Hebrew word · H865

אֶתְמוֹל

'etmol

previously

Etmol means yesterday. Shilshom means 'three days back', counting inclusively, so the day before yesterday. Together, often with no 'and' between them, they form a fixed phrase for 'formerly, previously, as in the past'.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) yesterday, recently, formerly

1a) yesterday

1b) formerly (fig.)

1c) from yesterday, already (in phrase)

2) (TWOT +) before, before that time, before the time, heretofore, of late, of old, these days, time(s) past

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Samuel 19:7

Range of meaning

Etmol means yesterday. Shilshom means 'three days back', counting inclusively, so the day before yesterday. Together, often with no 'and' between them, they form a fixed phrase for 'formerly, previously, as in the past'.

Against the English

KJV 'as in times past', BSB/WEB/ESV 'as before', NASB 'as formerly', YLT 'as heretofore'. All are correct in meaning. What is lost is the everyday picture of 'yesterday and the day before'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 31:2, 5 (Laban's face was not toward Jacob 'as yesterday and the day before', meaning his attitude had changed); Exod 5:7–8, 14; 1 Sam 10:11 (those who had known Saul 'from yesterday and the day before'); 1 Sam 14:21; 21:5 (Heb. 21:6); 2 Sam 3:17; 5:2. Septuagint: kathōs echthes kai tritēn ('as yesterday and the third day'). Vulgate: sicut fuerat heri et nudius tertius.

From the study of Psalm 90:4

Range of meaning

Yesterday. Also spelled תְּמוֹל (temôl). In the pair 'yesterday and the day before' (temôl shilšôm) it means 'previously, before now' (Genesis 31:2; Exodus 5:8). It can also mean 'only recently, a short time ago' (1 Samuel 4:7; Job 8:9).

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT keep 'yesterday', and so do ESV and NASB. BSB ('a day that passes'), NIV ('a day that has just gone by') and NLT ('a passing day') drop the word. The meaning survives, but the picture of a particular finished day is weaker.

Used elsewhere in the period

Job 8:9: 'we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow'. There too 'yesterday' marks how short and recent human existence is.

From the study of 2 Samuel 5:2

Range of meaning

Literally 'yesterday' and 'the day before yesterday' (shilshôm is built on the number three: 'three days ago', counting inclusively). Paired, they make a fixed phrase meaning 'formerly, previously, up to now, as things always were'.

Against the English

KJV 'in time past', BSB 'even in times past' and WEB 'in times past' all catch the idiom. A wooden 'yesterday and the day before' would mislead by suggesting something very recent.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jacob sees Laban's face is not toward him 'as yesterday and the day before' (Gen 31:2, 5). The brick quota is 'as yesterday and the day before' (Exod 5:7–8, 14). Moses says he has not been eloquent 'either yesterday or the day before' (Exod 4:10). Joshua 3:4 and 1 Sam 19:7 use it the same way. It always means 'the established past pattern'.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 4

  1. 1 Samuel 4:7 אֶתְמ֥וֹל yesterday

    the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

  2. 1 Samuel 10:11 מֵאִתְּמ֣וֹל from yesterday

    When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

  3. 1 Samuel 14:21 כְּאֶתְמ֣וֹל as yesterday

    And the Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps to join the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

  4. 1 Samuel 19:7 כְּאֶתְמ֥וֹל as yesterday

    So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

    Here: 'As yesterday', the first half of a fixed Hebrew phrase meaning 'as before / as formerly'.

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 5:2 אֶתְמ֣וֹל yesterday

    Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”

    Here: Literally 'yesterday', but paired with 'the day before' it means 'formerly', 'all along'. It does not mean a single recent day.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 90:4 אֶ֭תְמוֹל yesterday

    For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.

    Here: Yesterday: the day just finished, already out of reach and already shrinking in memory. Elsewhere the word means 'only recently' or 'only a short time ago' (Job 8:9: 'we are but of yesterday').

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 30:33 מֵֽאֶתְמוּל֙ from yesterday

    For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.

    Here: Literally "from yesterday." It is an idiom for "already, for some time now." It means the pyre was not built at the last minute. It does not mean "from eternity."

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 2:8 וְאֶתְמ֗וּל and yesterday

    But of late My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting passersby like men returning from battle.

    Here: 'And yesterday', meaning 'only recently' or 'just lately'. It sets this behaviour right beside the self-assured talk of v. 7: these are not old sins but what is going on now. Many scholars think the consonants originally read 'but you' (see textual notes).

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