μεσονύκτιον (G3317) — Greek Lexicon

μεσονύκτιον

mesonýktion

G3317 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Middle of the night; specifically, the point or period when night is at its deepest or halfway through, often signifying midnight as a temporal marker. In literary and historical contexts, may refer broadly to the late-night hours or the dividing point of the night, sometimes indicating a symbolic moment of transition, vigilance, or unexpected activity.

Semantic Range

midnight, middle of the night, midpoint of the night, time of nighttime transition, the dividing point of night, late-night hour

Root / Etymology

Compound of μέσος ('middle') and νύξ ('night'), formed as a neuter noun referring to the middle of the night.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, μεσονύκτιον denotes the midpoint of the night, most frequently corresponding to 'midnight' as a division of the nocturnal period. In the context of Roman and Hellenistic timekeeping, the night was commonly divided into watches; 'midnight' marks the boundary between the second and third watch (see πρῶτη φυλακή, δευτέρα φυλακή, etc.). In the New Testament, μεσονύκτιον often signifies a time of particular narrative suspense or decisive action (e.g., an unexpected arrival or event at night), such as in Acts 16:25 and Matthew 25:6. The term is less frequent in the Septuagint but appears in later Jewish and early Christian texts. Standard English translations typically render μεσονύκτιον as 'midnight,' which is accurate, though in some ancient contexts the word can have the broader meaning of 'middle of the night' rather than the exact modern hour. Related terms include νύξ ('night') and νυχτικός ('nocturnal').

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

neuter of compound of μέσος and νύξ; midnight (especially as a watch):--midnight.

Root Family

μεσονύκτιον (mesonýktion) — middle, night

Root μεσονυκτ- middle, night

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G3317-01`	μεσονύκτιον	mesonuktion	`N ACC N SG`	at midnight	the middle of the night	at midnight	2
`G3317-02`	μεσονυκτίου	mesonuktiou	`N GEN N SG`	at midnight	of the middle of the night	at midnight	2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G3317-01`	Mark 13:35	μεσονύκτιον	mesonuktion	`N ACC N SG`	at midnight	the middle of the night	at midnight
`G3317-02`	Luke 11:5	μεσονυκτίου	mesonuktiou	`N GEN N SG`	at midnight	of the middle of the night	at midnight
`G3317-01`	Acts 16:25	μεσονύκτιον	mesonuktion	`N ACC N SG`	midnight	the middle of the night	midnight
`G3317-02`	Acts 20:7	μεσονυκτίου	mesonuktiou	`N GEN N SG`	midnight	of the middle of the night	of midnight

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