Greek word · G3638

ὀκτώ

oktō

eight

'After eight days' was a normal ancient way of saying 'a week later'. Both Jews and Greeks often counted inclusively, which means the day you start from counts as day one. Easter Sunday (20:1, 19) is day one, so day eight is the following Sunday.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 07, 2026

What it means

ὀκτώ, οἱ, αἱ, τά

indecl.,

eight: Luke 2:21, John 5:5, al

(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 John 20:26

Range of meaning: 'After eight days' was a normal ancient way of saying 'a week later'. Both Jews and Greeks often counted inclusively, which means the day you start from counts as day one. Easter Sunday (20:1, 19) is day one, so day eight is the following Sunday.
Against the English: KJV, WEB and YLT keep 'after eight days', which a modern reader naturally takes as 8 full days elapsed, putting it on a Monday. BSB/ESV 'eight days later' is a little better but has the same problem. NIV 'A week later' gives the sense most clearly.
How it drifted: Modern English counts exclusively ('eight days from now' does not include today). The ancient convention has been lost from everyday speech.
Used elsewhere in the period: Inclusive counting: Jesus raised 'after three days' (Mark 8:31) = 'on the third day' (Matt 16:21); circumcision 'when eight days were completed' (Luke 2:21) = the eighth day counting the birth day (Lev 12:3). Luke 9:28's 'about eight days after' matches Mark 9:2's 'after six days', showing that ways of counting varied. Later Christian writers attach meaning to the 'eighth day' as the resurrection day: Epistle of Barnabas 15:9 says 'we keep the eighth day with gladness, on which Jesus also rose from the dead'. Justin, 1 Apology 67 describes Sunday gatherings.

Where it appears

Luke · 3

Luke 2:21 ὀκτὼ eight

When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

Here: The number set by the Torah for circumcising a son. Any Jewish hearer would recognise it at once.
Luke 9:28 ὀκτώ, eight,

About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.

Here: 'About eight days' is roughly a week. Most likely it counts inclusively, from the day of the sayings to the day of the ascent. Some see further symbolism (see debates).
Luke 13:16 ὀκτὼ eight

Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

Here: Completes 'eighteen'. It repeats the figure from verse 11, and the number also echoes the eighteen killed at Siloam in 13:4.

John · 2

John 5:5 ὀκτὼ eight

One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

Here: This completes 'thirty-eight'. The exact figure gives the story concrete detail, like a witness's testimony, and shows how long and how hopeless the condition was.
John 20:26 ὀκτὼ eight

Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Here: Counted inclusively, Easter Sunday is day one and the following Sunday is day eight. So the scene falls on the next first day of the week.

Acts · 2

Acts 9:33 ὀκτὼ eight

There he found a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.
Acts 25:6 ὀκτὼ than eight

After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 3:20 ὀκτὼ eight

who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.

Here: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their three wives (Genesis 7:13). The exact figure drives home how few they were.

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