What does the first watch mean? What is the “third hour”? The Jewish day ran from sunset to sunset and was divided in 8 equal parts called watches and hours. Here’s what they mean.
The Watches
- First watch – sunset to 9pm
- Second watch – 9pm to midnight; Luke 12:38.
- Third watch – Midnight to 3am; Luke 12:38.
- Fourth watch – 3am to sunrise; Matt 14:25; Mark 6:48.
The 1st Century Jewish Day
| Jewish Time | Roman Time | Event | Mentioned in Scripture |
| 1st hour | dawn to 8:00 am | The first male lamb of the Tamid sacrifice was tied to the altar at dawn. | |
| 2nd hour | 8:00 to 9:00 am | ||
| 3rd hour | 9:00 to 10:00 am | Morning prayer service; The incense is offered in the Sanctuary. The first male lamb is sacrificed as the temple gates open. Jesus went to the cross at the 3rd hour. | Matt 20:3; Mark 15:25; Act 2:15; Act 23:23. |
| 4th hour | 10:00 to 11:00 am | ||
| 5th hour | 11:00 am to Noon | ||
| 6th hour | Noon to 1:00 pm | The second lamb is tied to the altar at noon | Matt 20:5; Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44; John 4:6; John 19:14; Act 10:9 |
| 7th hour | 1:00 to 2:00 pm | John 4:52 | |
| 8th hour | 2:00 to 3:00 pm | ||
| 9th hour | 3:00 to 400 pm | The second Tamid lamb is sacrificed. The second hour of prayer, also called the hour of confession. Jesus gave up his life at the 9th hour. | Matt 20:5; Matt 27:45-46; Mark 15:33-34; Luke 23:44; Act 3:1; Act 10:3; Act 10:30. |
| 10th hour | 4:00 to 5:00 pm | ||
| 11th hour | 5:00 to 6:00 pm | The afternoon service concludes with the burning of the incense and priestly benediction. | John 1:39 |
| 12th hour | 6:00 pm to sunset | Matt 20:9 |
Days
The Jewish day begins at sunset. With the exception of the Sabbath, the weekdays had no names, only numbers.
- 1st day – sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday
- 2nd day – sunset Sunday to sunset Monday
- 3rd day – sunset Monday to sunset Tuesday
- 4th day – sunset Tuesday to sunset Wednesday
- 5th day – sunset Wednesday to sunset Thursday
- 6th day – sunset Thursday to sunset Friday
- 7th day – Sabbath; sunset Friday to sunset Saturday
Photo by Ann Savchenko on Unsplash