A short note with the title “On the Third Day” is “Two Days Later” was published in the Journal of Translation (Vol. 16) (2020). – See here.
Introduction
What does the phrase הַַיּוֹם הַַשְּׁלִישִי hayyôm haššəlîšî ‘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:
- To avoid a mis-translation in the sense of “three days later”
- Where needed, to clarify, which is “the first day.”
