Deep Darkness

SPECIAL TOPIC: DARKNESS

There are two main Hebrew roots that express "darkness" (BDB 364-5, BDB 853). They are used in a literal sense of places, as well as imagery for confusion, sin, and calcitrant unbelief.

Darkness (BDB 365) is used in three ways.
1. Literal
  1. the darkness of initial creation ‒ Gen. 1:2
  2. the darkness of the sleep of Abraham's great vision ‒ Gen. 15:12
  3. the plague of darkness in Egypt ‒ Exod. 10:21
  4. the darkness surrounding the theophany on Mt. Sinai ‒ Deut. 4:11; Heb. 12:18
  5. the NT reflects this sense of dread, gloom at Calvary ‒ Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33
2. Figuratively (primarily NT)
  1. spiritual darkness ‒ Matt. 4:16 (quotes Isa. 9:2); 6:22-23
  2. to the scribes and Pharisees Jesus says, "they walk in darkness," John 8:12
  3. Jesus is the Light of the world ‒ John 1:4-5; 8:12; 12:35,41
  4. humans love darkness because their deeds are evil ‒ John 3:19
  5. humans are blinded by Satan to the Light of Christ ‒ 2 Cor. 4:4,6
  6. darkness is the domain of Satan ‒ Acts 26:18
  7. believers were once in darkness but now they are children of Light ‒ Eph. 5:8
  8. believers have been delivered from the domain of darkness and are now part of the Kingdom of His beloved Son" ‒ Col. 1:13
  9. believers have been called out of the darkness into God's marvelous Light ‒ 1 Pet. 2:9
  10. unbelievers walk in darkness (hate and sin) but believers know God is Light and in Him there is no darkness. Therefore, they walk in the Light of the gospel ‒ 1 John 1:5-7
  11. believers know that darkness is defeated and is passing away ‒ 1 John 2:5-9
3. Darkness is used in eschatological texts
  1. Joel 2:28-31, which is quoted by Peter in Acts 2. Joel 2:30-31 speaks of the darkening of God's heavenly Lights.
  2. this same imagery is repeated in Zeph. 1:15,17
  3. unbelieving Jews will not be a part of the Messianic banquet ‒ Matt. 8:10-13 (also note Matt. 22:13 and 25:30)
  4. darkness is imagery for the holding place of the fallen angels ‒ 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude vv. 6,13 (see SPECIAL TOPIC: TARTARUS, II. C. 2.)
Deep Darkness
This is the Hebrew word salmawet (BDB 853), which is translated in the KJV in Ps. 23:4 as "the valley of the shadow of death." It really means a valley of deep darkness, which may describe any and all of life's crises.
The NET Bible has a good note about this word at Jer. 2:6 (p. 1290, #6). It is used in poetic texts of
1. the darkness of prison, Ps. 107:10,14
2. the darkness of invasion, Isa. 9:1
3. the darkness of a mine, Job 28:3
4. the darkness of a ravine, Ps. 23:4
5. the darkness of a wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert, Jer. 2:6
6. life's tragedies or confusions, Job 3:5; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps. 44:19
7. the darkness of death, Job 10:21-22; 38:17
  Notice the theological contrast between YHWH's word/truth as light, but sin as darkness (BDB 364, KB 361, cf. Isa. 8:22-9:2), deep darkness (BDB 853), and gloom (BDB 791).
  This darkness imagery is characterized by "stumbling" (BDB 619, KB 669). A life of faith is pictured as a person walking on a clearly marked path in light. If one
  1. deviates from the path
  2. stumbles on the path
  3. rejects God's ways (path)
  4. walks in darkness in difficult terrain

judgment is the result.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WAY. . .THE PATH