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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And the earth was desolation and emptiness, and darkness over the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt And Moses will stretch forth his hand toward the heavens, and there shall be thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. read more. They saw not a man his brother, and they rose not up each from his lower part, three days: and to all the sons of Israel there was light in their dwellings.
The light was darkened in his tent, and his lamp shall be extinguished for him.
They sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound with affliction and iron.
For the stars of the heavens and the giants of the sky shall not shine their light: the sun was darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; weeping shall be there, and gnashing of teeth.
And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and distinguished day of the Lord come:
And participate not with the unfruitful works of darkness, and rather also confute.
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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And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt
They saw not a man his brother, and they rose not up each from his lower part, three days: and to all the sons of Israel there was light in their dwellings.
And the people will stand from far off, and Moses will draw near to the darkness where God is there.
Before I shall go and turn back to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
The light was darkened in his tent, and his lamp shall be extinguished for him.
A cloud and darkness round about him: justice and judgment the preparing of his throne.
They sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound with affliction and iron.
And they shall look to the earth, and behold, straits and darkness and fainting of distress; and to darkness being removed.
The people going in darkness saw a great light: they dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, light shone upon them.
Behold, the day of Jehovah coming fierce and overflowing, and burning anger to set the earth for desolation: and he will destroy the sinner out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the giants of the sky shall not shine their light: the sun was darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gloom the nations: and Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And in Tahhapanes the day was darkened in my breaking there the rods of Egypt: and the pride of her strength ceased in her: she, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
A day of darkness and of thick darkness; a day of cloud and gloom as the morning spread upon the mountains: great and strong people; the like to him was not from forever, and after him there shall not be added even to the years of generation and generation.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be dark. If therefore the light which in thee is darkness, how much the darkness
And quickly after the pressure of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness was upon all the earth till the ninth hour.
And participate not with the unfruitful works of darkness, and rather also confute.
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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And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt
And before they will lie down; and she went up to them upon the roof;
And before they will lie down; and she went up to them upon the roof;
A cloud and darkness round about him: justice and judgment the preparing of his throne.
A cloud and darkness round about him: justice and judgment the preparing of his throne.
Behold, the day of Jehovah coming fierce and overflowing, and burning anger to set the earth for desolation: and he will destroy the sinner out of it.
Behold, the day of Jehovah coming fierce and overflowing, and burning anger to set the earth for desolation: and he will destroy the sinner out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the giants of the sky shall not shine their light: the sun was darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
For the stars of the heavens and the giants of the sky shall not shine their light: the sun was darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gloom the nations: and Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gloom the nations: and Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
She bringing forth seven, languished: she breathed out her soul; her sun went down in the midst of the day: she was ashamed and blushed: and their remainder I will give to the sword before their enemies, says Jehovah.
She bringing forth seven, languished: she breathed out her soul; her sun went down in the midst of the day: she was ashamed and blushed: and their remainder I will give to the sword before their enemies, says Jehovah.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and the terrible day of Jehovah.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and the terrible day of Jehovah.
The sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars took away their shining.
The sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars took away their shining.
And it was in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I caused the sun to set at noon, and I darkened the light to the earth in that day:
And it was in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I caused the sun to set at noon, and I darkened the light to the earth in that day:
And it was in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I caused the sun to set at noon, and I darkened the light to the earth in that day:
And it was in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I caused the sun to set at noon, and I darkened the light to the earth in that day:
For this, night to you from a vision, and darkness to you from divining; and the sun went down upon the prophets, and the day was dark upon them.
For this, night to you from a vision, and darkness to you from divining; and the sun went down upon the prophets, and the day was dark upon them.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; weeping shall be there, and gnashing of teeth.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; weeping shall be there, and gnashing of teeth.
And quickly after the pressure of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
And quickly after the pressure of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
And, behold, a messenger of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them : and they fear a great fear.
And, behold, a messenger of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them : and they fear a great fear.
And light shines in darkness; and darkness comprehended it not.
And light shines in darkness; and darkness comprehended it not.
And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men rather loved darkness than light, for their works were evil.
And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men rather loved darkness than light, for their works were evil.
And participate not with the unfruitful works of darkness, and rather also confute.
And participate not with the unfruitful works of darkness, and rather also confute.
And this is the message which we have heard from him, and we announce to you, that God is light, and no darkness is in him.
And this is the message which we have heard from him, and we announce to you, that God is light, and no darkness is in him.
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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And the earth was desolation and emptiness, and darkness over the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.
And God will call to the light day, and to the darkness he called night: and the evening shall be, and the morning shall be one day.
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt
And it will come between the camp of Egypt and between the camp of Israel; and it will be the cloud, and the darkness, and it will make the night light: and this drew not near to this all the night
And the people will stand from far off, and Moses will draw near to the darkness where God is there.
Before I shall go and turn back to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as thick darkness; of the shadow of death, and not orders, and the brightness, as thick darkness.
And he will incline the heavens and come down: and gloom under his feet
He will set darkness his covering; his tent round about him darknesses of waters, thick clouds.
They will not know, they will not Understand: they will go about in darkness: all the foundations of the earth will be moved.
A cloud and darkness round about him: justice and judgment the preparing of his throne.
The people going in darkness saw a great light: they dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, light shone upon them.
The people sitting in darkness saw a great light; and to them sitting in the room and shadow of death, light has sprung up to them.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; weeping shall be there, and gnashing of teeth.
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
I being with you daily in the temple, ye stretched not forth the hands upon me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
And light shines in darkness; and darkness comprehended it not.
And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men rather loved darkness than light, for their works were evil.
For the wrestling is not to us against blood and flesh, but against beginnings, against powers, against the chiefs of the world of darkness of this life, against spiritual things of wickedness in heavenly things.
For ye have not come to the mount being handled, and burned with fire, and to duskiness, and to darkness, and to a violent storm,
Also the angels not having kept their beginning, but having left their own habitation, he has kept in perpetual chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
Fierce waves of the sea, foaming out their own shames; wandering stars, to whom the obseurity of darkness has been kept forever.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the wild beast; and his kingdom was darkened; and they pressed their tongues for 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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And the people will stand from far off, and Moses will draw near to the darkness where God is there.
Before I shall go and turn back to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as thick darkness; of the shadow of death, and not orders, and the brightness, as thick darkness.
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
And light shines in darkness; and darkness comprehended it not.
And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men rather loved darkness than light, for their works were evil.
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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And the earth was desolation and emptiness, and darkness over the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand towards the heavens, and darkness shall be upon the land of Egypt, and the darkness shall be felt And Moses will stretch forth his hand toward the heavens, and there shall be thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
That day shall be darkness; God shall not search it out from above, and the light shall not shine upon it. Darkness shall pollute it, and the shadow of death; a cloud shall dwell upon it; the obscurations of day shall terrify it
A land of darkness, as thick darkness; of the shadow of death, and not orders, and the brightness, as thick darkness.
They sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound with affliction and iron.
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him:
And it was the preparation of the pascha, and about the sixth hour: and he says to the Jews, Behold your King!