Lexical Summary hóra: Hour, time, season Original Word: ὥρα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance day, hour, instant, seasonApparently a primary word; an "hour" (literally or figuratively) -- day, hour, instant, season, X short, (even-)tide, (high) time. HELPS Word-studies 5610 hṓra – properly, an hour; (figuratively) a finite "season"; limited time or opportunity to reach a goal (fulfill a purpose); a divinely pre-set time-period; a limited period to accomplish the Lord's specific purpose, i.e. "the hour" in which specific characteristics prevail exactly like that for a limited time. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition a time or period, an hour NASB Translation hour (84), hours (3), late* (2), moment (3), once* (3), short* (1), time (6), while (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5610: ὥραὥρα, ὥρας, ἡ, from Homer down, the Sept. for עֵת and in Daniel for שָׁעָה; 1. a certain definite time or season fixed by natural law and returning with the revolving year; of the seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn, winter, as ὥρα τοῦ θέρους, πρώϊμος καί ὄψιμος, χειμερια, etc.; often in the Greek writings (cf. Liddell and Scott, under A. I. 1 c., and on the inherent force of the word especially Schmidt, chapter 44 § 6f). 2. the daytime (bounded by the rising and the setting of the sun), a day: ὥρα παρῆλθεν, Matthew 14:15; ἤδη ὥρας πολλῆς γενομένης (or γινομένης) (A. V. when the day was now far spent), Mark 6:35 (see πολύς, c. (but note that in the example from Polybius there cited πολλῆς ὥρας means early)); ὀψίας (ὀψέ T Tr marginal reading WH text) ἤδη οὔσης τῆς ὥρας (WH marginal reading brackets τῆς ὥρας), Mark 11:11 (ὀψέ τῆς ὥρας, Polybius 3, 83, 7; τῆς ὥρας ἐγιγνετο ὀψέ, Demosthenes, p. 541, 28). 3. a twelfth part of the daytime, an hour (the twelve hours of the day are reckoned from the rising to the setting of the sun, John 11:9 (cf. BB. DD., under the word Hour; Riehm's HWB, under the word Uhr)): Matthew 24:36; Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:32; Mark 15:25, 33; Luke 22:59; Luke 23:44; John 1:39(40); 4. any definite time, point of time, moment: Matthew 26:45; more precisely defined — by a genitive of the thing, Luke 1:10; Luke 14:17; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 14:7, 15; by a genitive of the person the fit or opportune time for one, Luke 22:53; John 2:4; by a pronoun or an adjective: ἡ ἄρτι ὥρα (A. V. this present hour), 1 Corinthians 4:11; ἐσχάτῃ ὥρα, the last hour i. e. the end of this age and very near the return of Christ from heaven (see ἔσχατος, 1, p. 253b), 1 John 2:18 (cf. Westcott at the passage); αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρα, that very hour, Luke 2:38 (here A. V. (not R. V.) that instant); Ὥρα is the ordinary word the New Testament writers use for the basic subdivision of the day. The evangelists mark narrative progress with it (Matthew 14:15; Mark 15:25; Luke 23:44; John 1:39), and Luke records it as the standard way of announcing prayer times in the temple (Acts 3:1; Acts 10:3, 9). These casual notices confirm the historical reliability of the Gospels and Acts, showing that their authors move comfortably within the time-keeping conventions of Second-Temple Judaism and Greco-Roman society. Divine Appointments in Redemptive History Beyond clock-time, ὥρα often signals a providentially fixed moment. When Jesus heals the centurion’s servant, the bystanders learn it happened “in that same hour” (Matthew 8:13), underscoring the immediacy of divine authority. Likewise, in Luke 7:21, “in that hour He healed many,” revealing messianic power at the precise juncture foretold by the prophets. Such uses portray history as a series of God-ordained hours unfolding toward His predetermined ends. The Hour of Christ’s Passion John’s Gospel is structured around the approach of “the hour.” At Cana Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). Near the cross He finally prays, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son” (John 17:1). John 13:1 and 19:14 locate betrayal, trial, and crucifixion within that climactic hour, confirming that the atonement occurred at a divinely fixed moment (cf. Acts 2:23). Mark cites “the third hour” for the crucifixion (Mark 15:25) and “the ninth hour” for Jesus’ cry of dereliction (Mark 15:34), knitting together prophecy, liturgy, and history. The Hour of Resurrection and Life Jesus broadens the term from passion to resurrection hope: “Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God” (John 5:25). The overlap of “coming” and “now” points to inaugurated eschatology—the decisive hour has broken into the present age, guaranteeing bodily resurrection (John 5:28–29) and new spiritual life now (John 4:23; John 11:9). Eschatological Watchfulness Because decisive moments arrive suddenly, believers must remain alert: “For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44; cf. Matthew 24:50; Luke 12:40). The same warning recurs in Revelation, where Christ threatens complacent Sardis: “If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3). The term thus carries ethical weight, calling saints to perpetual readiness. Hours of Prayer and Worship The “hour of incense” (Luke 1:10), “the sixth hour” of rooftop prayer (Acts 10:9), and the “third hour” on Pentecost (Acts 2:15) together show early believers ordering their devotion around established prayer hours. Jesus Himself withdrew to pray during critical hours (Mark 14:35–41). These patterns commend intentional rhythms of communion with God. Pastoral and Missional Implications 1. Urgency: Romans 13:11 stresses that “the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,” tying ethical exhortation to the nearness of salvation. Summary Ὧρα in the New Testament ranges from a simple indicator of clock-time to a profound theological symbol of God’s sovereign timing. It marks the precise moments of Jesus’ redemptive work, calls believers to constant vigilance, structures corporate and private worship, and assures the church that every event—whether deliverance, discipline, or final judgment—unfolds according to the Father’s perfect hour. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 8:13 N-DFSGRK: ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐκείνῃ NAS: was healed that [very] moment. KJV: in the selfsame hour. INT: in the hour that Matthew 9:22 N-GFS Matthew 10:19 N-DFS Matthew 14:15 N-NFS Matthew 15:28 N-GFS Matthew 17:18 N-GFS Matthew 18:1 N-DFS Matthew 20:3 N-AFS Matthew 20:5 N-AFS Matthew 20:9 N-AFS Matthew 20:12 N-AFS Matthew 24:36 N-GFS Matthew 24:44 N-DFS Matthew 24:50 N-DFS Matthew 25:13 N-AFS Matthew 26:40 N-AFS Matthew 26:45 N-NFS Matthew 26:55 N-DFS Matthew 27:45 N-GFS Matthew 27:45 N-GFS Matthew 27:46 N-AFS Mark 6:35 N-GFS Mark 6:35 N-NFS Mark 11:11 N-GFS Mark 13:11 N-DFS Strong's Greek 5610 |
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