ἐφημερία
ephēmería
G2183 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A daily cycle or division; in particular, a regularly scheduled group or rota, especially referring in Judean Second Temple context to one of the priestly courses (groups or divisions) serving in rotation at the Jerusalem Temple, each assigned for a set time period, generally one week. The primary sense is 'the portion assigned to a day.' Secondary sense: a division, class, or order (especially of priests) periodically serving according to a prearranged schedule.
Semantic Range
daily assignment, daily service, rota/schedule, priestly division (Temple context), shift (military or administrative), class or course serving by turns
Root / Etymology
From ἐφήμερος ('for a day, daily'), itself from ἐπί ('upon') + ἡμέρα ('day'); thus, 'pertaining to the day' or 'daily.' The noun form ἐφημερία develops the sense of 'duty for the day,' extended to a formal division of service.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Greek (including the LXX and Josephus), ἐφημερία refers to 'a division or course' of priests serving according to an established order. In the Jerusalem Temple during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, priestly duties were organized into 24 divisions (courses), each termed an ἐφημερία, serving at regular intervals (usually a week). This system appears in 1 Chronicles (LXX: Παραλειπομένων) and is later alluded to in extra-biblical sources and Luke 1:5, 8. The word can be found in administrative, military, and religious Greek texts meaning a daily shift or watch, the personnel assigned for that day. English translations often use 'course' or 'division,' which may obscure the inherent reference to a temporal or rotational aspect (‘what is assigned for a day’). The precise structure and application in Hellenistic Jewish society were both familial (by lineage) and functionally administrative. Distinct from broader Greek terms for order, such as τάξις or τάγμα, ἐφημερία always carries the nuance of time-bound, periodic service. Rare outside the context of the Judean priesthood in biblical literature, though attested in Hellenistic Greek for military or civic duties structured by daily shifts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἐφήμερος; diurnality, i.e. (specially) the quotidian rotation or class of the Jewish priests' service at the Temple, as distributed by families:--course.
Root Family
ἐφημερία (ephēmeria) — day, daily assignment, daily service, scheduled division
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2183-01 |
ἐφημερίας | ephemerias | N GEN F SG |
division | of the daily service division | division | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences