'Night' in the Bible

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?”

During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.

She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms.

so that Your eyes may watch over this temple night and day,toward the place where You said:My name will be there,and so that You may hear the prayerthat Your servant prays toward this place.

May my words I have made my petition with before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night, so that He may uphold His servant’s cause and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires,

He entered a cave there and spent the night.Then the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and go into the city.’”

So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.

That night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!

Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. As the king made his way along the route to the Arabah,

They spent the night in the vicinity of God’s temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning.

The singers, the heads of the Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other tasks because they were on duty day and night.

But that night the word of God came to Nathan:

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you?”

so that Your eyes watch over this templeday and night,toward the place where You saidYou would put Your name;and so that You may hear the prayerYour servant prays toward this place.

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a temple of sacrifice.

So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his commanders and all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders.

Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. He did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear Your servant’s prayer that I now pray to You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.

I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the one I was riding.

I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate and returned.

So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.

At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”

You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,and with a pillar of fire by night,to illuminate the way they should go.

You did not abandon them in the wildernessbecause of Your great compassion.During the day the pillar of cloudnever turned away from them,guiding them on their journey.And during the night the pillar of fireilluminated the way they should go.

“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, day or night. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.”

That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king.

May the day I was born perish,and the night when they said,“A boy is conceived.”

If only darkness had taken that night away!May it not appear among the days of the yearor be listed in the calendar.

Yes, may that night be barren;may no joyful shout be heard in it.

For that night did not shutthe doors of my mother’s womb,and hide sorrow from my eyes.

Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night,when deep sleep descends on men,

They encounter darkness by day,and they grope at noonas if it were night.

They turned night into dayand made light seem near in the face of darkness.

He will fly away like a dream and never be found;he will be chased away like a vision in the night.

Without clothing, they spend the night naked,having no covering against the cold.

The murderer rises at dawnto kill the poor and needy,and by night he becomes a thief.

Terrors overtake him like a flood;a storm wind sweeps him away at night.

My roots will have access to water,and the dew will rest on my branches all night.

Emaciated from poverty and hunger,they gnawed the dry land,the desolate wasteland by night.

Night pierces my bones,but my gnawing pains never rest.

No stranger had to spend the night on the street,for I opened my door to the traveler.

In a dream, a vision in the night,when deep sleep falls on peopleas they slumber on their beds,

They die suddenly in the middle of the night;people shudder, then pass away.Even the mighty are removed without effort.

Therefore, He recognizes their deedsand overthrows them by night, and they are crushed.

But no one asks, “Where is God my Maker,who provides us with songs in the night,

Do not long for the nightwhen nations will disappear from their places.

Would the wild ox be willing to serve you?Would it spend the night by your feeding trough?

It lives on a cliff where it spends the night;its stronghold is on a rocky crag.

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,and he meditates on it day and night.

I am weary from my groaning;with my tears I dampen my pillowand drench my bed every night.

I will praise the Lord who counsels me—even at night my conscience instructs me.

You have tested my heart;You have examined me at night.You have tried me and found nothing evil;I have determined that my mouth will not sin.

Day after day they pour out speech;night after night they communicate knowledge.

My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,by night, yet I have no rest.

For His anger lasts only a moment,but His favor, a lifetime.Weeping may spend the night,but there is joy in the morning.

For day and night Your hand was heavy on me;my strength was drainedas in the summer’s heat.Selah

My tears have been my food day and night,while all day long people say to me,“Where is your God?”

The Lord will send His faithful love by day;His song will be with me in the night—a prayer to the God of my life.

day and night they make the rounds on its walls.Crime and trouble are within it;

I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,and He hears my voice.

When I think of You as I lie on my bed,I meditate on You during the night watches

The day is Yours, also the night;You established the moon and the sun.

I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.My hands were continually lifted upall night long;I refused to be comforted.

At night I remember my music;I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.

He led them with a cloud by dayand with a fiery light throughout the night.

A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.Lord, God of my salvation,I cry out before You day and night.

For in Your sight a thousand yearsare like yesterday that passes by,like a few hours of the night.

You will not fear the terror of the night,the arrow that flies by day,

to declare Your faithful love in the morningand Your faithfulness at night,

You bring darkness, and it becomes night,when all the forest animals stir.

He spread a cloud as a coveringand gave a fire to light up the night.

Yahweh, I remember Your name in the night,and I obey Your instruction.

I am awake through each watch of the nightto meditate on Your promise.

The sun will not strike you by dayor the moon by night.

A song of ascents.Now praise the Lord,all you servants of the Lordwho stand in the Lord’s house at night!

the moon and stars to rule by night.        His love is eternal.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,and the light around me will be night”—

even the darkness is not dark to You.The night shines like the day;darkness and light are alike to You.

at twilight, in the evening,in the dark of the night.

The fear of the Lord leads to life;one will sleep at night without danger.

She rises while it is still nightand provides food for her householdand portions for her female servants.

She sees that her profits are good,and her lamp never goes out at night.

For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night),

My love is a sachet of myrrh to me,spending the night between my breasts.

In my bed at nightI sought the one I love;I sought him, but did not find him.

All of them are skilled with swordsand trained in warfare.Each has his sword at his sideto guard against the terror of the night.

W I sleep, but my heart is awake.A sound! My love is knocking!M Open to me, my sister, my darling,my dove, my perfect one.For my head is drenched with dew,my hair with droplets of the night.

Come, my love,let’s go to the field;let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms.

Then the Lord will create a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory,

They crossed over at the ford, saying,“We will spend the night at Geba.”The people of Ramah are trembling;those at Gibeah of Saul have fled.

An oracle against Moab:Ar in Moab is devastated,destroyed in a night.Kir in Moab is devastated,destroyed in a night.

Give us counsel and make a decision.Shelter us at noondaywith shade that is as dark as night.Hide the refugees;do not betray the one who flees.

Then the lookout reported,“Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day,and I stay at my post all night.

An oracle against Dumah:One calls to me from Seir,“Watchman, what is left of the night?Watchman, what is left of the night?”

The watchman said,“Morning has come, and also night.If you want to ask, ask!Come back again.”