Genesis 3:8 Cool of the Day

After Adam and Eve have sinned, they hear “the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden,” and—gripped by fear—they hide themselves among the trees. Traditionally, this scene is imagined as taking place peacefully “in the cool of the day,” often understood as the evening breeze.¹

Yet this seemingly straightforward phrase conceals a significant translation challenge. The Hebrew expression commonly rendered “in the cool of the day” is far from unambiguous, and its interpretation has substantial implications for how the scene is understood theologically and narratively. The Hebrew phrase in question is לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם (lǝrûaḥ hayyôm).² The first difficulty with translating lǝrûaḥ hayyôm as a reference to a particular time of day is that the phrase occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. If it were a conventional idiom for a specific portion of the day, one would reasonably expect it to appear more than once.

Moreover, lǝrûaḥ hayyôm is an unusual way to denote time. This helps explain why even translations marketed as “literal” or “formally equivalent” rarely render the phrase word-for-word.³ For a temporal expression to function idiomatically, it must unambiguously mark a particular time, as do standard Hebrew terms such as בֹּקֶר (bōqer), “morning”; צָהֳרַיִם (ṣohŏrayim), “noon”; or חֹם הַיּוֹם (ḥōm hayyôm), “the heat of the day.” Lǝrûaḥ hayyôm does none of this, leaving the temporal reference frustratingly imprecise.⁴

By far the greatest challenge to the traditional translation centers on the word rûaḥ itself. Rûaḥ is nowhere else translated as “cool.” When the term does not mean “spirit” or “breath,” it is most commonly rendered “wind.” Yet nowhere in the Old Testament is rûaḥ associated with coolness or refreshment.⁵ On the contrary, it is frequently linked with heat and intensity. Could it be a contranym? While the point is not that winds in the ancient Near East could not be cool or gentle, nor that such a breeze could not theoretically be described as a rûaḥ, the issue is evidentiary. There is no positive lexical or contextual evidence that an early reader of the Hebrew Bible would understand rûaḥ to mean a cool or gentle breeze apart from strong contextual signals—signals that are entirely absent from Genesis 3:8.

Indeed, when God reveals himself in connection with a rûaḥ elsewhere in Scripture, the wind is consistently stormy or forceful rather than mild or pleasant. This is evident in the poetic retelling of the Red Sea crossing in Exodus 15, the storm-theophany of Psalm 18, and the overwhelming visionary encounter of Ezekiel 1–2, discussed further below. In none of these contexts does rûaḥ evoke the image of a quiet, refreshing wind accompanying a tranquil afternoon walk.⁶

One alternative rendering of lǝrûaḥ hayyôm is suggested by a parallel expression in Song of Solomon, where the phrase “until the day breathes” (עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיֹּום; Song 2:17; 4:6) uses the verb yāpûaḥ (“to breathe, blow”) to mark a time of day. Given that rûaḥ can also mean “breath” (e.g., Gen 6:17), Genesis 3:8 may be read as referring to “the breath of the day.”⁷

If rûaḥ hayyôm functions similarly to yāpûaḥ hayyôm, the phrase is best understood as figurative rather than as a fixed temporal marker. On this reading, it likely points not to evening but to morning—the moment when the day “comes alive.”

This interpretation also invites broader canonical connections between Genesis and the Song of Solomon, including shared imagery and rare vocabulary, and frames Genesis 3 as a tragic inversion of later garden imagery, where the lover-king comes to his garden only to find betrayal rather than mutual delight.

A second possible rendering of lǝrûaḥ hayyôm is suggested by Song of Solomon’s phrase “until the day breathes” (עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיֹּום; Song 2:17; 4:6), where the verb yāpûaḥ (“to breathe, blow”) marks a time of day. Since rûaḥ can also mean “breath” (e.g., Gen 6:17), Genesis 3:8 may be read as “the breath of the day.”⁸

Read this way, the phrase functions as figurative, poetic language rather than a precise time reference and likely points to morning—the moment the day comes to life. This reading also opens canonical connections between Genesis and the Song of Solomon and frames Genesis 3 as a tragic reversal of later garden imagery, where the lover-king comes to the garden only to encounter betrayal instead of delight.

aken together, the linguistic and canonical evidence strongly suggests that lǝrûaḥ hayyôm in Genesis 3:8 should not be understood as a reference to a pleasant evening breeze or a specific time of day.⁹ The phrase is unique in the Hebrew Bible, employs rûaḥ in a way unsupported elsewhere as “cool” or “gentle,” and lacks the lexical clarity normally expected of temporal expressions. Moreover, rûaḥ consistently denotes breath, wind, or spirit—often with power and intensity—rather than refreshment.

The most plausible renderings, therefore, understand lǝrûaḥ hayyôm not as clock-time but as a figurative or experiential description. Whether read as “the wind of the day,” “the breath of the day,” or an atmospheric manifestation accompanying God’s approach, the phrase signals the moment when the day is animated and God’s presence becomes perceptible.¹⁰ In light of biblical patterns, this presence is better read as theophanic than pastoral.

Then we have the heat of the Day in Genesis 18:1.

First, the Hebrew word translated “tent” is ’ōhel (אֹהֶל). Beyond its basic meaning, ’ōhel is etymologically associated with radiance or shining. A tent, after all, is supported by beams that radiate outward from a central point to hold up the roof. On this reading, the phrase may be heard not only spatially but symbolically: Abraham is seated at the entrance of his tent as one who is “radiating light.”¹¹

The next phrase is particularly suggestive. Most modern translations render keḥōm hayyôm as “in the heat of the day.” However, the preposition here is not beth (ב), which would normally indicate “in,” “on,” or “within,” but kaph (כ), which is typically rendered “like” or “as.” Grammatically, the phrase may therefore be read as “like the heat of the day,” rather than simply “in the heat of the day.”

“The heat of the day” is a common idiom for midday—the time when the sun is at its brightest and most intense. As one rabbinic interpretation notes, the text may be implying more than a time reference. Abraham himself is portrayed as the heat of the day—like the sun—spreading warmth, illumination, and life. In this reading, Abraham stands at the entrance of his ’ōhel radiating the warmth, love, and enlightenment of God outward to the world.¹²

Abraham famously practiced hospitality. He established what was essentially a roadside “bed and breakfast” along a trade route. He welcomed travelers, fed them, and gave them rest. When they thanked him, Abraham redirected their gratitude to YHWH, saying that it was God who provided food, rest, day, and night. Scripture teaches that through this practice he caused people to call on the name of God.

Abraham sat at the entrance of his dwelling, radiating the light of God, ready to offer kindness, comfort, and truth to anyone who passed by. His love for God naturally overflowed into love for others. This is true evangelism—not coercion or isolation, but hospitality, witness, and shared life.¹³

What do we connect?

Posture Toward God: Hiding vs. Hospitality

Genesis 3	Genesis 18
Garden	Tent
Trees used for concealment	Tent opening used for welcome
Fear	Eagerness
God seeks	Abraham runs
rûaḥ exposes	ḥōm radiates
Silence and shame	Dialogue and intercession

The irony is sharp:

• Adam hides in paradise
• Abraham opens his life in the wilderness

Theological Climate: From Theophany to Fellowship

Genesis 3 shows us:

God’s presence is not dangerous in itself—but it becomes unbearable to those who refuse truth.

Genesis 18 shows us:

God’s presence becomes warmth and blessing to those who live open-handedly before Him.

Same God.
Different hearts.
Different “weather.”

Canonical Movement: From Lost Garden to Shared Table

You’re right to hear Song of Songs echoing here.

• Genesis 3: God comes to the garden → no mutual delight
• Song of Songs: the beloved comes to the garden → union
• Genesis 18: God comes to a tent → table fellowship

The biblical story moves:

• From breath that exposes
• To heat that nourishes
• To fire that eventually indwells (Pentecost)

1. Kvam, Kristen E.; Schearing, Linda S.; Ziegler, Valarie H., eds. (1999). “Hebrew Bible Accounts”. Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 15–40. ↩︎
2.  Tuling, Kari H. (2020). “PART 1: Is God the Creator and Source of All Being—Including Evil?”. In Tuling, Kari H. (ed.). Thinking about God: Jewish Views. JPS Essential Judaism Series. Lincoln and Philadelphia: University of Nebraska Press/Jewish Publication Society. pp. 3–64. ↩︎
3. Leeming, David A. (June 2003). Carey, Lindsay B. (ed.). “Religion and Sexuality: The Perversion of a Natural Marriage”. Journal of Religion and Health. 42 (2). Springer Verlag: 101–109. ↩︎
4. Hart, David Bentley (2018). “The Devil’s March: Creatio ex nihilo, the Problem of Evil, and a Few Dostoyevskian Meditations”. In Anderson, Gary A.; Bockmuehl, Markus (eds.). Creation ex nihilo: Origins, Development, Contemporary Challenges. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press. pp. 297–318. ↩︎
5.  Bulgakov, Sergei (2001) [1939]. “Evil”. The Bride of the Lamb. Translated by Jakim, Boris. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 170. ISBN 9780802839152. ↩︎
6. Ehrman, Bart D. (2005) [2003]. “Christians “In The Know”: The Worlds of Early Christian Gnosticism”. Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 113–134. doi:10.1017/s0009640700110273. ISBN 978-0-19-518249-1.  ↩︎
7. Hillel, Daniel (2006). The Natural History of the Bible: An Environmental Exploration of the Hebrew Scriptures. Columbia University Press. p. 245. ↩︎
8. Morris Eaves; Robert N. Essick; Joseph Viscomi (eds.). “God Judging Adam, object 1 (Butlin 294) “God Judging Adam””. William Blake Archive.  ↩︎
9. Kugel, James L. (1999). Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ↩︎
10. Beynen, G. Koolemans, Animal Language in the Garden of Eden: Folktale Elements in Genesis in Signifying Animals: Human Meaning in the Natural World, Roy G. Willis, ed., (London: Routledge, 1994), 39–50. ↩︎
11. Tosefta: Berakhot 1:15; Maaser Sheni 5:29; Rosh Hashanah 2:13; Taanit 2:13; Megillah 3:6; Sotah 4:1–6, 12, 5:12, 6:1, 6; Bava Kamma 9:29; Sanhedrin 14:4. Circa 250. In, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002. ↩︎
12. Liana Finck. Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation, pages 190–208. New York: Random House, 2022. ↩︎
13. Jacob Bacharach. The Doorposts of Your House and on Your Gates. New York: Liveright, 2017. (novel loosely retelling the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac). ↩︎