I just discovered that three days and three nights is a Hebrew idiom that does not mean 72 hours. And better yet, it’s used in the Bible twice and clearly does not mean 72 hour.They kind of used it like a person responding to an email question would say, “let me get back to you next week” but they have no intention on responding precisely 168 hours later.
Hebrew Idiomatic Usage of “Three Days and Three Nights”In Hebrew culture, time expressions like “three days and three nights” or “three days” often include partial days, as days were counted inclusively (any part of a day counts as a whole day).
This is evident in several Old Testament examples, as discussed previously:
- Esther 4:16 and 5:1: Esther calls for a fast of “three days, night or day” (a parallel phrase to “three days and three nights”). Yet, she acts “on the third day,” implying the fast covered parts of three days (e.g., starting on day 1, continuing through day 2, and ending early on day 3). This period is likely less than 72 hours, showing the phrase is idiomatic, not literal.
- 1 Samuel 30:12-13: The Egyptian servant had not eaten or drunk for “three days and three nights,” but he was abandoned “three days agone” (three days ago). This suggests a timeline where the period includes partial days (e.g., part of day 1, all of day 2, part of day 3), not a full 72 hours.
These examples establish that “three days and three nights” in Hebrew usage does not require a literal 72 hours but can describe a period encompassing parts of three days. Since Jonah is an Old Testament text written in Hebrew, the same idiomatic convention likely applies to Jonah 1:17. There is no textual evidence in Jonah to suggest the phrase demands a precise 72-hour duration, such as specific start and end times (e.g., sunset to sunset).Theological Overreach: The Armstrongist view claims the 72-hour duration is the definitive sign of Jesus’ Messiahship, but Matthew 12:40 emphasizes the resurrection itself as the sign, not the exact hour count. The idiomatic usage in Jonah supports the focus on the event (death and deliverance) over a stopwatch-like measurement.
And more:
Key Points on Hebrew Usage:
- Inclusive Counting: In Hebrew and broader ancient Jewish tradition, "three days and three nights" does not necessarily mean three full 24-hour periods (72 hours). The phrase often employs inclusive counting, meaning any part of a day or night can be counted as a whole day or night. For example
- If an event starts in the late afternoon of Day 1 and ends in the morning of Day 3, it can still be referred to as "three days and three nights," even though it spans less than 72 hours.
- This is why in the New Testament, Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning) are described as "three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40), despite being roughly 36-40 hours.
- Day and Night as a Unit: In Hebrew, a "day" (יום, yom) typically begins at sunset and ends at the next sunset, following the Jewish calendar (Genesis 1:5, "there was evening, and there was morning"). The phrase "days and nights" emphasizes the passage of time but doesn't strictly imply full 24-hour periods for each day and night. The mention of both "days" and "nights" can be a literary device to stress the duration, rather than a precise measurement.
- Partial Days in Idiomatic Usage: Ancient Hebrew often used "day" to refer to any part of a day. For instance, in Esther 4:16, a "three days and three nights" fast likely included partial days, as the context suggests the fast ended on the third day, not after a full 72 hours. Similarly, in 1 Samuel 30:12, a man who hadn't eaten for "three days and three nights" likely meant a period that included parts of three days.
- Cultural Context: The phrase "three days and three nights" could also carry symbolic weight in Hebrew literature, often representing a significant but not overly long period of time. The number three frequently symbolizes completeness or a full cycle in Hebrew thought (e.g., Hosea 6:2, "after two days... on the third day").
Summary:In Hebrew, "three days and three nights" typically refers to a period that includes parts of three days and nights, not necessarily three full 24-hour cycles. The counting is inclusive, meaning even a portion of a day or night counts as a whole unit. This understanding aligns with how the phrase is used in biblical texts and Jewish tradition, where the focus is on the sequence of days rather than a precise hour count.
