The Hebrew noun layil (also laylah) means night — the period of darkness from sunset to sunrise. It is used literally of the night hours and metaphorically of darkness, danger, trouble, and spiritual blindness. The creation narrative establishes night as God's good ordering of time, distinct from day yet equally purposeful.
Layil carries rich theological texture. Night is the time of dreams and divine revelation (Genesis 28:12 — Jacob's ladder; 1 Kings 3:5 — Solomon's dream). It is the time of the Passover deliverance, of Nicodemus's secret visit to Jesus, of Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane. Yet night also symbolizes the reign of sin and the absence of God's visible presence. 'The night is nearly over; the day is almost here' (Romans 13:12) speaks of the eschatological dawn of Christ's return.