Reference: Darkness
American
The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6; Ps 107:10; Isa 8:22-9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10; Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt, Ex 10:21-23, was miraculous; also that which covered all Judea with sympathetic gloom at the crucifixion of Christ, Lu 23:43. This could not have been caused by an eclipse of the sun; for at Passover the moon was full, and on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
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Now, the earth, had become waste and wild, and darkness, was on the face of the roaring deep, - but, the Spirit of God, was brooding on the face of the waters,
Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness. So Moses stretched forth his hand over the heavens, - and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days; read more. they saw not one another neither rose any man from his couch for three days, - but all the sons of Israel, had light in their dwellings.
The light, hath darkened in his tent, Yea, his lamp above him, goeth out;
The dwellers in darkness and death-shade, bound with oppression and iron;
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations, shall not flash forth their light, - Obscured shall be the sun in his going forth, And the moon, shall not shed her light.
Whereas, the sons of the kingdom, shall be cast forth into the darkness outside, - There, will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
And he said unto him - Verily, I say unto thee this day: With me, shalt thou be in Paradise.
The sun, shall be turned into darkness and, the moon, into blood, - before the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and manifest day ;
And be not joining in fellowship in the unfruitful works of darkness, but, rather, be even administering reproof;
Easton
The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex 10:21) is described as darkness "which may be felt." It covered "all the land of Egypt," so that "they saw not one another." It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. Ex 10:23).
When Jesus hung upon the cross (Mt 27:45; Lu 23:44), from the "sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour."
On Mount Sinai, Moses (Ex 20:21) "drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." This was the "thick cloud upon the mount" in which Jehovah was when he spake unto Moses there. The Lord dwelt in the cloud upon the mercy-seat (1Ki 8:12), the cloud of glory. When the psalmist (Ps 97:2) describes the inscrutable nature of God's workings among the sons of men, he says, "Clouds and darkness are round about him." God dwells in thick darkness.
Darkness (Isa 13:9-10; Mt 24:29) also is a symbol of the judgments that attend on the coming of the Lord. It is a symbol of misery and adversity (Job 18:6; Ps 107:10; Isa 8:22; Eze 30:18). The "day of darkness" in Joe 2:2, caused by clouds of locusts, is a symbol of the obscurity which overhangs all divine proceedings. "Works of darkness" are impure actions (Eph 5:11). "Outer darkness" refers to the darkness of the streets in the East, which are never lighted up by any public or private lamps after nightfall, in contrast with the blaze of cheerful light in the house. It is also a symbol of ignorance (Isa 9:2; 60:2; Mt 6:23) and of death (Job 10:21; 17:13).
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Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness.
they saw not one another neither rose any man from his couch for three days, - but all the sons of Israel, had light in their dwellings.
So then the people stood afar off, and, Moses, approached unto the thick gloom, where God was.
Then, said Solomon, - Yahweh, said, that he would make his habitation in thick gloom:
Before I go, and not return, unto a land of darkness and death-shade:
The light, hath darkened in his tent, Yea, his lamp above him, goeth out;
Clouds and thick darkness, are round about him, Righteousness and justice, are the establishing of his throne.
The dwellers in darkness and death-shade, bound with oppression and iron;
And unto the land, shall they look hard, And lo! distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, driven away!
the people who were walking in darkness, Have seen a great light, - The dwellers in a land death-shadowed, A light, hath shined upon them.
Lo! the day of Yahweh, coming in, Fierce and overflowing, and burning with anger, - To devote the earth to desolation, And her sinners, will he destroy out of it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations, shall not flash forth their light, - Obscured shall be the sun in his going forth, And the moon, shall not shed her light.
For lo! darkness, covereth the earth, And, deep gloom the peoples, - But, on thee, beameth Yahweh, And, his glory, on thee is seen.
And in Tehaphnehes, hath the day become dark, Because I have broken, there the yoke-bare of Egypt, And there shall be made to cease therein the pride of her strength, - She, a cloud, shall cover her! And her daughter into captivity, shall wend their way.
A day of obscurity and deep gloom, a day of cloud, and thick darkness, as dusk, spread over the mountains, - a people, many and bold, like whom, hath not been from age-past times, and, after whom, shall not be again unto the years of generation after generation.
But, if thine eye be, evil, thy whole body, shall be, in the dark; - if therefore, the light which is in thee, is, darkness, the darkness, how great!
But, straightway after the tribulation of those days, the sun, will be darkened, and, the moon, will not give her brightness, and, the stars, will fall from heaven, - and, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken;
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
And it was already about the sixth hour, and, darkness, came upon the whole land, until the ninth hour, -
And be not joining in fellowship in the unfruitful works of darkness, but, rather, be even administering reproof;
Fausets
The ninth Egyptian plague (Ex 10:21, etc.). Especially calculated to affect the Egyptians who worshipped Ra, the sun god. Its sudden and intense coming when Moses stretched out his hand marked it as supernatural. Its basis was natural, namely, the chamsin or sandstorm (see Septuagint), from the S.W. desert. It produces a darkness denser than the densest fog, so that no man rises from his place; men and beasts hide until it is over, for it penetrates even through well closed windows. This explains the peculiar phrase "darkness which may be felt." What still more marked its judicial character was (compare Isa 13:9-10; Joe 2:31; 3:15; Mt 24:29) "the children of Israel had light in their dwellings."
The date of Am 8:9 coincides with a total eclipse visible at Jerusalem shortly after noon, Feb. 9th, 784 B.C.; the date of Mic 3:6 with the eclipse June 5th, 716 B.C. (Dionys. Hal., 2:56); the date of Jer 15:9 with the eclipse of Sept. 30th, 610 B.C. (Herodotus, 1:74,103.) The darkness over all the land (Juaea) from the sixth to the ninth hour during Christ's crucifixion (Mt 27:45) cannot have been an eclipse, for it would not last three hours, seldom intensely more than six minutes. The eclipse, darkness and earthquake in Bithynia, noted by Phlegon of Tralles, was probably in the year before. This darkness at Christ's crucifixion was nature's sympathy with her suffering Lord; perhaps partly intended by the prophecy Am 8:9.
As the glory of the Lord shone around the scene of His birth (Lu 2:9), so a pall of darkness was fitly spread over His dying scene. By the paschal reckoning the moon must then have been at its full phase, when the sun could not be eclipsed. Darkness is the image of spiritual ignorance and unbelief (Isa 60:2; Joh 1:5; 3:19; 1Jo 2:8). "Outer darkness" expresses exclusion from the brightness of the heavenly banquet (Mt 8:12). "The works of darkness," i.e. sins (Eph 5:11). God dwells in thick darkness; i.e., we cannot penetrate the awe inspiring mysteries of His person and His dealings. But God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1Jo 1:5; 1Ki 8:12; Ps 97:2).
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Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness.
Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness.
Clouds and thick darkness, are round about him, Righteousness and justice, are the establishing of his throne.
Clouds and thick darkness, are round about him, Righteousness and justice, are the establishing of his throne.
Lo! the day of Yahweh, coming in, Fierce and overflowing, and burning with anger, - To devote the earth to desolation, And her sinners, will he destroy out of it.
Lo! the day of Yahweh, coming in, Fierce and overflowing, and burning with anger, - To devote the earth to desolation, And her sinners, will he destroy out of it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations, shall not flash forth their light, - Obscured shall be the sun in his going forth, And the moon, shall not shed her light.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations, shall not flash forth their light, - Obscured shall be the sun in his going forth, And the moon, shall not shed her light.
For lo! darkness, covereth the earth, And, deep gloom the peoples, - But, on thee, beameth Yahweh, And, his glory, on thee is seen.
For lo! darkness, covereth the earth, And, deep gloom the peoples, - But, on thee, beameth Yahweh, And, his glory, on thee is seen.
Languisheth! she who had given birth to seven, She hath breathed out her life Her sun hath gone in, while yet it was day, She hath turned pale and hath turned red, - And the remnant of them, to the sword, will I deliver before their enemies, Declareth Yahweh.
Languisheth! she who had given birth to seven, She hath breathed out her life Her sun hath gone in, while yet it was day, She hath turned pale and hath turned red, - And the remnant of them, to the sword, will I deliver before their enemies, Declareth Yahweh.
The sun, shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, - before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.
The sun, shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, - before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.
The sun and the moon, have become dark, - and, the stars, have withdrawn their shining,
The sun and the moon, have become dark, - and, the stars, have withdrawn their shining,
Yea it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, that I will cause the sun to go in at high noon, - and will darken the earth on a day of brightness.!
Yea it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, that I will cause the sun to go in at high noon, - and will darken the earth on a day of brightness.!
Yea it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, that I will cause the sun to go in at high noon, - and will darken the earth on a day of brightness.!
Yea it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh, that I will cause the sun to go in at high noon, - and will darken the earth on a day of brightness.!
Therefore, shall it be night to you, for lack of vision, and darkness to you, for lack of divination, - and the sun, shall go in, over the prophets, and the day, shall be overcast because of them;
Therefore, shall it be night to you, for lack of vision, and darkness to you, for lack of divination, - and the sun, shall go in, over the prophets, and the day, shall be overcast because of them;
Whereas, the sons of the kingdom, shall be cast forth into the darkness outside, - There, will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Whereas, the sons of the kingdom, shall be cast forth into the darkness outside, - There, will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
But, straightway after the tribulation of those days, the sun, will be darkened, and, the moon, will not give her brightness, and, the stars, will fall from heaven, - and, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken;
But, straightway after the tribulation of those days, the sun, will be darkened, and, the moon, will not give her brightness, and, the stars, will fall from heaven, - and, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken;
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
And, a messenger of the Lord, stood over them, and, a glory of the Lord, shone round about them; and they feared, a great fear.
And, a messenger of the Lord, stood over them, and, a glory of the Lord, shone round about them; and they feared, a great fear.
And, the light, in the darkness, shineth; and, the darkness, thereof, laid not hold.
And, the light, in the darkness, shineth; and, the darkness, thereof, laid not hold.
And, this, is the judgment: That, the light, hath come into the world, - and men loved, rather the darkness than the light, for, wicked, were their, works.
And, this, is the judgment: That, the light, hath come into the world, - and men loved, rather the darkness than the light, for, wicked, were their, works.
And be not joining in fellowship in the unfruitful works of darkness, but, rather, be even administering reproof;
And be not joining in fellowship in the unfruitful works of darkness, but, rather, be even administering reproof;
And this is the message which we have heard from him, and are reporting unto you, - that, God, is, light, and in him is, no darkness at all.
And this is the message which we have heard from him, and are reporting unto you, - that, God, is, light, and in him is, no darkness at all.
Hastings
Morish
Used in various significations in scripture.
1. State of the earth before God said, Let there be light. Ge 1:2.
2. Temporary absence of light in the night. Ge 1:5.
3. Extraordinary darkness sent by God. Ex 10:21; 14:20; Mt 27:45.
4. The darkness by which God shrouded His glory. Ex 20:21; Ps 18:9,11; 97:2; Heb 12:18.
5. State of death as compared with natural life. Job 10:21-22.
6. Moral darkness as the consequent state of man fallen. Ps 82:5; Isa 9:2; Mt 4:16; Joh 1:5; 3:19; 2Co 6:14; 1Pe 2:9.
7. It characterises Satan and his agents. Lu 22:53; Eph 6:12; Re 16:10.
8. It is the abode of wicked spirits and will characterise the place of punishment of the wicked. Mt 8:12; 2Pe 2:4; Jude 1:6,13. God is light, and Christ came into the world as the true light: everything shut out from God, or opposed to God and to the Lord Jesus, must partake of moral darkness.
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Now, the earth, had become waste and wild, and darkness, was on the face of the roaring deep, - but, the Spirit of God, was brooding on the face of the waters,
and God called the light, day, but the darkness, called he, night. So it was evening - and it was morning, one day.
Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness.
so it came in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, so it became a cloud and darkness, and yet lighted up the night, - so that the one came not near unto the other, all the night.
So then the people stood afar off, and, Moses, approached unto the thick gloom, where God was.
Before I go, and not return, unto a land of darkness and death-shade: A land of obscurity, like thick darkness, of death-shade and disorder, and which shineth like thick darkness.
Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, - and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him - his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
They know not, neither can they perceive, In darkness, they wander, All the foundations of the earth do shake.
Clouds and thick darkness, are round about him, Righteousness and justice, are the establishing of his throne.
the people who were walking in darkness, Have seen a great light, - The dwellers in a land death-shadowed, A light, hath shined upon them.
The people that was sitting in darkness, a great light, beheld, - and, on them who were sitting in land and shade of death, Light rose on them.
Whereas, the sons of the kingdom, shall be cast forth into the darkness outside, - There, will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
Daily, was I with you, in the temple, and yet ye stretched not forth your hands against me! -- But, this, is your hour, and the authority of darkness.
And, the light, in the darkness, shineth; and, the darkness, thereof, laid not hold.
And, this, is the judgment: That, the light, hath come into the world, - and men loved, rather the darkness than the light, for, wicked, were their, works.
Because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but, against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-holders, of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.
For ye have not approached - unto, a searching and scorching fire, and gloom, and mist, and tempest,
Messengers also, even them who had not kept their own principality, but had forsaken their proper dwelling, unto the judgment of the great day in perpetual bonds under thick gloom, hath he reserved.
Wild waves of sea, foaming out their own infamies, wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness age-abiding hath been reserved.
And, the fifth, poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened, and they began to gnaw their tongues by reason of the pain, -
Smith
is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory.
The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land,"
attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead,
and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light.
Joh 1:5; 3:19
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So then the people stood afar off, and, Moses, approached unto the thick gloom, where God was.
Before I go, and not return, unto a land of darkness and death-shade: A land of obscurity, like thick darkness, of death-shade and disorder, and which shineth like thick darkness.
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
And, the light, in the darkness, shineth; and, the darkness, thereof, laid not hold.
And, this, is the judgment: That, the light, hath come into the world, - and men loved, rather the darkness than the light, for, wicked, were their, works.
Watsons
DARKNESS, the absence of light. "Darkness was upon the face of the deep," Ge 1:2; that is, the chaos was immersed in thick darkness, because light was withheld from it. The most terrible darkness was that brought on Egypt as a plague; it was so thick as to be, as it were, palpable; so horrible, that no one durst stir out of his place; and so lasting, that it endured three days and three nights, Ex 10:21-22; Wisdom 17:2, 3. The darkness at our Saviour's death began at the sixth hour, or noon, and ended at the third hour, or three o'clock in the afternoon. Thus it lasted almost the whole time he was on the cross; compare Mt 27:45, with Joh 19:14, and Mr 15:25. Origen, Maldonatus, Erasmus, Vatablus, and others, were of opinion that this darkness covered Judea only; which is sometimes called the whole earth; that is, the whole country. Chrysostom, Euthymius, Theophylact, and others, thought it extended over a hemisphere. Origen says it was caused by a thick mist, which precluded the sight of the sun. That it was preternatural is certain, for, the moon being at full, a natural eclipse of the sun was impossible. Darkness is sometimes used metaphorically for death. "The land of darkness" is the grave, Job 10:22; Ps 107:10. It is also used to denote misfortunes and calamities: "A day of darkness" is a day of affliction, Esther 11:8. "Let that day be darkness; let darkness stain it,"
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Now, the earth, had become waste and wild, and darkness, was on the face of the roaring deep, - but, the Spirit of God, was brooding on the face of the waters,
Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the heavens, that there may be darkness, over the land of Egypt, - and that one may feel the darkness. So Moses stretched forth his hand over the heavens, - and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days;
That day, be it darkness, - Let not God enquire after it from above, May there shine upon it no clear beam: Let darkness and death-shade buy it back, May there settle down upon it a cloud, Let a day's dark eclipse cause it terror:
A land of obscurity, like thick darkness, of death-shade and disorder, and which shineth like thick darkness.
The dwellers in darkness and death-shade, bound with oppression and iron;
Now, from the sixth hour, darkness, came upon all the land - until the ninth hour.
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
Now it was the preparation of the passover, - it was about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews - See! your King!