Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

Lay''lâh / layil - לַילָה לַיִל (Strong's #3915)
Night

Despite carrying an apparent feminine suffix the Hebrew word לַילָה lay'lâh (Strong's #3915, x242) is masculine, so no female night deity or demon (cf. Lillith, Isaiah 34:14) is intended here. In fact, of the two forms of this word לַילָה lay'lâh probably carries an ה suffix to intend the meaning "by night" or "towards night", but which later became fixed and in Aramaic and Syriac seems to have become a permanent root letter. So לַיִל layil is probably the more basic word form, just like the Arabic, but most people remember the form לַילָה lay'lâh better since it is pronounced like a famous Eric Clapton song and appears as the first use of the word "night" in the Genesis Creation account.

One old Hebrew lexicon (Fuerst's) describes לַיִל layil as "a sinking, perishing, or intermingling, muddiness, or veiling, darkening", but I think the word is far more neutral in tone as no negativity is implied duried the Creation account just separating and dividing logically rather than seeing the sun as a bastion of defence against the onslaught of fearful night.

Although, according to Genesis 1:2, חשך chôshekh "darkness" (Strong's #2822) covered the earth and so could be seen as the absence of something created, nonetheless in verse 4 the light is divided from the darkness as if it had substance, and in verse 5 it is named, "the darkness He called Night". Psalm 104:20 reaffirms, "You make darkness, and it is night...", that God is the author of dark and night as well as light and day.

In many ancient religions darkness was considered as almost evil particularly if the sun was ascribed deity as in Egypt and elsewhere and so the dark night was thought of as having eaten the sun overnight until it was reborn next morning. In contrast, Hebrew thinks of the night as just the partner of day, neither better nor worse, for at night we rest, by day we work or play.

"Thine is the day, Thine also the night..." (Psalm 74:16, JPS)

Light and dark, day and night, sun and moon, are all part of God's seasonal system - not a rivalry between contesting deities. Their very presense assures us of God's convenants (Genesis 8:22; Jeremiah 33:21-26) and that whilst we sleep God is awake and aware, protecting and providing.

"The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me -
A prayer to the God of my life." (Psalm 42:8 [Heb.v.9])

Here, lovingkindness and song are paralleled by day and night whilst in Psalm 92:2 [Heb. v.3] lovingkindness is paired with faithfulness by night. For God, night has no fear and is as bright as the day for one who has divine night-vision, "the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You", (Psalm 139:12).

Indeed, salvation came by night for the Israelites coming out of Egypt for God struck and judged the gods of Egypt in the ultimate plague on the firstborn (Exodus 12:8,12,29). Since, paradoxically, Judaism begins its "day" in the evening at sundown often leading straight into an evening meal which once a week is a Sabbath festival and Passover itself is celebrated by night, it can be said with the prophet Isaiah, "You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept", (Isaiah 30:29).

The night is a time for study and prayer as much as the day. In Joshua (1:8) and Psalms (1:2) we are reminded to meditate by day and by night. Isaiah reflects on his early rising to seek God, "With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early" (Isaiah 26:9). So, too, the Psalmist, "I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search" (Psalm 77:6 [Heb. v.7]).

"Bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD,
Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!" (Psalm 134:1)

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