Before the Cock Crowed
Jesus Christ famously predicted that Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed (Mat. 26:34; KJV). What did He mean by this expression? The answer reveals itself once we learn the Bible’s methods of keeping time. In fact, a few other mysteries may resolve themselves as well. Let’s back up a bit to get the whole picture. In Bible days, centuries before the widespread use of mechanical clocks, people told time by the sun and other heavenly bodies, for God had set them up at Creation as a giant clock (Gen. 1:14). Over the centuries, the ancients built various devices to help, especially sundials, one of which the Bible mentions in the days of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:11). Although it’s certainly possible that the Israelites always divided the day into hours, the Old Testament doesn’t mention it. Instead, it mentions three distinct periods of daylight: morning (mentioned frequently), the heat of the day (Gen. 18:1, 1 Sam. 11:11, 2 Sam. 4:5), and evening or afternoon (Jer. 6:4...