machar · tomorrow, hereafter

What it means

machar (מָחָר) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “tomorrow, hereafter”.

Tomorrow; in time to come, in the future.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. The day that comes after today.
2. Later on, in time to come, when children ask.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Tomorrow: the next day and, more broadly, the time to come. ‘The day of tomorrow’ is the future in general.

• The next day: a set term Exodus 8:10Exodus 16:23Joshua 3:5
• “When your son asks you in time to come” Exodus 13:14Joshua 4:6Deuteronomy 6:20
• What is not known about tomorrow Proverbs 27:1Proverbs 3:28
• “For tomorrow we die” Isaiah 22:13
• “About this time tomorrow” 2 Kings 7:11 Samuel 9:16

Historical and cultural background

The laws and the stories of remembrance foresee the children’s question: “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’” (Exodus 13:14; also Joshua 4:6). Proverbs 27:1 warns: “Do not boast about the day of tomorrow”.

How we translate it

“Tomorrow” 48 times; “in time to come” 3 when it looks to the future in general (Exodus 13:14; Joshua 4:6), although Deuteronomy 6:20 keeps “tomorrow”. The expression כָּעֵת מָחָר is rendered “about this time tomorrow” (2 Kings 7:1; 1 Samuel 9:16).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• tomorrow ×48
• time to come ×3
• come ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×1
• Exodus×11
• Numbers×4
• Deuteronomy×1
• Joshua×9
• Judges×2
• 1 Samuel×8
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×2
• 2 Kings×4
• 2 Chronicles×2
• Esther×3
• Proverbs×2
• Isaiah×2

• Genesis 30:33

  So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when you come to look over my wages before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, or dark among the lambs, if it is with me, will be counted as stolen.”

• Exodus 8:10

  He said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “As you say, so that you may know that there is no one like YHWH our Elohim.

• Exodus 8:23

  I will put a ransom between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will take place.”’”

• Exodus 8:29

  Moses said, “Look, I am going out from you, and I will pray to YHWH, and the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only let Pharaoh not again deal deceitfully by not letting the people go to sacrifice to YHWH.”

• Exodus 9:5

  And YHWH set a time, saying, “Tomorrow YHWH will do this thing in the land.”

• Exodus 9:18

  Look, about this time tomorrow I will rain down very heavy hail, such as has never been like it in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.

• Exodus 10:4

  For if you refuse to let my people go, look, tomorrow I am bringing locusts into your territory.

• Exodus 13:14

  When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ you shall say to him, ‘With a strong hand YHWH brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slaves.

• Exodus 16:23

  He said to them, “This is what YHWH has said: ‘Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to YHWH. What you will bake, bake; and what you will boil, boil; and all that is left over put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’ ”

• Exodus 17:9

  Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of Elohim in my hand.”

• Exodus 19:10

  YHWH said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments

• Exodus 32:5

  When Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron proclaimed and said, “A feast to YHWH tomorrow!”

• Numbers 11:18

  And say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of YHWH, saying, “Who will give us to eat meat? For it was good for us in Egypt.” So YHWH will give you meat, and you shall eat.

• Numbers 14:25

  Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valley. Tomorrow turn and set out for yourselves into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”

• Numbers 16:7

  and put fire in them and lay incense on them before YHWH tomorrow, and the man whom YHWH chooses, he shall be the holy one. Enough of you, sons of Levi!”

• Numbers 16:16

  And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your community, be before YHWH, you and they and Aaron, tomorrow.

• Deuteronomy 6:20

  When your son asks you tomorrow, saying, “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the rules that YHWH our Elohim has commanded you?”

• Joshua 3:5

  Then Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow YHWH will do wonders among you.”

• Joshua 4:6

  so that this may be a sign among you. When your sons ask in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones to you?’

• Joshua 4:21

  And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your sons ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’

• Joshua 7:13

  Get up, sanctify the people and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says YHWH, the Elohim of Israel: “A thing devoted to destruction is in your midst, Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you remove the things devoted to destruction from among you.”

• Joshua 11:6

  YHWH said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for tomorrow at this time I will give all of them slain before Israel. Their horses you shall hamstring and their chariots you shall burn with fire.”

• Joshua 22:18

  And you turn back today from following YHWH! And it shall be, if you rebel today against YHWH, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.

• Joshua 22:24

  But no: out of anxiety, for a reason, we did this, saying, ‘Tomorrow your sons will say to our sons, saying, “What have you to do with YHWH, the Elohim of Israel?

• Joshua 22:27

  but that it may be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we serve the service of YHWH before him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings; so that your sons will not say tomorrow to our sons, “You have no portion in YHWH.”’

• Joshua 22:28

  And we said, ‘And it shall be, when they say this to us and to our generations tomorrow, that we will say, “See the model of the altar of YHWH, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering and not for sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and you.”’

• Judges 19:9

  And the man arose to go, he and his concubine and his young man; but his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, said to him, “Look, please, the day has waned toward evening; spend the night, please. Look, the day is ending; spend the night here, and let your heart be merry; and tomorrow you can rise early for your journey and go to your tent.”

• Judges 20:28

  and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days— saying, “Shall I again go out once more to war with the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” And YHWH said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.”

• 1 Samuel 9:16

  “About this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over my people Israel; and he will save my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have seen my people, for their cry has come to me.”

• 1 Samuel 11:9

  They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow you will have salvation, when the sun is hot.’” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.

• 1 Samuel 11:10

  The men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us according to all that is good in your eyes.”

• 1 Samuel 19:11

  Saul sent messengers to the house of David to watch him and to put him to death in the morning. And Michal his wife told David, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.”

• 1 Samuel 20:5

  David said to Jonathan, “Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should surely sit with the king to eat; but let me go, and I will hide in the field until the evening of the third day.

• 1 Samuel 20:12

  Jonathan said to David, “YHWH, Elohim of Israel! When I sound out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, and look, there is good toward David, will I not then send to you and make it known to you?

• 1 Samuel 20:18

  Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

• 1 Samuel 28:19

  YHWH will also give Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me; YHWH will also give the camp of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

• 2 Samuel 11:12

  David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you away.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

• 1 Kings 19:2

  Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do and so may they add, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”

• 1 Kings 20:6

  But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and it will be that everything desirable in your eyes they will put in their hand and take it away.’”

• 2 Kings 6:28

  The king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, and let us eat him today, and my son we will eat tomorrow.’

And 12 more times.