'Darkness' in the Bible

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.”

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom.

And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.

and you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, with none to save you.

But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

“He keeps the feet of His godly ones,But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;For not by might shall a man prevail.

“He bowed the heavens also, and came downWith thick darkness under His feet.

“And He made darkness canopies around Him,A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

“For You are my lamp, O Lord;And the Lord illumines my darkness.

“May that day be darkness;Let not God above care for it,Nor light shine on it.

“Let darkness and black gloom claim it;Let a cloud settle on it;Let the blackness of the day terrify it.

“As for that night, let darkness seize it;Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;Let it not come into the number of the months.

“By day they meet with darkness,And grope at noon as in the night.

Before I go—and I shall not return—To the land of darkness and deep shadow,

The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,Of deep shadow without order,And which shines as the darkness.”

“Your life would be brighter than noonday;Darkness would be like the morning.

“He reveals mysteries from the darknessAnd brings the deep darkness into light.

“They grope in darkness with no light,And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

“He does not believe that he will return from darkness,And he is destined for the sword.

“He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

“He will not escape from darkness;The flame will wither his shoots,And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

“My face is flushed from weeping,And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

“They make night into day, saying,‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.

“If I look for Sheol as my home,I make my bed in the darkness;

“He is driven from light into darkness,And chased from the inhabited world.

“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,And He has put darkness on my paths.

Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,And unfanned fire will devour him;It will consume the survivor in his tent.

Or darkness, so that you cannot see,And an abundance of water covers you.

“You say, ‘What does God know?Can He judge through the thick darkness?

But I am not silenced by the darkness,Nor deep gloom which covers me.

“For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

“He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the watersAt the boundary of light and darkness.

“Man puts an end to darkness,And to the farthest limit he searches outThe rock in gloom and deep shadow.

When His lamp shone over my head,And by His light I walked through darkness;

“When I expected good, then evil came;When I waited for light, then darkness came.

“There is no darkness or deep shadowWhere the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

“Teach us what we shall say to Him;We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.

When I made a cloud its garmentAnd thick darkness its swaddling band,

“Have the gates of death been revealed to you,Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?And darkness, where is its place,

For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,They make ready their arrow upon the stringTo shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

He bowed the heavens also, and came downWith thick darkness under His feet.

He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

For You light my lamp;The Lord my God illumines my darkness.

They do not know nor do they understand;They walk about in darkness;All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

You have removed lover and friend far from me;My acquaintances are in darkness.

Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

You appoint darkness and it becomes night,In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.

He sent darkness and made it dark;And they did not rebel against His words.

There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,Prisoners in misery and chains,

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of deathAnd broke their bands apart.

Light arises in the darkness for the upright;He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,And the light around me will be night,”

Even the darkness is not dark to You,And the night is as bright as the day.Darkness and light are alike to You.

From those who leave the paths of uprightnessTo walk in the ways of darkness;

The way of the wicked is like darkness;They do not know over what they stumble.

In the twilight, in the evening,In the middle of the night and in the darkness.

He who curses his father or his mother,His lamp will go out in time of darkness.

And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.

Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea.If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.

The people who walk in darknessWill see a great light;Those who live in a dark land,The light will shine on them.

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book,And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

To open blind eyes,To bring out prisoners from the dungeonAnd those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,In paths they do not know I will guide them.I will make darkness into light before themAnd rugged places into plains.These are the things I will do,And I will not leave them undone.”

“I will give you the treasures of darknessAnd hidden wealth of secret places,So that you may know that it is I,The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

The One forming light and creating darkness,Causing well-being and creating calamity;I am the Lord who does all these.

“Sit silently, and go into darkness,O daughter of the Chaldeans,For you will no longer be calledThe queen of kingdoms.

Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’Along the roads they will feed,And their pasture will be on all bare heights.

Who is among you that fears the Lord,That obeys the voice of His servant,That walks in darkness and has no light?Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

And if you give yourself to the hungryAnd satisfy the desire of the afflicted,Then your light will rise in darknessAnd your gloom will become like midday.

Therefore justice is far from us,And righteousness does not overtake us;We hope for light, but behold, darkness,For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

“For behold, darkness will cover the earthAnd deep darkness the peoples;But the Lord will rise upon youAnd His glory will appear upon you.

“They did not say, ‘Where is the LordWho brought us up out of the land of Egypt,Who led us through the wilderness,Through a land of deserts and of pits,Through a land of drought and of deep darkness,Through a land that no one crossedAnd where no man dwelt?’

“O generation, heed the word of the Lord.Have I been a wilderness to Israel,Or a land of thick darkness?Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam;We will no longer come to You’?

Give glory to the Lord your God,Before He brings darknessAnd before your feet stumbleOn the dusky mountains,And while you are hoping for lightHe makes it into deep darkness,And turns it into gloom.

He has driven me and made me walkIn darkness and not in light.

“All the shining lights in the heavensI will darken over youAnd will set darkness on your land,”Declares the Lord God.

“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;He knows what is in the darkness,And the light dwells with Him.

A day of darkness and gloom,A day of clouds and thick darkness.As the dawn is spread over the mountains,So there is a great and mighty people;There has never been anything like it,Nor will there be again after itTo the years of many generations.

“The sun will be turned into darknessAnd the moon into bloodBefore the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the windAnd declares to man what are His thoughts,He who makes dawn into darknessAnd treads on the high places of the earth,The Lord God of hosts is His name.

He who made the Pleiades and OrionAnd changes deep darkness into morning,Who also darkens day into night,Who calls for the waters of the seaAnd pours them out on the surface of the earth,The Lord is His name.

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?It will be darkness and not light;

Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,Even gloom with no brightness in it?

Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,And darkness for you—without divination.The sun will go down on the prophets,And the day will become dark over them.

Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.Though I fall I will rise;Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.

But with an overflowing floodHe will make a complete end of its site,And will pursue His enemies into darkness.