Original Word: אֶמֶשׁ
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: emesh
Pronunciation: eh-mesh
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-mesh)
NASB: last night, night, yesterday
Word Origin: [time past; yesterday or last night]

1. former time, yesterday(-night)

former time, yesterday night

Time past, i.e. Yesterday or last night -- former time, yesterday(-night)

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
yesterday
NASB Translation
last night (3), night (1), yesterday (1).

אֶ֫מֶשׁ adverb yesterday (etymology dubious; MV after Fl De on Job 30:3 compare Sta^{§ 256 c} derive from √ משׁה = Arabic , whence , evening; see also in Thes, & compare Assyrian mušu, night COT^Gloss, Ethiopic but also Arabic = Assyrian amšatu, yesterday) = last night Genesis 19:34; Genesis 31:29,42 (אָ֑מֶשׁ); = recently 2 Kings 9:26. — Job 30:3 שׁוֺאָה ׳א is difficult & uncertain Thes MV and others darkness, gloom of wasteness, so RV, but dubious, compare Di; G. Hoffm. reads ׳אֵם שׁ = the mother of (all) the ruined ( said of the desert).

אֱמֶת אֲמִתַּי see אמן.

אַמְתַּ֫חַת see מתח.

Temporal Nuance and Usage

אֶמֶשׁ functions as a narrative marker for the immediate past—the night or day that has just elapsed. It never refers to distant history but to events still vivid in the memory of the speaker, thereby underscoring personal accountability and the rapid outworking of divine oversight.

Narrative Significance in Genesis

1. Genesis 19:34 places the word in the troubling episode of Lot’s daughters: “Behold, I lay with my father last night”. Here it highlights the speed with which sin can multiply when unchecked and shows how recent wrongdoing becomes the catalyst for further compromise.
2. In Genesis 31:29 Laban concedes, “The God of your father last night warned me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad’”. אֶמֶשׁ signals the immediacy of divine intervention that restrains human anger.
3. Genesis 31:42 records Jacob’s testimony that God “rebuked you last night,” stressing that the LORD’s protection of His covenant servant is not theoretical but timely and concrete.

Covenant and Retribution in 2 Kings

Jehu’s citation of Elijah’s prophecy against Ahab uses the word to bind the recent past to present judgment: “As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the LORD…” (2 Kings 9:26). אֶמֶשׁ underscores that the LORD’s remembrance of injustice is neither vague nor forgetful; His reckoning is as fresh as the offense itself.

Poetic Contrast in Job

Job 30:3 paints those who mock him as gaunt wanderers “by night” (lit. “yesterday”). The poetic use contrasts Job’s former honor with his present humiliation, reminding readers that human fortunes can invert almost overnight—a reality that invites humility before God.

Theological Reflections

1. God’s Memory: The term affirms that the Almighty’s awareness of human actions is immediate (2 Kings 9:26).
2. Providential Protection: Genesis 31 shows that God actively guards His people even “last night,” encouraging trust during vulnerable hours.
3. Moral Urgency: Because yesterday’s deeds stand presently before God, repentance and obedience should not be delayed (compare Psalm 95:7-8).

Ministry Application

• Pastoral counseling can draw on Genesis 31 to reassure believers that nighttime fears meet a watchful God.
• Discipleship training may use Lot’s account to warn against rationalizing sin that occurred only “last night.”
• Preaching on justice can evoke 2 Kings 9:26 to affirm that recent—and even forgotten—wrongs remain on heaven’s docket until redressed.

Biblical Timeline Context

Each occurrence links yesterday to today in a seamless flow of redemptive history: from patriarchal narratives (Genesis), through monarchy (2 Kings), to wisdom literature (Job). אֶמֶשׁ therefore threads the message that the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Job governs every passing night, ensuring the harmony and reliability of Scripture’s testimony to His unchanging character.

אֶ֖מֶשׁ אֶ֙מֶשׁ֙ אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ אֶ֣מֶשׁ ׀ אָֽמֶשׁ׃ אמש אמש׃ ’ā·meš ’āmeš ’e·meš ’emeš Amesh EmeshInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts