The name Scripture gives to the time of darkness from dusk until dawn when no light of the sun is visible. For example:
Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt by night (Matthew 2:14).
The shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks at night (Luke 2:8).
An angel from the Lord came and opened the prison doors at night in order to let the disciples out (Acts 5:19).
What Is Night in the Bible?
According to Genesis 1, God implemented the day-night cycle, and "night" was the name given to the period of darkness (Genesis 1:5). God put the lights in the heavens, appointing the sun to rule the day, and the moon to dominate the night (verses 16–18). The covenant (special agreement) of the Lord is the basis of the regularity of the rotation of day and night.
How Was Night Measured?
The night in the Old Testament was divided into three periods or "watches." "Watch" may have come from the practice of changing the guard or watcher at these times. Gideon’s 300 men blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers at the beginning of the middle watch (Judges 7:19). Although no references in the Old Testament give the limits of these three periods, night was considered to begin at sunset. So three watches would have been something like:
6:00 to 10:00 pm
10:00 pm to 2:00 am
2:00 to 6:00 am
Later, Roman calculations divided the night into four watches. Some historians think they began at:
9:30 pm
midnight
2:30 am
5:00 am
Others think that the nighttime period between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am was divided equally into four periods:
the first beginning at 6:00 pm
the second at 9:00 pm
the third at midnight
and the fourth at 3:00 am
Mark 13:35 contains the popular designations for these four watches:
Apparently, Matthew 14:25 and Mark 6:48 follow the Roman calculation Jesus’s walking on the water is set at about the fourth watch of the night.
Other Uses of "Night"
A specialized use of the words "night" and "day" emphasizes the period of a continuing activity. For example, the man with an unclean spirit is said to have been in the mountains and in the tombs "night and day" (Mark 5:5). Paul refers to his having labored, working night and day, so not to burden to the church (1 Thessalonians 2:9). Later in the same book he refers to how he prays night and day (3:10).
Along with this literal usage of the word “night,” there is also a figurative or metaphorical usage. In some references it refers to divine judgment (Amos 5:8–9; Micah 3:6). Jesus uses "night" to refer to death (John 9:4). Once the night (death) comes, the time for working is over.
Paul compares this present age (soon to be over with) to the night that is almost gone (Romans 13:12). Again, Paul speaks of himself and his readers as children of the light and of the day, not the night and darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5). In this context, Paul links night with separation from God, sin, lack of self-control, and careless living. Night is also connected with spiritual blindness and ignorance, especially about the Lord’s return.