The term "hour" is often used in the Bible to tell what time of day a certain event took place. It is also used figuratively to mean "moment," "a while" or "time".
* Nighttime hours were counted starting at sunset (around 6 p.m.). For example, "the third hour of the night" meant "around nine in the evening" in our present-day system.
* Sometimes "hour" refers to a regular, scheduled time to do something, such as the "hour of prayer."
* When the text says that the "hour had come" for Jesus to suffer and be put to death, this means that it was the appointed time for this to happen—the time that God had selected long ago.
* When the text talks about the "hour" being late, this means that it was late in the day, when the sun would soon be setting.
## Translation Suggestions:
* When used figuratively, the term "hour" can be translated as "time" or "moment" or "appointed time."
* The phrase "in that very hour" or "the same hour" could be translated as "at that moment" or "at that time" or "immediately" or "right then."
* The expression "the hour was late" could be translated as "it was late in the day" or "it would soon be getting dark" or "it was late afternoon."
* Since references to time in the Bible will not correspond exactly to the present-day time system, phrases such as "around nine" or "about six o'clock" could be used.
* Some translations might add phrases like "in the evening" or "in the morning" or "in the afternoon" to make it clear what time of day is being talked about.
* The phrase, "in that hour" could be translated as, "at that time" or "in that moment."
* Referring to Jesus, the expression "his hour had come" could be translated as, "the time had come for him to" or "the appointed time for him had come."
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