The Greek adverb ennuchon means before dawn or while it is still night — used only once in Mark 1:35 to describe Jesus rising to pray in the pre-dawn darkness, establishing a pattern of early-morning prayer before ministry.
Ennuchon appears in Mark 1:35 — one of the most revealing verses about Jesus's prayer life: 'Very early in the morning, while it was still dark (ennuchon), Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.' This was the day after an extraordinarily full day of healing and deliverance (Mark 1:21-34). Jesus, fully God and fully human, rose before dawn to seek His Father. The model is unmistakable: the busier the ministry, the more essential the prayer. The disciples' immediate search for Jesus (1:36) and their complaint 'Everyone is looking for you!' contrasts with His quiet, unhurried prayer. Ennuchon is thus a discipleship word: the disciple follows Christ into the pre-dawn darkness to meet the Father before the demands of the day begin.