Unlike English (and many other languages) where the days of the week are named after gods and mythological figures, the Hebrew days are faithful only to the Bible and are simple ordinal numbers, named after the order of the Creation as described in the Bible. We’ll review each day in light of the Bible. For contrast, we’ll also briefly mention the origin of the English, ancient Latin and other origins of these names.
1. English and Latin (and many other languages) – Wednesday is named to honor Wodan (Odin). Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism (the academic term for paganism). The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
2. Hebrew – yom re•vi•ee indicates the ordinal number forth. “Yom” means “day” and “re•vi•ee” simply means “the forth.” The related cardinal number is “ar•ba” (four). Also, the numeral “quarter” is derived from this word. The urban division into areas of old and modern cities is also called by the same name. When you visit Jerusalem, for example, you”ll notice that the Old city is divided into four quarters: 1. The Jewish Quarter (ha•ro•va ha•ye•hu•di) 2. The Armenian Quarter (ha•ro•va ha•ar•me•ni) 3. The Muslim Quarter (ha•ro•va ha•moos•le•mi) and 4. The Christian Quarter (ha•ro•va ha•notz•ri).
In the Bible Wednesday is called “yom re•vi•ee,” – “the fourth day.” To refresh your memory, here are the accomplishment of Creation on the fourth day of our planet: “And God made two great lights; the large light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night; and he made the stars.” Genesis 1:16.