Topical Encyclopedia
Noonday, often referred to as "midday" or "noon," is the time of day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. In biblical times, this period was significant both practically and symbolically. The term "noonday" is used in various contexts throughout the Bible, often symbolizing clarity, exposure, and the zenith of activity.
Biblical References:1.
Psalm 91:6 · "nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon." In this verse, noonday is associated with a time of potential danger, emphasizing that God's protection extends even to the brightest part of the day when threats might seem less likely.
2.
Isaiah 58:10 · "and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Here, noonday symbolizes the brightness and clarity that come from righteous living and selfless acts, suggesting that such behavior brings about spiritual illumination and blessing.
3.
Acts 22:6 · "About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me." The Apostle Paul recounts his conversion experience, noting that the divine encounter occurred at noonday. The brightness of the noonday sun is used to underscore the overwhelming brilliance of the heavenly light that Paul witnessed.
Symbolism and Themes:·
Clarity and Revelation: Noonday is often used metaphorically to represent clarity and revelation. Just as the sun is at its peak and visibility is greatest, spiritual truths and divine revelations are often depicted as being most clear and undeniable at this time.
·
Judgment and Exposure: The brightness of noonday can also symbolize exposure and judgment. In the light of midday, nothing is hidden, and everything is laid bare. This can be seen in prophetic literature where the light of noonday reveals the truth and exposes sin.
·
Protection and Security: Despite its association with exposure, noonday is also a time when God's protection is assured. As seen in
Psalm 91:6, even the dangers that might arise at this time are under God's sovereign control, providing a sense of security to the faithful.
Cultural and Historical Context:In the ancient Near East, noonday was a time when the sun's heat was most intense, often leading to a pause in daily labor. This practical aspect of noonday is reflected in various biblical narratives and laws, where rest and reflection are encouraged during the hottest part of the day. The cultural understanding of noonday as a time of rest and reflection can also be seen in the spiritual applications of the term, where it becomes a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment and divine encounter.
Overall, noonday in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of light, truth, and divine presence, while also acknowledging the potential for danger and the need for God's protection.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Midday; twelve o'clock in the day; noon.
2. (a.) of or pertaining to midday; meridional; as, the noonday heat.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
NOON; NOONDAYnoon, noon'-da (tsohorayim; mesembria): The word means light, splendor, brightness, and hence, the brightest part of the day (Genesis 43:16, 25Acts 22:6).
See alsoMIDDAY;DAY AND NIGHT; TIME.
Strong's Hebrew
6672. tsohar -- midday, noon... 6671, 6672. tsohar. 6672a . midday, noon. Transliteration: tsohar Phonetic
Spelling: (tso'-har) Short Definition: midday. midday,
noonday window
...6672a. tsohar -- midday, noon
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition midday, noon NASB Word Usage midday
(4), noon (16),noonday (3). 6672, 6672a. tsohar. 6672b . Strong's Numbers.
Library
Sleepers atNoonday
... EPHESIANS SLEEPERS ATNOONDAY. 'Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light,'"Ephesians 5:14....
TheNoonday.
... THENOONDAY.... To ascertain as near as possible the date of the close of the morning
light and the beginning of the darknoonday we must resort to history....
The Date of the Beginning ofNoonday.
... Chapter I. The Date Of The Beginning OfNoonday.... The historian does not
fix this date (311) as the beginning of the darknoonday....
Whether There is a "Morning" and an "Evening" Knowledge in the...
... Objection 2: Further, between evening and morning the night intervenes; while
noonday falls between morning and evening. Consequently...
Of the Means of Belief
... It is not of that light, "like thenoonday sun," that this is said. We
do not say that those who seek thenoonday sun, or water...
The Evening.
... taught. Thenoonday was dark because traditions and theories and vain
philosophies of man became substitutes for the Word of God....
The Labourers in the vineyard.
... But they who the day's burden bore Andnoonday heat, expected more: And
murmur'd that the generous lord To all one penny should accord....
Now Glows the Morn in Beauty Rare,
... IV. Morn shall appear and scatter night; Light shall appear innoonday might.... Sings,
when Thy countenance benign. Shines as the joys ofnoonday shine....
Open Sins
... High' that' he shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that
flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh atnoonday,' but shall...
Now Glows the Morn in Beauty Rare;
... Morn shall appear and scatter night; Light shall appear innoonday might.... Sings,
when Thy countenance benign. Shines as the joys ofnoonday shine....
Thesaurus
Noonday (13 Occurrences)... 1. (n.) Midday; twelve o'clock in the day; noon. 2. (a.) of or pertaining to
midday; meridional; as, the
noonday heat. Int.
... NOON;
NOONDAY.
...Noon (30 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NOON;NOONDAY.... (See NIV). Job 5:14 They meet with
darkness in the day time, and grope atnoonday as in the night....
Grope (5 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope atnoonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and...
Noon-day (8 Occurrences)
Noon-day.Noonday, Noon-day. Noontide . Multi-Version Concordance Noon-day
(8 Occurrences).... (WBS).Noonday, Noon-day. Noontide . Reference Bible.
Midday (11 Occurrences)
... night. (DBY). Psalms 91:6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
nor of the destruction that wastes atnoonday. (See NIV)....
Battle (282 Occurrences)
... This is very important because it assures us that Joshua must have been at Gibeon
when he spoke, and that it must have beennoonday of summer when the sun in...
Bethhoron (12 Occurrences)
... This is very important because it assures us that Joshua must have been at Gibeon
when he spoke, and that it must have beennoonday of summer when the sun in...
Beth-horon (12 Occurrences)
... This is very important because it assures us that Joshua must have been at Gibeon
when he spoke, and that it must have beennoonday of summer when the sun in...
Darkness (177 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope atnoonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and...
Dark (234 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 28:29 and you shall grope atnoonday, as the blind gropes in darkness,
and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and...
Resources
What is the story of David and Ish-Bosheth? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is living cosmology? | GotQuestions.orgWhat sort of New Year's resolution should a Christian make? | GotQuestions.orgNoonday: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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