The word "even" has multiple definitions and applications in the King James Bible. This study seeks to find what even is and when it is.
"even" occurs when the sun sets to an "even" level with the ground, also known as "at sunset", "at nightfall" and the starting point of the evening. It is a point in time. Here are a few examples:
"And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night...And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them." (Genesis 19:1,2,5) In this example, "at even" was a point in time just at the beginning of the night, right at sunset.
"And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD." (Exodus 16:6-8) This is the time when Christ began to eat the Passover with His disciples. It is also the time in which families began to kill the Passover lamb/goat and eat it. The Passover lamb or goat was to be killed "in the evening" (Exodus 12:6), "they shall eat the flesh in that night" (Exodus 12:8) and nothing shall "remain until the morning." (Exodus 12:10).
"even" occurs when object A sets to an "even" level with object B. This definition is broader than the first definition in nature and applies to not just the Sun and the Ground. The Bible uses it in this way to describe the timing of the evening sacrifice.
"Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even" (Exodus 29:38-39)
"And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;" Numbers" (28:3-4) In the above two examples, "at even" occurs at 3 PM (the 9th hour) in the land of Israel. The "evening sacrifice" found in the Scripture, did not take place during the night, or after sunset, because the "even" here does not measure the even point between the Sun and the Ground as in definition 1. The even point here is measuring the midpoint between the "even of the 12-hour day" and the "even of the 24-hour day". Another way to describe this is "between the two evenings". Here is how it works: There is a 24-hour day, for example: "...the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5). The 24-hour day begins at sunset, at even (definition 1), and goes until the following sunset, at even (definition 1). The even of the 24-hour day in the land of Israel is 6 PM, or the 12th Hour. (24/2 = 12) There is also a 12-hour day, for example: "Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day?..."(John 11:9). The 12-hour day begins at daybreak when the sun comes out and goes on until the sunset. The even of the 12-hour day in the land of Israel is 12 PM, or the 6th hour. (12/2 = 6) The even, midpoint between the above 2 evenings is ( 12 + 6 ) / 2 = 9th hour, which is between the two evenings above. This is the time when Christ died on the cross. Christ, the LAMB died at the time of the evening sacrifice which took place in the 9th hour. For it is written: "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23:44-46) Unlike the Passover, which can be a lamb or goat (Exodus 12:5), the evening sacrifice had to be a lamb, because it represents the death of the Lamb of God.
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