Let’s begin by examining the word darkness and the ways it is used throughout the Scriptures.
Darkness in the Hebrew is, “cha-shach.” The Greek is, “skotos.”
There are six Greek words for darkness that translate into the English, “Darkness.”
Darkness: Ancient masters interpreted darkness to mean, obscurity, spiritual blindness, gross ignorance, mean, low, base, vile, the regions of the dead, the blackness, or darkness of hell. The above apply in the following verses:
Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form and void: and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
Genesis 15:12, “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram: and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”
Psalms 18:28, “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”
Isaiah 50:10, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?”
Proverbs 20:20, “Whoso curseth his father or mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.”
Jeremiah 13:16, “Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountain, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.”
The Greek for darkness is, “skotos,” coming from the base word, “skis.” It means shadow, shade, gloom, death-shade, thickest darkness.
1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.”
Acts 13:11, “And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness.”
Matthew 8:12, “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Uttermost Darkness of Hades
The farthest dark prison, as the image of the place of punishment in Hades:
Compare, 2 Peter 2:17, with Jude 13.
2 Peter 2:17, “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.”
Jude 13, “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame: wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
Uttermost darkness of Sheol:
Job 10:22, “A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.”
Moral Darkness:
Moral darkness, or the absence of spiritual light, and truth. It includes spiritual ignorance, blindness, including the idea of sinfulness and consequent calamity.
Matthew 4:16, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
Luke 1:79, “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Psalms 107:10, “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron.”
Matthew 6:23, “But if thine eye be evil, the whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Luke 11:35, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.”
John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.”
Romans 2:19, “And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness.” Compare with Verse 17, “thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest the boast of God,” compared to verse 20, “An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.”
Romans 13:12, with Ephesians 5:11, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of God.”
Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Works of Darkness, Wicked Deeds:
2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” In allusion to,
Genesis 1:3, “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
2 Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
1 John 1:6, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”
Micah 7:8, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy, when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”
Men who are in a state of moral darkness, wicked men, under the influence of Satan:
Luke 22:53, “When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”
Summary:
A horrible darkness came upon Egypt as a plague, thick and terrible, so that no one dare leave their homes, and so lasting that it endured three days and nights.
Darkness had fallen upon the city at our Lord’s death, beginning at noon, and ending at three in the afternoon.
Darkness is sometimes used metaphorically for death. It is also used in reference to misfortunes and calamities. The expression,
“I will cover the heavens with darkness,” and
“The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood.”
Signify great political calamities, involving the overthrow of kings, princes, royalty, and all the respected leaders of the world, these powers being represented by the luminaries of heaven.
In a moral sense, darkness refers to unbelief, ignorance and vice; so,
“The children of light in opposition to “the children of darkness,: these are the righteous, distinguished from the wicked.
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com