scholarly consensus. There is no textual or historical support for the idea that the tomb was sealed on the Sabbath itself.
J.
As to this @rstrats
Post Title: Does “Three Days and Three Nights” Require Three Full Nights?
The challenge: If Jesus was buried Friday and rose Sunday morning, where is the third night? Critics claim the “three days and three nights” in Matthew 12:40 contradicts this timeline. But does it really?
Matthew 12:40 (Greek) — “ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας…”
Greek word for night: νύξ (nux), plural νύκτας — referring to the dark, nocturnal portion of the 24-hour day.
Jonah 1:17 (Hebrew) — “וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת”
Hebrew word for night: לַיְלָה (laylah), plural לֵילוֹת (leilot) — the nocturnal segment, not necessarily meaning a full 12-hour cycle.
Jesus was using an established Hebraic idiom, not a Western stopwatch. In Semitic reckoning, any part of a day or night was counted as a whole. This method is visible in multiple OT and intertestamental texts.
Scriptural Proof: Esther 4:16 – 5:1
“Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day… On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court.”
Hebrew: שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים לַיְלָה וָיוֹם — three days, night and day, but Esther appears on the third day, not after three full nights. Hence, part of the first and third nights were counted as full nights, by idiomatic convention.
Legal Hebrew Usage: Talmudic Confirmation
Mishnah, Shabbat 9:3 — “מִקְצַת הַיּוֹם כְּכָל הַיּוֹם דָּמֵי”
“A part of a day is as a whole day.”
This rule applied broadly to Jewish legal and ritual contexts. If part of a day was counted as a day, so too part of a night was reckoned as a night, especially in solemn declarations.
Application to the Resurrection Timeline
Friday (Yom Shishi) — Jesus dies and is buried before sundown (first ἡμέρα and first νύξ begin)
Saturday (Yom Shabbat) — Full ἡμέρα and full νύξ
Sunday (Yom Rishon) — He rises before dawn (touches third νύξ and begins third ἡμέρα)
Thus:
Three days touched: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Three nights touched: Friday night, Saturday night, early Sunday (predawn)
All elements of the phrase “τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας” are satisfied idiomatically, if not with modern literalism.
Scholarly Backing
D. A. Carson (Expositor’s Bible Commentary): “This is a Semitic idiom allowing inclusive reckoning. Any part of a day is considered a full day and night.”
Craig Blomberg (Matthew, NAC): “Three days and three nights is a stereotypical expression. It does not require seventy-two full hours.”
Joachim Jeremias (Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus): Notes idiomatic parallels in Rabbinic literature where “on the third day” means after two nights and part of the third.
Jesus’ usage of “three days and three nights” (τρεις ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας) aligns perfectly with Jewish idiomatic reckoning, not Greek or modern literalism. The timeline of crucifixion on Friday and resurrection Sunday morning satisfies every component, not by clock precision, but by Hebraic idiom. The burden lies on the objector to produce a single instance in Jewish Scripture where three complete nights were required for such a phrase to apply. So far, no such precedent exists.
J.
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Johann,
You wrote: “That descent began on Friday, not when the tomb was closed.” It would have been clearer if you had written, “That descent began on Friday when the Messiah’s spirit left His body and not later on Friday when the tomb was closed”.
Yes, the descent began the moment Christ breathed His last, not when Joseph sealed the tomb. Luke 23:46 says He ‘gave up the spirit’ (Greek: παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα), and 1 Peter 3:19 affirms that He ‘went and preached to the spirits in prison.’ The moment His spirit left His body, He was no longer confined to the earthly realm. His body was buried Friday, but His spirit was already at work, the cross did not end His mission, it deepened it.
J.
And I’m simply saying that your original posting wasn’t clear the way you wrote it.
Johann,
re: “As to this @rstrats”
I don’t see where your 2 charts show examples of where a daytime or a night time was said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could be.
re: “Post Title: Does ‘Three Days and Three Nights’ Require Three Full Nights?”
Why would you start a new topic in my topic, i.e., “Common figure of speech?”
Maybe someone new looking in may know of examples.
This post is amazing…gotta add it to my word document 
Johann,
As I said earlier, with the possible exception of the Esther account, I don’t see where what you have posted provides examples of where a daytime or a night time was said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could be.
ZZZactly!!
I need to come back here on another day to really read it. I am hving a major struggles with my eyes.
If you think of it, please pray for my sight . . . . THANK YOU!!
This was the prayer. It grew into something more so I posted it out right in its own post.
I hope you begin to feel better, beloved.
Tillman,
Do you believe that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week?
I don’t have a belief regarding it.
In the past, the Scribes of Christianity have been accused of retranslating the Hebrew Sacred Scriptures with wording that places Christ into the Old Testament. I don’t know if they did this.
The number 3, considered a Sacred number, is everywhere in Christianity. The Trinity, 3 days and 3 nights, the 3 crosses when Christ was crucified, you can divide both the 6th and 9th hours by 3 and you get 3 when you subtract 9 from 6, the 3 men with talents, the 3 denials of Peter and the 3 crows of the Rooster, 12 (disciples) is divided by 3, Christ was 30 when he began his 3 year ministry and died when he was 33.
What I am saying is, this was all written looking back. And the authoriship is questionable to some degree. Three (again) Gospels are linked, one is different. While gnostic versions paint a different picture.
Accuracy versus symbolic meditation. What is real and what is not? I was not there and I cannot say.
I know how people operate. We tell stories. We add to what we know. We do this without even knowing it because our brains shift the facts and naturally fit things together in a way that sounds good- we complete the story with information that was not there before. Unintentially.
This is not to say miracles cannot happen, or that all the details are wrong. But the human mind begins to go a little wonky when iincredible, impossible things take place. Even dreams fade within the hour that we had them. Unless we awaken and take hold and cling to the memory of what took place.
They did not know Christ as they walked beside him after the ressurection. They questioned had it really happened, the time they spent with him. Like a dream, so incredible, the mind could barely process it. Sometimes incredible things can be lost.
A forecast of darkness. Was it a lunar eclipse? Solar? Was the earthquake that tore the cloth in the temple caused by a volcanic eruption that might have also caused the darkness? There was a great eruption in the Americas between 30 to 40 ad. But not much can support this. The darkness would have lasted days not hours.
And if the sun is gone, how do you measure the time?
I find it odd that the Mathew was written for a Jewish audience in Greek. The Hebrew (24 hr period) day starts and ends at sunset while the Roman day starts and ends at sunrise. So why wouldn’t the phrase be, 3 nights and 3 days. Why would it be reversed if you were talking to a Jewish audience? Unless the 3 days and 3 nights involved portions of 4 different days of the week, starting with the first daytime period and ending with the final night time period.
Passover lasts for several days. Could Christ have eaten Wednesday night, been captured, crucified Thursday, buried Thursday, and rose up on Sunday morning at the start of the morning or just before?
A Roman Tuesday night would have been the start of a Jewish Wednesday night, the following night being a Thursday night, the following night being a Friday night. Etc.
Christ would have died between noon and 3pm on Thursday, remained dead on Friday, Saturday (daytime) was His third day dead, while the Jewish Sunday Night (or Roman Saturday night) would have been the 3rd night dead, the end of which he arose at around 6am ish or right before the Sunday daylight hours.
Tillman,
re: “I don’t have a belief regarding it.”
Then this topic doesn’t apply to you. It is directed to those who believe that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week with the resurrection taking place on the 1st day of the week and who think that the “heart of the earth” is referring to the tomb or at the earliest when His spirit left His body, and who try to explain the missing night time by saying that the Messiah was employing a common figure of speech of the period.