woch ('ashmurah, 'ashmoreth; phulake): A division of the night. The night was originally divided into three watches (Jg 7:19), but later into four, as we find in the New Testament (Mt 14:25; Mr 6:48). We do not know the limits of the watches in the first division, but the middle watch probably began two hours before midnight and ended two hours after. The fourfold division was according to the Roman system, each of which was a fourth part of the night.
⇒Topical Bible outline for "Watchfulness."
See TIME.
"Watch" is also the guard placed on watch (mishmar, Ne 4:9; koustodia, from Latin custodia, Mt 27:65-66; 28:11). It sometimes refers to the act of watching, as in 2Ki 11:6-7 (mishmereth); Lu 2:8 (phulake).
⇒See a list of verses on WATCH in the Bible.
"Watch" is also used figuratively, as in Ps 141:3 for restraint: "Set a watch, O Yahweh, before my mouth" (shomrah).
See WARD.
⇒See the definition of watch in the KJV Dictionary
H. Porter