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Summary
- The Bible never mentions 3 a.m.; it divides the night into watches, three in the Old Testament and four in the New.
- In the Roman reckoning of the Gospels, the fourth watch ran from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.; Jesus walked on the sea in that watch (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48).
- Scripture records prayer in the night: the psalmist at midnight (Psalm 119:62), Jesus before dawn (Mark 1:35) and Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:25).
- “Devil’s hour” and “witching hour” come from folklore, not the Bible; the three o’clock the Gospels mark is 3 p.m., the hour of Jesus’ death (Mark 15:34).
- Cleveland Clinic and the NHS describe ordinary causes of waking at night, from sleep cycles to insomnia and nocturia, and say when to see a doctor.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version, with its notes on Matthew 14:25, Mark 6:48, Mark 13:35, Mark 15:33 and Acts 23:23 (Genesis 28:16; Exodus 14:24; Deuteronomy 18:10; Judges 7:19; 1 Samuel 3:3–4; 1 Kings 3:5; Psalm 4:8; 63:6; 119:62, 147–148; 127:2; 139:18; Lamentations 2:19; Mark 1:35; 14:37–38; 15:33–34; Luke 6:12; Acts 16:25; 1 John 4:1). https://www.biblegateway.com/
- William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, “Watches of Night.” https://biblehub.com/topical/w/watches_of_night.htm
- “Witching hour,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witching_hour
- EWTN, “Hour of Great Mercy,” quoting St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1320 and 1572. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/hour-of-mercy-13376
- Cleveland Clinic, “Sleep: What It Is, Why It’s Important, Stages, REM and NREM.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/12148-sleep-basics
- Cleveland Clinic, “How To Stop Frequent Urination at Night,” 7 November 2022. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/stop-full-bladder-killing-sleep
- NHS, “Insomnia,” page last reviewed 19 March 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/
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