King James Bible Dictionary

A division of time.
Night

WATCH, noun [It is from the same root as wake, which see.]

1. Forbearance of sleep.

2. Attendance without sleep.

All the long night their mournful watch they keep.

3. Attention; close observation. Keep watch of the suspicious man.

4. Guard; vigilance for keeping or protecting against danger.

He kept both watch and ward.

5. A watchman, or watchmen; men set for a guard, either one person or more, set to espy the approach of an enemy or other danger, and to give an alarm or notice of such danger; a sentinel; a guard. He kept a watch at the gate.

Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. Matthew 27:65.

6. The place where a guard is kept.

He upbraids I ago, that he made him brave me upon the watch

7. Post or office of a watchman.

As I did stand my watch upon the hill--

8. A period of the night, in which one person or one set of persons stand as sentinels; or the time from one relief of sentinels to another. This period among the Israelites, seems to have been originally four hours, but was afterwards three hours, and there were four watches during the night. Hence we read in Scripture of the morning watch and of the second, third and fourth watch; the evening watch commencing at six oclock, the second at nine, the third at twelve, and the fourth at three in the morning. Exodus 14:24. Matthew 14:25. Luke 12:38.

9. A small time piece or chronometer, to be carried in the pocket or about the person, in which the machinery is moved by a spring.

10. At sea, the space of time during which one set or division of the crew remain on deck to perform the necessary duties. This is different in different nations.

To be on the watch to be looking steadily for some event.

WATCH, verb intransitive

1. To be awake; to be or continue without sleep.

I have two nights watchd with you.

2. To be attentive; to look with attention or steadiness. watch and see when the man passes.

3. To look with expectation.

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Psalms 130:6.

4. To keep guard; to act as sentinel; to look for danger.

He gave signal to the minister that watchd.

5. To be attentive; to be vigilant in preparation for an event or trial, the time of whose arrival is uncertain.

WATCH therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Mat 24.

6. To be insidiously attentive; as, to watch for an opportunity to injure another.

7. To attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever.

To watch over, to be cautiously observant of; to inspect, superintend and guard from error and danger. It is our duty constantly to watch over our own conduct and that of our children.

WATCH, verb transitive

1. To guard; to have in keeping.

Flaming ministers watch and tend their charge.

2. To observe in ambush; to lie in wait for.

Saul also sent messengers to Davids house to watch him, and to slay him. 1 Samuel 19:11.

3. To tend; to guard.

Paris watched the flocks in the groves of Ida.

4. To observe in order to detect or prevent, or for some particular purpose; as, to watch a suspected person; to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature.

WATCHED, participle passive Guarded; observed with steady vigilance.

WATCHER, noun

1. One who sits up or continues awake; particularly, one who attends upon the sick during the night.

2. A diligent observer; as an attentive watcher of the works of nature. [Not in use.]

The periods into which the time between sunset and sunrise was divided. They are so called because watchmen relieved each other at each of these periods. There are frequent references in Scripture to the duties of watchmen who were appointed to give notice of the approach of an enemy (2 Samuel 18:24-27; 2 Kings 9:17-20; Isaiah 21:5-9). They were sometimes placed for this purpose on watch-towers (2 Kings 17:9; 18:8). Ministers or teachers are also spoken of under this title (Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 33:2-9; Hebrews 13:17).

The watches of the night were originally three in number, (1) "the beginning of the watches" (Lamentations 2:19); (2) "the middle watch" (Judges 7:19); and (3) "the morning watch" (Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11), which extended from two o'clock to sunrise. But in the New Testament we read of four watches, a division probably introduced by the Romans (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48; Luke 12:38). (See DAY.)

The Jews, like the Greeks and Romans, divided the night into military watches instead of hours, each watch representing the period for which sentinels or pickets remained on duty. The proper Jewish reckoning recognized only three such watches, entitled the first or "beginning of the watches," (Lamentations 2:19) the middle watch, (Judges 7:19) and the morning watch. (Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11) These would last respectively from sunset to 10 P.M.; from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.; and from 2 A.M. to sunrise. After the establishment of the Roman supremacy, the number of watches was increased to four, which were described either according to their numerical order, as in the case of the "fourth watch," (Matthew 14:25) or by the terms "even," "midnight," "cock-crowing" and "morning." (Mark 13:35) These terminated respectively at 9 P.M., midnight, 3 A.M. and 6 A.M.

WATCHET, adjective Pale or light blue.

Who stares in Germany at watchet eyes? [Not in use.]

WATCHFUL, adjective Vigilant; attentive; careful to observe; observant; cautious. It has of before the thing to be regulated, as to be watchful of ones behavior; and against, before the thing to be avoided, as to be watchful against the growth of vicious habits.

WATCHFULLY, adverb Vigilantly; heedfully; with careful observation of the approach of evil, or attention to duty.

General references
Exodus 23:13; Exodus 34:12; Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 4:23; Deuteronomy 11:16; Deuteronomy 12:13; Deuteronomy 27:9; Joshua 22:5; Deuteronomy 6:17; Joshua 23:11; 1 Kings 2:3; 1 Kings 8:25; 1 Kings 2:4; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Nehemiah 4:9; Job 36:18-21; Psalms 39:1; Psalms 102:7; Psalms 119:9; Psalms 141:3; Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 4:25-26; Proverbs 8:34; Proverbs 16:17; Proverbs 28:26; Nahum 2:1; Habakkuk 2:1; Malachi 2:15; Matthew 6:1; Matthew 16:6; Matthew 18:10; Matthew 24:4; Matthew 25:13; Matthew 26:40-41; Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18; Mark 13:9-23; Mark 13:32-37; Matthew 24:42-51; Luke 21:8-36; Luke 11:35; Luke 12:15; Luke 12:35-40; Acts 20:28-31; Romans 11:21; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Corinthians 10:12; 1 Corinthians 11:28; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 5:15; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 3:2; Philippians 4:5; Colossians 4:2; Colossians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1; Hebrews 3:12; Hebrews 12:15; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Peter 1:19; 2 Peter 3:17; 1 John 5:18; 2 John 1:8; Jude 1:20-21; Revelation 3:2-3; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 16:15
Temptation

WATCHFULNESS, noun

1. Vigilance; heedfulness; heed; suspicious attention; careful and diligent observation for the purpose of preventing or escaping danger, or of avoiding mistakes and misconduct.

2. Wakefulness; indisposition or inability to sleep.

WATCHFULNESS-often precedes too great sleepiness.

WATCH-GLASS, noun [watch and glass.]

1. In ships, a half hour glass, used to measure the time of a watch on deck.

2. A concavo-convex glass for covering the face or dial of a watch.

WATCH-HOUSE, noun [watch and house.] A house in which a watch or guard is placed.

WATCHING, participle present tense Being awake; guarding; attending the sick; carefully observing.

WATCHING, noun Wakefulness; inability to sleep.

(2 Corinthians 6:5), lit. "sleeplessnesses," the result of "manual labour, teaching, travelling, meditating, praying, cares, and the like" (Meyer's Com.).

WATCH-LIGHT, noun [watch and light.] A candle with a rush wick.

WATCHMAKER, noun [watch and maker.] One whose occupation is to make and repair watches.

A sentinel.

On the walls:

Of cities
Song of Solomon 3:3; Song of Solomon 5:7

Of Jerusalem
2 Samuel 13:34; 2 Samuel 18:24-25; Nehemiah 4:9; Nehemiah 7:3; Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 62:6

Of Babylon
Jeremiah 51:12

On towers
2 Kings 9:17; 2 Chronicles 20:24; Isaiah 21:5-12; Jeremiah 31:6

At the gates of the temple
2 Kings 11:6-7

Alarm of, given by trumpets
Ezekiel 33:3-6

Unfaithfulness in the discharge of duty of, punished by death
Ezekiel 33:6; Matthew 28:14; Acts 12:19

WATCHMAN, noun [watch and man.] A sentinel; a guard.

WATCHTOWER, noun [watch and tower.] A tower on which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies or the approach of danger.

WATCHWORD, noun [watch and word.] The word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a friend is known from an enemy, or a person who has a right to pass the watch, from one who has not.