Image source: Sweet Publishing/FreeBibleImages.org
The Third Day - Jonathan Speaks with David - 1 Samuel 20:12 - FreeBibleImages.org - Used under license
This study explains the biblical meaning of "the third day" using examples from both the Old and New Testaments. This study explains the timing from Jesus' death to Jesus' resurrection and why the biblical accounting of "three days" is correct according to language usage at that time.
Bible verse quotations in this lesson are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1995 version unless noted otherwise (Ref. 1).
Consider. When the scripture (Matthew 17:22-23) says that Jesus would be raised on the third day, how do you count the three days?
1. The third day is the day after tomorrow.
"Then Jonathan said to David, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you?'" (1 Samuel 20:12) For your best understanding of the context, please read 1 Samuel 20:1-40 (the entire chapter).
The simplest explanation of "the third day" in the Bible is that it means the day after tomorrow (1 Samuel 20:12). Jonathan said that he would "sound out" his father (Saul) about this time tomorrow, or the third day. 2. The third day is the third day in a sequence of time. A partial day counts as a whole day when counting 1, 2, 3.
God established the pattern for a natural, biblical day beginning in Genesis 1:5. A natural day began at sundown (sunset) when evening started, and continued through the next daytime until the next sundown (Genesis 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Each "day" included evening (nighttime) as well as daytime. We see that pattern for a "day" repeated in Leviticus 23:32 where the Day of Atonement ran from evening to evening.
In ancient Jewish timekeeping, a partial day was reckoned as a whole day when counting a sequence of days. For example: a. A male infant was to be circumcised on the eighth day
"And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations ..." (Genesis 17:12)
A newborn male was to be circumcised on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12). The day of birth counted as a whole day even if the child was born a short time before sundown. b. Esther proclaimed a fast for three days
"Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 'Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.'" (Esther 4:15-16)
"Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms ..." (Esther 5:1) Esther proclaimed that the Jews in Susa [the capital of the Persian empire - Esther 1:2 AMP] fast for "three days" to prepare for her to plead with the king for her people (Esther 4:6-8, 16). The "first day" was the portion of the natural day that Esther proclaimed the three-day fast to begin (Esther 4:16). Esther went to speak with the king on the "third day" and to invite the king and Haman to a banquet that day (Esther 5:1, 3-5). Thus, the total period of fasting was three days including a partial first day and a partial third day according to the way the Jewish people counted partial days as full days at that time (Ref. 2). c. Jonah was in the stomach of the great fish three days and three nights
"And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17)
"for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40) What we call day and night made up a natural day (Genesis 1:5, 31). According to Matthew Poole's Commentary, "three days and three nights" is the same thing as three natural days (Ref. 3). In our modern way of thinking, Jesus' body was in the grave two nights and part of three days. In the Jewish way of thinking at that time, Jesus' body was in the grave three natural days -- a portion of the first day in which he was buried, a full second day, and a portion of the third day when he rose from the dead. Taking into consideration the Jewish way of including partial days as whole days in a sequence of days, the prophesy in Jonah 1:17 and Jesus' quotation in Matthew 12:40 are consistent with Jesus being raised on the third day (Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:31). 3. The third day is the day when Jesus rose from the dead
"And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.' And they were deeply grieved." (Matthew 17:22-23)
"He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (Luke 24:6-7) In Luke 23:50-54, on the afternoon that Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (Luke 23:52). Joseph wrapped Jesus' body in a linen cloth, and laid Jesus' body in a tomb "cut into the rock" (Luke 23:53). Joseph did this hastily because it still was "preparation day" (Ref. 4), and "the Sabbath was about to begin" (at sundown) (Luke 23:54). This portion of the sixth day of the week when the body of Jesus was entombed counted as the first of the "three days." Women who had come with Jesus out of Galilee saw the tomb and how the body was laid (Luke 23:55). The "second day" of the "three days" was the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. The Sabbath began at sundown a short time after Jesus had died and his body was entombed. On the "second day," the women rested according to the commandment (Luke 23:56, Exodus 20:10). On the first day of the week (we now call Sunday), the women came to the tomb bringing spices (Luke 24:1) and were expecting to find the body of the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:2-3). This was the "third day." The men in dazzling appearance who spoke with the women at the tomb (Luke 24:4) told them that He had risen (Luke 24:5-6). They reminded the women that Jesus had said that he would be "delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (Luke 24:6-7). Jesus' death and resurrection perfectly fulfill Jesus' prophecy that on the third day he would rise again (Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:31).
Prayer. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for redeeming us, your people, through your willing, sacrificial death on a cross. We praise you, Lord Jesus, that you rose from death on the third day as you predicted. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your gift of eternal life so that we may live with you now and forever. Amen.
References
1. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Standard-Bible-NASB1995/ 2. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/kad/esther/5.htm Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary - Esther 5:1 3. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/poole/matthew/12.htm Matthew Poole's Commentary - Matthew 12:40 4. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Preparation-Day
0 Comments
"The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength" - Nehemiah 8:10 - Glacier National Park (Montana, USA) - Photo by Whitney V. Myers
This lesson presents seven key Bible verses and principles about joy.
Bible verse quotations below are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless noted otherwise (Ref. 1).
1. The joy of the Lord is your strength
"Then he said to them, 'Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'" (Nehemiah 8:10)
The joy of the Lord is our refuge, our place of safety [literally, a fortified place], and our strength (Ref. 2). The joy of the Lord as our source of strength can be relied upon when danger threatens (Ref. 2). Note that joy is not the result of strength, but the source of strength. 2. Fullness of joy is found in the Lord's presence
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)
God's presence [God's face], is synonymous with favor, guidance, and life itself (Ref. 3). In our devotion to God, when we seek God's presence, we find fullness of joy that satisfies our soul (Ref. 4). 3. Joy is sustained by abiding in Christ and his word
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:4)
"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11) Jesus promised that his joy would be in us (believers in Christ) (John 15:11). Jesus makes our joy full [literally, complete] (Ref. 5). Jesus is the giver of joy. We receive his joy by believing in him, abiding in him, and obeying his word. All of the New Testament mentions of the word "joy" in this lesson are translated from the same Greek word, chara. Chara means cheerfulness and calm delight (Ref. 6). Joy is Spirit-given delight that arises from the redemptive acts and abiding presence of God (Ref. 6). 4. Sorrow is turned into joy through the resurrection of Christ
"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy." (John 16:20)
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus told his disciples that they would be sorrowful, but that their sorrow would be turned into joy (John 16:20). Jesus' disciples would be sorrowful because of his coming death, but their sorrow would be turned to joy because of his resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us and our loved ones who die in Christ joy today. We know we will see one another again (John 16:21-22). David expressed a similar thought about sorrow turning into joy for the Lord's "godly ones" (Psalm 30:4 NASB 1995): "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5 NASB 1995) 5. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
A child of God passes the fruit test. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruit" (Matthew 7:16 NASB 1995, Ref. 7). A true child of God produces the fruit of the Spirit -- "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). 6. Joy is found in doing the will of God, even when it is a cross
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus found joy in doing the will of his heavenly Father, specifically suffering and dying on a cross to save the world (John 3:17, Hebrews 12:2). In a similar way, as Jesus' followers, will find joy in serving God and in completing the assignments he gives us. 7. Joy is an enduring presence, especially during trials
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (James 1:2-3 NASB 1995)
As believers in Christ, we should consider it joy when we encounter and go through trials because those trials strengthen our faith and produce endurance. Trials can become a cause for joy because in them we see God's hand to deliver us. Remembering how God helped us in the past will strengthen us and give us hope when new trials come.
Prayer. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your joy that you give us each day. Thank you for making our joy complete. Thank you for being with us and strengthening us through our trials and giving us endurance. In your name we pray, Amen.
Related Lessons
"The Meaning of God's Favor" - Psalm 30:5 "Characteristics of a Child of God - Part 1" - Matthew 7:16 "Bible Verses About the Cross" - Hebrews 12:1-2
References
1. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/ 2. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4581.htm 3. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6440.htm 4. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7648.htm 5. https://biblehub.com/greek/4137.htm 6. https://biblehub.com/greek/5479.htm 7. https://www.scriptureway.com/home/characteristics-of-a-child-of-god-part-1 |
Daily Bible Verse
(Published on my Bluesky account) AuthorMr. Whitney V. Myers. Christian. For more information, please visit the Author Page. Posting ScheduleI plan to provide new postings about once a month. Planned Topics(subject to change) Recent Posts(most recent three months) Popular Posts(top 10) Categories
All
Archives
April 2026
|
RSS Feed
|
The ScriptureWay site provides Bible Teachings that point to Jesus. The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." -- Jesus speaking in John 14:6 
|
|
|
Copyright 2018-2026 Whitney V. Myers |