Greek word · G3314

μεσημβρία

mesēmbria

noon/south

Formed from mesos (middle) and hēmera (day): 'midday, noon.' Because the noon sun stands due south in the northern hemisphere, Greek writers from Herodotus onward also used it for 'the south.' Both senses were in normal use in the first century.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

μεσημβρία, -ας, ἡ

(μέσος, ἡμέρα), [in LXX chiefly for צֹהַר, Genesis 3:16, al; also for נֶגֶב, Dan LXX 8:4, 9, al. ;]

1. noon: Acts 22:6.

2. the South: Acts 8:26.†

(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 8:26

Range of meaning

Formed from mesos (middle) and hēmera (day): 'midday, noon.' Because the noon sun stands due south in the northern hemisphere, Greek writers from Herodotus onward also used it for 'the south.' Both senses were in normal use in the first century.

Against the English

Almost all English versions (KJV, BSB, ESV, NASB, NIV, WEB, YLT) give 'south.' Some (ESV, NRSV) give 'about noon' in a footnote. Picking one in the main text hides the fact that the Greek can mean either.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, it usually means 'noon.' Examples: Abraham at his tent 'in the heat of the day' (Gen 18:1); Elijah mocking the Baal prophets 'at noon' (1 Kgs 18:27); 'the destruction that wastes at noonday' (Ps 91:6). Classical writers often use it for 'south.' Luke's only other use is Acts 22:6, peri mesēmbrian, 'about noon,' on the Damascus road. Luke also uses kata + a time word for 'about' a time (Acts 16:25, 'about midnight').

Where it appears

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 8:26 μεσημβρίαν [the] south

    Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

    Here: Literally 'middle of the day.' Because the noon sun stands in the south, the word also meant 'south.' It could be a direction ('southward') or a time ('around noon'). Luke's only other use (Acts 22:6) means noon.

  2. Acts 22:6 μεσημβρίαν noon

    About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.

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