Lexical Summary yomam: By day, in the daytime Original Word: יוֹמָם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance daily, by, in the daytime From yowm; daily -- daily, (by, in the) day(-time). see HEBREW yowm NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yom Definition daytime, by day NASB Translation daily (1), day (48), daytime (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs יוֺמָם51 substantive and adverb daytime, by day (compare Aramaic יְמָמָא 1. substantive daytime (rare) Jeremiah 15:9 בעוד יומם while it is yet daytime, Jeremiah 33:20 b לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֺת יומם ולילה daytime and night, Jeremiah 33:25 ולילה ׳בְּרִיתִי י (? read יוֺם as Jeremiah 33:20 a); Ezekiel 30:16 צָרֵי יוֺמָם foes of daytime, i.e. coming by day (compare Jeremiah 15:8; but text apparently defective, see ᵐ5 Sm); once (late) בְּיוֺמָם (compare ᵑ7 בְּיֵמָם 1 Samuel 25:16; Job 5:14), Nehemiah 9:19 (varied from Exodus 13:21; Deuteronomy 1:33 יומם). — Numbers 9:21 the sense required is (during) a day and a night; read probably יוֺם 2. adverb in the daytime, by day, Numbers 10:34; Job 24:16 (but see חִתֵּם), Isaiah 4:6; Ezekiel 12:3,4,7; mostly with לַיְלָה, and then often in poetry = continually: so יוֺמָם וָלַיְלָה Exodus 13:21; Joshua 1:8; 1 Kings 8:59; Psalm 1:2; Psalm 32:4 +, לַיְלָה וְיוֺמָם Deuteronomy 28:66; Isaiah 34:10; Jeremiah 14:17, in parallel clauses (especially in poetry) 2 Samuel 21:10; Isaiah 21:8; Jeremiah 31:35; Psalm 22:3; Psalm 42:9; Psalm 91:5; Psalm 121:6 +. Psalm 13:3 by day yields a lame sense: either add וָלַיְלָה (ᵐ5 Del Gr Ch), or read (יוֺם יוֺם) יֹם יֹם LagNov.Psalt.Gr.Ed.Spec.13 Now. I. יון (√ of following; meaning unknown). Topical Lexicon OverviewThe Hebrew term יוֹמָם (Strong 3119) denotes “by day,” “in the daytime,” or “continually through the daylight hours.” Across roughly fifty-one Old Testament occurrences, it stands in deliberate parallel with “night” (לַיְלָה) to communicate an unbroken cycle ordained by God, or else appears alone to stress sustained daylight activity. Its usage spans narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, and post-exilic history, weaving common theological threads: God’s covenant faithfulness, His providential guidance, and the call to ceaseless devotion. Creation and Covenant Order From the post-Flood promise forward, יוֹמָם underscores the stability of creation. “As long as the earth endures… day and night shall never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Jeremiah later recalls this fixed order to guarantee the permanence of God’s redemptive purposes: “If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night… then My covenant with David My servant may also be broken” (Jeremiah 33:20-21). The recurrence of יוֹמָם within such covenant language reassures Israel that God’s saving plan is as dependable as sunrise. Divine Guidance and Protection 1. Wilderness leadership The Exodus narratives are the most concentrated cluster of יוֹמָם references. “The LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day… so that they could travel by day or night” (Exodus 13:21-22; also Numbers 9:21; 10:34; 14:14; Nehemiah 9:12, 19; Psalm 78:14; Isaiah 4:5). The daytime cloud both shaded and directed, portraying God’s near, visible shepherding. 2. Preservation from harm Pilgrimage Psalms echo the same safeguarding motif: “The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” (Psalm 121:6). The covenant Lord masters the elements; daylight itself becomes a servant of His care. Human Devotion and Ministry 1. Prayer and meditation Joshua is charged, “Meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8), a pattern embraced in Psalms: “His delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Supplication follows the same rhythm: “O LORD… day and night I cry out before You” (Psalm 88:1; cf. 22:2; 42:3; 55:17; Lamentations 2:18). יוֹמָם therefore frames an unbroken life of worship in which daylight hours do not belong to secular pursuits alone but are consecrated to communion with God. 2. Temple and Levitical service Solomon petitions that his prayer “be near the LORD our God day and night” (1 Kings 8:59). Chroniclers record that singers and gatekeepers served “day and night” (1 Chronicles 9:33; 2 Chronicles 6:20) so that praise would match the continual covenant order symbolized by יוֹמָם. Watchfulness in Warfare and Work Nehemiah stationed guards “day and night” (Nehemiah 4:9) during the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. Farmers, shepherds, and travelers also labor under the same cycle (Genesis 31:40; Psalm 32:4). In each sphere, daylight activity under God’s oversight calls for human vigilance and diligence that mirror His own tireless care. Judgment and Calamity Daylight can also expose sin or become the stage for chastening. Job laments marauders “in the daytime” (Job 24:16), and the Psalmist groans that God’s hand was heavy upon him “day and night” (Psalm 32:4). Prophets warn of relentless tears (Jeremiah 14:17), unceasing lament (Lamentations 2:18), or siege gates open “day and night” to receive tribute (Isaiah 60:11). Whether mercy or wrath, יוֹמָם announces that God’s dealings are exhaustive and unconcealed. Promises of Restoration and Eschatological Hope Isaiah envisages Zion crowned by a protective glory-cloud “by day” (Isaiah 4:5) and gates that “will never be shut day or night” (Isaiah 60:11). The continuity of יוֹמָם signals a redeemed order in which God’s presence eclipses past darkness, anticipating the New Jerusalem where “there will be no night” (Revelation 21:25). Practical Applications for Believers • Confidence: The regular return of daylight is a daily pledge of God’s unalterable promises. Selected References Genesis 8:22; Exodus 13:21-22; Numbers 10:34; Deuteronomy 28:66; Joshua 1:8; 1 Kings 8:59; 1 Chronicles 9:33; Nehemiah 4:9; Job 24:16; Psalm 1:2; Psalm 32:4; Psalm 42:3; Psalm 78:14; Psalm 121:6; Isaiah 4:5; Isaiah 60:11; Jeremiah 33:20-25; Lamentations 2:18. Forms and Transliterations בְּיוֹמָם֙ ביומם וְיוֹמָ֔ם וְיוֹמָ֖ם וְיוֹמָם֙ ויומם י֭וֹמָם יֽוֹמָם־ יוֹמָ֑ם יוֹמָ֔ם יוֹמָ֖ם יוֹמָ֗ם יוֹמָ֜ם יוֹמָ֣ם יוֹמָ֤ם יוֹמָ֤ם ׀ יוֹמָ֥ם יוֹמָֽם׃ יוֹמָם֙ יומם יומם־ יומם׃ bə·yō·w·mām beyoMam bəyōwmām veyoMam wə·yō·w·mām wəyōwmām yō·w·mām yō·w·mām- yoMam Yomom yōwmām yōwmām-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 13:21 HEB: הֹלֵךְ֩ לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם יוֹמָ֜ם בְּעַמּ֤וּד עָנָן֙ NAS: of cloud by day to lead KJV: before them by day in a pillar INT: was going before day A pillar of cloud Exodus 13:21 Exodus 13:22 Exodus 40:38 Leviticus 8:35 Numbers 9:21 Numbers 10:34 Numbers 14:14 Deuteronomy 1:33 Deuteronomy 28:66 Joshua 1:8 Judges 6:27 1 Samuel 25:16 2 Samuel 21:10 1 Kings 8:59 1 Chronicles 9:33 2 Chronicles 6:20 Nehemiah 1:6 Nehemiah 4:9 Nehemiah 9:12 Nehemiah 9:19 Job 5:14 Job 24:16 Psalm 1:2 Psalm 13:2 51 Occurrences |
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day (as opposed to night); ᵑ7 יֵמָם by day; perhaps Phoenician ימם (in dates, before number), CISI. i. 10. 1 (see note); so NöZDMG 1886, 721: on םָ֯ see below חִנָּם) —