Understanding Time from a Biblical Perspective

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: you and G‑d do not share the same clock. In fact, if you think G‑d is late, it might be because you set your alarm to the wrong time zone. Biblically speaking, time is not just chronology. Time is a language. If you’ve ever wondered why divine promises seem delayed, or why some things happen at the “wrong time”, it may be because you’re trying to interpret kairos with chronos thinking or measuring olam with your digital planner. In this article, we’ll explore the biblical concepts of time in both Hebrew and Greek — not as linguistic curiosities, but as spiritual keys. Because to live wisely, hopefully, and purposefully, we must begin to understand time the way G‑d sees it.

In Hebrew: Time as Covenant, Rhythm, and Sacred Flow

1. עֵת (‘êt) — Appointed Time – The most common Hebrew word for time, ‘êt, doesn’t refer to seconds or minutes. It speaks of meaningful moments. Of windows. Of divine cycles. It’s the kind of time that leads Solomon to say: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This is not stopwatch time it’s discernment time. Knowing when to speak and when to stay silent. When to plant, when to harvest. When to wait, and when to act. Those who live by ‘êt become spiritual dancers learning to hear Heaven’s melody and move with its rhythm.
2. 2. מוֹעֵד (mo’ed) — Sacred Time – This word is used for G‑d’s appointed feasts: Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot… times etched into the divine calendar for encounters with the Eternal. In Leviticus 23, G‑d calls these mo’adim times set by Him, not by culture or convenience. Mo’ed teaches us that time is not neutral. It can be consecrated. It can be prophetic. It can become a stage where the Creator meets His creation. To miss a mo’ed is like skipping a meeting you didn’t even know was booked in your name.
3. 3. יוֹם (yom) — Day, Season – Literally “day”, but with a broader range. Yom can refer to a journey, a phase, or a time of divine manifestation. For instance, “the Day of the Lord” (Yom YHWH) is not 24 hours it’s a period of decisive intervention from G‑d.Understanding yom reminds us: not all days are equal. And “today” might be the acceptable day of salvation (Isaiah 49:8).
4. 4. עוֹלָם (olam) — Eternity –  Olam is a fascinating word it implies something hidden, unreachable, like a horizon. It can mean ancient past, endless future, or G‑d’s eternal present. When Scripture says G‑d is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2), the word is olam. In short, G‑d is not bound by our counting. He works outside of time, yet chooses to reveal Himself within it.

In Greek: Time as Crisis, Opportunity, and Transition

1. χρόνος (chronos) — Sequential Time – The classic clock time: days, hours, calendars. Chronos is the time in which you age, sit in traffic, pay bills. It’s the time that makes you wonder, “Why hasn’t it happened yet?” But it’s also the time where discipline is forged, faithfulness tested, and consistency cultivated. Because while you think nothing is happening, G‑d is deepening your roots. Sometimes His silence is not absence it’s hidden work. While you wait for visible answers, He’s strengthening your faith, character, and maturity. So that when the right time arrives, you not only bloom you endure. What’s invisible today supports what becomes visible tomorrow. Think of Joseph in Egypt. He spent roughly 13 years between being sold as a slave and imprisoned unjustly, with no promise fulfilled, no way out in sight. Yet, in that time, G‑d was shaping a governor — instilling humility, discernment, and preparation. When kairos arrived, Joseph was ready. Without depth, he would’ve collapsed under the pressure. But instead, he sustained an entire nation and his own family through crisis.

2. καιρός (kairos) — Opportune Time – The preacher’s favourite. Kairos is that moment when Heaven breaks in. It’s the time to act, to believe, to take your place. In Mark 1:15, Yeshua says: “The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of G‑d is at hand.” Kairos is not predictable but it is discernible. It requires spiritual awareness. Those who miss their kairos may end up like the five foolish virgins with no oil (Matthew 25).

3. αἰών (aiōn) — Age, World, Eternity – Used to contrast this current age with the one to come. The present aiōn is marked by brokenness and decay. But a new aiōn is approaching where righteousness dwells. When Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2), the word is aiōn. Don’t conform to the patterns of this age live as a citizen of the next.

4. ἡμέρα (hēmera) — Day – Like the Hebrew yom, hēmera can be literal or symbolic. “The Day of the Lord” in the New Testament isn’t just a date on the timeline it’s an eschatological moment. A reckoning. A revelation.

What does this change in your life? Everything. Literally everything. If you don’t see time the way G‑d does, you’ll pray in anxiety, wait in frustration, and act in haste. But once you learn to distinguish chronos from kairos, to honour the mo’adim, to perceive the days, and to live with your eyes on eternity your spiritual life steps into another dimension. You stop asking, “Why hasn’t it happened yet?” And start asking, “What is G‑d trying to teach me in this time?” You stop comparing your timeline with others, and start trusting that your kairos will come. You realise that G‑d’s “delay” is actually a perfect synchronisation between human chronos and divine kairos. And when that alignment happens, everything changes.

And if you feel out of time… Maybe you are. But only out of your time. Because in G‑d’s time, nothing is wasted. And if you’re still breathing, then kairos still lies ahead. The question is: will you keep forcing your chronos, or will you learn to dance in rhythm with kairos? Maybe it’s time to throw away the clock. Or at least, sync it with Heaven.

Adivalter Sfalsin