Short Note: "On the Third Day" is "Two Days Later"

Abstract

What does the phrase ישִילִ ְּׁ שהַַ םוֹיּהַַ hayyôm haššlîšî ‘the third day’ mean? This is a small issue, but it occurs repeatedly in both narrative and legal texts, and translators have to make a decision on it. Modern versions take different stances, and some of them are inconsistent within themselves. The commentaries give hardly any attention to the question. This note deals with a number of instances and should help the exegete/translator to come up with a well-founded approach. The main points are these: