The three days and three nights

• The Éternel — afficher la définition INF038 commands Jonah to go to Nineveh to proclaim a message of judgment there. (Jonah 1.1-2)
• Jonah refuses and flees “from the presence of the Éternel — afficher la définition INF038,” boarding a ship bound for Tarshish. (Jonah 1.3)
• A violent storm strikes the ship; the frightened sailors throw Jonah into the sea after he acknowledges his responsibility. (Jonah 1.4-15)

Point to note:

• Jonah’s flight and his being swallowed up by the sea prefigure, in the Christian typological reading, the descent of Christ into death — not through disobedience, but through perfect obedience to the Father. (Philippians 2.8)

1.2. The stay in the belly of the fish: “three days and three nights”

Key text:

• “The Éternel — afficher la définition INF038 appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1.17; in some versions: Jonah 2.1)

Analysis:

• The expression “three days and three nights” marks a significant length of stay in a place of apparent death: the entrails of the sea monster, at the bottom of the sea.
• Jonah himself describes this experience as a descent into the realm of the dead: “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice… You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas.” (Jonah 2.3-4)
• The “bars of the earth” closed upon him “forever,” he says, before the Éternel — afficher la définition INF038 brought his life up “from the pit.” (Jonah 2.7)

Point to note:

• The belly of the fish functions as a temporary tomb: a place of darkness, of separation from the world of the living, but also a place where prayer rises to God and where deliverance is prepared.

1.3. The deliverance: cast out onto dry land

• At the end of the three days and three nights, “the Éternel — afficher la définition INF038 spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto dry land.” (
  Verset(s) introuvable(s) : 11
  )
• Jonah, having come out of the sea monster alive, receives for a second time the command to go to Nineveh. (Jonah 3.1-2)

Point to note:

• The coming out of the fish is a figure of resurrection: the one who had been swallowed up, held in a place of death, is restored to life and to his prophetic mission.

1.4. The value of the expression “three days and three nights” in the Hebrew context

• In biblical Hebrew, the expression “days and nights” (יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת) emphasizes the totality and continuity of a period, rather than a strict hourly count.
• A significant parallel is found in the book of Esther: the queen asks for a fast of “three days, night or day,” and yet she appears before the king “on the third day.” (Esther 4.16, Esther 5.1)
• This parallel shows the elasticity of the formula: “three days and three nights” can designate a period covering three days without requiring a full 72 hours.

Point to note:

• The Semitic idiom allows an inclusive reading: any fraction of a day can count as a “day,” and the mention of “nights” reinforces the idea of totality rather than imposing a rigid calculation.

1.5. Jonah as a prophetic “sign”

• Jesus himself establishes the typological link: “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12.39-40; cf. Luke 11.29-30)
• The “sign of Jonah” is therefore the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, prefigured by the prophet’s being swallowed up and delivered.

Point to note:

• The function of the parallel is typological and prophetic: Jonah foretells Christ; the belly of the fish prefigures the tomb; the coming out alive prefigures the resurrection.

1.6. The “three days and three nights” of Jonah: which nights?

If we examine the account of Jonah carefully, the question arises: which “nights” are included in these three days?

• Jonah is thrown into the sea in the midst of the storm, probably during the day (the sailors tried to row back to land, which presupposes visibility). (Jonah 1.13)
• The text does not specify the exact time of the swallowing nor that of the deliverance.
• The expression “three days and three nights” functions as an idiomatic block designating the entire stay, without detailing the beginning and the end of each night.

Point to note:

• The text of Jonah provides no hourly chronology; the emphasis is on the reality of the stay in a place of apparent death and on the divine deliverance that follows.

1.7. Synthesis: Jonah as an interpretive key for Matthew 12.40

• The account of Jonah establishes a figure: a man swallowed up in a place of death, held “three days and three nights,” then restored alive to his mission.
• The expression “three days and three nights” is an idiom of totality, not a stopwatch.
• Jesus takes up this figure to announce his own death, his stay in the tomb, and his resurrection.
• The question that arises for the Passion of Christ is therefore: how do the Gospels allow us to recover this pattern of “three days and three nights,” and what role can the extraordinary darkness of the crucifixion play in this reckoning?

Transition: Chapter 2 will examine Jesus’ announcements concerning his death and resurrection, as well as the different formulations (“on the third day,” “after three days,” “three days and three nights”), in order to clarify how they fit together and what they imply. (Matthew 12.40; Matthew 16.21; Mark 8.31; John 2.19-21)

2.1. The first announcements of the Passion

On several occasions, Jesus announces to his disciples that he will be put to death and then rise again.

Among the best-known formulations are:

• “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things de la part — afficher la définition INF231 the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” (Matthew 16.21)
• “The Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, by the chief priests, and by the scribes, be killed, and rise again after three days.” (Mark 8.31)
• “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men; they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” (Matthew 17.22-23; Luke 9.22)

Observation:

The evangelists sometimes report the words of Jesus in the form “on the third day,” and sometimes in the form “after three days.” Yet all of them describe the same historical event: the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus.

2.2. “The third day” and “after three days”

Some critics consider that these two expressions would be incompatible.

In reality, they belong to the Semitic mode of expression common in the first century.

Thus:

• “on the third day” (Matthew 16.21; Luke 24.7);
• “after three days” (Mark 8.31; Mark 9.31);

designate the same period.

This equivalence appears clearly during the trial of Jesus.

The false witnesses declare:

• “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.” (Matthew 26.61)

Whereas John reports:

• “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2.19)

A few verses later, John explains that Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body (John 2.21).

Likewise, the religious leaders ask Pilate:

• “That deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’” (Matthew 27.63)

They then demand that the tomb be guarded:

• “until the third day” (Matthew 27.64)

Observation:

In one and the same context, the autorités juives — afficher la définition INF380 use “after three days” and “until the third day” interchangeably, proof that they understood these expressions as equivalent.

2.3. The unanimous testimony of the evangelists

The accounts of the resurrection all place the event on the first day of the week.

• (Matthew 28.1-6)
• (Mark 16.1-6)
• (Luke 24.1-7)
• (John 20:1–18)

The disciples on the road to Emmaus declare on that very day:

• “Today is the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24.21)

This statement is particularly important.

Since the events began on Friday, the two disciples consider Sunday to be “the third day”:

1- Friday: first day;

2- Saturday: second day;

3- Sunday: third day.

Observation:

This way of counting corresponds perfectly to the Jewish inclusive reckoning, in which any part of a day can be counted as a whole day.

2.4. A particular difficulty: the “three nights”

While the expressions “on the third day” and “after three days” harmonize naturally, the formula of Matthew 12.40 remains more specific:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

On the traditional hypothesis of a crucifixion on Friday afternoon and a resurrection on Sunday morning, we can identify:

• part of Friday;
• the whole of the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089;
• part of Sunday.

The counting of the three days therefore poses no difficulty.

On the other hand, only two calendar nights seem to appear:

• the night from Friday to Saturday;
• the night from Saturday to Sunday.

The question then becomes legitimate:

How are we to understand the explicit mention of the “three nights”?

2.5. A unique expression in the words of Jesus

It should be noted that Jesus uses the complete expression “three days and three nights” only once in connection with his resurrection: (Matthew 12.40).

In all the other announcements, he uses simpler formulations:

• “on the third day”;
• “after three days”;
• “in three days.”

This singularity deserves attention.

Matthew probably does not seek to provide a detailed chronological calculation. His main aim is to draw a parallel between the experience of Jonah and that of Christ.

The heart of the sign lies in death followed by a miraculous deliverance, just as Jonah was restored alive after his stay in the depths.

Observation:

The typological character of the passage must be taken into account before any attempt at a rigorous hourly calculation.

2.6. A first avenue of reflection

The Gospels report that before the death of Jesus, a supernatural darkness covered the land for three hours:

• “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” (Matthew 27.45)
• (Mark 15:33)
• (Luke 23:44–45)

This darkness occurs immediately before the death of Christ.

Now, in biblical thought, night is defined above all by the absence of light (Genesis 1.5). Darkness is also a frequent symbol of divine judgment (Exodus 10.21-23; Amos 8.9).

Without claiming that it was an ordinary calendar night, one may ask whether this exceptional period of darkness does not share, in a particular way, in the “sign of Jonah” announced by Jesus.

This hypothesis therefore deserves to be examined in the light of the Passion narratives.

Summary of chapter 2

• The expressions “on the third day,” “after three days,” and “in three days” are used interchangeably in the Gospels.
• The Jewish inclusive reckoning naturally explains the resurrection on Sunday after a crucifixion on Friday.
• The main difficulty concerns the mention of the “three nights” in Matthew 12.40.
• This formula appears in a typological context based on the sign of Jonah.
• The supernatural darkness of the crucifixion is a particular element that deserves to be studied in the context of this question.

Transition: Chapter 3 will examine the accounts of the crucifixion in detail in order to establish precisely the chronology of the events from the darkness of the sixth hour to the burial of the Messiah Jesus (Matthew 27.45-61; Mark 15.33-47; Luke 23.44-56; John 19.28-42).

Having examined Jesus’ various announcements concerning his death and resurrection, we must now study the events of the crucifixion itself. The four Gospels report that an exceptional darkness covered the land for several hours before the death of Christ. This datum, often considered only in its theological aspect, could also play an important role in understanding the expression “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12.40).

7.1. What the Gospels affirm with certainty

3.1. The converging testimony of the Gospels

Three evangelists explicitly mention the darkness that accompanied the crucifixion.

Matthew writes:

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” (Matthew 27.45)

Mark reports the same fact:

“When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” (Mark 15.33)

Luke adds an additional detail:

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened.” (Luke 23.44-45)

Observation:

The three accounts are independent yet perfectly convergent. No evangelist presents this darkness as an ordinary phenomenon. All of them describe it as an exceptional event occurring at the very moment when Jesus accomplishes his sacrifice.

3.2. A supernatural darkness

Various attempts have been proposed to explain this darkness:

• a solar eclipse;
• a meteorological phenomenon;
• a sandstorm;
• heavy cloud cover.

However, several elements make these hypotheses unconvincing.

First, the Jewish Passover takes place at the full moon (Exodus 12.6; Leviticus 23.5). A natural solar eclipse is then impossible, since it requires a new moon.

Second, the Gospels do not present this event as a natural phenomenon but as a divine sign associated with the death of the Messiah.

Third, the duration mentioned is particularly remarkable: about three hours.

Observation:

From the biblical perspective, there is no need to look for a natural explanation of this event. The inspired authors present it as a divine intervention accompanying a unique moment in the history of salvation.

3.3. Darkness in the Old Testament

The association between darkness and divine judgment appears frequently in the Scriptures.

At the ninth plague of Egypt:

“The Éternel — afficher la définition INF038 said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt.’” (Exodus 10.21)

The prophet Amos announces:

“And in that day,” says the Lord, the Éternel — afficher la définition INF038, “I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight.” (Amos 8.9)

Isaiah also uses darkness as a symbol of God’s judgment:

“The land will be plunged into darkness.” (Isaiah 5.30)

Observation:

For Jewish readers of the first century, a supernatural darkness at midday immediately evoked a divine intervention, a judgment, or a particular manifestation of God.

3.4. Darkness at the moment when Christ bears sin

According to New Testament theology, Jesus then bears the sins of the world.

• “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1.29)
• “He who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5.21)
• “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2.24)

It is therefore not surprising that creation itself seems to react to this event.

Some commentators have seen in this darkness the visible expression of the judgment that Christ underwent in the place of men.

Others see in it a sign of cosmic mourning at the death of the Son of God.

These interpretations are not incompatible.

3.5. A night in the middle of the day?

The Bible defines night as the time when light disappears:

“God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” (Genesis 1.5)

Naturally, the darkness of the crucifixion is not an ordinary night in the astronomical sense.

However, it has several characteristics usually associated with night:

• the disappearance of light;
• the interruption of the normal course of the day;
• an atmosphere of judgment;
• symbolic separation.

For three hours, the land is plunged into an abnormal darkness in the very middle of the day.

Observation:

Our hypothesis does not claim that it was a calendar night. It simply suggests that this exceptional darkness could be regarded as a particular “night” within the framework of the prophetic sign announced by Jesus.

3.6. The moment of Jesus’ death

The Gospels indicate that Jesus dies around the ninth hour, that is, approximately at three in the afternoon.

• (Matthew 27.46-50)
• (Mark 15.34-37)
• (Luke 23:46)

His death therefore occurs immediately after this period of darkness.

The succession of events is remarkable:

1- Darkness covers the land.

2- Jesus utters his last words.

3- Jesus gives up his spirit.

4- The veil of the Temple is torn.

5- Various extraordinary signs occur. (Matthew 27.51-54)

Thus, the death of Christ is located directly in the continuation of this supernatural darkness.

3.7. A hypothesis to examine

If we adopt a crucifixion on Friday, April 1, AD 33, we obtain:

First possible night:

• the supernatural darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour.

Second night:

• from Friday evening to Saturday morning.

Third night:

• from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.

This proposal does not claim to constitute an absolute demonstration.

It nevertheless presents several advantages:

• it retains the Friday crucifixion;
• it respects Jesus’ repeated statements concerning the third day;
• it maintains the importance of the sign of Jonah;
• it gives a particular place to a phenomenon that the three evangelists judged important enough to report.

3.8. Summary of chapter 3

• The darkness of the crucifixion is attested by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
• It cannot be explained simply by an ordinary solar eclipse.
• In the Bible, darkness is frequently associated with divine judgment.
• Jesus dies immediately after this period of darkness.
• This darkness could constitute an important element in understanding the expression “three days and three nights” in (Matthew 12.40).

Transition: Chapter 4 will examine the accounts of the burial and the resurrection in order to establish precisely how many days and nights are explicitly mentioned by the evangelists between the death of the Messiah Jesus and the discovery of the empty tomb.

Having studied the darkness of the crucifixion, we must now examine the events that immediately follow the death of Jesus. The accounts of the burial and the resurrection provide several valuable chronological indications that help us understand how the first disciples counted the days separating the death of the Messiah from his resurrection.

4.1. The death of Jesus before the beginning of the Sabbath

The four Gospels indicate that Jesus dies on the day of preparation.

Matthew reports:

“When evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph.” (Matthew 27.57)

Mark specifies:

“Since it was the day of preparation, that is, the day before the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089…” (Mark 15.42)

Luke adds:

“It was the day of preparation, and the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089 was about to begin.” (Luke 23.54)

John confirms:

“It was the Preparation of the Passover.” (John 19.14)

Observation:

The evangelists agree in placing the death of Jesus on the eve of the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089. The burial must therefore be carried out quickly before sunset.

4.2. The burial in Joseph’s tomb

Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for the body of Jesus.

• (Matthew 27.58)
• (Mark 15.43-45)
• (Luke 23.52-53)
• (John 19.38)

Nicodemus then brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes.

• (John 19.39)

The body is wrapped in a linen cloth and laid in a new tomb.

• (Matthew 27.59-60)
• (John 19.40-42)

A stone is rolled in front of the entrance.

• (Matthew 27.60)
• (Mark 15.46)

Observation:

Jesus’ stay in the tomb begins before sunset on Friday. In the Jewish calendar, the following day begins at sunset (Genesis 1.5).

4.3. The women observe the burial

The women who had followed Jesus are present at the laying in the tomb.

• (Matthew 27.61)
• (Mark 15.47)
• (Luke 23.55)

Luke specifies:

“They returned and prepared spices and perfumes. Then they rested on the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089 according to the law.” (Luke 23.56)

Observation:

The women know perfectly well where the body was laid. The accounts therefore rule out any hypothesis of a mistaken tomb.

4.4. The Sabbath: a day of silence

The day after the crucifixion corresponds to the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089.

Matthew reports a unique event:

“The next day, that is, the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the pharisiens — afficher la définition INF002 gathered before Pilate.” (Matthew 27.62)

They request a military guard:

“Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’” (Matthew 27.63)

The tomb is then:

• sealed;
• placed under surveillance;
• guarded by romains — afficher la définition INF004 soldiers.

(Matthew 27.65-66)

Observation:

Remarkably, the enemies of Jesus remember his announcement of the resurrection while the disciples still seem not to understand its full significance.

4.5. The first day of the week

All the Gospels place the discovery of the empty tomb on the first day of the week.

• (Matthew 28:1)
• (Mark 16.2)
• (Luke 24:1)
• (John 20:1)

The tomb is already empty when the women arrive.

No Gospel explicitly describes the exact moment when Jesus comes out of the tomb.

The evangelists affirm only that at the moment of their arrival:

• the stone has already been moved;
• the tomb is empty;
• Jesus has already risen.

Observation:

The texts never say that Jesus rises at dawn on Sunday. They indicate only that the tomb is found empty at that time.

4.6. How many days can be counted?

On the traditional hypothesis:

First day:

• Friday (day of the crucifixion and the burial).

Second day:

• Saturday (day of the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089).

Third day:

• Sunday (day of the discovery of the empty tomb).

This way of counting corresponds exactly to the statements:

• “on the third day” (Matthew 16.21);
• “today is the third day” (Luke 24.21);
• “he will rise on the third day” (Luke 18.33).

Observation:

The disciples themselves use this inclusive method of calculation. This constitutes a particularly strong argument in favor of a Friday crucifixion.

4.7. How many nights can be identified?

If we retain only the calendar nights, we obtain:

First night:

• from Friday evening to Saturday morning.

Second night:

• from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.

The difficulty therefore remains concerning the third night mentioned in (Matthew 12.40).

Several solutions have been proposed:

• a crucifixion on Wednesday;
• a crucifixion on Thursday;
• a full idiomatic reading of the expression;
• or the integration of the supernatural darkness of the crucifixion into the reckoning.

Each hypothesis has advantages and difficulties.

4.8. The importance of the testimony of the disciples on the road to Emmaus

The account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of the most important elements of the case.

On the very Sunday of the resurrection, they declare:

“It is now the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24.21)

This statement is made:

• by contemporaries of the events;
• on the very same day;
• according to the Jewish customs of their time.

Observation:

If Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday or Thursday, it would be difficult to explain why these disciples still speak of the “third day.”

Their testimony confirms that the traditional Friday–Sunday chronology corresponds to their way of reckoning time.

4.9. Summary of chapter 4

• Jesus is buried before the beginning of the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089.
• His body remains in the tomb during the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089.
• The tomb is found empty on the first day of the week.
• The disciples regard this Sunday as “the third day.”
• The difficulty therefore does not concern the three days but only the three nights of (Matthew 12.40).
• The supernatural darkness preceding the death of Jesus remains an element capable of shedding light on this question.

Transition: Chapter 5 will examine in more detail the biblical meaning of night, darkness, and obscurity in Scripture in order to determine whether the three hours of darkness at the crucifixion can legitimately be likened to a particular form of “night” within the framework of the sign of Jonah.

5.1. The first biblical definition of night

The first mention of night appears already in the account of creation:

“God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” (Genesis 1.5)

This fundamental definition deserves attention.

The text does not first define night by an astronomical position of the sun or by a precise hour. It associates it above all with the presence of darkness, while day is associated with light.

Observation:

From the very first chapter of the Bible, the fundamental distinction rests on the opposition between light and darkness.

5.2. Darkness as a symbol of divine judgment

In many biblical passages, darkness appears as a direct manifestation of God’s judgment.

During the plagues of Egypt:

“There was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.” (Exodus 10.22)

The prophet Joel announces:

“A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Joel 2.2)

Zephaniah mentions:

“A day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom.” (Zephaniah 1.15)

Observation:

In biblical thought, extraordinary darkness is frequently associated with a particular intervention of God in human history.

5.3. Darkness and the judgment of the Messiah

The crucifixion is the moment when Christ bears the sins of the world.

• (John 1.29)
• (2 Corinthians 5.21)
• (1 Peter 2.24)

In this context, the darkness at noon appears particularly significant.

The event is not presented as a mere cosmic phenomenon, but as a sign accompanying the redemptive work accomplished at the cross.

The parallel with the divine judgments of the Old Testament then becomes evident.

Observation:

If the darkness of Egypt manifested God’s judgment on Pharaoh, that of the crucifixion could manifest the judgment passed on sin at the moment when the Messiah offers himself in sacrifice.

5.4. Darkness announced by the prophets

Several prophecies seem to find a particular echo in the events of the Passion.

Amos declares:

“And in that day,” says the Lord, the Éternel — afficher la définition INF038, “I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight.” (Amos 8.9)

This formulation is remarkable.

The prophet does not describe a normal nocturnal darkness but a darkening of the day itself.

The image corresponds precisely to what Matthew, Mark, and Luke report:

• the darkness occurs right in the middle of the day;
• it interrupts the normal course of the day;
• it immediately precedes the death of the Messiah.

Observation:

Without claiming that Amos directly prophesies the crucifixion, the parallel remains particularly striking.

5.5. A supernatural night in the midst of the day

The central question of this study can now be formulated as follows: should the darkness that covered the land during the crucifixion be regarded as a mere spectacular phenomenon or as a genuine supernatural night?

From an astronomical point of view, it is obviously not an ordinary night. The sun continues its normal course and the event occurs in the middle of the day.

However, from the point of view of those who witness the scene, the light disappears completely and gives way to darkness. Now, according to the first biblical definition, God “called the darkness Night” (Genesis 1.5).

The Gospels describe precisely a situation in which darkness replaces light in broad daylight (Matthew 27.45; Mark 15.33; Luke 23.44-45).

We therefore propose to regard this darkness as an exceptional and miraculous night, introduced by God into the normal course of the day of the crucifixion.

5.6. Did Jesus die during this night?

The Gospel accounts indicate that the darkness begins at the sixth hour and ends at the ninth hour.

During this period, Jesus remains alive on the cross.

Then, at the end of this darkness, he cries out with a loud voice and gives up his spirit (Matthew 27.46-50; Mark 15.34-37; Luke 23.46).

The texts do not allow us to determine with absolute precision whether Jesus dies a few moments before the darkness has completely disappeared or exactly when the light returns. However, the events appear closely linked.

From this perspective, we propose that Jesus died during this supernatural night or immediately at its end, and that his death was ascertained only once the light had returned.

The passage from night to day would then symbolically mark the Messiah’s entry into death.

5.7. A proposed reckoning of the three days and three nights

If this hypothesis is adopted, the reckoning could be understood as follows:

First night:

• the supernatural darkness that covers the land during the crucifixion (Matthew 27.45).

First day:

• the return of light after the death of the Messiah.

Second night:

• the night from Friday to Saturday.

Second day:

• the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089.

Third night:

• the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Third day:

• the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection (Matthew 28.1; Mark 16.2; Luke 24.1; John 20.1).

This proposal retains all the chronological data of the Gospels while giving a particular meaning to the mention of the “three days and three nights” in (Matthew 12.40).

5.8. The limits of the hypothesis

Nevertheless, we must remain cautious.

No biblical text explicitly states:

“The darkness at noon is the first of the three nights.”

We are therefore in the realm of interpretation and not of dogmatic assertion.

This hypothesis must be evaluated according to several criteria:

• its coherence with the whole of Scripture;
• its ability to harmonize the texts;
• its respect for the Gospel chronology;
• its absence of contradiction with Jesus’ other statements.

Observation:

A hypothesis can be plausible without being absolutely demonstrable. The aim is not to impose a conclusion but to examine the biblical data honestly.

5.9. Summary of chapter 5

• The Bible fundamentally associates night with darkness (Genesis 1.5).
• Supernatural darkness is often linked to divine judgment (Exodus 10.22; Joel 2.2; Zephaniah 1.15).
• The three hours of darkness at the crucifixion are an exceptional event recognized by several evangelists.
• This darkness occurs precisely at the moment when Jesus bears the sin of the world.
• It is therefore conceivable that it shares in the symbolism of the “three nights” of the sign of Jonah.
• However, this interpretation remains an exegetical hypothesis that must be confronted with the whole of the biblical data.

Transition: Chapter 6 will examine the main solutions proposed throughout the history of interpretation to resolve the question of the “three days and three nights,” in order to compare their strengths and limits with the hypothesis developed in this study.

Since the earliest centuries of Christianity, interpreters have sought to understand how to harmonize Jesus’ statement in (Matthew 12.40) with the accounts of the Passion and the resurrection. Several solutions have been proposed. Each has strengths and difficulties. Before evaluating our own hypothesis, we must therefore examine them.

6.1. The traditional solution: the Jewish inclusive reckoning

The oldest and most widespread position holds that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday.

This interpretation rests on the principle of inclusive reckoning used in the Jewish world.

According to this method:

• any part of a day counts as a whole day;
• the day of the crucifixion counts as the first day;
• the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089 is the second day;
• Sunday is the third day.

This approach is based on several texts:

• (Matthew 16:21)
• (Luke 24.7)
• (Luke 24.21)
• (1 Corinthians 15.4)

It also benefits from the parallel of Esther:

“Fast for me, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day.” (Esther 4.16)

Then:

“On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes.” (Esther 5.1)

Observation:

This solution perfectly explains the expressions “on the third day” and “after three days.” On the other hand, some consider that it responds less directly to the explicit mention of the “three nights” in (Matthew 12.40).

6.2. The hypothesis of a Thursday crucifixion

Some authors propose that Jesus died on Thursday.

The scheme then becomes:

• Thursday: crucifixion;
• Friday: first full day;
• Saturday: second full day;
• Sunday: third day.

This proposal makes it possible to obtain:

• three days;
• three calendar nights.

However, several difficulties appear.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus declare on Sunday:

“Today is the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24.21)

Now if the crucifixion had taken place on Thursday, Sunday would correspond rather to the fourth day according to the usual method of calculation.

Observation:

This hypothesis resolves the question of the nights but complicates several explicit statements of the Gospels.

6.3. The hypothesis of a Wednesday crucifixion

Another theory places the crucifixion on Wednesday.

Its defenders generally consider that the “three days and three nights” must be understood as exactly seventy-two hours.

The proposed scheme is then:

• Wednesday afternoon: death of Jesus;
• Thursday: first day;
• Friday: second day;
• Saturday: third day;
• resurrection at the end of the sabbat — afficher la définition INF089.

This theory does indeed yield three full days and three nights.

However, it encounters several difficulties:

• it often requires distinguishing several successive Sabbaths;
• it makes the account of the women more complex;
• it is difficult to reconcile with (Luke 24.21);
• it sometimes supposes that Jesus rose several hours before the discovery of the empty tomb.

Observation:

This hypothesis favors a literal reading of Matthew 12.40 but requires numerous additional chronological reconstructions.

6.4. The purely idiomatic interpretation

Other commentators consider that the expression “three days and three nights” is simply a Semitic formula equivalent to “three days.”

According to this approach:

• there is no real difficulty;
• Matthew 12.40 must be interpreted like Esther 4,16–5.1;
• the “three nights” have no independent chronological value.

This solution has the advantage of simplicity.

However, some readers consider that it does not fully account for the fact that Jesus explicitly mentions the nights when he could simply have spoken of “three days.”

Observation:

The question then remains why Matthew retains this more developed formulation.

6.5. The typological interpretation

Another approach emphasizes the nature of the sign of Jonah.

According to this reading:

• the emphasis is not placed on the calculation of time;
• the essential lies in the parallel between Jonah and Jesus;
• the stay in the fish prefigures the stay in the tomb;
• Jonah’s deliverance prefigures the resurrection.

This understanding relies on the immediate context of (Matthew 12.39-40).

Observation:

The sign of Jonah is above all a prophetic and christological sign. Its primary purpose is perhaps not to provide a precise chronological measure.

6.6. The hypothesis developed in this study

The interpretation proposed in this study seeks to retain the advantages of the traditional position while taking seriously the mention of the “three days and three nights.”

It rests on several observations:

1- The Gospels clearly place the resurrection on the third day.

2- The disciples themselves speak of Sunday as the third day (Luke 24.21).

3- The darkness at noon is an exceptional event reported by several independent witnesses.

4- Jesus gives up his spirit during this supernatural darkness or immediately at its end (Matthew 27.45-50; Mark 15.33-37; Luke 23.44-46).

5- The Bible fundamentally associates night with darkness (Genesis 1.5).

We therefore propose that the darkness that covers the land from the sixth to the ninth hour is an exceptional night introduced by God into the very heart of the day of the crucifixion. Jesus would then enter into death during this supernatural night, while the return of light would symbolically mark the first day of the reckoning.

From this perspective, the three nights could be understood as:

• the supernatural night of the crucifixion;
• the night from Friday to Saturday;
• the night from Saturday to Sunday.

The three days would then be:

• the return of light after the death of the Messiah;
• the Sabbath;
• the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection.

Observation:

This proposal fully retains the traditional chronology of the Gospels while giving a particular meaning to the darkness of the crucifixion and to the mention of the “three days and three nights” of the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12.40).

6.7. Which solution seems the most coherent?

Any attempt at harmonization must respect several criteria:

• all the biblical data;
• the statements of Jesus;
• the accounts of the evangelists;
• the testimony of the disciples on the road to Emmaus;
• the Jewish chronological practices of the first century.

The solution adopted must also avoid creating more difficulties than it resolves.

Now, several alternative hypotheses require complex reconstructions that are never explicitly mentioned in the Gospels.

Conversely, the traditional chronology rests directly on the most explicit statements of the texts.

6.8. Summary of chapter 6

• The traditional Friday–Sunday position remains the oldest and most widely attested.
• The Wednesday or Thursday hypotheses resolve some difficulties but create others.
• The idiomatic interpretation explains well the Semitic language of Matthew 12.40.
• The typological approach reminds us that the sign of Jonah is not solely chronological.
• The hypothesis developed in this study considers that Jesus enters into death during a supernatural night brought about by the darkness of the crucifixion. This particular night could be the first of the three nights mentioned in the sign of Jonah while preserving the traditional chronology of the Passion.

Transition: Chapter 7 will offer a general synthesis of the data studied and will assess whether the hypothesis of the darkness as a “third night” truly makes it possible to harmonize all the texts relating to the sign of Jonah and to the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus.

Several points appear clearly established by the texts:

• Jesus died on the day of preparation, on the eve of the Sabbath (Mark 15.42; Luke 23.54).
• His body was placed in the tomb before sunset (John 19.42).
• The tomb was found empty on the first day of the week (Matthew 28.1; John 20.1).
• The disciples regarded this Sunday as “the third day” (Luke 24.21).
• Jesus had announced several times that he would rise “on the third day” (Matthew 16.21; Luke 9.22).

Observation:

These statements form the firmest foundation of the Gospel chronology and must remain the priority in any attempt at interpretation.

7.2. What Matthew 12.40 adds to the debate

The difficulty stems essentially from a single text:

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12.40)

This statement raises a well-known chronological difficulty: if Jesus was crucified on a Friday afternoon and the tomb was found empty at dawn on Sunday, how are we to count “three days and three nights”? The Semitic inclusive reckoning — in which any fraction of a day counts as a day — easily resolves the question of the “three days.” But what about the “three nights”? On the hypothesis of a Friday crucifixion, only two calendar nights separate the burial from the resurrection: the night from Friday to Saturday and the night from Saturday to Sunday. One night would therefore apparently be missing.

Foundations of the hypothesis

This formulation is unique in the Gospels.

Everywhere else, Jesus speaks simply of:

• the third day;
• three days;
• or a resurrection after three days.

The problem therefore does not concern all of Jesus’ announcements, but a particular expression inserted in the context of the sign of Jonah.

7.3. The role of the account of Jonah

The study of the book of Jonah has shown several important elements:

• the expression “three days and three nights” belongs to a Semitic idiom;
• the account provides no precise hourly calculation;
• the emphasis is placed on the stay in a place of apparent death and then on the divine deliverance;
• Jesus uses Jonah as a prophetic figure announcing his own resurrection.

Observation:

The sign of Jonah appears more as a theological parallel than as a chronometric calculation intended to measure exactly the length of the stay in the tomb.

7.4. The particular place of the darkness of the crucifixion

The darkness reported by Matthew, Mark, and Luke remains one of the most remarkable phenomena of the Passion.

For three hours:

• the light disappears;
• the land is plunged into darkness;
• the sacrifice of the Messiah reaches its fulfillment.

(Matthew 27:45 ; Mark 15:33 ; Luke 23:44–45)

Now the Bible frequently associates:

• darkness with night;
• darkness with judgment;
• darkness with the direct intervention of God.

(Genesis 1.5 ; Exodus 10.22 ; Amos 8.9)

Observation:

It is therefore not unreasonable to ask about the particular significance of this darkness within the framework of the prophetic sign announced by Jesus.

7.5. A coherent but undemonstrable hypothesis

The hypothesis proposed in this study can be summarized as follows:

• the three days are naturally explained by the Jewish inclusive reckoning;
• the last two nights correspond to the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday;
• the supernatural darkness of the crucifixion constitutes an exceptional night during which Jesus enters into death;
• the return of light symbolically marks the first day of the reckoning.

This proposal has several advantages:

• it retains the traditional chronology of the Passion;
• it respects Jesus’ repeated statements announcing his resurrection on the third day;
• it remains compatible with the testimony of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24.21);
• it gives a particular place to the darkness of the crucifixion, an event emphasized by three evangelists;
• it avoids the complex reconstructions requiring a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion.

However, we must honestly acknowledge that no biblical text explicitly states that this darkness constitutes the first night of the sign of Jonah.

We are therefore in the realm of exegetical hypothesis and not of doctrinal certainty.

7.6. What this study does not seek to demonstrate

It is important to specify that our aim is not to assert that this solution is the only possible one.

Other approaches can be defended seriously, notably:

• the idiomatic interpretation of the expression;
• the emphasis placed on the typology of Jonah;
• certain chronological variants.

Our approach consists simply in examining whether the darkness of the crucifixion can shed additional light on a frequently raised difficulty.

7.7. Final synthesis

The biblical data allow us to affirm with confidence:

• that Jesus died on Friday;
• that he was buried before the Sabbath;
• that he rose on the third day;
• that the Gospels are coherent on this chronology.

The question of the “three days and three nights” remains mainly a question of interpreting (Matthew 12.40) and not a contradiction between the accounts.

The hypothesis examined in this study offers an avenue of reflection worthy of consideration, without claiming to exhaust the subject.