Sun-setting, the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon, holds significant symbolic and practical importance in the biblical narrative. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the setting of the sun marked the transition from day to night, a time often associated with rest, reflection, and the end of daily labor. The Bible frequently uses the imagery of sun-setting to convey themes of closure, divine order, and the passage of time.

Biblical References and Symbolism

1. Creation and Divine Order: The cycle of day and night, initiated by the setting of the sun, is established by God in the creation narrative. Genesis 1:14-19 describes the creation of the "greater light" to govern the day and the "lesser light" to govern the night, emphasizing the divine order and rhythm set by God. The setting of the sun marks the completion of a day's work, reflecting God's orderly design.

2. Sabbath Observance: Sun-setting plays a crucial role in the observance of the Sabbath. According to Levitical law, the Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday (Leviticus 23:32). This practice underscores the importance of sun-setting as a marker of sacred time, a divinely appointed period for rest and worship.

3. Daily Life and Labor: In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, the setting of the sun signaled the end of a day's labor. Psalm 104:23 states, "Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening." This verse highlights the natural rhythm of work and rest, with sun-setting serving as a boundary for daily activities.

4. Divine Protection and Provision: The Bible often associates the setting of the sun with God's protection and provision. In Psalm 121:6, the psalmist declares, "The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night." This assurance of divine care extends through the cycles of day and night, encompassing the time of sun-setting.

5. Judgment and Justice: Sun-setting is also used metaphorically to describe the end of an era or the coming of divine judgment. In Amos 8:9, the Lord declares, "In that day, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight." This imagery conveys the suddenness and severity of God's judgment, using the unexpected setting of the sun as a symbol of impending doom.

6. New Testament Context: In the New Testament, sun-setting continues to hold practical significance. Mark 1:32 notes, "That evening, after sunset, people brought to Him all who were sick and demon-possessed." The setting of the sun marked the end of the Sabbath, allowing people to seek Jesus for healing and deliverance, demonstrating the transition from rest to renewed activity.

Cultural and Theological Implications

Sun-setting in the biblical context is more than a mere natural phenomenon; it is imbued with theological significance. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over time and creation, the importance of rest and worship, and the assurance of divine protection. The imagery of sun-setting also provides a powerful metaphor for the end of life or the conclusion of an era, inviting reflection on the transient nature of human existence and the eternal nature of God's kingdom.

The Ancestral Home
... The wheat was ripe, and it has been harvested. No painter's pencil or poet's
rhythm could describe that magnificent sun setting. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/i the ancestral home.htm

To the Romans
... yourselves into a choir and sing praises to the Father in Jesus Christ that God
gave the bishop of Syria the privilege of reaching the sun's setting when he ...
//christianbookshelf.org/richardson/early christian fathers/to the romans.htm

Dissolving views.
... interruption by a demon-possessed man, the casting out amid a painful scene; afterwards
the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, and then at sun-setting the great ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/dissolving views.htm

A Description Op Galilee, Samaria, and Judea.
... They are bounded toward the sun-setting, with the borders of the territory belonging
to Ptolemais, and by Carmel; which mountain had formerly belonged to the ...
/.../chapter 3 a description op.htm

Assurance
... the banner of God's love shall be always displayed upon the soul; where the light
of God's face shall be without clouds, and have no sun-setting; and where the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/6 assurance.htm

The Prosphoneticus to the Emperor.
... For the ancient city of Rome handed thee a confession of divine character, and a
chart from the sunsetting raised up the day of dogmas, and made the darkness ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/the prosphoneticus to the emperor.htm

Of the Priesthood of Aaron.
... I do not now describe, lest it should be troublesome to my readers; but incense
[19] was to be offered twice a-day, both before sun-rising and at sun-setting. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 of the priesthood.htm

Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath ...
... time, called either a day natural, consisting of twenty-four hours, or a day artificial,
consisting of twelve hours, from sun rising to sun setting; and withal ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the true manner.htm

Concerning the Fortitude of Samson, and what Mischiefs He Brought ...
... Then on the seventh day, whereon they were to expound the riddle proposed to them,
they met together before sun-setting, and said, "Nothing is more ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 concerning the fortitude.htm

The Great Distress the Jews were in Upon the Conflagration of the ...
... by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable
a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and ...
/.../chapter 5 the great distress.htm

Sun-setting (1 Occurrence)
Sun-setting. Sunset, Sun-setting. Sunshine . Multi-Version
Concordance Sun-setting (1 Occurrence). Joshua 23:4 Behold ...
/s/sun-setting.htm - 6k

Sunset (18 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Alt. of Sunsetting. Multi-Version Concordance
Sunset (18 Occurrences). Matthew 27:57 Towards sunset ...
/s/sunset.htm - 11k

Setting (82 Occurrences)
... to your tribes, these nations that remain, from the Jordan, as well as all the nations
that I have cut off, as far as the great sea toward the sun-setting. ...
/s/setting.htm - 32k

Sunshine (4 Occurrences)

/s/sunshine.htm - 8k

Benhadad (24 Occurrences)
... an inscription, "the west country in its entire compass, Tyre, Zidon, the land Omri,
Edom, Philistia as far as the Great Sea of the sunsetting, I subjected to ...
/b/benhadad.htm - 28k

Ascension (1 Occurrence)
... We still speak of the sunsetting and rising, though strictly these are not
true. The details of the Ascension are really unimportant. ...
/a/ascension.htm - 34k

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