Lexical Summary
tsohar: Window, light, noon
Original Word:צֹהַר
Part of Speech:noun feminine
Transliteration:tsohar
Pronunciation:TSO-har
Phonetic Spelling:(tso'-har)
KJV: midday, noon(-day, -tide), window
Word Origin:[fromH6671 (צָּהַר - produce oil)]
1. a light (i.e. window)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
midday, noonday window
Fromtsahar; a light (i.e. Window): dual double light, i.e. Noon -- midday, noon(-day, -tide), window.
see HEBREWtsahar
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] only plural ,
Deuteronomy 28:29+,
Genesis 43:16 +(when sun
mounts its highest; on form as expanded plural (not dual) see Ges
§ 88c and references); — usually
noon as a specific time of day,1 Kings 18:29; especiallyat noonGenesis 43:16,25;Amos 8:9;1 Kings 18:27;1 Kings 20:16;Songs 1:7 (resting-time for flock),Jeremiah 6:4 (opposed to evening);Jeremiah 20:16 (distinguished from morning) as time of supposed securityJeremiah 15:8;Zephaniah 2:4; also1 Kings 18:26,2 Kings 4:20; without , as adverb, as time of prayerPsalm 55:18 (+, ); as time of wastingPsalm 91:6;2 Samuel 4:5noonday repose.
noon, as bright, simile of happiness, blessing,Isaiah 58:10 (opposed to ),Psalm 37:6 ("" ); compareJob 11:17 (Ges§ 133e); see alsoIsaiah 16:3 (opposed to );Deuteronomy 28:29;Isaiah 59:10;Job 5:14.
II. probably (compare Arabic, Assyrian, Tel Amarnaback; > Thes Di and otherslight, window); —Genesis 6:16.
Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning in Scriptureצֹהַר denotes the time when the sun stands highest, marking the brightest point of the day. Because the word consistently appears in narrative, poetic, and prophetic passages, its significance extends beyond chronology to rich theological and pastoral themes.
Literal Noon as a Daily Marker
In historical narrative the term simply fixes the moment of an event. Joseph entertains his brothers “at noon” (Genesis 43:16, 25). The slayer of Ish-bosheth strikes “in the heat of the day” (2 Samuel 4:5). When Elisha’s young charge collapses, the tragedy is dated “about noon” (2 Kings 4:20). These references ground the accounts in real time, underscoring the factual reliability of Scripture.
Noon as a Moment of Providence
Within these same narratives, noon becomes the stage on which God’s hidden purposes unfold. Joseph’s midday feast turns out to be a prelude to family reconciliation and the preservation of Israel. The boy’s death at Shunem ultimately leads to a resurrection miracle, revealing divine power in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.
Noon and Human Vulnerability
In Israel’s climate noon brought blistering heat and physical fatigue, a fitting image for human weakness. Elijah exploits this in his contest on Carmel, mocking the prophets of Baal who cry out “from morning until noon” without answer (1 Kings 18:26–29). The scene exposes the impotence of idols when the sun’s glare lays every false hope bare.
Noon in Prayer and Worship
David includes midday among the fixed hours of devotion: “Evening and morning and at noon I will complain and lament, and He will hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17). The practice anticipates the church’s later pattern of set times for prayer, reminding believers that every segment of the day belongs to the Lord.
Noon as a Metaphor for Darkness and Judgment
Prophets often invert noon’s brightness into unexpected gloom to signal divine judgment:
• “You will grope at noon as a blind man gropes in the dark” (Deuteronomy 28:29).
• “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9).
• “We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom” (Isaiah 59:10, cf.Jeremiah 15:8;Zephaniah 2:4).
Daylight turning to darkness dramatizes the moral reversal that accompanies covenant breach and sets the stage for promised restoration.
Noon and Promise of Salvation
Counterbalancing the warnings, noon can also portray the brilliance of divine deliverance: “He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday” (Psalm 37:6). Job, amidst anguish, receives the assurance, “Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning” (Job 11:17). God’s salvation is not dim but blazing, publicly vindicating His people.
Prophetic and Eschatological Overtones
Midday imagery fuels eschatological hope. The “noonday” righteousness ofPsalm 37 and the “noonday” brightness promised in Job preview the final revelation of glory when, as Malachi later prophesies, “the sun of righteousness will rise” (Malachi 4:2). The temporal midpoint of daylight thus becomes an emblem of the consummate triumph of light over darkness.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Spiritual Rhythms: Encourages structured prayer that includes midday pauses, cultivating continual dependence on God.
2. Pastoral Counsel: Offers imagery for those in crisis—though circumstances feel darkest “at noon,” divine help can erupt with unexpected clarity.
3. Preaching: Supplies vivid contrasts between false confidence (groping at noon) and true security (righteousness shining at noon).
4. Missional Living: Challenges believers to embody visible righteousness that stands out “in the brightness of the day,” influencing a watching world.
Christological Reflections
The darkest twist of noon occurs at Calvary, when from the sixth to the ninth hour the land falls into darkness (Matthew 27:45). The earlier prophecies of noon-day gloom converge on the cross, where judgment and salvation meet. Yet the resurrection dawn transforms that darkness into eternal light, fulfilling every promise that God will “make your gloom like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10). The noon imagery of צֹהַר, therefore, ultimately directs the reader to the radiant glory of the risen Christ, in whom the blazing justice and compassionate mercy of God shine without shadow forever.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּֽצָּהֳרַ֗יִם בַּֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙ בַּֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם בַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם׃ בַֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙ בַֽצָּהֳרַ֜יִם בַֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם בַֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם׃ בצהרים בצהרים׃ הַֽצָּהֳרַ֔יִם הַֽצָּהֳרַ֖יִם הַֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם׃ הַצָּהֳרַ֤יִם הצהרים הצהרים׃ וְ֭צָהֳרַיִם וּֽ֭מִצָּהֳרַיִם ומצהרים וצהרים כַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם׃ כצהרים׃ צָהֳרָ֑יִם צָהֳרָֽיִם׃ צֹ֣הַר ׀ צהר צהרים צהרים׃ baṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim baṣ·ṣā·ho·rā·yim ḇaṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim ḇaṣ·ṣā·ho·rā·yim baṣṣāhorayim baṣṣāhorāyim ḇaṣṣāhorayim ḇaṣṣāhorāyim BatztzohoRayim haṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim haṣ·ṣā·ho·rā·yim haṣṣāhorayim haṣṣāhorāyim HatztzohoRayim kaṣ·ṣā·ho·rā·yim kaṣṣāhorāyim KatztzohoRayim ṣā·ho·rā·yim ṣāhorāyim ṣō·har ṣōhar Tzohar tzohoRayim ū·miṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim ūmiṣṣāhorayim Umitztzohorayim vatztzohoRayim Vetzohorayim wə·ṣā·ho·ra·yim wəṣāhorayim
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