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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the earth was without form and empty. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven. And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. read more. They did not see one another, nor did any rise from his place, for three days. But all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Those who sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, being chained in affliction and iron;
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not reflect its light.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
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).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness.
They did not see one another, nor did any rise from his place, for three days. But all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
before I go, and I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
Clouds and darkness are all around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.
Those who sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, being chained in affliction and iron;
And they shall look to the land; and behold, trouble and darkness and gloom of anguish! And they are driven away into darkness.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.
Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land waste; and He shall destroy its sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not reflect its light.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you.
And at Tahpanhes also the day shall be held back, when I shatter the yokes of Egypt there. And the pride of her strength shall cease in her; as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into exile.
a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains; a great people and a strong people; there has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations.
But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
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).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness.
And before they had laid down, she came up to them on the roof.
And before they had laid down, she came up to them on the roof.
Clouds and darkness are all around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.
Clouds and darkness are all around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.
Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land waste; and He shall destroy its sinners out of it.
Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land waste; and He shall destroy its sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not reflect its light.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not reflect its light.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you.
She who bore seven languishes; she has breathed out her life; her sun has gone down while it was yet day. She has been ashamed and humiliated; and I will deliver the rest of them to the sword before their enemies, says Jehovah.
She who bore seven languishes; she has breathed out her life; her sun has gone down while it was yet day. She has been ashamed and humiliated; and I will deliver the rest of them to the sword before their enemies, says Jehovah.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall gather in their light.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall gather in their light.
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the light of day.
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the light of day.
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the light of day.
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord Jehovah, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the light of day.
Therefore a night shall be to you without vision; and darkness without divining. And the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
Therefore a night shall be to you without vision; and darkness without divining. And the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were grievously afraid.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were grievously afraid.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
And this is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to 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 declare to 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the earth was without form and empty. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.
And God called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness.
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was a cloudy and dark night, but it lit up the night, so that the one did not come near the other all night.
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
before I go, and I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; a land of obscurity, the darkness of the shadow of death, without any order, and the shining is as darkness.
He made darkness His secret place, His pavilion around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
They neither know nor will understand; they walk on in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Clouds and darkness are all around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.
The people who sat in darkness saw a great Light; and Light has sprung up to those who sat in the region and shadow of death."
But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
When I was with you in the temple daily, you did not stretch out your hand on Me. But this is your hour, and the authority of the darkness.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
For you have not come to the mountain that might be touched and that burned with fire, nor to blackness and darkness and tempest,
And those angels not having kept their first place, but having deserted their dwelling-place, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of a great Day;
wild waves of the sea foaming up their shames; wandering stars for whom blackness of darkness has been kept forever.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues from 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
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
before I go, and I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; a land of obscurity, the darkness of the shadow of death, without any order, and the shining is as darkness.
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds 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,"
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the earth was without form and empty. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the heavens, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so that one may even feel the darkness. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven. And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
Let that day be darkness. Let not God look upon it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it. Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
a land of obscurity, the darkness of the shadow of death, without any order, and the shining is as darkness.
Those who sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, being chained in affliction and iron;
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.