Evening to Evening or Sunrise to Sunrise?
If you joined us in part 1 of our calendar series Calculating the Feast Days, then you know my utmost sentiments regarding the calendar in general. I am overjoyed that a group of people are coming back to YHWH with a desire to keep his ways correctly! Regardless of whether or not we end up agreeing on this specific topic does not sway my care or love for you as a brother or sister. In fact, I think we are seeing way too much of the opposite in this walk; wheres the love neighbor? Seriously, imagine everything from His perspective. He wakes up a remnant, gives them some wisdom and they thrash each other over disagreements on interpretations. Let’s be real for a moment. If two people can read the scriptures cover to cover, and one concludes we don’t have to keep the commandments, and the other does the same and concludes we do keep the commandments; how much more will there be differing opinions on the calendar? Let’s have some love for another, lest we become Pharisees vs Sadducees all over again.
I know. Hashing out scriptures and sharpening one another isn’t always puppy dogs and ice cream, but we can still have respect and love as we do so. Also, breaking fellowship over these types of topics have become all too common. It’s time we took hold of these commands Master Yahusha left us:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
YAHUCHANON (JOHN) 13:34-35
With this established, It’s time we took a look at the current debate whether a day is calculated from evening to evening (sunset to sunset), or morning to morning (sunrise to sunrise)? I will admit — there is evidence for both views, and I can see both perspectives. Regardless, one has to be correct and it was my mission to put this to rest. If you’re firm in your position and will not re-examine information, this study may not be for you. If you’re willing to put your current understanding to the test, or if you are on the fence — or even if you have no inclination either way and just want the truth, this study will be for your edification.
Bereshiyth (The Beginning)
I think a great place to start is the creation account, as we will get some clues to inspect.
IN the beginning ELOHIYM created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the RUACH ELOHIYM moved upon the face of the waters. And ELOHIYM said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Bereshiyth (Genesis) 1:1-3
Understanding what really took place on day one is an amazing study in and of it itself, but for another time. While the sun and moon were not created until day 4, we can at least agree that; first there was darkness, then light. This sets a pattern one could possibly follow to understand a scriptural day — darkness first, then light.
Here are some other patterns to consider:
- A child born into the world is first in darkness in it’s mother’s womb. Then it is born into the light.
- A seed planted won’t grow unless it first starts under the soil in darkness, then springs forth into the light.
- For most of us, our walk with Yah followed this pattern. We walked in darkness, then were led into his ‘light’ (Torah). Peter mentions this in his first letter:
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light
1 Peter 2:9
While Genesis 1:1-3 and the examples we showed afterwards are not conclusive evidence, it’s at least a starting point and something to consider. If the day were to begin at sunrise, we would be starting in the light and ending in darkness, sort of the opposite of the pattern shown at the creation and in the basic principles of life mentioned just a moment ago.
While reading some of the articles and watching videos that favor a sunrise to sunrise argument, I had seen the notion that someone who starts a day at the evening is likened to ‘walking in darkness’, or embracing darkness. They also likened those who observe a sunrise to sunrise as the son’s of light. We must realize that Yahuah created the light and darkness — why would we mock his creation?
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I Yahuah do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psalm 18:9,11
One may say, “We are called to walk in the light, not darkness”, then concluding this must mean a day starts at sunrise. Here’s the verse:
Yahusha answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him
John 11:9-10
We know that messiah spoke in parable form on many occasions — this is no exception. He’s not talking about when the day begins or even detesting the night hours of a day, but teaching about walking in the ‘light’, the Torah:
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19
To the Torah and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them
Isaiah 8:20
For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Proverbs 6:23
There’s much more to be said, but this should be enough for argument’s sake. I brought this up as while inspecting the sunrise to sunrise evidence, it was implied in some cases that those who observe an evening to evening calendar are sons of darkness, while morning to morning were sons of light. This I do not agree with at all, Yahusha was teaching his disciples to walk in the Torah (light) and not darkness (lawless/Torahless).
The First Day
And ELOHIYM saw the light, that it was good: and ELOHIYM divided the light from the darkness. And ELOHIYM called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:4-5
It is interesting that both sides of the debate use this verse to justify their point. It becomes a game of linguistical gymnastics, but nevertheless, let’s take a look. Reading the Hebrew interlinear, the translation into English is correct:
Following the pattern we first saw in the in the creation account, darkness first, then light, no lengthy explanations needed. Some would say and ‘then’ there was evening in morning, implying that something came before the evening. This just doesn’t happen in the Hebrew. This is what it would look like for “and then there was…”:
The Hebrew would read Veaz Hayah, whereas it is simply V’Hayah:
The translators got this one right.
Before we continue, we need to establish one important matter. In the Hebrew, ‘Yom’ can be defined as the daylight hours of a 24 hour day. ‘Yom’ can also be used to define or express an entire day, or 24 hour period. This, I believe is where much of the confusion is rooted. We will expound on this later.
The Feast Days
The Feast Days of Yahuah in my opinion puts the whole argument to rest. Yahuah is not an author of confusion, but of clear and concise instructions. Prophecy and parables may be hidden, or sometimes hard to understand. Conversely, in my experience, when it comes to keeping his commandments, they are straightforward. After all, if they weren’t easy to understand, how could he hold us accountable? This is how I believe he has treated the subject of counting a day and ultimately, how and when to keep his festivals and weekly Sabbaths, which is the ultimate goal of this study.
Passover & Unleavened Bread
These are the feasts of Yahuah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is Yahuah’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Yahuah: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.
Leviticus 23:4-7
Here, we see two important facts we must not overlook. Yahuah commanded his feast to be kept starting at evening. What you will never find, is one single command to keep any feast day or Sabbath starting at morning. This is not to be taken lightly, as he is a consistent Elohim and changes not. Also, we see that the feast of unleavened bread is to be kept 7 days. So when he gives us the instructions of how to keep it, we can be assured that this is how we count 7 days. I’ll explain more in a moment.
Seven days shall you eat matstsah; even the first day you shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Yashar’el. And in the first day there shall be a holy assembly, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And you shall guard the Feast of Matstsah (Unleavened Bread); for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Mitsrayim: therefore shall ye guard this day in your generations by an ordinance forever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, ye shall eat matstsah, until the one and twentieth day of the month at evening.
Exodus 12:15-18
Did you catch that? Yahuah just told us how to count seven days. “Seven days shall you eat matstsah” and “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, ye shall eat matstsah, until the one and twentieth day of the month at evening“. Yahuah just instructed us in his Torah, that seven days are counted from the 14th day at evening, to the 21st day at evening. This cannot be understated. If you were hoping for a set of verses that just makes the whole argument simple to understand or an ‘aha moment’, here it is.
Seven days are shown to you from evening to evening. If there was no other evidence, this alone would be enough to stand in court, but there’s more to cover.
When is the Passover meal to be eaten, and when does Unleavened Bread start?
And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole multitude of the assembly of Yashar’el shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and matstsah (unleavened bread); and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:6-8
The Passover meal is to be eaten at night; this also begins The Feast of Unleavened Bread, as the meal commands it to be eaten alongside the lamb. Unleavened bread starts on the 15th day of the first month:
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is Yahuah’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Yahuah: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:5-6
Considering the Passover meal is to be eaten at night, and that meal is commanded to be eaten with unleavened bread, he just told us when the date changes from the 14th to the 15th; at night during the Passover meal, which is also the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The book of Jubilees makes it much clearer for us to see:
Remember the commandment which Yahuah commanded you concerning the Passover, that thou should celebrate it in its season on the fourteenth of the first month, that you should kill it before it is evening, and that they should eat it by night on the evening of the fifteenth from the time of the setting of the sun
Jubilees 49:1
Jubilees just confirmed what the Torah already instructed, the date changed after sunset and when evening came.
Now let’s take a look at the visual aid we used for the 7 days of unleavened bread, but from a sunrise to sunrise perspective:
We have a problem now. The command is to eat unleavened bread for 7 days. Exodus 12:18 tells us to begin eating unleavened bread at evening on the 14th, but then Leviticus 23:6 tells us the festival of unleavened bread begins on the 15th. We have roughly 12 hour gap discrepancy with the sunrise theory circled in red above. Remember what Jubilees said:
Remember the commandment which Yahuah commanded you concerning the Passover, that thou should celebrate it in its season on the fourteenth of the first month, that you should kill it before it is evening, and that they should eat it by night on the evening of the fifteenth from the time of the setting of the sun
Jubilees 49:1
Per the sunrise to sunrise theory, they would have to wait 24 hours after killing the Passover lamb on the evening of the 14th and eat it on the evening of the 15th. This is impossible, as the commandment also tells us to burn any remains before morning.
This is that which Yahuah commanded thee that thou shouldst observe it between the evenings. And it is not permissible to slay it during any period of the light, but during the period bordering on the evening, and let them eat it at the time of the evening, until the third part of the night, and whatever is left over of all its flesh from the third part of the night and onwards, let them burn it with fire.
Jubilees 49:11-12
The truth is, the 15th day of the month began at night, after the sunset (evening) was over.
Leaving Egypt
And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:17
We know already that the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the 15th day of the first month and Exodus 12:17 just stated that they left Egypt the same ‘day’. Even putting aside the evidence the Word just showed us a moment ago, consider this. The timeline leaving Egypt is as follows.
- They kill the Passover at evening on the 14th day of the first month
- They eat the Passover that night after the sun went down
- The firstborn are slain at night
- Pharaoh commands they leave hastily that same night
- They leave at night (Deut 16:1)
This would confirm that the date changed from the 14th of the first month to the 15th that night, after the sunset ended, take a look:
And it came to pass, that at midnight Yahuah smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahuah, as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders
Exodus 12:29-34
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto Yahuah your Elohim: for in the month of Abib Yahuah your Elohim brought you forth out of Egypt by night.
Deuteronomy 16:1
With this evidence, it should be easy to conclude that the Israelite’s left Egypt that same night when they were eating the Passover, which was the 15th day of the month per the scriptures. By this, we know that a day changes at night time, after the sun goes down (evening).
And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exodus 12:17
In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is Yahuah’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Yahuah: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:5-6
- Unleavened bread is the 15th day of the first month
- The same day (at night time they left Egypt)
- They didn’t wait a 24 hour period before being cast out. They killed the Passover before sunset on the 14th – the blood on the door protected them that night and they were sent in haste the same night. The 15th.
The Day of Atonement
Once again, we find ourselves on a sub-topic within this debate that both sides use for their argument. I will simply share how I understand the Day of Atonement at this time. Here’s the commandment:
Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto Yahuah. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall you celebrate your Sabbath
Leviticus 23:27 & 32
Before we dissect this, here is a second witness to celebrating something Yahuah commanded in a manner of evening to evening. Again, not once do we see any command to celebrate anything from morning to morning. Let’s see what this would look like, as some may say that because it is commanded from the 9th day at evening, that there’s no way this would work from a perspective that the day is calculated from evening to evening. Sometimes, a visual is very helpful:
Considering the ‘evening’ is generally understood as the time from the sun setting to twilight (dark sky), it makes complete sense that he would command our Sabbath observance to start at that time, which is the changing of the day. If we start at night time, we may start late, but if we start at the time he designated, we will be on time for his appointment, which is what the feast days are after all. If the Day of Atonement is celebrated from the evening of the 9th (which is just minutes away from the night, which starts the 10th) to the evening of the 10th, then the Sabbath is properly observed on the 10th day (24 hour period) as it is commanded. Let us not forget this is exactly the same pattern for the week of unleavened bread. It was commanded to be celebrated on the 15th day of the month:
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Yahuah: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread
Leviticus 23:6
But let us not forget it was to begin on the 14th at evening:
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at evening.
Exodus 12:18
Yahuah is an Elohim of order, both feasts are operated in the same way. With these two witnesses, I would conclude that all feasts (including the weekly Sabbath) are to be observed in an evening to evening fashion, to which it is also the changing of the calendar day. While testing the sunrise to sunrise teachings, they would imply that these feast days alone are commanded evening to evening because they were different — as in it was universally understood that morning to morning was for everything else. Herein lies the problem for me; you can’t find any commandment anywhere to keep any Holy Day from morning to morning. Nothing, not even one command. What we do have, are two witnesses in favor of evening to evening and I believe Yahuah gave us the example to follow for all.
Let us take a look at the Day of Atonement, from a sunrise to sunrise perspective:
If morning to morning is correct, then half of this Holy day is celebrated on the 9th and half on the 10th.
One last note on the feast days. The Septuagint renders this translation to the Day of Atonement:
It shall be a holy Sabbath to you; and ye shall humble your souls, from the ninth day of the month: from evening to evening ye shall keep your Sabbaths
Leviticus 23:32 Septuagint
While it is just a translation, I think they got it right with making ‘Sabbaths’ plural, again considering no evidence exists for the contrary, at least in a straightforward commandment like we get for evening to evening.
Verses To Consider
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:19
This verse is certainly not conclusive on its own, it is worthy of considering alongside the rest of the evidence. The next set of verses pertain to being clean per the Torah. You’ll see that every time that one is deemed clean, it happens at evening, not morning:
And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even
Numbers 19:19
If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
Deuteronomy 23:10-11
And Yahuah spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean. And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness. Every bed, whereon he lies that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sits, shall be unclean. And whosoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that sits on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that touches the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And what saddle soever he rides upon that hath the issue shall be unclean. And whosoever touches any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that bears any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And whomsoever he touches that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Leviticus 15:1-11
If you continue to read Leviticus 15, you’ll find many more examples of being clean at evening. While the scriptures don’t outright say they are clean because a new day starts, it almost seems to imply this nonetheless. Would it make more sense to be clean halfway through a day, or at the beginning of such? Again, this is not conclusive on its own, but edifying for the discussion.
Thus saith Yahuah Elohaynu; The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening
Ezekiel 46:1-2
Why would the gate shut at evening? If the evening didn’t start the new day, then we would have a 12 hour discrepancy. Think about it, if the gate was to be shut for six days, but opened for a whole day for the Sabbath and likewise for a New Moon day, if the day began at sunrise, then shutting it at evening would cut into half a day and render this verse incorrect, as it wouldn’t be shut 6 days; it would be 5 and a half or 6 and a half, depending on when exactly it would be shut.
Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire,neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and sets his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto Yahuah, and it be sin unto thee.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
- Pay is commanded to be given the same day — not letting the sun go down upon it
Here is the interlinear
Per this verse, if the sun went down before you paid your worker, you missed the command to pay him the same day.
Burial
And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and you hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of Elohim;) that thy land be not defiled, which Yahuah thy Elohim gives you for an inheritance
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
One who is put to death must be buried that same day, they cannot be ‘upon the tree’ when nighttime comes. Here is that command in action:
And Yahusha (Joshua) burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Yahusha (Joshua) commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remains unto this day
Joshua 8:28-29
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the stake on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away
John 19:31
Notice he was on the stake on the preparation day and they wanted to get him off before the Sabbath started. During the crucifixion scene in the Matthew account, it is confirmed that it was done in the daylight hours, leading up to the evening:
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour
Matthew 27:45
Judaism
In testing the morning to morning theory, I heard much accusation laid upon the false religion of Judaism, and rightly so. This false way is filled with man-made traditions — the very same that Yahusha came and rebuked and it’s only grown worse since. However, Judaism is used as a straw-man in this debate. This has been the argument; “Judaism is false, therefore everything they observe must then be wrong”. They observe Shabbat, do we therefore toss out Shabbat? Hardly so. They read from the Torah, should we disregard reading the Torah then? Nonsense.
Messiah Yahusha rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for many reasons. You won’t however, find one fault in them keeping the wrong Sabbath. In fact, Yahusha always agreed that the Sabbath they were keeping was correct. He would heal on the Sabbath day just to show them it was lawful to do well on this Holy day. He never once corrected them for keeping the wrong calendar; he never said, I’m healing on this day, which isn’t even my Father’s true Shabbat, or something similar.
Josephus is a well known 1st century historian who documented the Sabbath keeping of his day as such. This was roughly the same time period as the time of Messiah. What we are about to read is not scripture, and I don’t lean on historical writings, but I just wanted to share this, as it corroborates evidence found in the Word:
And the last was erected above the top of the Pastophoria, where one of the priests stood of course, and gave a signal beforehand with a trumpet, at the beginning of every seventh day, in the evening twilight, as also at the evening when that day was finished, as giving notice to the people when they were to stop work, and when they go to work again
Josephus – Wars of the Jews 4:582
This is how Shabbat was celebrated during the time of Yahusha and he never said a word about it being false.
If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day?
John 7:23
Hebrew Word Ereb
Earlier, we briefly mentioned that evening is not the same as night, they are different. Evening is the mixing, or mingling of daytime and nighttime; a stitching together if you will. The word EREB – Ayin Resh Beit is identified by Strongs under several different numbers. Let’s take a look:
Links (click on them)
H6153
Evening is the mingling of one calendar day to the other. Thank you brother Tobi’Yah for sharing this with me.
Enoch: Beginning and End of the Month
12. And on the first day she is called the new moon, for on that day the light rises upon her. 13. She becomes full moon exactly on the day when the sun sets in the west, and from the east she rises at night, and the moon shines the whole night through till the sun rises over against her and the moon is seen over against the sun. 14. On the side whence the light of the moon comes forth, there again she wanes till all the light vanishes and all the days of the month are at an end, and her circumference is empty, void of light
Enoch 77
If the month begins with the first phase of the moon (sighted sliver), when does that come? Evening, which Enoch calls the first day. Likewise, Enoch also let’s us know the month ends with the empty moon, the blank, or conjunction moon.
Verses Used For Sunrise to Sunrise
There are many verses that may seem to imply the next 24 hour period starting at morning, and this is why many have gone to this type of timekeeping/Sabbath observance. Let’s take a look at an example:
And Yahuah Elohim prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But Elohim prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
Jonah 4:6-7
This is one of many verses like it. It seems to say the next day started at morning, but let’s pause for a moment. Do we know what time it is when the gourd came up? If it were afternoon and the gourd came up, but then in the morning (the next day) would be true for either stance. For evening to evening, the next day started that night, still holding true. For morning to morning, it started that morning, making this subjective and up for interpretation. But let’s go even further. I think much of the confusion comes with the Hebrew word māḥŏrāṯ — ‘Morrow’. In our modern day speech, tomorrow makes us think the next calendar day, but that’s not really what morrow means. To-morrow is speaking of the next daylight, just as if I were to say to-night meaning the soon to come night period of a 24 hour day.
In the archaic (older language) morrow was well known as morning. Over time, the language has changed this into signifying the next calendar day. This is the root of the problem with the defense of morning to morning thinking. There is a Hebrew word for morning (Boqer), but I believe the use of māḥŏrāṯ — ‘Morrow’ implies a morning to come, or the next period of sunlight. Let’s look at a few more examples. When morrow is used, I’ll be putting (morning) next to it for a visual, to see if this makes sense.
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow (morning), that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
Genesis 19:32-34
Morrow means morning and this passage corroborates. Newer translations have for the most part replaced morrow with “the next day”, making it even more confusing.
And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow (in the morning) is a feast to Yahuah. And they rose up early on the morrow (morning), and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Exodus 32:5-6
What this doesn’t say: The next calendar day is a feast to Yahuah — then they rose up in the morning on the next calendar day… It simply says in the morning will be a feast to Yahuah. Then they rose up in the morning and, well, you know the rest.
There are many more examples we could go over, and they will all imply that something happened in the morning. Intriguing, but not conclusive, nor does it over-ride the clear commandments we showed according to the feast days.
1st Adam and Eve
I saved this for last, as I know not all of you will hold this book as scripture and that’s okay. If you want to stop here, I think ample evidence has been put forth. If you’d like to proceed, here is an excerpt from the 1st Book of Adam and Eve, telling the story of what actually happened when they left the garden. What you’ll see is, when they left, it was night.
9 “But in My mercy, I have made thee as thou art; when thou didst transgress My commandment, O Adam, I drove thee from the garden, and made thee come forth into this land; and commanded thee to dwell in this cave; and darkness came upon thee, as it did upon him who transgressed My commandment.
10 “Thus, O Adam, has this night deceived thee. It is not to last for ever; but is only of twelve hours; when it is over, daylight will return.
11 “Sigh not, therefore, neither be moved; and say not in thy heart that this darkness is long and drags on wearily; and say not in thy heart that I plague thee with it.
12 “Strengthen thy heart, and be not afraid. This darkness is not a punishment. But, O Adam, I have made the day, and have placed the sun in it to give light; in order that thou and thy children should do your work.
13 “For I knew thou shouldest sin and transgress, and come out into this land. Yet would I not force thee, nor be heard upon thee, nor shut up; nor doom thee through thy fall; nor through thy coming out from light into darkness; nor yet through thy coining from the garden into this land.
14 “For I made thee of the light; and I willed to bring out children of light from thee and like unto thee.
15 “But thou didst not keep one day My commandment; until I had finished the creation and blessed everything in it.
16 “Then I commanded thee concerning the tree, that thou eat not thereof. Yet I knew that Satan, who deceived himself, would also deceive thee.
17 “So I made known to thee by means of the tree, not to come near him. And I told thee not to eat of the fruit thereof, nor to taste of it, nor yet to sit under it, nor to yield to it.
18 “Had I not been and spoken to thee, O Adam, concerning the tree, and had I left thee without a commandment, and thou hadst sinned–it would have been an offense on My part, for not having given thee any order; thou wouldst turn round and blame Me for it.
19 “But I commanded thee, and warned thee, and thou didst fall. So that My creatures cannot blame me; but the blame rests on them alone.
20 “And, O Adam, I have made the day for thee and for thy children after thee, for them to work, and toil therein. And I have made the night for them to rest in it from their work; and for the beasts of the field to go forth by night and seek their food.
21 “But little of darkness now remains, O Adam; and daylight will soon appear.”
1st Adam and Eve 13:9-21
If this book is true, they left the light of the garden and entered into this world at night time, a 12 hour period of darkness, then daytime came. Also told Adam he gave him commandments so that he cannot be blamed. Remember, he gave us a clear commandment of keeping his feasts evening to evening, this is done by a just Elohim.
I’ll end with this; Yahuah was clear in his commandments through his feast days how to celebrate his Sabbaths and likewise count a scriptural day. The two witnesses being the Feast of Unleavened Bread and The Day of Atonement. They are both calculated from evening to evening and left for an example for us, not as confusion for us to ‘assume’ that everything else is morning to morning. The fact is, we serve a straightforward Elohim. If he wanted us to observe anything from morning to morning, he would have told us and not obscured it; while prophecy and parables can be veiled or difficult to understand, keeping his commandments are not, otherwise he wouldn’t be a just judge. Regardless of where you are in your understanding, again, I love you because you want to keep his commandments and bear fruit through Messiah Yahusha his son — we are family. I hope this study edified you and may he be glorified abundantly through our desires to serve him properly!
Yahuah bless you and keep you
Yahuah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you
Yahuah lift up his countenance upon you and give you Shalom
