In the biblical context, the concept of "night" holds significant spiritual and symbolic meaning. Throughout Scripture, night is often associated with darkness, both literal and metaphorical, and serves as a backdrop for divine encounters, spiritual battles, and moments of introspection.

Creation and Order:
The Bible begins with the establishment of night as part of God's creation. In Genesis 1:5 , it is written, "God called the light 'day,' and the darkness He called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." Here, night is part of the divine order, marking the cycle of time and the rhythm of creation.

Symbolism of Darkness:
Night frequently symbolizes darkness, which can represent ignorance, sin, or evil. In John 3:19 , Jesus states, "And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil." The contrast between light and darkness underscores the moral and spiritual dichotomy present in the world.

Divine Encounters:
Night is also a time when God often reveals Himself to His people. In Genesis 28:11-12 , Jacob experiences a divine encounter at night: "When Jacob reached a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder." This nocturnal vision signifies God's presence and promises.

Prayer and Vigilance:
The night is a time for prayer and vigilance. Jesus Himself spent nights in prayer, as seen in Luke 6:12 : "In those days, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God." Believers are encouraged to remain spiritually alert, as Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 , "So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober."

Spiritual Warfare:
Night is often depicted as a time of spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6:12 , Paul reminds believers, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The imagery of darkness is used to describe the spiritual battles that occur in the unseen realm.

Hope and Redemption:
Despite its association with darkness, night also holds the promise of redemption and hope. Psalm 30:5 declares, "For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning." This verse highlights the transient nature of night and the assurance of God's deliverance and joy with the coming of dawn.

Eschatological Significance:
In eschatological terms, night can symbolize the present age of spiritual darkness that will ultimately be dispelled by the return of Christ. Revelation 22:5 offers a vision of the new creation: "There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever." This promise of eternal light signifies the ultimate victory over darkness.

In summary, the concept of night in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing themes of creation, spiritual symbolism, divine encounters, prayer, spiritual warfare, hope, and eschatological fulfillment.

Sleepers Awake! the Night's Long Reign is Past;
... EASTER VI Sleepers awake! the night's long reign is past; 10,10,10,10 ... Sleepers awake!
the night's long reign is past; Purple and gold adorn the hills at last; ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the russian church/vi sleepers awake the nights.htm

A Water Haul.
... Peter was down there, just a short distance off, with his partners and crew
in their fishing boats, cleaning up after the night's haul. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/a water haul.htm

Index of First Lines.
... the bitter cross, 532 Before Jehovah's awful throne, 18 Behold, night's shadows
fade, 550 Behold, the Prince of Peace, 112 Behold the son, how bright, 170 Be ...
/.../various/book of hymns for public and private devotion/index of first lines.htm

In the Homes of the People
... We had just finished the Saturday night's meeting when a little woman pushing a
perambulator with two children in it, ran into the hall, asking for the Adjutant ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/ix in the homes of.htm

Sedition of the Jews against Pontius Pilate. Concerning Christ ...
... who brought those images to Jerusalem, and set them up there; which was done without
the knowledge of the people, because it was done in the night time; but as ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 sedition of the.htm

1869-1870. Emigration of Families --A visitor's Impressions --The ...
... before any commission of inquiry into the practices which wine-sellers term 'mixing,'
but which he vulgarly called 'adulteration.' Every night during the many ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/chapter ii 1869-1870 emigration of.htm

The Revolution of 1911
... That same night, whilst we slept peacefully in our beds, terror so seized the populace
that every young woman who had a village home to which she could withdraw ...
/.../the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xix the revolution of.htm

Instructions for Fishermen
... The landsman would not know what the fisherman knew well enough, that it was useless
to go fishing in the morning if you had not caught anything all night. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/instructions for fishermen.htm

The Life of Mr. Alexander Peden.
... He continued till night, and when he closed the pulpit door, he knocked three times
very hard on it, with his Bible, saying three times over, I arrest thee, in ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr alexander 2.htm

Chapter eleven
... We quote the following: "It is safe to say that never before in the history of Raymond
was there a primary like the one in the court house last night. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter eleven.htm

Night's (13 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Night's (13 Occurrences). ... And they said, Not so,
but we will take our night's rest in the street. (BBE). ...
/n/night's.htm - 10k

Resting-place (211 Occurrences)
... Genesis 28:11 And coming to a certain place, he made it his resting-place for the
night, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones which were ...
/r/resting-place.htm - 39k

Opening (242 Occurrences)
... opening. (BBE). Acts 5:19 But in the night an angel of the Lord, opening
the doors of the prison, took them out and said, (BBE). Acts ...
/o/opening.htm - 37k

Bag (52 Occurrences)
... Genesis 42:27 Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to
give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag. (BBE YLT). ...
/b/bag.htm - 29k

Nights (27 Occurrences)
... 2 Corinthians 11:27 with labour and toil, with many a sleepless night, in hunger
and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold, and with insufficient clothing. ...
/n/nights.htm - 14k

Night-spirit (1 Occurrence)
Night-spirit. Night's, Night-spirit. Nighttime . Multi-Version
Concordance Night-spirit (1 Occurrence). Proverbs 30:15 ...
/n/night-spirit.htm - 6k

Gangrene (1 Occurrence)
... In this sense it occurs 18 times in Shakespeare (eg Midsummer Night's Dream, II,
ii, 3). The canker-worm mentioned 6 times by Joel and Nahum is probably the ...
/g/gangrene.htm - 8k

Food-store (1 Occurrence)
... Food-store (1 Occurrence). Job 39:9 Will the ox of the mountains be your servant?
or is his night's resting-place by your food-store? (BBE). ...
/f/food-store.htm - 6k

Feelings (26 Occurrences)
... bitter, like those of a bear in the field whose young ones have been taken from
her: and your father is a man of war, and will not take his night's rest with ...
/f/feelings.htm - 14k

Traders (31 Occurrences)
... wall. (BBE). Nehemiah 13:20 So the traders in all sorts of goods took their
night's rest outside Jerusalem once or twice. (BBE NAS). ...
/t/traders.htm - 15k

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