Dictionary entry

Afternoon

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

af-ter-noon' (neToth ha-yom, "the declining of the day";Jud 19:8the King James Version): The expression kechom ha-yom, "in the heat of the day" (Ge 18:1) refers to the early afternoon when the sun is a little past its zenith, its rays still being very strong. The phrase le-ruach ha-yom, "in the cool of the day" (Ge 3:8) is in contrast to the last phrase and points to the late afternoon; in the Orient a cooling breeze arises at this period of the day, and it is then that much of the day's business is transacted.

SeeDAY.