Common Figure of Speech/Colloquial Language?

[rstrats]

The Messiah said that He would be three days and three nights in the "heart of the earth".

There are some who think that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week with the resurrection taking place on the 1st day of the week.

And of those, there are some who think that the "heart of the earth" is referring to the tomb or at the earliest to the moment when His spirit left His body).

However, a 6th day of the week crucifixion/1st day of the week resurrection allows for only 2 nights to be involved.

To account for the lack of a 3rd night, there may be some of those mentioned above who try to explain the lack of a 3rd night by saying that the Messiah was using common figure of speech/colloquial language.

I'm simply curious if anyone who may fall in the above group of believers might provide examples to support the belief of commonality; i.e., instances where a daytime or a night time was forecast or said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could have occurred. That is the only issue with which this queston is concerned.

 

[rstrats]

When we look at the Jewish literature at that time, it becomes obvious that a part of the day was reckoned as all of that same day. Thus, it was thought that two parts of a day and a whole day were the same as three days, euphemistically referred to as three days and three nights.

Your comment as well deals with issues for a different topic. Perhaps you might start one.