Greek word · G1766

ἔννατος

ennatos

ninth (hour)

The ninth of the twelve daylight hours counted from sunrise, about 3 p.m. In Jewish practice this was the hour of the afternoon offering (the tamid, the daily burnt offering) and the incense, and it was a fixed time of prayer.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

ἐνατος, (Rec. ἔνν-), -η, -ον

ninth: Revelation 21:20; of the ninth hour (3 o'clock, p.m.), Matthew 20:5 27:45-46, Mark 15:33-34, Luke 23:44, Acts 3:1 10:3, 30.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 10:30

Range of meaning: The ninth of the twelve daylight hours counted from sunrise, about 3 p.m. In Jewish practice this was the hour of the afternoon offering (the tamid, the daily burnt offering) and the incense, and it was a fixed time of prayer.
Against the English: BSB, ESV, NASB, KJV and WEB keep 'ninth hour'. NIV and NLT turn it into 'three (o'clock) in the afternoon', which a modern reader understands more easily but which loses the link to the temple's prayer schedule.
How it drifted: Modern readers count hours from midnight, so 'ninth hour' can sound like 9 a.m. or 9 p.m.
Used elsewhere in the period: Acts 3:1 ('the hour of prayer, the ninth'). Luke 1:10 has people praying at the hour of incense. Josephus (Antiquities 14.65) describes the morning sacrifice and the one 'about the ninth hour'. Daniel 6:10 and Psalm 55:17 describe praying at fixed times each day.

From the study of Mark 15:34

Range of meaning: 'The ninth hour'. Jews and Romans of the time counted the hours of daylight from sunrise, roughly 6 a.m. The ninth hour is therefore about 3 p.m.
Against the English: The literal versions (KJV, BSB, ESV, NASB, WEB) keep 'ninth hour'. NIV and NLT turn it into 'three in the afternoon' / 'three o'clock'. That is clearer for modern readers, but it loses the link to Mark's sequence of third, sixth and ninth hours and to the Jewish hours of prayer.
How it drifted: A modern reader who does not know the ancient reckoning can take 'the ninth hour' to mean 9 o'clock.
Used elsewhere in the period: Acts 3:1 calls the ninth hour 'the hour of prayer' in the Temple. Josephus (Antiquities 14.65) places the afternoon daily sacrifice at about the ninth hour, and the Mishnah (Pesahim 5:1) puts the afternoon offering in the same part of the day. Amos 8:9 had foretold that God would 'make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight' on a day of mourning.

From the study of Matthew 27:46

Range of meaning: The ninth daylight hour counted from sunrise, about 3 p.m.
Against the English: 'Ninth hour' can mislead modern readers into thinking of 9 o'clock. Some versions (NLT) convert it to 'about three o'clock' or '3 p.m.'.
How it drifted: Different ways of telling time. Romans and Jews counted daylight hours from sunrise.
Used elsewhere in the period: Acts 3:1 calls the ninth hour 'the hour of prayer'. Josephus (Antiquities 14.65) places the daily afternoon sacrifice around the ninth hour, and the Mishnah (Pesahim 5:1) sets the slaughter of the afternoon daily offering at about eight and a half hours, with the offering an hour later.

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

Matthew 20:5 ἐνάτην ninth

So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

Here: The ninth hour of daylight, roughly mid-afternoon (about 3 p.m.). By then most of the working day was gone.
Matthew 27:45 ἐνάτης. ninth.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

Here: The ninth daylight hour, about 3 p.m. This was the time of the afternoon sacrifice and prayer at the Temple (compare Acts 3:1), and it is when Jesus cries out (v. 46) and dies (v. 50).
Matthew 27:46 ἐνάτην ninth

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Here: The ninth hour after sunrise, about 3 p.m. It closes the darkness that began at the sixth hour (noon) in v. 45, and it was also the hour of the afternoon sacrifice and prayer at the Temple.

Mark · 2

Mark 15:33 ἐνάτης. ninth.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

Here: About three in the afternoon. This was also the hour of the afternoon offering and prayer at the Temple (compare Acts 3:1), and it is the hour Jesus cries out and dies (15:34, 37).
Mark 15:34 ἐνάτῃ ninth

At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Here: The ninth hour after sunrise, about 3 p.m. It is the end point of the darkness that verse 33 says ran 'until the ninth hour'.

Luke · 1

Luke 23:44 ἐνάτης ninth

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.

Here: The ninth hour is about 3 p.m. It was the regular hour of afternoon prayer and the time of the daily evening sacrifice at the Temple (Acts 3:1; 10:30). In Luke, Jesus dies at about this hour (23:46).

Acts · 3

Acts 3:1 ἐνάτην. ninth.

One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Here: The ninth hour counted from sunrise, so about 3 p.m. This was the time of the afternoon daily offering.
Acts 10:3 ἐνάτην [the] ninth [hour]

One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Here: "Ninth." This is mid-afternoon, about 3 p.m. It was the time of the afternoon sacrifice and of prayer at the Jerusalem temple (Acts 3:1). In Acts 10:30 Cornelius says he was praying at this hour.
Acts 10:30 ἐνάτην ninth

Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

Here: The ninth hour after sunrise, about 3 p.m. This was the set time of the afternoon sacrifice and prayer at the Jerusalem temple (Acts 3:1).

Revelation · 1

Revelation 21:20 ἔνατος ninth

the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

Here: Ninth foundation layer. The lexicon gloss 'ninth (hour)' comes from Gospel uses about the time of day. Here it simply counts foundations.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.