Solar Hours
Living by the Rhythm of the Sun
A sundial is an instrument showing the time by the shadow of a pointer cast by the sun on to a plate marked with the hours of the day. Sundials in biblical times were more than simple timekeepers; they were symbols of order in a world where daily life depended on the rhythms of the sun. In ancient Israel and surrounding cultures, people used shadow‑casting devices—often a vertical stick or a stepped structure—to mark the progression of daylight.
Sundials in the Bible
The most famous example appears in the Hebrew Bible with the “dial of Ahaz,” a stepped sundial used during the reign of King Hezekiah.
Solar hours in the Talmud
The Talmud mentions solar hours. Daytime is from dawn to dusk, and the length of a solar hour is a twelvth of that range. Since days are shorter in the winter than in the summer, a winter solar hour is shorter than a summer one. Time is referred to as the first hour, second hour, third hour, and so forth.
Imagine setting a meeting with your friend at the fourth hour.
for kids
Make a Sundial
for adults
