Lexical Summary
yomam: By day, in the daytime
Original Word:יוֹמָם
Part of Speech:substantive; adverb; substantive; adverb
Transliteration:yowmam
Pronunciation:yo-mahm
Phonetic Spelling:(yo-mawm')
KJV: daily, (by, in the) day(-time)
NASB:day, daytime, daily
Word Origin:[fromH3117 (יוֹם - day)]
1. daily
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
daily, by, in the daytime
Fromyowm; daily -- daily, (by, in the) day(-time).
see HEBREWyowm
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yomDefinitiondaytime, by day
NASB Translationdaily (1), day (48), daytime (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
51 and
(compare Aramaic
day (as opposed tonight);by day; perhaps Phoenician (in dates, before number), CISI. i. 10. 1 (see note); so NöZDMG 1886, 721: on see below ) —
daytime (rare)Jeremiah 15:9 while it is yetdaytime,Jeremiah 33:20 bdaytime and night,Jeremiah 33:25 (? read asJeremiah 33:20 a);Ezekiel 30:16 foes ofdaytime, i.e. coming by day (compareJeremiah 15:8; but text apparently defective, see Sm); once (late) (compare1 Samuel 25:16;Job 5:14),Nehemiah 9:19 (varied fromExodus 13:21;Deuteronomy 1:33 ). —Numbers 9:21 the sense required is (during)a day and a night; read probably
in the daytime, by day,Numbers 10:34;Job 24:16 (but see ),Isaiah 4:6;Ezekiel 12:3,4,7; mostly with , and then often in poetry =continually: soExodus 13:21;Joshua 1:8;1 Kings 8:59;Psalm 1:2;Psalm 32:4 +,Deuteronomy 28:66;Isaiah 34:10;Jeremiah 14:17, in parallel clauses (especially in poetry)2 Samuel 21:10;Isaiah 21:8;Jeremiah 31:35;Psalm 22:3;Psalm 42:9;Psalm 91:5;Psalm 121:6 +.Psalm 13:3by day yields a lame sense: either add ( Del Gr Ch), or read LagNov.Psalt.Gr.Ed.Spec.13 Now.
I. (√ of following; meaning unknown).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew term יוֹמָם (Strong 3119) denotes “by day,” “in the daytime,” or “continually through the daylight hours.” Across roughly fifty-one Old Testament occurrences, it stands in deliberate parallel with “night” (לַיְלָה) to communicate an unbroken cycle ordained by God, or else appears alone to stress sustained daylight activity. Its usage spans narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, and post-exilic history, weaving common theological threads: God’s covenant faithfulness, His providential guidance, and the call to ceaseless devotion.
Creation and Covenant Order
From the post-Flood promise forward, יוֹמָם underscores the stability of creation. “As long as the earth endures… day and night shall never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Jeremiah later recalls this fixed order to guarantee the permanence of God’s redemptive purposes: “If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night… then My covenant with David My servant may also be broken” (Jeremiah 33:20-21). The recurrence of יוֹמָם within such covenant language reassures Israel that God’s saving plan is as dependable as sunrise.
Divine Guidance and Protection
1. Wilderness leadership
The Exodus narratives are the most concentrated cluster of יוֹמָם references. “The LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day… so that they could travel by day or night” (Exodus 13:21-22; alsoNumbers 9:21; 10:34; 14:14;Nehemiah 9:12, 19;Psalm 78:14;Isaiah 4:5). The daytime cloud both shaded and directed, portraying God’s near, visible shepherding.
2. Preservation from harm
Pilgrimage Psalms echo the same safeguarding motif: “The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” (Psalm 121:6). The covenant Lord masters the elements; daylight itself becomes a servant of His care.
Human Devotion and Ministry
1. Prayer and meditation
Joshua is charged, “Meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8), a pattern embraced in Psalms: “His delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Supplication follows the same rhythm: “O LORD… day and night I cry out before You” (Psalm 88:1; cf. 22:2; 42:3; 55:17;Lamentations 2:18). יוֹמָם therefore frames an unbroken life of worship in which daylight hours do not belong to secular pursuits alone but are consecrated to communion with God.
2. Temple and Levitical service
Solomon petitions that his prayer “be near the LORD our God day and night” (1 Kings 8:59). Chroniclers record that singers and gatekeepers served “day and night” (1 Chronicles 9:33;2 Chronicles 6:20) so that praise would match the continual covenant order symbolized by יוֹמָם.
Watchfulness in Warfare and Work
Nehemiah stationed guards “day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9) during the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. Farmers, shepherds, and travelers also labor under the same cycle (Genesis 31:40;Psalm 32:4). In each sphere, daylight activity under God’s oversight calls for human vigilance and diligence that mirror His own tireless care.
Judgment and Calamity
Daylight can also expose sin or become the stage for chastening. Job laments marauders “in the daytime” (Job 24:16), and the Psalmist groans that God’s hand was heavy upon him “day and night” (Psalm 32:4). Prophets warn of relentless tears (Jeremiah 14:17), unceasing lament (Lamentations 2:18), or siege gates open “day and night” to receive tribute (Isaiah 60:11). Whether mercy or wrath, יוֹמָם announces that God’s dealings are exhaustive and unconcealed.
Promises of Restoration and Eschatological Hope
Isaiah envisages Zion crowned by a protective glory-cloud “by day” (Isaiah 4:5) and gates that “will never be shut day or night” (Isaiah 60:11). The continuity of יוֹמָם signals a redeemed order in which God’s presence eclipses past darkness, anticipating the New Jerusalem where “there will be no night” (Revelation 21:25).
Practical Applications for Believers
• Confidence: The regular return of daylight is a daily pledge of God’s unalterable promises.
• Guidance: As the cloud led Israel, believers trust the Spirit’s moment-by-moment direction in life and ministry.
• Devotion: Disciplines of Scripture meditation, prayer, and praise belong to every hour.
• Vigilance: Spiritual adversaries do not rest; therefore servants of Christ remain alert “in season and out of season.”
• Hope: Just as darkness never cancels the coming dawn, present trials cannot nullify future glory.
Selected References
Genesis 8:22;Exodus 13:21-22;Numbers 10:34;Deuteronomy 28:66;Joshua 1:8;1 Kings 8:59;1 Chronicles 9:33;Nehemiah 4:9;Job 24:16;Psalm 1:2;Psalm 32:4;Psalm 42:3;Psalm 78:14;Psalm 121:6;Isaiah 4:5;Isaiah 60:11;Jeremiah 33:20-25;Lamentations 2:18.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּיוֹמָם֙ ביומם וְיוֹמָ֔ם וְיוֹמָ֖ם וְיוֹמָם֙ ויומם י֭וֹמָם יֽוֹמָם־ יוֹמָ֑ם יוֹמָ֔ם יוֹמָ֖ם יוֹמָ֗ם יוֹמָ֜ם יוֹמָ֣ם יוֹמָ֤ם יוֹמָ֤ם ׀ יוֹמָ֥ם יוֹמָֽם׃ יוֹמָם֙ יומם יומם־ יומם׃ bə·yō·w·mām beyoMam bəyōwmām veyoMam wə·yō·w·mām wəyōwmām yō·w·mām yō·w·mām- yoMam Yomom yōwmām yōwmām-
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