WANEM nao bae iu duim sapos iu laek for savve long taem? Maet bae iu luk long hanwas or wanfala klok. Sapos fren bilong iu askem iu taem, hao nao bae iu talem? Olketa difren wei stap for talem taem. Wanem nao samfala wei?

Wanfala example, sapos hem wan hour and 30 minute bihaen 12 o’klok long midolday, maet bae iu sei hem 1:30. Long samfala ples, wei bilong pipol for talem datfala taem hem nao 13:30. Disfala wei for talem taem hem followim 24-hour klok. And tu, long samfala ples olketa savve talem datfala taem olsem “haf 2,” wea minim 30 minute bifor 2 o’klok.

Taem iu readim Bible maet iu tingim, ‘Hao nao pipol long datfala taem savve talem taem?’ Olketa garem olketa difren wei for talem taem. Long olketa Hebrew scripture hem storyim olketa difren taem olsem morning, midolday, and evening. (Jenesis 8:11; 19:27; 43:16; Diutronomi 28:29; Fas Kings 18:26) Bat, samfala taem olketa iusim nara wei for talem taem.

Long Israel bifor, olketa savve iusim olketa security (or long English watchmen), especially long naet. Dastawe staka handred year bifor Jesus born, olketa Israelite divaedem naet long thrifala part. (Olketa kolem diswan long “watches.”) (Ps. 63:6, NW) Long Jajis 7:19 hem kolem wanfala long olketa part hia, “midol long naet.” Long taem bilong Jesus, olketa Jew change for followim wei bilong Greece and Rome for divaedem naet long fofala part.

Staka taem olketa Gospel storyim fofala part hia. Olsem example, Jesus wakabaot antap wata for go long boat wea olketa disaepol stap insaed, long mek-foa part long naet wea minim “hem gogo for daylaet.” (Matt. 14:25) And tu, long wanfala tokpiksa Jesus sei: “Sapos man long haos savve long [wanem part long naet] man for steal bae kam, bae hem no sleep ia. Hard for hem letem datfala man stealim haos bilong hem.”—Matt. 24:43.

Jesus storyim fofala part long naet hia taem hem sei olsem long olketa disaepol bilong hem: “Gohed for lukaot, bikos iufala no savve long wanem taem nao Masta bilong haos bae kam. Maet hem kam long evening or long midolnaet or [bifor] sun hem kamap or long early morning.” (Mark 13:35) First part wea olketa kolem “evening,” hem start long taem sun go daon go kasem 9 o’klok long naet. Mek-tu part wea olketa kolem “midolnaet,” hem start long 9 o’klok go kasem midolnaet. Mek-thri part wea hem nao “[bifor] sun kamap” or taem kokorako krae, hem start long midolnaet go kasem 3 o’klok long morning. Maet long disfala part long naet nao wanfala kokorako krae long naet wea olketa arrestim Jesus. (Mark 14:72) Mek-foa part long naet wea olketa kolem “early morning,” hem start long 3 o’klok go kasem taem sun kamap.

So, nomata pipol long taem bilong Bible no garem klok or hanwas olsem distaem, olketa garem wei for talem taem, long daytaem or long naetaem.