'Watch' in the Bible

Behold, I am with you and will keep [careful watch over you and guard] you wherever you may go, and I will bring you back to this [promised] land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

and Mizpah (watchtower), for Laban said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent from one another.

So it happened at the early morning watch [before dawn], that the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and put them in a state of confusion.

The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];

and command the people, saying, “You are passing through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau (the Edomites), who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful;

“Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy, that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you; just as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.

So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when the guards had just been changed, and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands.

and watch; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin.

Watch which field they reap, and follow behind them. I have commanded the servants not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go to the [water] jars and drink from what the servants draw.”

But watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then [you will know that] He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; this disaster happened to us by chance.”

The next morning Saul put the men into three companies; and they entered the [Ammonites’] camp during the [darkness of the early] morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and the survivors were scattered, and no two of them were left together.

Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch for him, so that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”

Now Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch looked up, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.

Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood opposite them [to watch] at a distance; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.

He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: a third of you who come in [reporting for duty] on the Sabbath shall keep watch over the king’s house

(a third shall also be at the [city] gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards); so you shall keep watch over the palace [from three posts] for defense.

Two units of you, all those who go out [off duty] on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house (temple) of the Lord for [the protection of] the king.

But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still standing guard, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the residents of Jerusalem, each at his post [on the wall], and each in front of his own house.”

The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their kinsmen, who kept watch at the gates, totaled 172.

The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, as commanded by David the man of God, [one] division [singing] in response to [the men in the opposite] division.

“Am I the sea, or the sea monster,That You set a guard over me?

“[O God] turn your gaze from him so that he may rest,Until he fulfills his day [on earth] like a hired man.

“When he is carried to his grave,A guard will keep watch over his tomb.

“Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,Or pierce his nose with barbs [to trap him]?

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].

They attack, they hide and lurk,They watch my steps,As they have [expectantly] waited to take my life.

O [God] my strength, I will watch for You;For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].

He will sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God;Appoint lovingkindness and truth to watch over and preserve him.

Who rules by His might forever,His eyes keep watch on the nations;Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

For my enemies have spoken against me;Those who watch for my life have consulted together,

For a thousand years in Your sightAre like yesterday when it is past,Or as a watch in the night.

Beth.How can a young man keep his way pure?By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts].

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;Keep watch over the door of my lips [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly].

Discretion will watch over you,Understanding and discernment will guard you,

To keep you from the immoral woman;From the seductress with her flattering words,

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,Watching the evil and the good [in all their endeavors].

My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;The twilight I longed for has been turned into fear and trembling for me.

For the tyrant will come to an end and the scorner will be finished,Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off—

‘For wicked men are found among My people,They watch like fowlers who lie in wait;They set a trap,They catch men.

For I have heard the whispering and defaming words of many,“Terror on every side!Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”All my familiar and trusted friends,[Those who are] watching for my fall, say,“Perhaps he will be persuaded and deceived; then we will overcome him,And take our revenge on him.”

It will be that as I have watched over them to uproot and to break down, to overthrow, destroy, and afflict with disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant [with good],” says the Lord.

“O inhabitant of Aroer,Stand by the road and keep watch!Ask [of] him who flees and [ask of] her who escapes,Saying, ‘What has happened?’

Set up a signal on the walls of Babylon [to spread the news];Post a strong blockade,Station the guards,Prepare the men for ambush!For the Lord has both purposed and doneThat which He spoke against the people of Babylon.

So I will be like a lion to them;Like a leopard I will watch and lie in wait [ready to attack] by the road [to Assyria].

O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?It is I who have answered and will care for you and watch over you.I am like a luxuriant cypress tree;With Me your fruit is found [which is to nourish you].

But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch;I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation.My God will hear me.

The one who scatters has come up against you [Nineveh].Man the fortress and ramparts, watch the road;Strengthen your back [prepare for battle], summon all your strength.

I will stand at my guard postAnd station myself on the tower;And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,And what answer I will give [as His spokesman] when I am reproved.

Then say to Joshua, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold (look, keep in sight, watch), a Man (Messiah) whose name is Branch, for He shall branch out from His place (Israel, the Davidic line); and He shall build the [ultimate] temple of the Lord.

“For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong and violence,” says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously [with your wife].”

And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.

“So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming.

But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].

Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.”

And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour?

Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt].

Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

So they went and made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.

Seeing the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) He came to them, walking on the sea. And [acted as if] He intended to pass by them.

“Be on guard and stay constantly alert [and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.

It is like a man away on a journey, who when he left home put his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and also ordered the doorkeeper to be continually alert.

Therefore, be continually on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—

[stay alert,] in case he should come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep and unprepared.

What I say to you I say to everyone, ‘Be on the alert [stay awake and be continually cautious]!’”

And He came back and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Were you unable to keep watch for one hour?

Keep [actively] watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

for it is written and forever remains written,‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard and protect You,’

Whether he comes in the second watch (before midnight), or even in the third (after midnight), and finds them so [prepared and ready], blessed are those servants.

But keep alert at all times [be attentive and ready], praying that you may have the strength and ability [to be found worthy and] to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man [at His coming].”

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift [which comes from the Holy Spirit], as you eagerly wait [with confident trust] for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ [when He returns].

With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.

See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.

So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.